New Idiot on the Block

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Just keep moving your bikes around and never keep them in a line so she can't tell how many you have.
Or, you can tell her that as long as you are in the garage you aren't at the corner bar.
John in Texas
 
Thanks for the tip on 5 buck Harbor Freight pin wrench. I'm actually passing near there tonight and plan on picking one up.

By the way -- can anyone validate that a LH side case from a 70 or 71 Commando will work on a 74? They seem to have the same part number 063503. I assume the 750 and 850 are identical parts with different decals.

Best,
Kevin
 
Check the pin spacing and pin diameter required for your caliper first. It may not fit.
The HF wrench pin spacing range is 3/8 in. to 1-1/16 in.

Pretty sure all "steel" Roadster side covers are the same.
Pre-`71 models differ slightly in shape, and had the ignition key hole in the upper corner of the side cover, and were made of fiberglass.
Not sure exactly when the change occured but my `71 750 side covers were identical to my `73 850.
To further muddy the waters, the later style Roadster side covers were also produced in fiberglass and looked nearly identical.
 
Fast Eddie said:
BritTwit said:
FreeRadical said:
That said, this is a huge project for me. A new idiot is on the block. I will be asking questions that will make you shake your head in wonderment. Please bear with me as I take this journey. It's sure to be a long one.
Kevin
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An idiot? I think not!
An idiot would not have the intelligence to choose the most iconic British twin to own.
An idiot would not spend the rather considerable time to learn how to restore, maintain and repair a Commando.
An idiot would not have the resources to purchase all manner of new parts and assorted bling to adorn his Commando.
Any health care professional would see that you are not an idiot.
Sir, you are a masochist, like the rest of us.
Welcome.
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And all this from a man who calls himself Twit !?! :D

Obviously all sane people ride HONDAS . :shock: Though they might be senile . :mrgreen:

Idiot... Twit... masochist... or just eccentric... whatever your choice, no one who buys an old Norton today is 'Normal' ... which is probably a large part of the reason to do so !
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hobot said:
..........zip ties, wire rubber bands..........
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Maybe it's just me Steve, but I'm not sure if I've ever even seen a "wire rubber band" let alone used one while working on my bike :shock: Welcome freeradical :D
 
cjandme said:
hobot said:
..........zip ties, wire rubber bands..........
Click to expand...
Maybe it's just me Steve, but I'm not sure if I've ever even seen a "wire rubber band" let alone used one while working on my bike :shock: Welcome freeradical :D
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I'm envisioning these bendy metal bands for restraining cables back in the days of yore.
I recall they could be bent back and forth exactly twice, then they broke.

New Idiot on the Block
 
FreeRadical said:
Speaking of tools, can you guys suggest a list of must-haves for me to start on the bike? My hope is to do the minimum at this point to to see if she'll turn over.

Is there other option to learn other than the shop manua? A "Clymer" for Nortons?

Queue head shaking...

Kevin
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Get the factory clutch tool, the tapered tool that screws into the camshaft once the auto advance is removed, Whitworth wrenches, the exhaust pipe wrench, a Clymer shop manual is just fine, a 1 1/4" socket for the sump plug, and a good quality impact driver. Others will chime in with their thoughts on tools needed.
Don't know how long your bike sat but cleaning out the sludge trap is a must!

Not knowing where you live you should look into joining a local Norton club and join us in NC next summer for the Norton National.

John in Texas
 
mschmitz57 said:
Kevin,

That's a pretty encouraging story and explains why the forks and pipes look good. I'd say you found a great bike for a very fair price.
Nice that the `74 has all the improvements and is still a RH shift bike. "Last of the breed" so to speak.

OK, moving on to the front disk. Fred from Old Britt's has posted a nice tutorial on rebuilding the front disk caliper. https://www.oldbritts.com/caliper_rebuild.html
Another reason to support places like Old Britt's. Fred and Ella are great to deal with.

You'll need a peg spanner to remove the caliper plug. The Andover tool isn't cheap at $90, which is a lot for a tool you may only use once.
I've seen guys successfully cobble-up spanners with hardware store items.
It's a good time to see if any other Nortoneers live close by for help and maybe borrow a tool in exchange for pizza and beer.
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I can loan you the tool I made. I'ts been sitting in my tool box since. Just a piece of flat steel with a couple of 1/4 x 20 screws as pegs but it works great.
 
I was able to get the plug unscrewed off the caliper with the harbor freight adjustable pin wrench. Thanks for the tip!
 
I use disposable zip ties and rubber bands to deal with head on/off only. I stick oil feed banjo bolts back in head and zip tie head up to spine to allow easier diddle-fiddle of push rods up into head, then zip ties jammed there to clear barrel to remove and replace. On installing head I am first I know of in 2201 to stretch rubber bands over head to hold rockers down on pushrods till all of em seated stable then nip down fasteners. Best head mod is grinding the very ends of rockers very close to the ball end so push rods don't jam but slip up fully 1st time every time and a bit less valve train strain. To remove rockers needs DIY pullers and decent heated head so not hi priority and only a few racers and me know how quick easy head swaps are afterwards. I've come home from commute and swapped out standard head for Combat head in an hour then headed back out but depressed as Combat head too big ports dogged down the power till mid redline about to blow up. If wisely buying an electronic ignition I'm collecting AutoAdvanceUnits and contact breaker parts. Biggest confusion controversy among us you should know about is what type of changing oil forumula to match the factory Commando or its common hybridizations. After a few times though the thing ya won't want to work around the manual's over sights.
 
FreeRadical said:
I was able to get the plug unscrewed off the caliper with the harbor freight adjustable pin wrench. Thanks for the tip!
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Glad to hear. Now I'm gonna pick one up. It's adjustable which makes it a "multi-tasker" which I like even more.
So let us know how it's progressing (with pictures). It's a slow news day and the topics are boring me to tears...
 
hobot said:
Biggest confusion controversy among us you should know about is what type of changing oil forumula to match the factory Commando or its common hybridizations. After a few times though the thing ya won't want to work around the manual's over sights.
Click to expand...

Hobot, I thought everyone just ran GTX 20W50 nowadays (with a filter) and got-on with their lives.
(plus a few drops of ZDDP)
 
I will let you know how the caliper work progresses. I need more tools to complete the job. The Old Britts link you gave me is very helpful.

Here is a picture of my center stand. Is it toast?

New Idiot on the Block
 
Yeah, they have a tendency to do that. A bad design. Mine had a crack develop at the drilled hole for the spring.
There are new reproductions available at a reasonable cost ( built to higher standards I hope ).
Check your spring too. Mine was almost ready to break where it hooks into the stand. The stand "saws" through
the spring over time. Of course your bike only had around 6K miles on it, so that must be some sort of record.
Some owners simply leave the center stand off.

New Idiot on the Block
 
When I bought Crazy Combat she had the same cracked off foot at the same area. I said Sold for $2000 , but the seller said don't you want to hear it run ? and proceeded to put a wood chunk as a replacement to kick her to life (2 kicks). She vibrated off and we grabbed her before total fallover. :!:
 
N0rt0nelectr@ said:
Get the factory clutch tool, the tapered tool that screws into the camshaft once the auto advance is removed, Whitworth wrenches, the exhaust pipe wrench, a Clymer shop manual is just fine, a 1 1/4" socket for the sump plug, and a good quality impact driver. Others will chime in with their thoughts on tools needed.
Don't know how long your bike sat but cleaning out the sludge trap is a must!

Not knowing where you live you should look into joining a local Norton club and join us in NC next summer for the Norton National.

John in Texas
Click to expand...

I'd measure your Sump Plug before buying the Socket, my 74 has an 1-1/2" Sump "Plug" . . . not saying you won't need the 1-1/4" somewhere else.
 
I would also get a socket puller for the primary front chain sprocket, it is a taper fit and pretty much impossible to get off without it
 
I have to say that I am disappointed and a bit confused with the Rolson Whitworth wrenches I just received from ebay. I was expecting this set to fit a majority of the bolts on the bike. Instead, there are only a few hex heads that fit just right. The majority of the bolts (and they look like OEM) have a huge amount of play in them.

Am I missing something here???

The 8 piece set I ordered includes:

9/16W 5/8BS
1/2W 9/16BS
7/16W 1/2BS
3/8W 7/16BS
5/16W 3/8BS
1/4W 5/16BS
3/16W 1/4BS
1/8W 3/16BS

Thanks,
Kevin
 
FreeRadical said:
I have to say that I am disappointed and a bit confused with the Rolson Whitworth wrenches I just received from ebay. I was expecting this set to fit a majority of the bolts on the bike. Instead, there are only a few hex heads that fit just right. The majority of the bolts (and they look like OEM) have a huge amount of play in them.

Am I missing something here???
Click to expand...

Yes, the majority of fasteners are Unified thread which have the usual fractional size hexagons.

http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/~psc/spanne ... Size_Table
 
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