Fitting Commando Airfilter
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Re: Fitting Commando Airfliter
Commando worship requires blood shed sacrifice now and then and burns too.
ugh - doubt anyone follows my current way, snip off the first fold of the booties, as too long and first place to crack and suck grit w/o seeing until too late, stuff boots in the air box well then offer in each carb while holding the boot back somehow, then finger and probe tool the boot all the way around. Then try a clamp or zip tie or tap the now more well fitting boot with less bunched up excess opening a gap. With the excess cut off its also fairly easy compared to stuff in w/o carbs mounted.
Commando worship requires blood shed sacrifice now and then and burns too.
ugh - doubt anyone follows my current way, snip off the first fold of the booties, as too long and first place to crack and suck grit w/o seeing until too late, stuff boots in the air box well then offer in each carb while holding the boot back somehow, then finger and probe tool the boot all the way around. Then try a clamp or zip tie or tap the now more well fitting boot with less bunched up excess opening a gap. With the excess cut off its also fairly easy compared to stuff in w/o carbs mounted.
DogT
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Re: Fitting Commando Airfliter
My procedure is to install the carbs last, or if they're on, take them off including manifold, install air filter and then install carbs. Takes time, but less grief. I've never been able to do otherwise and it prevents lost tools from throwing them across the county.
Dave
69S
My procedure is to install the carbs last, or if they're on, take them off including manifold, install air filter and then install carbs. Takes time, but less grief. I've never been able to do otherwise and it prevents lost tools from throwing them across the county.
Dave
69S
Re: Fitting Commando Airfliter
its on an old thread on here and its in the workshop manual (i know men dont read them and they are always wrong but just try it this one time)
fit back plate to battery tray then front plate to carbs with rubbers (fit new soft rubbers not hard old ones) then feed guaze with filter in it in at an angle from primary side (yes realy it does work) between switch bracket and pirmary cover an twist it into place.
i have done it many times it easy with soft rubbers
if you want to make it easier cut front edge off battery tray and weld it back on 1/8 of an inch further back for a little more space but dont go to far or captive nuts on back plate hit frame tubes.
it is not hard but its no like normal bikes ware rubbers go on last but then Commando so not like most bikes in the rubber deppartment
its on an old thread on here and its in the workshop manual (i know men dont read them and they are always wrong but just try it this one time)
fit back plate to battery tray then front plate to carbs with rubbers (fit new soft rubbers not hard old ones) then feed guaze with filter in it in at an angle from primary side (yes realy it does work) between switch bracket and pirmary cover an twist it into place.
i have done it many times it easy with soft rubbers
if you want to make it easier cut front edge off battery tray and weld it back on 1/8 of an inch further back for a little more space but dont go to far or captive nuts on back plate hit frame tubes.
it is not hard but its no like normal bikes ware rubbers go on last but then Commando so not like most bikes in the rubber deppartment
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Re: Fitting Commando Airfliter
The rubber should be supple and not hard. I use rubber o-ring lubricant to help keep it supple. If your rubber boots are 40 years old then you will find new ones from Andover much more manageable.
1. Take off your Left hand side cover.
2. Place the rubbers boots on the carburettors first.
3. Align the flat sections of the rubber boots inboard facing each flat.
4. Hold the front plate / mesh / and filter as an assembly in a horizontal state with the top going first when offering it up on the primary side. With the top going in first tilt it towards its home by rotating when the clearance is there.
5. Make sure the screen is tucked in nice and neat within the two front and back plates. Check both sides.
6. Tighten the two bolts up snug.
7. Fit the lips of the rubber boots into their respective holes on the front plate. Use a thin piece of wood like a chopstick sharpened like a screwdriver blade to help manipulate the rubber back into their home.
Clear as mud. 8)
Cheers,
Thomas
CNN
Edit Toppy's idea works good as well.
The rubber should be supple and not hard. I use rubber o-ring lubricant to help keep it supple. If your rubber boots are 40 years old then you will find new ones from Andover much more manageable.
1. Take off your Left hand side cover.
2. Place the rubbers boots on the carburettors first.
3. Align the flat sections of the rubber boots inboard facing each flat.
4. Hold the front plate / mesh / and filter as an assembly in a horizontal state with the top going first when offering it up on the primary side. With the top going in first tilt it towards its home by rotating when the clearance is there.
5. Make sure the screen is tucked in nice and neat within the two front and back plates. Check both sides.
6. Tighten the two bolts up snug.
7. Fit the lips of the rubber boots into their respective holes on the front plate. Use a thin piece of wood like a chopstick sharpened like a screwdriver blade to help manipulate the rubber back into their home.
Clear as mud. 8)
Cheers,
Thomas
CNN
Edit Toppy's idea works good as well.
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Re: Fitting Commando Airfliter
Supple new rubbers most important thing. Spray (eg. Armoral). Rubber cutaways to align with center, fit to carbs ,compress backplate towards carbs ,push/fit screen n'filter assembly from primary side. Long screws final. Swearings optional.
Supple new rubbers most important thing. Spray (eg. Armoral). Rubber cutaways to align with center, fit to carbs ,compress backplate towards carbs ,push/fit screen n'filter assembly from primary side. Long screws final. Swearings optional.
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It's really not that bad as described above, some supple boots and a bit of appropriate "lube" make the job annoying but not so much because it's THAT hard, mostly because you can't help thinking it was a dumb way to design the air box as far as filter changing..
I have done it several different ways but IMO the shop manual method works as well as any other. I have often wondered if there was enough "slop" in Norton fabrication to affect the installation of an air filter on different bikes. As has been noted, a very small difference in clearance can make a big difference.
I have done it several different ways but IMO the shop manual method works as well as any other. I have often wondered if there was enough "slop" in Norton fabrication to affect the installation of an air filter on different bikes. As has been noted, a very small difference in clearance can make a big difference.
DogT
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That must be my situation. There's no way I can get mine together without taking the carbs off and believe me I've tried every lube in the book. All it does is make it hard to hold the rubber. I have maybe 1/4-3/8" from the carb ends to the front plate. Now mind you I can only do it from the timing side as the pipes are in the way on the other side, they don' help. It looks so easy in the handbook.mike996 said:
Dave
69S
Beach
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This is the way I figured to do mine...Mount both front and rear air filter plates....From the timing side push the front plate forward as much as possible(the rubber boots will compress quite a bit)...Slip filter and mesh screen into place and release the front plate...Make sure filter and screen are in place and replace the bolts...
I had lots of bleeding before I figured this out...Luckily there was a blood bank close...
I had lots of bleeding before I figured this out...Luckily there was a blood bank close...
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I find it easy when I get someone else to hold the front plate harder against the carb on the rhs, while I hold the plate forward on the lhs. With a decent pc of carboard covering the primary case [ to stop scratching ], the air filter goes in really easy. The only thing I don't like about the system is that the front plate bends too easily, and then not compressing the filter all round, allowing dirt to bypass the filter. I have modified both my commandos to avoid this. Maybe you don't want to know what I did, but only a purist may spot it.
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Hi guys
I have got the air filter in place now, and yes bent the front cover plate and also in my rush forgot to set the slides up.
The wife will not give me a hand anymore after I burnt her foot while she was standing on the bench top (back in 1986) when I was tacking it in place, so assistance is out of the question when it comes to anything to do with the shed or bikes.
In the end with all your advice it was far easier than fitting the airbox onto my ZX10 and ZZR1100 Kawasaki's only with them I didn't cut myself!
The plan this weekend is to fire the old girl up, bike that is as I don't have any problem with the firing the other old girl up!
Thanks again
Mark
I have got the air filter in place now, and yes bent the front cover plate and also in my rush forgot to set the slides up.
The wife will not give me a hand anymore after I burnt her foot while she was standing on the bench top (back in 1986) when I was tacking it in place, so assistance is out of the question when it comes to anything to do with the shed or bikes.
In the end with all your advice it was far easier than fitting the airbox onto my ZX10 and ZZR1100 Kawasaki's only with them I didn't cut myself!
The plan this weekend is to fire the old girl up, bike that is as I don't have any problem with the firing the other old girl up!
Thanks again
Mark
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- Dec 14, 2013
- Messages
- 400
OlChris
I hope to fire the bike up as I have no problem firing the wife up after 45 odd years, not sure how she has put up with me for so long.
Back to the bike I am wishful thinking that it will be ok, I have fitted new Amal Premium carbs, TriSpark ignition, 3 phase alternator and rewired the electrics plus set up blinkers, I guess plus a heap of other odds and ends, it should be ok?
When I first tried to start the bike it would only run for a short time with a lot of flooding/priming, the Carbies where completely worn out, worst I have seen, I fitted a oil pressure gauge and pressure when cold appears ok so am going to take the risk all is OK, just need to get the engine to run and idle so I see and hear what's really happening.
Best Regards
Mark
I hope to fire the bike up as I have no problem firing the wife up after 45 odd years, not sure how she has put up with me for so long.
Back to the bike I am wishful thinking that it will be ok, I have fitted new Amal Premium carbs, TriSpark ignition, 3 phase alternator and rewired the electrics plus set up blinkers, I guess plus a heap of other odds and ends, it should be ok?
When I first tried to start the bike it would only run for a short time with a lot of flooding/priming, the Carbies where completely worn out, worst I have seen, I fitted a oil pressure gauge and pressure when cold appears ok so am going to take the risk all is OK, just need to get the engine to run and idle so I see and hear what's really happening.
Best Regards
Mark
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