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

cliffa · Friday at 7:40 AM

Jansen said:
The thing is; I have some poor welts, and the picture you referring to have some decent steel plates in the slots. my slots are empty and filled on one side with some poor welds.

Agreed, they look very poor welds, which is why I think a complete replacement is a better ( and safer) option.

Stephen_Spencer · Friday at 7:42 AM

We had a brief intervention from an ex Norton employee called Nicoli (from memory) a few years ago. He challenged those that were welding rivets in place or modifying spring pockets by welding. He stated that the material was not suitable for welding - ‘you have been warned’ was his caveat on welding in this area.

I’ll report back on the my recent spares purchase. Replacement looks like the best option to me but no doubt a repair could be effected - depending on available expertise.

cliffa · Friday at 10:03 AM

@Jansen , I just had a closer look at one of the photos you sent, and it look as though one of the springs has been caught by the welder and partly burned through ? (maybe its an optical illusion).

TonyA · Friday at 11:21 AM

cliffa said:
@Jansen , I just had a closer look at one of the photos you sent, and it look as though one of the springs has been caught by the welder and partly burned through ? (maybe its an optical illusion).

View attachment 125662

A welded spring is not good. !

Jansen · Friday at 11:26 AM

cliffa said:
@Jansen , I just had a closer look at one of the photos you sent, and it look as though one of the springs has been caught by the welder and partly burned through ? (maybe its an optical illusion).

View attachment 125662

Yes Thats true. Something I have noticed aswell. The more I look at my basket, the less comfortable I am with the welding that has been done around these spring pockets. Especially now knowing that welding/modifying this area may not have been recommended in the first place.

Pretty bizarre and very dissapointing to be honest. Been looking for years to have a Commando, definitely hasn’t been the best start these past 3 months lmao.

cliffa · Friday at 11:39 AM

Jansen said:
Yes Thats true. Something I have noticed aswell. The more I look at my basket, the less comfortable I am with the welding that has been done around these spring pockets. Especially now knowing that welding/modifying this area may not have been recommended in the first place.

Pretty bizarre and very dissapointing to be honest. Been looking for years to have a Commando, definitely hasn’t been the best start these past 3 months lmao.

Don't give up. they are pretty sound machines at heart, but let down by poor assembly in some cases, and lack of funds to develop them properly.

Jansen · Friday at 11:50 AM

cliffa said:
Don't give up. they are pretty sound machines at heart, but let down by poor assembly in some cases, and lack of funds to develop them properly.

Nah never give up. Curious of its easy to get a new basket to the Netherlands. Definitely want to order one and going to look what other upgrades I can do while im at it. But need Some help with that. I guess going through the thread “new to 961” is a good start?

cliffa · Friday at 11:59 AM

Jansen said:
Nah never give up. Curious of its easy to get a new basket to the Netherlands. Definitely want to order one and going to look what other upgrades I can do while im at it. But need Some help with that. I guess going through the thread “new to 961” is a good start?

Not as easy since Brexit unfortunately, but still doable. What other issues have you had in the past months? My bike is a 2011, and still has the original relays and sensors as far as I can tell. One thing I would suggest, is to carefully inspect the wheel hubs, as the early bikes hubs are prone to cracking at the spoke towers.

Jansen · Friday at 12:12 PM

cliffa said:
Not as easy since Brexit unfortunately, but still doable. What other issues have you had in the past months? My bike is a 2011, and still has the original relays and sensors as far as I can tell. One thing I would suggest, is to carefully inspect the wheel hubs, as the early bikes hubs are prone to cracking at the spoke towers.

a month after i got it, it sometimes stops running after i come down to first and stopping. then i have to restart the bike again.

i also had some battery problems, but that can happen but was unfortunate.

Only after I bought the bike I realized that I have an EVAP canister. Thinking about removing it.

And I would like to have a little bit more sound out of the bike. I can get a new exhaust plus ecu from a belgian guy who used to have a norton dealership in belgium. A BSA dealership near me can hook me up, they are both involved in competitative classic racing.

cliffa · Friday at 1:18 PM

Jansen said:
a month after i got it, it sometimes stops running after i come down to first and stopping. then i have to restart the bike again.

i also had some battery problems, but that can happen but was unfortunate.

Only after I bought the bike I realized that I have an EVAP canister. Thinking about removing it.

And I would like to have a little bit more sound out of the bike. I can get a new exhaust plus ecu from a belgian guy who used to have a norton dealership in belgium. A BSA dealership near me can hook me up, they are both involved in competitative classic racing.

Check the Idle air control valve (IAC) for operation, clean if needed, and make sure the downstream hoses have clips on them.
The speedometer is known to cause a drain on the battery. I installed an isolator switch on mine, but pulling a fuse also works.
Bin the EVAP, but block the manifold spigots.

Stephen_Spencer · Friday at 6:19 PM

@Jansen - I think the majority(?) of the Donington bikes benefit from being permanently on a tender (parasitic drain). Some have had better outcomes with a good quality Li battery and dedicated tender - especially for the colder months. That said, others swear by the original Yuasa.

In the warmer months my bike is prone to cutting out exactly as you describe - I’ve learnt to ride around it. Rather than coasting to a halt letting the revs drop to idle, I blip the throttle on down shifts to first, holding on the throttle as I shift to neutral. One final blip whilst in neutral and allow to drop to idle. The bike then ticks over normally. I have plans to try and correct (IAC etc) but have got used to it and opted to leave well alone. Might be worth trying whilst you investigate a fix.

There are reports of earlier bikes with odd running characteristics if owners do not follow the recommended start procedure, which includes leaving the throttle alone when hitting the starter. Worth looking at.

I’ll receive the clutch this coming week, so we’ll have a definitive part number to assembly, and cost. That’ll give you a better idea when dealing with Judd if you decide to purchase.

Well worth persevering with these bikes. Quirky and often frustrating, but awesome in equal measure

.

cliffa · Saturday at 5:22 AM

@Jansen you should also carefully inspect the teeth on all of the gears in case any of the metal got between them.

And don’t forget to check the nut is tight on the front sprocket, and the lock tab is correctly bent over.

Jansen · 2026-07-28T07:13:31-0600

Update from Judd Racing/Norton

I’ve now had a reply from Nicole at Judd Racing after she contacted Norton on my behalf.

Norton’s response is that they are only able to officially support motorcycles built after TVS took ownership of Norton. They explained that although they acquired some of the assets from NMUL, they did not take responsibility for the earlier motorcycles or parts, and that the inherited parts came from various sources with insufficient documentation regarding provenance, quality standards and compatibility.

Because of this, Norton will not confirm that current 961 parts are suitable for or compatible with my 2013 Donington-built Commando 961.

They will sell parts fitted to their own current Commando 961, but they will not guarantee that those parts fit or are suitable for the earlier Donington bikes. So I guess I have to figure that one out somehow.

I completely understand Norton not wanting to accept liability or responsibility for motorcycles built by the previous company. However, I have to admit I find their response a little disappointing and perhaps overly defensive.

This makes Stephen’s incoming Judd/Norton clutch basket even more interesting, as a direct comparison with his Donington 961 may be the best way for us to establish whether the current assembly is actually compatible.

Read the full reply here:

Thanks for reaching out. We are only able to support bikes that were built in the period after TVS took ownership of Norton. There might be aftermarket suppliers that could help, although we cannot vouch for them in any way.

As you may know if you have been following the Norton story, we have been working through the issues left by the previous Norton company, NMUL Realisations Ltd., and although we (The Norton Motorcycle Co. Ltd.) bought some of the assets of NMUL we did not take on any liability or responsibility for any parts or products made and sold by that company.

We have now almost completed this work and unfortunately, we have found that the parts we inherited came from a variety of sources, with very little documentation to show providence, quality standards, or important information regarding compatibility with different models. All this means that we cannot be certain that the parts would be of the necessary quality and standard to ensure rider safety. Therefore, we have taken the difficult decision that we cannot sell any parts we haven’t sourced, or tested; nor can we service, maintain, or repair any bikes that we have not built. Unfortunately, this includes your motorcycle.

This isn’t a decision we have taken lightly; we have spent a significant amount of time checking the stock of parts in the hope of finding a way to support you, but it would be irresponsible of us to sell parts or service motorcycles without being confident we could guarantee your safety.

All motorcycles built and sold by us will, of course, be fully supported through Norton Birmingham, and in time a global network of Norton Customer Centres. Our Parts Department is open, we will sell parts that are fitted to our own Norton Commando 961 only. For the reasons set out above we will not be able to guarantee that they will fit your bike, nor that they are suitable or fit for purpose on your motorcycle.

We had hoped to find a better solution but that has not been possible due to the issues we have inherited.

cliffa · 2026-07-28T07:42:51-0600

Jansen said:
Update from Judd Racing/Norton

I’ve now had a reply from Nicole at Judd Racing after she contacted Norton on my behalf.

Norton’s response is that they are only able to officially support motorcycles built after TVS took ownership of Norton. They explained that although they acquired some of the assets from NMUL, they did not take responsibility for the earlier motorcycles or parts, and that the inherited parts came from various sources with insufficient documentation regarding provenance, quality standards and compatibility.

Because of this, Norton will not confirm that current 961 parts are suitable for or compatible with my 2013 Donington-built Commando 961.

They will sell parts fitted to their own current Commando 961, but they will not guarantee that those parts fit or are suitable for the earlier Donington bikes. So I guess I have to figure that one out somehow.

I completely understand Norton not wanting to accept liability or responsibility for motorcycles built by the previous company. However, I have to admit I find their response a little disappointing and perhaps overly defensive.

This makes Stephen’s incoming Judd/Norton clutch basket even more interesting, as a direct comparison with his Donington 961 may be the best way for us to establish whether the current assembly is actually compatible.

Read the full reply here:

This has been the standard answer from Norton, but as far as we know, all parts seem to be interchangeable. @Stephen_Spencer should be able to confirm this soon.

TonyA · 2026-07-28T14:20:29-0600

cliffa said:
This has been the standard answer from Norton, but as far as we know, all parts seem to be interchangeable. @Stephen_Spencer should be able to confirm this soon.

Cliffa , Yes that’s right . But we know it fits I am running a 2023 clutch basket in my bike right now. I advise everyone who needs parts to ask Stu at Motorvated about it. Everything in the engine should be the same or fit.

TonyA · 2026-07-28T14:22:33-0600

TonyA said:
Cliffa , Yes that’s right . But we know it fits I am running a 2023 clutch basket in my bike right now. I advise everyone who needs parts to ask Stu at Motorvated about it. Everything in the engine should be the same or fit.

This gets so tiring to hear this over and over. Just sell us the parts , we will take responsibility !

Stephen_Spencer · 2026-07-28T15:40:20-0600

This is good news; they have been consistent for a number of years now. The danger was that they might change their minds, or forget this previously stated approach

As Tony says we know the clutch fits, he’s running one. Stu has already made statements about this - from what he’s seen (and he’s seen most) all parts are interchangeable. It’s an order your parts, be patient and crack on situation IMO.

Jansen, I’d just ask Nicole to process the purchase and drop into your email that our members are already running Solihull clutches in our Donington bikes. If you want to be more cautious, mine is due to arrive anytime now