Greetings from a forum noob.

[chapmanmd]

Hi all. Great site. I've been lurking for a bit, but I need some help...

Does anyone, by chance, know of a GOOD mechanic in or near St. Louis for my '70 Commando? I'm not a complete idiot as it pertains to old British bikes, but I think I may need some help. Any contacts would be greatly appreciated. I'm located in Southern Illinois, but St. Louis is the nearest big city. Great stuff on this site btw!

Cheers!

 

[speirmoor]

Michael Kiernan is your man.
http://michaelsmotorcycles.com/
His garage is a destination in itself , a mini museum.
Buy a large coffee and ask to wander down to the repair shop.

 

[Hobot]

A close by mentor-mechanic is a great luxury if you can find one but they are usually piled up with jobs so don't hold breath on fast attention. Best luck if no response here is track down local riders which often could run a shop if they cared to take on that hassle. I could not find anyone near me for my 1st Commando repairs, but with manual, parts book and 5 years of hand holding help online I got a fully fettered Combat going really nice, after much crisis mentally-emotionally-economically to now have a better sense of self worth mechanically logically emotionally maturity and community. First time I leafed through the manual I brain fogged right out in recoil confusion. I did not even know where the point ignition was for gosh sakes. The bad news is usually a Commando is worn down deep inside in many items or it'd still be ridden and running before you came along to save it for the future. In many ways owning a Commando means spilling some blood and sweat and swearing to enter the brotherhood of joy rides and C'do comrades.

We like photo's and problems to solve and learning new things so start your process and enjoy the journey.

 

[Torontonian]

Welcome to the forum. After a while you will realize that some mechanical jobs are small and straightforward and you can safely attempt them yourself to save cash whilst other jobs such as machining require the services of others more qualified. This week I worked on a total of 4 Nortons in distress ,2 at the National Empire Rally ,one had to have the mufflers removed ( Steve listen'n ?) ,the other had the carbs not synched ( where both carb slides must rise and fall in exact unison) causing rough running. The owner had trouble believing me as he had just had carb work done at a shop ! The next Norton was on the ride back where we pulled a spark plug on the side of the road to find aluminum particles around a lean looking electrode . Diagnosis - overadvanced timing = end of trip= wait for van. The next Nort 1 hr. later developed a tick in the rear hub , spun wheel to diagnose imminent hub double row bearing demise = end of trip = any more room in that van ? So you see some situations there will be no Norton shop help so try to understand the workings of your machine regardless. Peter.

 

[Hobot]

ugh Peter, you talked my into removing the Rattle/ClanG broken baffle tube muffler but then ran so weak and loud even the HD guys frowned and covered ears, but at least was easier task than sawing off end of peashooters for open megaphone obnoxious you tried so hard to get me to do, ugh. Bad enough in the heat wave I choose not to ride Trixie any more outside rally grounds, plus how terrible the road surfaces were in the Catskill tights. Your report here though helps ease my emotional-mental pensiveness that I had better luck on my restored Combat than others, this time around. At rallies you see so so many examples or super fine C'do's w/o a hint of trouble or even road use wear and tear -its both encouraging and disappointing at same time for me. I came real close to putting on Ms Peels 2-1 long dong open hollow Dunstall megaphone that the next town would of called police in on.

Anywho realize that not all Nortoneers are going to steer you for you best interest, just their own jollies and chuckles on gullibles like me : )

It took my ~6 yr to feel mostly competent to tackle anything normal Norton and about as long more to attempt an excessive Nortoneering hot rod handler, which is still up in the air if works out as planned, but the trip is so addictive I can't quit the hits yet.

 

[chapmanmd]

I thank you all for the replies. I will check out Michael's in STL. I honestly didn't know that they were a service facility as well. I will have to take a ride over.

I always wanted a Commando and the moon/stars/checkbook/beercans aligned and I was able to get one. I bought one off of eBay that looked like what I wanted. A "very nice" 70 Commando, "engine completely recently rebuilt by the previous owner", single Mikuni, Boyer, "no leaks", "checked out by a local mechanic", etc... Uh huh... right...

Anyway, the bike gets here. I go over it a bit and didn't look like anything was falling off, etc. I go to check the oil in the tank and lo and behold, it is full all the way to the top... So, I drain the oil tank and sump and got that to proper levels. All good, right? not so much... It started first kick with the choke! Great, right? not so much... I let it warm up, checked for oil circulation as the guy before me installed an anti-sump valve. All good, finally. I then proceed to mount the beast and get ready to take it for its maiden voyage. I pull the clutch, lift up on the right lever, and off it goes... note I did not say that I released the clutch... Anyway, I get going up the road. Next thing I know, one of the seat knobs falls off... Having been around Triumphs and such for the past 40 years, I do know that not all Brit bikes have parts fall off on EVERY ride, right? Well, after getting home, getting in my truck, and driving my route about 5 times, we find the seat knob! Put that back on, life is good. Later that night, I go back out to the garage to admire my purchase and find out that the "no leaks" advertisement is complete bs. I swear that 38 gallons of oil came out of the chain case... Well, maybe not that much, but you get the point. Now I need to figure out what the hell else is leaking as there are spots damned near as far back as the rear wheel. After much searching, I do not think I am losing oil from anywhere other than the bottom of the chain case. We'll see though.

Well, this morning I go out and decide that it was a very nice morning for a ride to Starbuck's on the Norton. I turn on the fuel, pop the choke down, give it a couple of kicks, turn on the key and boom, first kick start. Life is good. Well, I let it warm up for a bit and think its fine to turn the choke off. Wrong. The bike dies immediately and nothing short of divine intervention and being pushed by the 12 disciples is going to get this thing started. Back into the garage it goes. I proceeded to kick the front tire hard, get on my Thruxton and ride off into the sunrise to get my beloved coffee.

Anyway, I'm sure this is a story you guys have heard a million times and I certainly will not become too frustrated at this point. Maybe later, but we'll see. Given this saga so far, I just think that it might be a good idea to have a knowledgeable person look over this thing and tell me what the real story is. The good thing is that the motor has great compression, shifts very well, lights work, etc. I think the bones are there, but it just needs a minor sorting.

Thanks for the replies guys and for the warm welcome to the forum. I look forward to being a happy Norton owner for many many years, or until I set fire to it, whichever comes first. :mrgreen:

Cheers, and thanks again!

 

[grandpaul]

Sounds like a fun start.

 

[AussieCombat]

Yes, keep those "stars, moon and cheque book" alligned for as long as you can.
It might help. Take it easy on the beer, you may not be able to afford any for a while.
And enjoy your new hobby,.... Spending money on a Norton, then riding it.
Welcome aboard.
AC.

 

[Hobot]

You might have a hot wife and be admired at your work place but a Commando will put you in your place in relation to the cosmos and mechanical manhood in general.
One thing we all learn is if ya don't spend about 20K on a new Colorado Norton or similar level Commando they are basically project kits to set right soup to nuts. They are worth it in the end, but of course its never ending so not the bike for everyone but nothing else can match its appeal for so many of us.

I hope you don't run into what I did with new bike runing great, witness my avatar but had 14 leaks so thought it'd be good idea and easy lesion to just re-new the normal wear and sealing stuff, then found out its had bend crank and crack cases and about used up everything. Go to a rally soon or local club meet soon as ya can to take top of the head off of what others have done and you can too.

 

[chapmanmd]

Thank you again for the replies. You guys are awesome and I freely admit that I have a lot to learn. My man card may be in jeopardy, but I admit it.

Last nite after work, I decided to give it another go. The bike started right up this time, first kick again. Off I go, but this time realizing that in its current state of tune that I needed to get the bike rolling before I put it in gear... Well, up the road I go. As the bike gets hotter, the clutch gets worse and worse to the point that I had to put it in neutral at stop lights to even keep it running. No big deal... it's just a clutch, other than the pesky problem of not being able to turn off the choke on the Mikuni else it will not run.

Anyway, I'm very happy that on this ride, all that fell off of it was the left side foot rubber and the kickstart rubber. Again, I backtrack my route in the truck and find my pieces. This is actually beginning to get comical. Oh yeah, the left side exhaust started leaking at the head... Thankfully, a quick tighten of the nuts worked fine. Yay! One problem solved!

I think it might be time to give up on riding it for a bit until I have a chance to really go through it and get some sage advice from someone around here who knows what the hell they are looking at.

Cheers once again fellas. Thanks for having such a great site!

 

[ML]

other than the pesky problem of not being able to turn off the choke on the Mikuni else it will not run.

There's lots of advice on Mikunis on this forum, and that particular problem you describe is very symptomatic of the Pilot Jet being too small. I don't know what it is with the supplier industry, but just about every VM I have got out of the box has the Pilot too small. It should be a .35 or .40. Also check the float level, generally that is stable but as you have to drop the bowl, its easy to do.

Mick

 

[rx7171]

other than the pesky problem of not being able to turn off the choke on the Mikuni else it will not run.

I'm wondering if you are not understanding the Mikuni "choke" and how it operates.

If the lever is down the choke (enricher circuit) is ON
When lever is up it is OFF.

I'm wondering if you are starting it with the choke off then when you think you are taking the choke off you are really putting it on and killing motor.

About the clutch drag you need to review the threads on this site on adjusting it.
You need a shop maintenance manual for sure.

Bob

 

[rx7171]

On my previous post the "lever" I'm referring to is the lever at the carb.
If you have the handlebar mounted lever then the choke is on then that lever is pulled out all the way.

Bob

 

[chapmanmd]

I'm familiar with Mikuni VM carbs having run them on race bikes and ricers forever. I may have mis-stated... Lifting the choke lever (choke to off position), the bike will not run. I need to take it apart tonite and check needle, slide, jetting, etc. Something is screwed up. I'll keep you guys posted.

 

[travelerjerry]

When I got my Norton 8 years ago, I needed a face shield. Went into a Honda repair shop to get one and commented I recently purchased a used Norton. His reply was.... "So, you've become your own mechanic" How true that was.

 

[chapmanmd]

Yeah, travelerjerry, I believe you have hit on something very real.

 

[Hobot]

Saw your shop site Chapman and list of cycles, so you are no newbie to mechanicing so I'm especially interested in just how wierd and troublesome your Commando challenges you. Its thrust me into infant with soiled diaper states more than once. I figure its common to need wire, zip ties, tape, terminal repair kit and various show stopping nip ups the 1st 1000 miles or soOh yeah if you've never ever found a bad spark plug out the box, don't be surprised if ya on on refreshing a Commando for instant mystery failure to run. I got a tee shirt at rally that says.
All the parts the fall off this bike were Made In England.