A philosophical question

I was just talking to a colleague about my Norton, the list of sh1t that has gone wrong, is still giving me headaches as my bike approaches its completion.

It got me to thinking about all the posts I see here on a daily basis, the trauma we all seem to go through in order to repair/restore one of these 40 (odd), year old machines.

There have been days where I have had to close the shop and just walk away from the thing, else be tempted to hit it repeatedly with something very heavy....And when I've calmed down again, remind myself (through gritted teeth), that I'm doing this for fun. I can't say that I've come across anything that has been so stubborn, has fought me all the way, on a number of levels; financial, mental, mechanical, etc...

So I was just thinking/ wondering what sort of stuff has brought you close to pushing the 'NUKE' button, if anything?



Todays conundrum is; Is there supposed to be a screw in here? (timing cover)

No screw goes there.
I almost sold both my 73' and 74' due to not being able to figure out leaking and over heating problems as well as handling problems until I found this site.
I now have a bike that is leak free, handles great due to the mods to the swing arm, ignition and wiring.
That is my 74'.
My 73 is in pieces and is going to get the engine rebuilt by me as well as all the mods I have learned on here.
I almost sold them both for 3k just to get them out of my garage. I almost listened to my ex wife who told me to sell them.
I still have the bikes after nearly 38 years. The wife after 25 years is gone. I think I made the right choice.

When things go wrong, it's just another Test to see what you are made of. you do the right thing by going away for a Breather...then come back out chilled out ..and think the job out, before getting hot in Bothered. Work shop manuals and coffee. "Get a grip Man!"

Hegel

Sorry mate to hear about your agitations ,but I have never been angry at all with my 750 s or even frustrated by them. If I feel I need a break I go for a skoot on my T160 and then I know why I've got commandos in the first place! And I think my 160 is great!

J

Ps got to go now and put my new rear wheel nut on, to replace the one that fell off on Sunday.

It's easier for some... all depends on the skillset. These bikes come from an age when an operator HAD to know a little something... choke, flooded, brake fade, pump the brakes(car), skipping, must need points/plugs, adjust the tappets, adjust the chain (again!), and so on. As such, the maintenance and repair is different as well.
The drama comes with just "putting stuff together" without stopping to think "how could this be done wrong?" and "HOW does this work"...
The minefields are the stuff like clutch hub nut torque mistakenly printed.. 45 years later. :twisted:

Thank the masters for sharing all the things we'd still be finding out!

So I was just thinking/ wondering what sort of stuff has brought you close to pushing the 'NUKE' button, if anything?

Click to expand...

leaks and electrical, all now solved

throw enough money at a problem and it mostly goes away

auldblue said:

Hegel

Sorry mate to hear about your agitations ,but I have never been angry at all with my 750 s or even frustrated by them. If I feel I need a break I go for a skoot on my T160 and then I know why I've got commandos in the first place! And I think my 160 is great!

J

Ps got to go now and put my new rear wheel nut on, to replace the one that fell off on Sunday.

Click to expand...

What is it about your T160 that makes you pine for the Commando? I don't own a T160 and have never ridden one, but have been looking at a T160 resto project. I don't think they are as nice looking as a Commando, but would appreciate your views on the riding experience vs the Commando.
Yes, I know, side track, but at least it is Commando related?
Glen

I don't think I could get rid of my Commando ( actually it's mainly Atlas with some Commando bits) I've had it too long. But the hassles I've had over the year or so trying to find why the spark plugs go black within 2 miles has driven me almost insane!

I can now strip the carbs with my eyes closed ... I've done it so many times . I've stripped the carbs by the roadside to change jets/slides/floats. I've had to carry spare plugs for a ten minutes ride, I've had to park it only on a hill 'cos it was so hard to start unless it had new plugs.
I can also remove the head single handed holding the pushrods in place with two fingers while slipping the head through the tight space of a feather bed frame and I know the torque settings and order of tightening by heart. I honestly don't know how many times I've taken the head off in the past 6 months.

I had to park it in the shed many times and just walk away.

It seems ( and I won't know until next week when I hope it will be finished) that all of these hassles are nothing to do with the bike or its design, but with poor workmanship by the experts who fitted new guides and seats. There are pictures of the frankly diabolical workmanship in another thread, butI have to repeat one here.




My philosophy ( when I can think clearly ) is not to blame the bike for the terrible bodging that previous owners/dodgy workshops have done to it. You're rescuing the bike from these people and it's going to be difficult sometimes.





edit: I would like to thank everyone on this forum for the help they've given on the numerous threads I've started trying to get this sorted.
It's been absolutely invaluable and kept me sane.


Thanks
John

Hegel said:

Todays conundrum is; Is there supposed to be a screw in here? (timing cover)

Click to expand...

No screw goes in there.
Thats a lubrication hole - it faces upwards so churned up oil can trickle into it, to lube the sprocket/gear that spins on it.

As an aside, some early bikes are lubed entirely by such holes, strategically placed so everything gets lubed.
Even the crankshaft and conrods...

I think the answer to your philo question is to have more than one project to work on.
When you get stuck, or tearing your hair out, move onto another bike !!
Works for me. Although progress can be spread around a bit.

pommie john said:

I don't think I could get rid of my Commando ( actually it's mainly Atlas with some Commando bits) I've had it too long. But the hassles I've had over the year or so trying to find why the spark plugs go black within 2 miles has driven me almost insane!

Click to expand...

If everything seems to be in good condition, and not oil burning, you need to try changing brands of petrol.
And sticking always to the same brew.
Some folks swear by the higher octane brands (Vortex V-power Ultimate etc) and some seem to swear at them.

Have you tried going to one grade hotter spark plug ?

Glen,

The best way I can describe the T160 is like sleeping with the prom Queen it was fun, but when your done you feel like a visit to the fridge to see what's in it for eating. Where as the 750 twin may not be as beautiful ,but you don't want to stop even for petrol cos you know at some point she's going to tell you when she's had enough and that keeps you keen.

Took a photo when I was down at the cafe for chips.750s you gotta love them.


And the fact I start to get numb bum after 20 odd miles on the Triumph!

Hegel said:

what sort of stuff has brought you close to pushing the 'NUKE' button, if anything?

Click to expand...

1970 Fiat Spider :twisted: !!!
After polishing that turd............ any "issues" that my Norton may throw my way are a piece of cake.

I have a T150v and a Commando. The Triumph is heavier and longer and vibrates more. Handling is steady and predictable and I think
better than the twin. In really tight corners and generally lower speed twisties it may be too heavy to out speed a Commando. Out on
the more open two lane blacktop it will do better. It is easier to get the handling sorted. The clutch is annoying but the gearbox
nice. If you spend lots of money and get good guys to do work the average guy isnt tooled up for you can get it to be pretty smooth
and reliable. They are an acquired taste really lying somewhere between a jap four and non iso british twin. First superbike. A dead
end really in terms of the time line of biking. Like Commando it was a stopgap.
I like mine. I like the smoothness of the Commando but the Commando feels small and not as tight handling-wise. And Im the
less than 9 stone weakling remember.

Don't the Triumph's have rubber cushioned handlebar mounts?

I remember the odd feeling of the vibrations at the bars and the footpegs.

Hegel said:

I was just talking to a colleague about my Norton, the list of sh1t that has gone wrong, is still giving me headaches as my bike approaches its completion.

It got me to thinking about all the posts I see here on a daily basis, the trauma we all seem to go through in order to repair/restore one of these 40 (odd), year old machines.

There have been days where I have had to close the shop and just walk away from the thing, else be tempted to hit it repeatedly with something very heavy....And when I've calmed down again, remind myself (through gritted teeth), that I'm doing this for fun. I can't say that I've come across anything that has been so stubborn, has fought me all the way, on a number of levels; financial, mental, mechanical, etc...

So I was just thinking/ wondering what sort of stuff has brought you close to pushing the 'NUKE' button, if anything?

Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more. The economy tanking and working twice as hard for 1/3 less money, while trying to finish the bike, about made me hit the Nuke button. This too, shall pass, comes to mind.

I will just second the opinion on the Triumph. I lusted after one for 40 years. After getting one, all I can say is I am glad I took so long to acquire it. It now sits in the garage. Norton rules. I also just got rid of the BMW and will go back to my old friend Norton. In regards to approaching the end of ones limits while caring for your beloved machine, suck it up and keep at it. When I turned 50 it usually took me 2 tries to get a repair done right. In my 60's it has gone up to 3 tries. To avoid the situation the obvious solution is to stop messing with it. I am nearing that point now as I approach my 70's. The other point to consider is your bike may catch a viral "wrenchitis". This is only cured by a quarantine which entails you stopping trying to fix stuff that is not really broken or in need of re engineering. The problem with this philosophy is that I would not have this forum to enjoy all the trials and tribulations and engineering masterpieces that often appear here for my reading and viewing enjoyment. So the bottom line must be "carry on then".

My commandos have taught me to walk away when you have a problem once you have a clear head and think logically its amazing how you can work something out I'm not a mechanic but as someone else posted here its all worth it ,get it finished and ride it when something falls off bolt it on again when something breaks fix it,keep doing this one day you won't have any problems and the buzz will be well worth it trust me.

pommie john said:

It seems ( and I won't know until next week when I hope it will be finished) that all of these hassles are nothing to do with the bike or its design, but with poor workmanship by the experts who fitted new guides and seats. There are pictures of the frankly diabolical workmanship in another thread, butI have to repeat one here.

My philosophy ( when I can think clearly ) is not to blame the bike for the terrible bodging that previous owners/dodgy workshops have done to it. You're rescuing the bike from these people and it's going to be difficult sometimes.




edit: I would like to thank everyone on this forum for the help they've given on the numerous threads I've started trying to get this sorted.
It's been absolutely invaluable and kept me sane.


Thanks
John

Click to expand...

Those bastards!
My wife occasionally questions my dogged determination to fix our vehicles until we make the mistake of taking one to a repair shop, then end up having to re-do their shoddy workmanship, all the while paying them an exorbitant amount of money. Trust me; it's easier to justify buying new tools after one of these episodes...

And I, like others mentioned here, wouldn't be where I am today with the old girl (the Norton) if it wasn't for this forum. Go, Team!

Nathan

my Combats have taught me i'm not matured man enough to avoid throwing things with screaming fits & only restrained from shooting them while burning up by thinking to part them out for some pay back relief someday. I could prove in court that anyone that rides a motorcycle is a dangerous fool to themselves, other people and animals and property, in deep denial of serious resource wasting addiction. So my simple philosophical quandary boils down to answering it with my feet, each and every time, "IS This A Good Day to Go?"

I never feel like throwing things at my bike. I was lucky, I had a 40 year long professional career as an industrial chemist in defence engineering factories during which I learned to ACHIEVE. If I have a problem with my bike I know I am capable of completely re-engineering it, and even if I only solve minor problems I always get that precious sense of achievement. What you need to consider is that you can buy a modern throw-away bike for the same money. For myself, I don't want to lead a plastic existence. My Norton keeps me alive, I know I have to race again to prove my development of the bike, even at age 73.