Bad luck day

How is this for a happy day to end, my 850 Widline Featherbed Norton has been off the road for 12 years and in the last 6months full rebuild, it has been runiing now for 2 months and yesturday I got it regoed for the road at 1 pm at 2:25 pm I took it out for its first ride in all those years, the bike is running perfect smooth as and very tight, got about 1 mile from home at 2:30 pm this light truck in front of me had their left indercator on (we dive on the left hand side of road here in Aus) so I started to go around the right side of her when all of a sudden she turned right strait in front of me, it happen so quick, do I hit the light tuck or do I lay the bike on its side, I layed it down, damage to bike, tore the plug leads out of the Joe Hunt maggie, broke right foot peg, damaged tacho housing 2 little dings in the front of the tank. but didn't even put a mark on the paint work and a few road marks on my new muffler as for me skinned my right knee, skin off my left wrist and finger tips and a disclocated left thumb, do you think I was happy???

Couldn't ride the bike as when it tore the plug leads out, the ends were sheared off in the Maggie, had to get the bike home on the trailer but lucky had a spare foot peg, and my friend has a spare maggie cover bike is going again but can't ride it till the thumb swollowing goes down, talk about being pissed off, but lucky my drinking arm is OK...

Such is life of a motorcycliest

Ashley

Bugger!
At least you're OK.
I appears your Norton has a liking for being in the shed.
What part of Aus are you in?
Dave

Hi Dave

Brisbane in sunny Queensland...

Ashley

Qld hey, you'd have two drinking arms then!

Had some pain relief last nite and can tell you the drinking arm worked well, I think the BMW put a curse on the Norton didn't want to see it get all the attention

Ashley

I'm sorry to hear your bad day involuntary decision to lay er down. I NEVER trust NO One to do anything, I Never ever go around traffic there chance they can get in way or hit me. Sorry but I've had too many close calls way back so I wait way back till path is clear even if it make driver honk at me. I do about panic slow downs on wide open hwy's any and every time I see car-truck-bus pulling up to or waiting to enter hwy, and about half the time its the ONLY thing that saved my day. One reason I want good brakes and extra hi torque power so can speed but up nicely w/o having to shift from creeping speeds back to cruise, all set to do the same thing next instant of possible intruder. I Hang way back form any traffic too, dozen plus car lengths or more on open highway, even if they slow way down to turn off.

I'm pissed a nice recovered bike got spoiled by lack of traffic wisdom of aggressive defensive riding habit-discipline. At least the paint was ok, that would take longest to recover, short of your self is already weakened by old injury spinal decay. Best wishes next time facing fates.

Bad luck mate. Like when I regoed my second Norton (bought from Brisbane) at about 10am, seized it by lunchtime. Apparently not all Queensland Norton mechanics know how to keep them together.
Mind you, I did ride it from Brisbane to Wangaratta in Vic before I broke it first time around. It also has a Joe Hunt magneto. A guy I ran into in NSW praised them and said I'd never have any trouble with it. That's what stopped me in Vic. Simple enough and with a bit of tuning it started first kick, every time, hot or cold. Hope it's all good from here.

Was at a local Brit Bike picnic in NJ this past weekend and looking at a bike with a Joe Hunt magneto - nice but sticking out of it quite a ways - and thought about going down on that side with it and wondering how strong it was. All I can venture is that it probably saved your paint and probably a good part of the right side of your body!

Ugh, I don't half mind, if fact pleased as can be, when my body surface rubs off protecting paint-chrome or my bones/joints fracture dislocate protecting pegs to mirrors. Now the question, how long can ya put up with the bike smudges?

Ancient motorcycler's motto -
two type of bikers,
one that has crashed and
one that...

Anatomy of first time on pavement on Trixie Combat to get fresh gas and be really careful not knowing what might break in unknown years stored bike, so extra slow and wide of partked cars, next thing I knew was wondering what the sparks were in front of me. Invisible grit got me as I merely leaned a tad to center back in lane before rise up ahead. Only the mirror end scraped off.


My motto is if God meant man to ride on wheels, he'd of grown us a set of 4

Just realised, my Joe Hunt magneto sits behind the timing chest under the carbs. Yours must hang out to the right.

I was just so excited about riding the bike for the first time in 12 years that I sort of wasn't taking much notice of mad car drivers, I have been riding now for over 38 years and have only dropped my Norton 3 times ( 2 times on loose gravel ) in the 35 years of owning it, so I think my record is still good, I had a Joe Hunt on my Truimph for 9 years and never had any problems with it, even after putting a new cover on the Maggie it still fired up first kick after the fall, the foot peg saved the Maggie but Joe Hunts are pretty tuff, my mate had a bad fall on his race Triumph with a Joe Hunt it broke the mounting bolts and his Joe Hunt slid down the road, had a few markes on it but still worked ok, thats when he sold it to me and I ran it on my Triumph for 9 years after that...

Ashley

The bike is back on the road, have done about 100 miles now and every think is running sweet, just doing a sake down to see if every think is working fine, no oil leaks and learning to ride the bike again, motor is very tight so will take a while to breack in, the new Joe hunt is working well have only done timing by ear and seem to have it just right, starting first kick every time even with a busted knee and frached thumb...

Ashley

ashman said:

How is this for a happy day to end, my 850 Widline Featherbed Norton has been off the road for 12 years and in the last 6months full rebuild, it has been runiing now for 2 months and yesturday I got it regoed for the road at 1 pm at 2:25 pm I took it out for its first ride in all those years, the bike is running perfect smooth as and very tight, got about 1 mile from home at 2:30 pm this light truck in front of me had their left indercator on (we dive on the left hand side of road here in Aus) so I started to go around the right side of her when all of a sudden she turned right strait in front of me, it happen so quick,Ashley

Click to expand...

This is the typical Karma which often occurs here when members don't post pictures of their bikes
...you better post some quick

Have posted pics of my bike here when I first finished it but this weekend I will take some more pics with me on it and will post here, as well put up a small clip of its first firing a few weeks ago called First Kick...

Ashley

Ashley, once traffic awareness, defensive to aggressive avoidance is automatic, don't let the scenery encountered take your attention but for instants either.
Fast recovery to both of you.

hobot

ashman said:

Have posted pics of my bike here when I first finished it but this weekend I will take some more pics with me on it and will post here, as well put up a small clip of its first firing a few weeks ago called First Kick...

Ashley

Click to expand...

OK so it wasn't karma, (I liked the video, the bike sounds great and all the excitement around 1st start up is inspiring). Another years goes by and mine is still not running.

Belated THX for posting the pics!

RennieK

Keep positive and it will happen for you, I had to replace my crank cases so it took me a few years collecting all the bits but as soon as I was ready it only took a few mounths to put it all together and it was good to hear it fire on the first kick, so I hope yours goes the same way and to any other members here, have done about 100 miles now and every thing is working fine, no oil leaks, starts first kick every time, but the motor is tight and have to learn to ride it again.

Ashley