Front Hub Bearing Lockring Errata

Tornado

Tornado

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Despite confirming in two separate books (Cylmer and full Workshop manual; both in the front disc hub sections), my 74 850 Commando's front hub bearing lockring turned out to be RH, not LH threaded as the books stated. Later checked Norman Whites book and he correctly called it as RH. The peg holes in my lockring were already showing previous knackering with a drift by DPO so I didn't fuss too much about making it a bit worse. Will source a fresh one.
Non-sealed bearings found to be in pretty good shape, fresh, blue synth grease well packed in. Same type grease I've found elsewhere (swingarm bushes!!! and rear wheel bearings). I've put 15k miles on bike since taking on the caretakers job, and clock showed around 7k at that time. So seemed a good idea to refresh them.

Will be using sealed type replacements.
 
Tornado said:
Despite confirming in two separate books (Cylmer and full Workshop manual; both in the front disc hub sections), my 74 850 Commando's front hub bearing lockring turned out to be RH, not LH threaded as the books stated.
Click to expand...

It is, however, correctly right hand in some factory manual copies.
Front Hub Bearing Lockring Errata
 
Here is my full WS manual entry, 1970 and up both my electronic version and hardcover binder version


Binder version:
IMG_20230220_1405148.jpg


PDF file version:

Front Hub Bearing Lockring Errata


Clymer states same. In my Haynes manual, curiously they just omit stating left or right handed, but use rest of the text from that sentence. Only my NW book has it right.
 
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Tornado said:
Here is my full WS manual entry, 1970 and up both my electronic version and hardcover binder version


Binder version:
View attachment 104089

PDF file version:

View attachment 104090

Clymer states same. In my Haynes manual, curiously they just omit stating left or right handed, but use rest of the text from that sentence. Only my NW book has it right.
Click to expand...
Yes, this manual error has been mentioned previously.
www.accessnorton.com

LH lockring removal/ front disc

I'm trying, and failing, to remove the bearing lockring for simple maintenance or replacement. The hub is stripped and in my vice. So far I've used a propane torch with a hammer and punch, I'll need to replace the ring, nbd, just need to know how much can I heat the hub with the torch before...
www.accessnorton.com www.accessnorton.com

The 850 Mk3 rear wheel R/H lockring thread is also incorrect in some Mk3 manuals.
 
Mart UK said:
Are all front and rear lock rings RH thread?
Click to expand...

No.
Unless there's some form of locking clip or pin then lockrings on the left-hand side of a wheel are usually right-hand threaded, and left-hand threaded on the right-hand side.
The rear drum brake wheel lockring, for instance, is on the right-hand side so it's left-hand thread.
The 850 Mk3 front wheel has a circlip bearing retainer (normally on the R/H side) instead of a lockring.
 
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My bike, originally a '74 Mk2A Interplod, had the caliper on the left side in front of the fork leg when I bought it, so theoretically wrong? I notice a restored Interplod on (UK) eBay earlier today, and that has the same caliper arrangement. Is/was this a 'special' for the Interplods or a modification made by the Police mechanics? AIUI in '74 the caliper should be on the right and behind the fork leg.
 
daveforty said:
My bike, originally a '74 Mk2A Interplod, had the caliper on the left side in front of the fork leg when I bought it, so theoretically wrong?
Click to expand...

Yes.
daveforty said:
Is/was this a 'special' for the Interplods or a modification made by the Police mechanics? AIUI in '74 the caliper should be on the right and behind the fork leg.
Click to expand...

Very likely done since it was sold onto the civilian market by a previous owner. The hub of that particular Interpol does not appear to be the later Mk3 type (that would have the circlip bearing retainer also the spoke pattern is pre-Mk3).
 
I am the second owner of the bike, the previous registered keeper was the Herts Constabulary, so I thought that caliper arrangement was how it would have been when in Police service. It was seeing the bike on eBay with the same caliper arrangement that made me wonder if it was a Police 'special' specification?


The (UK) eBay Interpol is item 165949137623.
 
daveforty said:
I am the second owner of the bike, the previous registered keeper was the Herts Constabulary, so I thought that caliper arrangement was how it would have been when in Police service.
Click to expand...

In that case maybe it was. Has it been fitted with a Mk3 circlip front hub/wheel by any chance?

daveforty said:
The (UK) eBay Interpol is item 165949137623.
Click to expand...

Yes, I thought that was the particular Interpol you were referring to.
 
My bike has the screwed lockring on the front hub, the wheel is original - I have never dismantled it other than for bearing replacement. The bike was pretty much identical to the eBay bike when I bought it (Sept '83). I notice that the Interpol pictured on the relevant Wikipedia page (described as a West Midlands bike), has the same (swapped) fork / caliper, so curious if this was a Police 'field' modification or if they were supplied that way?
 
daveforty said:
I notice that the Interpol pictured on the relevant Wikipedia page (described as a West Midlands bike), has the same (swapped) fork / caliper, so curious if this was a Police 'field' modification or if they were supplied that way?
Click to expand...

I guess that it cannot be ruled out.
The NOC Commando Service Notes warns against doing so because of the potential for the lockring to unscrew if it's the same direction as the wheel rotation.

Quote from the NOC Commando Service Notes:-
"You should all know the story of the front brake, position---originally fitted behind the right hand leg. For some exceedingly technical reason this caused all the bikes to pull to the left, and made most of them so bad that you couldn't steer the machine hands-off. Nortons which wouldn't steer hands off! And no-one complained. Well, actually, about a dozen people did, but there wasn't anything that could be done about it. Anyway, later it was found that if you take the forks out of the yokes and swap them over the brake finishes up in front of the left hand leg and the machine then steers O.K. No, I can't explain it either. This is not the safest thing to do because there is a grave danger (that is, a danger which might lead to the grave) that the bearing locking ring will unscrew if the rotation of the wheel is reversed. Do it by all means, but make up some way of securely locking the bearing ring."
 
So from that quote, has any member here found their bike to not steer straight hands off the bars? Do we now have an explanation as to why this might occur? Is it maybe related to rotating mass off of steering column centerline, giving a torque steer effect?
 
I never rode my bike in its Interpol guise, other than riding it back from where I bought it, which was barely a mile from home. I did put the forks / caliper back to 'standard' when I rebuilt it as a Roadster, and it did have a slight pull to the left - but not dramatically so, didnt notice any pressure on the handlebars to keep it straight, nor did it have any tendency to weave at speed. Maybe the weight of the Police fairing over the front end made the effect worse? swapping the caliper around seems to be a common Interpol thing. Curious...
 
daveforty said:
I never rode my bike in its Interpol guise, other than riding it back from where I bought it, which was barely a mile from home. I did put the forks / caliper back to 'standard' when I rebuilt it as a Roadster, and it did have a slight pull to the left - but not dramatically so, didnt notice any pressure on the handlebars to keep it straight, nor did it have any tendency to weave at speed. Maybe the weight of the Police fairing over the front end made the effect worse? swapping the caliper around seems to be a common Interpol thing. Curious...
Click to expand...
Is it true that all modern bikes have brake rotors on the left (my modern Bonneville has both front and rear on left side)?
 

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