Commando 90030 face lift

Hi blokes.

I finally got my finger out and gave the Commando a bit of a face lift as compared to the new Trident it was looking decidedly tardy ~

So I removed the exhaust and gave it agood buffing and polish ~ (still yet to seal the leaks as it is a balanced system ~ )

I fitted a few SS bits from Norton Specialties and Eurotrash in the US. This included a new SS chain guard extension, rear mount kit and rocker blanks ~ a general make over and it looks great !

When i started it up after a 12 month layover the #2 carb was not a hppy puppy .. So i whipped the fuel bowls off and here is what that wonderful ULP fuel does if you neglect to drain out the fuel ~



So once cleaned out the bike is now running as good as ever !! But it was a scary experience after having twin front discs and a single Hinckley disc brake on the rear. But all came back together after a few miles ~

Just put the bike on Club rego and that halved this costs of road rego!







After all the debate over new seats I went with a new Wassell from Les Emery and the Norvil shop. When I pulled it out of the bag the chrome peeled off the beading instantly !

I put it back on with Loctite 480 but that is not good enough as this should never have happened !

Then I found the seat far too hard and it actually agrievates a muscle knee injury ~ (Where as the Trident seat is a home made job with grey sponge base / under lay and a 1 1/2" layer of green sponge and a new seat cover and it is fantastic!)

(I have emailed and lodged a statement of disapproval but no response to date ~ )

Very nice Stuart, she looks like a new one.
AC.

Ac

Thanks

And she fires well and it whole different Worlds apart from the Trident ~ Have ago at sealing the balance pipes as they do tend to be a pain once they are removed and replaced ~

I still have the new NOS fibre glass tank to replace the steel tank as it has soem issue ~ I think. I actually question the small bubble at the back of the tank and wonder if it is fact a paint flaw! But best give it a run as Josh (on site) gave me a glass side panel to suit rather strip the current steel panels !

You bought from Norvil and had a problem and it wasn't addressed?

Do you want sympathy?

You bought from Norvil and had a problem and it wasn't addressed?

Click to expand...

Swoosh
I did not know they were ever a problem dealer ! Did I miss something ??

Done heaps with them over the years ~ never had a problem.. in fact Les E went way out his norm to help with a gearbox issues some years back !

I reckon no biker wants sympathy ~ we choose our own path of masochism!

Nice color!

the dang chrome/plastic strips fell of the bottom of seats with monotonous regularity , brand new . Must be Pukka ! :lol: ( no pictures at this end )
Working the thing in yr hands so the curve matches before forceing on , and tapping a foot of 4x2 to seat it should see it settled .Till it falls off .

Armour All softens the cover , Bouncing on it or doing a bit of moto cross should bed it in , like anything else , its probly stiff and awkward till past 1000 miles .

Nice color!

Click to expand...

Sure is ~

I also like this colour ~ My choice of two !!

Stuart SS said:

You bought from Norvil and had a problem and it wasn't addressed?

Click to expand...

Swoosh
I did not know they were ever a problem dealer ! Did I miss something ??

Done heaps with them over the years ~ never had a problem.. in fact Les E went way out his norm to help with a gearbox issues some years back !

I reckon no biker wants sympathy ~ we choose our own path of masochism!

Click to expand...

There has been more than one comment about the customer service at that place.

Swoosh D

Just got a reply ~

Hi
Please return for credit
regards
Jan

Click to expand...

Yeah right ~

I pay out another packet to ship back to UK and I don't have a 'new' seat ~ I would be happy if they offered a new beading ! What I plan on doing id to take the seat to the same bloke that finished off my Trident seat ~ and get him to take off a top layer off the sponge and replace that with a layer of (2") grey sponge ~

As I said earlier I have done it twice now and the layout of a thick layer of Grey sponge with topped with green works a real trick ! As proof of the success, I was dubious that the Trident seat would even work as the over all thickness is not more than 4 " / 100 mm but it did work and it is exceptionally comfortable ! (I weigh in at 80 Kg, FYI)

Few and far between that will offer postage free returns. You're doing the next best thing, the chrome beading should be easy to find locally and foam to your taste is also easy to find locally, and probably all at less than the return postage.

Dave
69S

DogT

I was fortunate to have the Loctite 480 on hand and saved the chrome from stripping right off rather than the 12 " or so and re-secured it ~ I will watch the thing~

As I suggested earlier it is BS when I pay for what I believe was a quality 'local' made product and the ^&%&* trim peels off when I go to fit the seat to the bike for the very first time !

Quote(Just put the bike on Club rego and that halved this costs of road rego!),,,,,,,,,,,,How much is club rego SS ? and whats involved,,been thinking about that myself.

MkIII

Well, first up you ideally are member of a Classic club~ eg; NOC Vic ~

(I have been a fringe dweller for many years now) but finally joined the 'Tablelands Restorer's Club' here in FNQ.)

Then I took the Commando to be scrutinized by the Club President to very road worthy issues ~ Now this is essentially a general inspection to ensure you have realistic and practical road worthiness. Not so much a road worthy as in government standards ~ OK!

Then armed with the related certificate I took the bike to the local RTA / rego office and filled out the required (state QLD) form and they are supposed to then again verify the frame and engine numbers ~ tyres , lights etc ~

Now my Commando was already road registered in QLD.

The young lady misquoted the cost to me as $380 ~ a saving of $15 over regular rego! I simply said .. No WAY! So after several attempts by two of them they finally agreed that $174 per annum was the right cost ~

After all ~ why would one bother registering a bike for a saving of $15 or even $110 when the bike is not meant to be ridden on Clubs rides ~

NOW ~ I was talking with a fellow tripler & professional classic bike builder in Brisbane on Friday, and he was telling me that a mate of his paid some BS price to put his on Club plates !

So after we finished he was going to get onto him as he had obviously been ripped off.

Additionally he did say that Victoria has a slightly different system but the essentials are bound to the same ~


HTH ~ 8)

I certainly killed aChinaman some place ~ ( Sorry an old Ozzie metaphor for bad luck!)

I got the Commando up and running and registered ~ But on the first run to a club outing I pull up at the "whistle stop " and several of the boyz announce I am pissing out fuel on the left carb~

So with a few fellow Norton onlookers I note the inboard fuel bowl mount screw has gone AWOL! But then I notice that there is a light oil spray on the primary case, upper face ?

Then I note that there is a deposit of oil on the RH side swing arm and tracing to the back of the oil tank and the related hoses ~

So eventually pull the pin and crank it up and head home ~ only around 20 kms. The bike running like a bag of ^&%&%&*

I hook into it and find the mount screw hole is essentially stripped! I fit a slightly large screw ~ after all the carb body is a Stainless insert job!

I then find that the fuel union will not stop leaking fuel ~ I try repeatedly surfacing the banjo and re-tempering the copper seals. No luck ~ Now I have had this issue with htis carb ever since I got the bike and each time it became repeatedly ever more difficult to seal .

So I remove the fuel bowl and blow me down the fuel union mount hole in the bowl is distorted ~ SO in with a "new" renovated fuel bowl. All done ~

I lookat the oil tank and sure enough the rear top mount bracket is broken ~

Out comes the tank. I made up a much more robust mount and silver braze that on. Refit and all done ~

As for the primary oil ~ well the new SS rocker shaft end caps are not sealing on the #2 exhaust cap ~

So all set ~ test run.. and re-tune.

I noted that the clutch after standing for almost 12 months is a little slow on the take off and the lever had to be released 7/8ths before the clutch engaged !

Strip the clutch plates out wash and refit ~ NOW thats an easy one after the Trident clutch!

Retune and ready for the weekend ~

The last weekend run was fantastic `

The Commando is HOWLING ~ ROCKING ~ FLying ~

Woo HOO ~ rock babeee~

What!!! Is that pepper spray residue in front of the Norton?

Dave
69S

What!!! Is that pepper spray residue in front of the Norton?

Click to expand...

Mate ~ that is "Tableland dirt" !

This region is on top of the Australian Great Dividing Rnage and highly post antiquity Volcanic soil ~ but essentially red clay !

( I guess at some point a farm vehicle was parked on the spot and deposited red soil ~ )

THE WIDE BROWN LAND, FOREVER.
AC.

THE WIDE BROWN LAND, FOREVER.

Click to expand...

Shouldn't we say wide RED ~

Unless you live in Perth of course where it's all Coffee Rock and Sand !!

Hey, here in Virginia, that's what we have too, red clay. Stains the clothes, dogs, everything. It makes great mud in the spring during the thaw. All over Oklahoma too. But in Kansas, Iowa, Illinois the dirt is black and about 3' deep. I would love to have some of that black dirt here.

Back to Nortons.

Dave
69S