Access Norton Motorcycle Forum

DogT wrote:If that circlip is OK, the clutch nut was not overtightened. I bet the retainer spring just came out, if you don't see any other damage. If the nut on the timing side in the gearbox is loose, I think the clutch won't operate right, or that shaft will move around? If you put a new spring on the clutch basket, and everything works good you may be good to go. Depends on whether you want to pull the gearbox covers off or not. Might be worth a look if you've got the inclination.

Yeah, 40 ft/lb on the clutch nut with blue locktite.

I always use heat from the ray gun on the drive sprocket, that helps it come off.

Dave
69S

I had the clutch all back together once and when I went to kick it over the kicker would slip and I would hear something grind part way throught the kick. It was more of a finer sounding grind...almost like some kind of splines slipping. I just tried kicking it while putting some pressure on the rear wheel (it's up on the centerstand) and I couldn't force it to slip??? Maybe I wasn't getting enough pressure holding the rear wheel back? I was ready to rip into the gear box, but it seems to shift smoothly through the gears statically, no unusual noises.
When I first took the primamry cover off the primary chain was banjo tight I think I am going to replace the clutch hub bearing, it feels a little notchy.

hobot wrote:When my mainshaft TS nut
d/t shaft

You can just tug on exposed main shaft to get sense of its security w/o opening outer cover.

Check the clutch groove ain't chewed up to retain the spring clip again.

TS nut?
d/t shaft?

I did try sliding the exposed mainshaft, it seems secure, just the tiniest bit of axial movement. The groove for the retaing spring clip looks good also.

If your primary chain was that tight, I'm surprised you could shift at all. Like hobot says, keep that thing loose, 3/8" SLACK, not pushing on it. I bet the retaining spring just wasn't seated properly. How's your clutch pack height while you're at it? The clutch hub bearing will take up some of that clutch wobble too, but it's only wobbly when you pull in the clutch, when it's engaged, it's irrelevant, it's sort of like a throw-out bearing.

Dave
69S

When I first took the primamry cover off the primary chain was banjo tight

OH NO i can grantee your whole power unit is now injured from crank shaft to main shaft and all the bearing and bush supports in between. You can patch the obvious now and ride a bit then have to fix some show stopper away from home, again and again, in sequence of next least injured item giving up or bite the bullet and measure crank run out and go completely through the gear box, listing what you find for our sadistic pleasure side. This is not speculation, if your bike was ridden even once and finding banjo tight primary when cold. OH NO UGH-LY!

DogT wrote:If your primary chain was that tight, I'm surprised you could shift at all. Like hobot says, keep that thing loose, 3/8" SLACK, not pushing on it. I bet the retaining spring just wasn't seated properly. How's your clutch pack height while you're at it? The clutch hub bearing will take up some of that clutch wobble too, but it's only wobbly when you pull in the clutch, when it's engaged, it's irrelevant, it's sort of like a throw-out bearing.

Dave
69S

Well I was the last one in there to mess with the retaining spring

I was reading about the whole clutch pack height in the INOA Tech Digest. I found an old steel clutch plate that measured around .080 and that brought the stack just flush with the grooved part of the clutch hub. (This was after my retaining spring debacle) What a difference in the clutch pull! I put it all back together and that's when I had the grinding noise kicking it over. Just to be on the safe side I took the extra plate back off, re-assembled and still had the noise.

One thing I just though of was when I first started into this after the retaing spring let loose was I loosened my primary chain up because it was way too tight. Do you think it could be loose enough to be rubbing inside the primary when I kicked it over???

hobot wrote:

When I first took the primamry cover off the primary chain was banjo tight

OH NO i can grantee your whole power unit is now injured from crank shaft to main shaft and all the bearing and bush supports in between. You can patch the obvious now and ride a bit then have to fix some show stopper away from home, again and again, in sequence of next least injured item giving up or bite the bullet and measure crank run out and go completely through the gear box, listing what you find for our sadistic pleasure side. This is not speculation, if your bike was ridden even once and finding banjo tight primary when cold. OH NO UGH-LY!

Thanks Sluggo!

If you take the primary cover off, it would be easy enough to see if the chain is rubbing. It shouldn't be that loose. Take your clutch pack apart and put the GB in all gears and rotate the rear wheel and see what you gets. I'm just thrashing here, you may see if you've bent your gb mainshaft or is your drive chain rubbing for some reason. hobot may be right about your trans. There are plenty of bushings that can go easy and corkscrew the mainshaft. As I remember that's a 30 hp gearbox?

Dave
69S

No one would seal primary up with obvious chain drag and it can't really be too lose to hurt anything unless maybe the way I throttle and spin up and cut power so assume the worst. Wiggle clutch and kick over w/o chain to observe centered motion for idea of how lucky or not you are. Look at bottom of case for chain clash and also at top Alternator mount boss for link tracks and Al chips in oil puddles. Do put a dial gage on the crank shaft for sense of how hard to run it now.

hobot wrote:No one would seal primary up with obvious chain drag and it can't really be too lose to hurt anything unless maybe the way I throttle and spin up and cut power so assume the worst. Wiggle clutch and kick over w/o chain to observe centered motion for idea of how lucky or not you are. Look at bottom of case for chain clash and also at top Alternator mount boss for link tracks and Al chips in oil puddles. Do put a dial gage on the crank shaft for sense of how hard to run it now.

I put a dial indicator on the crank shaft and the most runout I measured was .0001 I tried a couple different times and that was what I came up with. I have the C/S sprocket off now so maybe I can get a dial indicator on the mainshaft?

I put a dial indicator on the crank shaft and the most runout I measured was .0001

Yea man, lucked out with ~perfect lack of crank run out. Still leaves gear box guts to check or ride and find out. Hope the good news continues.

hobot wrote:

I put a dial indicator on the crank shaft and the most runout I measured was .0001

Yea man, lucked out with ~perfect lack of crank run out. Still leaves gear box guts to check or ride and find out. Hope the good news continues.

Thanks, me too! I measured the runout of the GB mainshaft after I removed the CS sprocket and the max was .0006 Maybe I did luck out. Getting ready to order some parts now.

Is there any trick to getting the mainshaft seal out of the gearbox or just be careful and try and pry it out?

Ok shafts check out great, so leaves bushes but if clutch stable then guess you got away this time. Just use a pick or screw into old seal to pry-pull out then grease or goop it then press in new one.