Easy and cheap modifications I would do again

My bike is just a really dumb thing. When I built it, I knew where the motor had to be and about balancing the crank. So it does not vibrate other than a strong pulse at low revs. At high revs it is dead smooth. If a bike understeers or tends to run wide when you gas it in a corner, it cannot be ridden fast. For me, my Seeley 850 is a dead easy ride - no stress! I don't use lock washers anywhere. However I always check the caliper mounts on my forks, prior to racing. I make sure they are tight. I have not used it in the past ten years due to grief, however I really love it. It is sitting and waiting. I will ride it again. It is a really great ride. When I work with a motorcycle, a lot has to do with feel. When I ride it, I always know what it is doing - where the power band is and whether it needs a gearing change. With my old race bike, when I was a kid - I used to race in an Allpowers class against 70s superbikes and two strokes. Historic racing is not so desperate.
 
Well I have used spring washers all my life and they work as design when the bolt or nut is tighten the spring hold the nut or bolt in tension from the spring and the nut or bolt shouldn't come loose at all even when the spring is flat, I only use them once and replaced after every removal but I have nuts and bolts on my Norton with spring washers that haven't been touched for years including engine mount nuts and bolts so really I haven't had any problems with them at all.
I worked in an engineering maintenance workshop for a long time and every machine that vibrated the use of spring washers were used from small to large spring washers and not once did the bolts or nuts come loose, of course I use lockitight where needed as instructed on things that need it, I also use nylock nuts when needed as well as for the spring washer on the carb manifolds I had one come loose once while out riding but then the lock/spring washers were used many times over and lost their tension from over use haven't had a problem since replacing then with new ones.
We all have our own opinions on the use of things spring washer, lock washer whatever we call them they have work great for me and work well on my 850 Norton which has been hard mounted for over 45 years now and everything stay tight, but most bolts and nuts are also fine threads and being a member on this great site for a very long time, seems a lot of things come loose or even fall off on Isolastic mounted Commando's.

Ashley
 
Didn't mean to turn this into a lock/split washer thread, sorry. Turns out it's like an oil discussion. I learned some stuff though. The 'digging in' (as long as it's softer metal) makes sense. I just remembered reading something about them being ineffective (which I said may be myth).
 
My Norton has always been oil leak free but the cheapest thing I done was install a Yammy XS 650 reed valve breather cost at the time was $24 as well postage, I just installed it from the back of the timing cover just cut the hose and it sits between the engine mounts on the hose but I run my breather hose into a catch bottle with air holes, the catch bottle also sit behind the GB and in between the rear engine mounts stops the motor from sucking back air into the crank case, even my oil tank breather runs into the catch bottle, been running the catch bottle since 1982 and works great, stops pressure inside the oil tank, might look rough but works well, the dirty crank case was from a worn out bowl gasket, fixed that day when the pic was taken.
Can also see the spring washers doing their job.
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Schwany said:
I think most of the street stupid in me left the building entirely at 72 after a low side in the wet. It's hard to resist a nice clear straight though. ;)
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If I was racing and it rained, I always used to ride faster. Rain is a great leveller. A lot of guys worry when their tyres slip because they are accustomed to good tyres. I have never dropped a bike on a race circuit because of a slippery surface. If I get into a corner too hot, I am always prepared to use the rear brake to put the bike on the deck before it hits anything. The last time I crashed I was about 68, and got chucked over the front. I went down the road on the top of my head because of my mate's stupidity. By the time I hit the ripple in the bitumen, I was on my side and broke the chromo-clavicular joint in my shoulder. Having the bike slip out from under you is nothing. You should not get hurt when that happens. Most guys do not appreciate what was involved in racing Manx Nortons in the early 1960s. My Triton 500 was built with the intention of beating them, and it was capable of doing that - shit tyres were the norm. The first grippy tyres were the Goodyear from America.
Some people race to get the adrenalin rush, however adrenalin is your enemy - it creates fear and can cause you to over-react. The best ride I ever had was when I was taking a beta-blocker. I am a stroke survivor. I get my kicks by working hard and beating people who are really trying. That mate of mine who caused me to crash has an ego problem - inferiority complex - it makes him dangerous - he grabbed a big handful of disc brakes in front of me. If I had died, he would have been charged with manslaughter - the ambulance lady watched him do it. She was distraught.
 
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acotrel said:
If I was racing and it rained, I always used to ride faster. Rain is a great leveller. A lot of guys worry when their tyres slip because they are accustomed to good tyres. I have never dropped a bike on a race circuit because of a slippery surface. If I get into a corner too hot, I am always prepared to use the rear brake to put the bike on the deck before it hits anything. The last time I crashed I was about 68, and got chucked over the front. I went down the road on the top of my head because of my mate's stupidity. By the time I hit the ripple in the bitumen, I was on my side and broke the chromo-clavicular joint in my shoulder. Having the bike slip out from under you is nothing. You should not get hurt when that happens. Most guys do not appreciate what was involved in racing Manx Nortons in the early 1960s. My Triton 500 was built with the intention of beating them, and it was capable of doing that - shit tyres were the norm. The first grippy tyres were the Goodyear from America.
Some people race to get the adrenalin rush, however adrenalin is your enemy - it creates fear and can cause you to over-react. The best ride I ever had was when I was taking a beta-blocker. I am a stroke survivor. I get my kicks by working hard and beating people who are really trying. That mate of mine who caused me to crash has an ego problem - inferiority complex - it makes him dangerous - he grabbed a big handful of disc brakes in front of me. If I had died, he would have been charged with manslaughter - the ambulance lady watched him do it. She was distraught.
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And the "easy cheap modifications I would do again" are ???
 
Concerning reed valve breathers. I added a Comstock sump breather to my 71 750 about a year after I got it and plugged the cam end port off completely. A 1/2-20 oil pan drain plug fit nicely in place of the elbow.
 
seattle##gs said:
" " Thunder Products torque wing in the single Mikuni for an improvement I could feel. Again, no jetting required. It looks gimmicky but really works.
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I run these in the Keihin CRS. On my Triumph I run the UFO as well in the Mikunis along with the Torque Wing. The UFO does require some jetting and setup, it essentially turns your mikuni into a flat slide, so I guess if you do not already have the brass there is the investment into the jets. Difference was noticeable for me.

I am also playing with the thunder products intelijet on the Keihin CRS a bit more expense, but it does improve top end, though for a multi carb setup it is a bit messy.

Other low costs things I do not regret:
Piston skirt coatings inexpensive and save your bores and expensive pistons.
Rod Bearing Coatings - cheap insurance
Polishing engine and transmission internals - Cheap when you add your whole engine worth of parts in
Hone rockers, take a look inside and see how rough the bore is on them, a ball hone is cheap. (Bonus points- send them in with your rod bearings for coating, you may need to hone the coating to fit afterwards)
Used Brembo 12.5mm Master cylinder

Things I am experimenting with results pending:
Additional coatings removing metal on metal contact
DLC (never on original parts or nitrided parts). I have a batch of Idler gear and rocker shafts inbound.
Piston crown coatings
Combustion chamber coatings
Valve face coatings
Exhaust port coatings
Bronze bushing coatings - Bought an air brush compressor and airbrush for $20 on Market place and used a ball hone for the surface finish.
Exhaust Pipe Internal Coating
 


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