Adding a carb gantry to your Norton Commando

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p400

p400

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Can this madass140 gantry be added to a Mk3?
It appears to quicken the throttle twist.

Article in Sept/Oct 2019 Motorcycle Classics, 27 photo steps,
on the newstand right now!
Mechanically ties both Amals together with single cable pull.


Adding a carb gantry to your Norton Commando
 
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Sept/Oct, but what YEAR - Motorcycle Classics magazine? would like to read the complete article - :cool:
 
Article say easier/smoother throttle twist .... guess due to less restriction , nice looking bit of kit as well ....
 
Craig said:
Article say easier/smoother throttle twist .... guess due to less restriction , nice looking bit of kit as well ....
Click to expand...
At the suggestion of another member here (sorry, don't recall who), I moved my indicator switch from the right side to the left side of the bars. It was too twitchy trying to hold steady throttle and flip indicator lever.
 
cyclegeezer said:
At the suggestion of another member here (sorry, don't recall who), I moved my indicator switch from the right side to the left side of the bars. It was too twitchy trying to hold steady throttle and flip indicator lever.
Click to expand...
good idea - i'll have to give that some serious consideration. one thing - did you move the "flasher" button to the right side, and the "kill" to the left? it would make sense to have the flasher button oriented with the high beam/low beam select switch. probably doesn't matter. side note - one "brain-fart" i'm considering is adding a second horn button - one left, one right. i'll pick up the spare "e-start" button as a second horn switch.
 
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cyclegeezer said:
At the suggestion of another member here (sorry, don't recall who), I moved my indicator switch from the right side to the left side of the bars. It was too twitchy trying to hold steady throttle and flip indicator lever.
Click to expand...

Totally agree re "twitchy" as far as using the blinkers with the throttle hand. I thought about swapping the switchgear years ago but haven't yet done it. I have an Alton E-start using the 'spare' button on the right and it seems "wrong" to me to have the starter on the left side. So I reach across with my left hand to use the blinkers. Yeah..sounds absurd (and is) but it's funny what you can become "used to!" ;)
 
joe czech said:
good idea - i'll have to give that some serious consideration. one thing - did you move the "flasher" button to the right side, and the "kill" to the left? it would make sense to have the flasher button oriented with the high beam/low beam select switch. probably doesn't matter. side note - one "brain-fart" i'm considering is adding a second horn button - one left, one right. i'll pick up the spare "e-start" button as a second horn switch.
Click to expand...
I haven't reassigned any of those wires yet, that will have to wait for a weekend when I have some time to think about what makes sense for me. I did set my Trident up with 2 horn buttons once, but changed back to one in anticipation of adding and electric start to it. Ended up with a dedicated start button elsewhere on the bike.
 
I used to put the kill switch on the lower left so I could bang-shift it, but a broken second gear culled that idea.
 
cyclegeezer said:
At the suggestion of another member here (sorry, don't recall who), I moved my indicator switch from the right side to the left side of the bars. It was too twitchy trying to hold steady throttle and flip indicator lever.
Click to expand...
I think it was me. But even if you don't have the gantry it seems more logical to have the blinker switch on the left. I can't understand why N-V change the original layout.


Cheers,

cliffa.
 
joe czech said:
good idea - i'll have to give that some serious consideration. one thing - did you move the "flasher" button to the right side, and the "kill" to the left? it would make sense to have the flasher button oriented with the high beam/low beam select switch. probably doesn't matter. side note - one "brain-fart" i'm considering is adding a second horn button - one left, one right. i'll pick up the spare "e-start" button as a second horn switch.
Click to expand...
Over the winter I took both switches off, and reworked them completely, but keeping the original wiring colours. It is possible to extract the cables from the grey sheath, but as they are spiral wound you won't easily get them back in. Luckily I found some old no longer used computer cable under the floor in our data centre at work with the same size and a very similar coloured sleeve. ;) ( I still have a bit left over if anybody wants some)

I now have this layout:

Left upper - Headlight Flasher
Centre - Blinkers, up for right, down for left.
Left bottom - Horn

Right upper - Kill (where it's accessible / visible if the bike is on the ground).
Centre - headlight High / low
Right bottom - starter.

I had to add a white/blue (or could have been blue/white :confused:) to the left cluster for the headlight flasher, and remove then re-solder most of the connections, but it's sooo much better now.


Cheers,

cliffa.
 
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cliffa said:
Over the winter I took both switches off, and reworked them completely, but keeping the original wiring colours. It is possible to extract the cables from the grey sheath, but as they are spiral wound you won't easily get them back in. Luckily I found some old no longer used computer cable under the floor in our data centre at work with the same size and a very similar coloured sleeve. ;) ( I still have some if anybody wants some)

I now have this layout:

Left upper - Headlight Flasher
Centre - Blinkers, up for rights, down for left.
Left bottom - Horn

Right upper - Kill (where it's accessible / visible if the bike is on the ground).
Centre - headlight High / low
Right bottom - starter.

I had to add a white/blue (or could have been blue/white :confused:) to the left cluster for the headlight flasher, and remove then re-solder most of the connections, but it's sooo much better now.


Cheers,

cliffa.
Click to expand...

kind of getting off topic, but a question - i'm assuming the "kill" switch is a NC connection, so where you position the kill switch would dictate which side or location of the that circuit board? i'm guessing the blinker switch should be on-off-on, where as the headlight would be on-on, with no center neutral. if the kill is NC, are the circuit board operations for the turn signals and headlight the same right to left? can I assume it's the mechanics of the switch lever itself that is the controlling factor? my Mk2 is in pieces - when I got the bike, the LH switch assembly was DOA, and the wiring in general, a total mess. I have to start from ground zero with the wiring and build new, harness assemblies for both switches. it's kind of a puzzle....

this is where i'm at right now -

Adding a carb gantry to your Norton Commando
 
joe czech said:
kind of getting off topic, but a question - i'm assuming the "kill" switch is a NC connection, so where you position the kill switch would dictate which side or location of the that circuit board? i'm guessing the blinker switch should be on-off-on, where as the headlight would be on-on, with no center neutral. if the kill is NC, are the circuit board operations for the turn signals and headlight the same right to left? can I assume it's the mechanics of the switch lever itself that is the controlling factor? my Mk2 is in pieces - when I got the bike, the LH switch assembly was DOA, and the wiring in general, a total mess. I have to start from ground zero with the wiring and build new, harness assemblies for both switches. it's kind of a puzzle....

this is where i'm at right now -

Adding a carb gantry to your Norton Commando
Click to expand...
Hi Joe,
Yes, you are pretty much right, the switches (which I think are an excellent piece of modular engineering) are basically the same apart from the kill switch and the headlight flasher. I thought I'd taken some pictures but I can't find them. I'll take mine apart and post some piccies on a new thread. It maybe of interest to other folks too.

Cheers,

cliffa.
 
joe czech said:
kind of getting off topic, but a question - i'm assuming the "kill" switch is a NC connection, so where you position the kill switch would dictate which side or location of the that circuit board? i'm guessing the blinker switch should be on-off-on, where as the headlight would be on-on, with no center neutral. if the kill is NC, are the circuit board operations for the turn signals and headlight the same right to left? can I assume it's the mechanics of the switch lever itself that is the controlling factor? my Mk2 is in pieces - when I got the bike, the LH switch assembly was DOA, and the wiring in general, a total mess. I have to start from ground zero with the wiring and build new, harness assemblies for both switches. it's kind of a puzzle....
Click to expand...

You are correct. The kill switch is normally closed and goes with the blinkers. The other switch on that side is usually the normally open "spare" which some of us use for e-start. The other side has the hi/lo beam paddle and 2 normally open buttons - typically horn and headlight flash.

The paddles are different between directional indicator and headlight dimmer.

If your switches are in good shape, you can get a kit of buttons, springs, and steel balls here:

https://www.eurojamb.com/collection...tch-kit-custom-triumph-norton-750-850-r-buttn
 
thanks for the replies. as for the buttons, springs, etc, I bought a repair kit off fleabay (i'm thinking it was a lucas kit). it included all the pieces-parts - even got a red button for the "kill." kind of planning on the spare/e-start for a second horn button.

on to another subject - getting ready to replace the rear iso mount - trying to do this with the engine/trans in the frame. I found someone's how-to instructions here on the forum - looks very doable. right now, the back end of the frame is supported by my engine hoist. all I have sitting on two wheels is the frame, engine, and transmission. the rear iso center shaft is free, so it's pretty much me getting off my lazy arse and wrapping things up. :D
 
Ordered my Don Pender Amal carb gantry on Aug 18, received it today Aug 22.
Paid with Paypal.
It is stunning fabrication, going on a Mk3 to smooth and quicken the throttle.

Adding a carb gantry to your Norton Commando
 
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