2013 Commando 961 – Difficult shifting, false neutrals, rattling noise, and broken pieces found in primary case

J

Jansen

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Hi everyone,

I’m hoping someone has seen this before on an early Commando 961.

My bike is a 2013 Norton Commando 961.

It started with increasingly difficult shifting, especially when downshifting from 3rd to 2nd and 1st. The gear lever occasionally felt “dead” or limp, as if it wasn’t engaging the selector properly.


While riding, I also experienced several false neutrals. The engine would rev and I could hear a light rattling noise, but after shifting a couple more times the gear would suddenly engage normally and the noise disappeared. The engine itself sounds good.

Eventually, when selecting 1st from a standstill, I heard a louder grinding/rattling sound. After that I stopped riding the bike.

Some additional observations:
  • The engine still has full power.
  • Once a gear is fully engaged, the bike rides normally.
  • With the engine off, I can usually shift through the gears, although occasionally the lever still feels “dead” when selecting 1st.
  • With the engine running, I sometimes needed a firm shift before 1st would engage with a noticeable clunk.
Today I removed the left primary cover and found several broken fragments inside the primary case (see attached photo).

Has anyone experienced something similar?

Before I strip the clutch and primary drive any further, I’d really appreciate any advice from owners who have seen this failure before.

Thanks in advance!
 

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Jansen said:
Hi everyone,

I’m hoping someone has seen this before on an early Commando 961.

My bike is a 2013 Norton Commando 961.

It started with increasingly difficult shifting, especially when downshifting from 3rd to 2nd and 1st. The gear lever occasionally felt “dead” or limp, as if it wasn’t engaging the selector properly.


While riding, I also experienced several false neutrals. The engine would rev and I could hear a light rattling noise, but after shifting a couple more times the gear would suddenly engage normally and the noise disappeared. The engine itself sounds good.

Eventually, when selecting 1st from a standstill, I heard a louder grinding/rattling sound. After that I stopped riding the bike.

Some additional observations:
  • The engine still has full power.
  • Once a gear is fully engaged, the bike rides normally.
  • With the engine off, I can usually shift through the gears, although occasionally the lever still feels “dead” when selecting 1st.
  • With the engine running, I sometimes needed a firm shift before 1st would engage with a noticeable clunk.
Today I removed the left primary cover and found several broken fragments inside the primary case (see attached photo).

Has anyone experienced something similar?

Before I strip the clutch and primary drive any further, I’d really appreciate any advice from owners who have seen this failure before.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Well articulated symptoms. 🗣️A breath of fresh air...😎
 
Jansen said:
Hi everyone,

I’m hoping someone has seen this before on an early Commando 961.

My bike is a 2013 Norton Commando 961.

It started with increasingly difficult shifting, especially when downshifting from 3rd to 2nd and 1st. The gear lever occasionally felt “dead” or limp, as if it wasn’t engaging the selector properly.


While riding, I also experienced several false neutrals. The engine would rev and I could hear a light rattling noise, but after shifting a couple more times the gear would suddenly engage normally and the noise disappeared. The engine itself sounds good.

Eventually, when selecting 1st from a standstill, I heard a louder grinding/rattling sound. After that I stopped riding the bike.

Some additional observations:
  • The engine still has full power.
  • Once a gear is fully engaged, the bike rides normally.
  • With the engine off, I can usually shift through the gears, although occasionally the lever still feels “dead” when selecting 1st.
  • With the engine running, I sometimes needed a firm shift before 1st would engage with a noticeable clunk.
Today I removed the left primary cover and found several broken fragments inside the primary case (see attached photo).

Has anyone experienced something similar?

Before I strip the clutch and primary drive any further, I’d really appreciate any advice from owners who have seen this failure before.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Ouch, that doesn’t look good. It’s difficult to tell how large they are, can you put a ruler next to them and upload another picture please?
Some of the pieces look like plastic. Are they?
I definitely think you need to strip and inspect anyway.
Also take the cover off the front sprocket and make sure the large nut is tight.
 
Jansen said:
Measurements are in centimeters.

All pieces are definitely metal.
Click to expand...
Given the dark colour of the pieces, and the difficulty selecting gears etc. I suspect they are bits of the selector pawl (upper arrow) or the selector drum detent arm. My money is on the latter working loose and touching the ring gear, but until you have it stripped it's all guesswork.


1784573791592.png


Keep us updated on what you find.
 
Jansen said:
Yeah I dont have the puller tool. Will visit local store to see of they have anything that matches or else i’ll need to Make one today
Click to expand...
Another handy thing is one of those telescopic magnets (or two even better) to pull the clutch plates out.
 
Stephen_Spencer said:
A generic steering wheel puller or harmonic balancer gear puller should do the trick Jansen. These are readily available at your local auto store.

View attachment 125623
Click to expand...
That’s similar to what I have, but a word of advice, get some thicker and wider washers otherwise the bolts will try to pull through.
Once the puller is in position and very tight on the intermediate gear, if it doesn’t release, I use a wide lever to lever it outwards ( to reduce the risk of damaging anything at the next stage) then give the end of the puller a good strike with a heavy hammer to break the taper. It’s also a good idea to leave the nut on loosely, as the gear will come off rather quickly.
 
Oversized washers👍 and a couple of elongated 6mm nuts drilled and tapped to 8x1.25 mm - to make sure the outer bolts run in the centre of the slots. These generic puller are all similar, including 8 mm bolts sitting in 13 mm channel. Necessary? Can’t harm.

2013 Commando 961 – Difficult shifting, false neutrals, rattling noise, and broken pieces found in primary case
 
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