Bent Z-plates

The footrest mounting plates (z-plates) on my 750 roadster bend outwards from where they bolt onto the frame to where the pillion footrests and exhaust mounting brackets attach. Should they be like this or should they be straight? If they were straight the nuts on the back of the two bolts attaching the exhaust mounting brackets to the z-plate would be getting pretty close to fouling the swinging arm but as they are they don't look right. I'm a bit confused so any advice or photos of how it should look would be appreciated.

The Z-plates should normally be flat. However, as you've noticed, it is possible for the upper L/H exhaust Metalastik mounting stud to foul the swinging arm, and I believe the factory often added extra washers behind the rear Z-plate mountings to increase the clearance? Alternatively, the stud can be shortened (and a thin nut also used if necessary?) to gain extra clearance.

I would be horrified to see a photo of bent Z-plates as I think them the most over built item in Nortons short of the Al rods. They are often miss mounted going by the manual, as generally need a thinner spacer at rear to tip them in so kicker misses the pipe or peashooter. Of course this likely puts more stress on one of the weakest items, the Lords mounts, but hey we make do as we can with the 'shove it out the door stop gap' Commando models, that if not so cute would have a bounty on em.

I have some old rubber mounts and some new ones. The old ones
seem to have shorter studs. I think trimming off the stud as
required needs doing. Yes, I know, rust. But hey....

Flat. Just bang em' back with rawhide or rubber mallot , on a steel sheet surface, not the garage floor. Then make sure you fit the correct spacers.

I read somewhere that the z-plates are so tough they can be bent double without fracturing, so they should straighten ok.
I too found the muffler studs a bit close to the swingarm as I go about my ongoing rebuild. Were they that close before I pulled it apart? I don't remember now. Anyway, the bottom part of the right hand z-plate was almost touching the frame whereas the left one had more clearance, so I made up some pretty bronze spacers to even them up instead of adding washers.
Regards
Martin

I've learned what can break and bend on Commando's since '99 and have never heard of bent Z-plates by any that lived to show us. Bent or broke pegs and stalks a few times on Peel and others, but Peel's drilled out Z-plates took it fine. Still waiting to see bent Z-plates, but I believe if any did bend they could be smashed back square w/o a bit of worry of lowering their strength so might bash em a bit out of square to allow the muffer cushion stud to clear and kicker to miss. Non factory spacers are the standard move away from factory Assembly wisdom here. Realize after market headers vary so much what spacers worked with one set may not with a another. Stiff as the Z-plates are they still move some on their frame mounts if you pry on them with pegs some to see. Also noticed Z-plates on the 750 brake cable side tend to get a notch worn for the cable clearance. I crashed so much the first few years I bought another set of Z-plate in anticipation along with mirrors and signals and pegs and grips - all them got used up but for the spare Z-plates still hanging on wall.

I took the z-plates off over the weekend and straightened them with a hydraulic press. There is no sign of cracking so they should be OK but I will need to shorten the stud on the upper left exhaust rubber to avoid hitting the swinging arm or maybe just shim it out. I think a previous owner must have taken them off and bent them to make something fit because I can't see how a crash could bend them outwards where the pillion footrests mount. Anyway, thanks to all that offered advice.

"I think a previous owner must have taken them off and bent them to make something fit because I can't see how a crash could bend them outwards where the pillion footrests mount. Anyway, thanks to all that offered advice."

Thank goodness, I"d been anticipating this bending insight and your solution.