First Run, FIrst Ride!!

Today was the day!! Got the Norton running pretty good and my wife's uncle came over for a quick look and he did the initial shakedown. Everything seem to run ok so I timidly took my first steps to riding and loved it!!! Did not get much over 25 mph the first time but I have taken her out about 5 times today so far. Ready to get my endorsement and get on the road now, slowly!!!

My return from my first ride:
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The Norton resting after a long first day:
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My wife was not keen on me taking my first ride by myself so her uncle followed me for the first run.

I will say it was a bit rougher than I originally thought! Right hand a little cramped and think I lost about 5 lbs from all the shaking going on!!

All I can say is amazing!! From a non running bike in a basement to running down the road. Got lots of looks from people and a couple of guys ask me what a Norton was (after they said how sweet she looked and sounded!).

Thanks for all the help from this board, the advice and information I garnered from here made all of the difference in getting this bike back on the road!

Thanks everyone

Endorsement, hell son, you need a plate too. :mrgreen:

Shaking? Shouldn't be any shaking. Should be smooth as a beaver's butt once you get going.

What are those isolastics set at?

Congratulations on your first ride, that is a fine looking bike and the fastest color. I don't live too far from you over in AL we will have to get together for a ride sometime.

Not the bike shaking, me from the excitement and fear at the same time, LOL. I probably do not have the amals set exactly right, there is a little shaking while on the center stand running but I am working on that. Getting better at working on carburetors that I ever thought I would!!!

I have to get the title and get her plates soon. She is bare as a babe right now!!

I love the power arc I put on her, starts on the first kick really easy as long as the amals have plenty of fuel in them.

Everything seems to be running good right now, just sucks that in the next few weeks I am going to be gone a lot. But come Fathers day I hope to take a good long ride on the old girl!!!

Once I get my leg for distance we will have to get together for a ride porterg.

warpedscout said:

I love the power arc I put on her, starts on the first kick really easy as long as the amals have plenty of fuel in them.

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Congratulations! 8) Yeah, the Power Arc is a great system and seems to match just fine with Amals.

Ah yes those newbie shakes you'll remember forever. Like a new partner it gets better with practice. Commandos famous for shakes on center stand and tough on that wimpy fracture prone item so not a good practice. Cdo's weren't meant to fit drag bars w/o rear set to angle pilot on them better, but think they are as sexy as fake boobs but not what I want my hands on long.

Do do do check primary chain tension when warm, nay hot, so peek in at stages of road use tensioning to creep up on correct shaft straining.

I'm about to get my own shakes too on a Cdo recovery that started today but no way near roadworthy yet, whew.

warpedscout said:

Not the bike shaking, me from the excitement and fear at the same time, LOL. I probably do not have the amals set exactly right, there is a little shaking while on the center stand running but I am working on that. Getting better at working on carburetors that I ever thought I would!!!

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Nope. Shaking on the center stand is perfect. Don't change a thing on the Isos.

Syncing multiple carbs use to be a right of passage, like puberty. See what happens when all these punks kids aren't required to learn these necessary skills. Single Mukunis, jeez...

Very jealous. I'm going to be shaking like Michael J. Fox when I go for my first ride. Hopefully soon..

Beautiful bike--nicely done!

-Jordan

Great. Another one on the road. Looks great too.

Mine won't be long in the coming, insurance purchased, need to go to DMV with wife and get antique tags and VA title. I've had it up and down the gravel drive in 1st and 2nd, but I bet when I get it on the pavement it will make me pee in my pants. I better take the 'depends' or put a plastic bag on the new seat cover. I've even lined up a trailer in case it breaks down, but I'm not betting on that. Like you, need a few runs to get the jitters out and some confidence built up.

Dave
69S

NICE warpedscout, The addiction begines. I bet you get in trouble for being gone to long on fathers day. Every one will be over to see ya, you wont be home, your wife will be worried, bring a sell with ya. ENJOY

Phil

Warpedscout,

Hats off to you sir, Carry ON!

Smashing shot of you and the Norton- infront of the opposition!

Well done for having the bottle to admit you were shakin all over....don't worry about the Norton doing that on the centre stand- every British bike I've had does that. It's just marking its territory on your garage floor! Nothing to do with Iso settings.

Great to see a photo of someone actually riding their bike- good luck with the shakedown and may your mains last a million miles :mrgreen:

Nice work, beautiful color. Having gotten my first Norton on the road barely 8 months ago...I still get butterflys when i walk up to it in the garage.

I hear the anxiety/excitement of riding a Norton never really goes away.

When you get on freeway and cruise at 65...all the shaking goes away....smooth as silk.

Yes it's all good from here warpedscout ( you must explain that name ), I'm a born again, again, Commando owner
and I still get butterflies just looking at them and my first one was in 1971.
AC.

Well done the Bike looks great!

Thanks guys, did not get to ride any yesterday, had to catch up on a lot of work since it rained friday here.

AC, I use warpedscout from my first rotation in Iraq when I was a scout there (not to mention pretty warped in the head). Make sense?

I am going tonight to try and find the title and maybe can have the tag tomorrow, then go and get my endorsement. Talked to a friend of mine that rides vintage bikes and was told that I have to get a registration sticker also. He told me all that has to work is the horn. Thankfully mine works, makes that tinny BEEP BEEP, watch it not work when I go get my sticker!!

I think I mentioned this before but I am wanting to get my bike over to this guy who is local:

http://www.angrymonkeymotorcycles.com/

He does some beautiful mods on old british bikes (dont worry, not going to bob the Norton)!!!! Going to get him to make me a igntion switch holder since I dont have the original breather on the bike. Apparently he knows a guy close by with a basket case Norton, may see if the guy is fed up and wants to part with the parts (no pun intended) hehehe!

The bike he calls Black Adder is still here but about to ship out to it's owner soon.

Maybe one day I will have the nerves to get the bike on the long road and meet up with some of you guys. Would really like to take it to Europe and drive around some. My wife would love that!! She is wanting a bike now but feels the Norton is too big for her. Looking at possibly an old Honda Dream, she loved them when I showed her a few pics. Right size and power for her and meets her style requirements, LOL.

All I can say is that I love this bike even though I have never rode another bike. I Iike the fact that an old vintage beast is back on the road and does not look like every other bike out there.

warpedscout said:

Going to get him to make me a igntion switch holder since I dont have the original breather on the bike.

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What's wrong with the switch where it's at now?

Air box key mount sicks out like a sore thumb after thought and raw back plate is a unfinished eye sore, yet if removed reveals the equally better hidden battery tray.

On my 74 the ignition switch is held up by a mount that is on the left side of the breather bracket. In order to put the K&N on I had to remove the filter bracket and hence the ignition switch mount is now gone. I have it zip tied to the frame that runs under the front of the battery tray. Looking at having a mount made that uses the breather plate screw hole and have the ignition hidden up by the battery tray so it is out of the way. Thought about extending the key swtich to the fork but do not want to get into all the hassle of wiring right now since I just got the bike running. May do something like that if and when I take the bike down over the winter for a good clean up/restoration depending on time, money and circumstance when I get there.

Earlliest models mounted key in side cover hole. But key would flap in wind
to ding-dang the paint or knock off by leg.

combat-proddy-build-t4186-135.html#p64199

You can easily make a bracket, I just happened to have the broken off one. Take a flat piece of metal, drill a hole for the switch, bend it and mount it.