New Member and New to Nortons

But not new to old brits
recently got myself a 74 Commando


have so far fitted a complete new loom front to back,
its fitted with a Boyer but I'm thinking of changing this to something else as the it doesn't like running with the lights on, due to the voltage drop.
oh and it leaks oil, lots of oil. like more than my triumph (and i thought it was bad) so i'll have to look into that.
im also on the lookout for a new seat for it. currently it has a homemade cover but I'm not sure what to buy as it appears to have a long range tank fitted.

Its all wrapped up for winter at the moment but looking forward to summer again, just to hear the growl from the peashooters, its fairly addictive.

Welcome Adam. If you're used to old Brits but new to Nortons... You'll love it!

Take you time to learn how to use the search function on this site and you'll find a mine of information.

Welcome.

You'll want an Interstate seat cover.

I'd go with Sparx or Pazon for the ignition on a budget, or Tri-Spark if you have more play money.

Before doing anything about oil leaks, you need to service all the bike's engine fluids, carefully tighten and re-torque all accessible fasteners, oil line connections and drain plugs, thoroughly wash and clean the bike, then take it for a good 1/2-hour ride at highway speeds to force any remaining oil leaks to make their presence known. Stop every 10 minutes and look around the engine to spot any fresh oil, then wipe it off and ride some more. You need to be aware of the actual point of leakage, NOT where the oil has flowed or dribbled to due to the wind blowing it.

Also, many Norton big twins will have oil migration issues from the oil tank past the oil pump and into the crankcase sump when the bike is sitting. Then, upon startup and running the engine, crankcase pressure attempts to force the excess oil out every gasket and seal surface. Refacing your oil pump can help. I recommend AGAINST shut-off valves (manual or "automatic", due to catastrophic failure potential). Just open the sump drain and drain it into a disposable aluminum cooking pan, replace the drain plug, pour the oil back into the tank, and ride away happy.

If you find damaged gaskets, seals, or sealing/mating faces of various parts and/or cases, they'll need to be fixed and new gaskets and/or seals installed.

Make sure your rings are not worn to the point that you are getting excessive piston blow-by which creates crankcase pressure oil leak problems.

AFTER all this, if you still have some oil seepage, a reed valve crankcase breather is an excellent, inexpensive remedy for non-damage-related oil leaks due to excessive crankcase pressure.

Adam_R said:

But not new to old brits
recently got myself a 74 Commando

have so far fitted a complete new loom front to back,
its fitted with a Boyer but I'm thinking of changing this to something else as the it doesn't like running with the lights on, due to the voltage drop.
oh and it leaks oil, lots of oil. like more than my triumph (and i thought it was bad) so i'll have to look into that.
im also on the lookout for a new seat for it. currently it has a homemade cover but I'm not sure what to buy as it appears to have a long range tank fitted.

Its all wrapped up for winter at the moment but looking forward to summer again, just to hear the growl from the peashooters, its fairly addictive.

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Welcome to Nortons, as for your boyer I had ran with a Boyer on my Norton for over 32 years without any problems (I now run a Joe Hunt maggie) but my old Boyer is still running in a mates Norton now, they are very reliable and it worked alright with the lights on, maybe you are having other problem with your charging system or battery to cause the voltage drop.
Burtons British Bikes sell new seat covers and your seat looks like a innerstate seat, the seat cover comes with new clips as well as a new edge cover and aren't that expensive, I recovered my inner seat a few years ago and was a easy job.
Find and fix the oil leaks as you find them, hopefully they will be easy fixes, I run a yammy reed valve on my Norton and works well on my bike, but it all depends on how much money you want to spend, but I run mine into a catch bottle instead of the oil tank, anyway you will work it all out and have a lot of fun on the way, enjoy what you have, it looks like a nice bike.

Ashley

I also like the background. Quaint and nice , low tide too. One day I will go to England , to drive around it on mine.

ashman said:

...I run a yammy (Yamaha) reed valve on my Norton and works well on my bike..

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Just a point of clarification, MIKE'S XS Reed Valves are NOT Yamaha parts (with Yamaha part numbers), even though he built his reputation supplying them for the Yamaha XS 650/750 crowd. They are generic / universal reed valves.

As to their effectiveness, they are an excellent solution to Norton Commando crankcase pressure induced oil leakage/weepage (the Yamaha XS engines suffer the same issues).

Torontonian said:

I also like the background. Quaint and nice , low tide too. One day I will go to England , to drive around it on mine.

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Unfortunately this is not England, this is a little place i love to Ride to called Anstruther in the North East of Scotland.


i just want to double check that the interstate seat will be suitable, i will need a cover and the foam or maybe just a new seat. (I have seen them for around £100 complete)
The tank is not the interstate Tank hence why I'm asking again, its the same as the interpol tank without the radio box.
i Just want to be sure.

To Be honest i would rather go back to points and weights, i know where i am with these, but as the boyer was fitted, and produces a good spark i will continue to use it for now.
The Re-wire certainly helped with reliability, the previous owner had used lots of the same colour wire throughout the bike.

Ive been reading a fair bit on the forum about using LED lights, I've fitted one into the sidelight and am planning on fitting one to the rear/brake lights. i think this should help with the power consumption.

sadly i will have to wait a few months before i can check for oil leaks, the salt is down on the road and I'm reluctant to ruin all the lovely chrome.

Welcome to the Forum

Looks like a MK IIA from the plastic airbox?
Agree with fitting a reed valve in the breather circuit - The first step to an oil-tight bike, which is achievable without too much extra effort.
Lots of useful advice here, and more crucially, little or no BS :lol:

Whereabouts in the UK are you based?
Most folks here aren't too shy about it, and the profile is a good place to update your location

B+Bogus said:

Welcome to the Forum

Looks like a MK IIA from the plastic airbox?
Agree with fitting a reed valve in the breather circuit - The first step to an oil-tight bike, which is achievable without too much extra effort.
Lots of useful advice here, and more crucially, little or no BS :lol:

Whereabouts in the UK are you based?
Most folks here aren't too shy about it, and the profile is a good place to update your location

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Profile now updated, thanks for the heads up,
i will certainly look into a reed valve

Torontonian said:

I also like the background. Quaint and nice , low tide too. One day I will go to England , to drive around it on mine.

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Scotland highlands are much nicer but pack your raingear lol.

Welcome to the forum. I've been to your lovely country and down south as well. Still have some distant relations there. Spent some time in Dumbarton, Edinburgh, Aberdeen (oilfield) & a brief stint in Glasgow in 90's before my brothers wedding. I know I've been through Dundee but can't remember why it's been 25 years probably.

Nice looking ride. The oil leaks are something to track down over the winter. It's tougher to find I think with clean oil on clean cases so consider that before you wipe it down completely. There are a number of common places for leaks.

Looks good. I think you'll be pleased with it once you get the small issues sorted. Is that an Interpol tank? Steel or fiberglass? There are sometimes issues with modern fuel and 'glass tanks.

Danno said:

Is that an Interpol tank? Steel or fiberglass? There are sometimes issues with modern fuel and 'glass tanks.

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Interpol/Fastback LR tanks were steel.

Nothing wrong with points , just grease ALL moving parts regularly and carry a couple spare condensers in the tool pouch. Boyer encapsulated trigger diode will fail if it's ground is corroded . I've never seen that fuel tank style over here in North America. If it was my machine I'd change the headlamp shell back to a stock MK 11A type. I run an interstate seat ( which is likely the one to fit that tank ) and it is much more comfortable than the stock roadster seat. The price you mention is good so take advantage of that. I've got to figure out an affordable way to ship/send my bike including the wife and myself over there for about a month long tour of England and Scotland. I wonder if my Canadian plates would be legal there as well as my insurance. Hear the rules are way tighter over there. Won't stop me.

It looks as though you may have an Interstate seat on your bike. However, it appears it was modified in order to match up to the Interpol tank either by moving the seat forward a couple of inches or by adding an extension to the existing seat. The reason I say this is because the forward bottom corner of a stock Interstate seat would normally line up with the forward mounting bolt of the right hand side cover. On your bike the seat appears a couple inches farther forward. It would be interesting to see what the underside of your existing seat looks like in order to determine the method used to modify your bike's seat.


Peter Joe

It is easy to remove the seat lugs on a innerstate seat to put them in another position (but you have to pull the seat cover off to do it properly), I run a innerstate seat on my Wideline Featherbed (2 infact, a dual seat when I want to take the wife and a solo seat with the hump), you can get them new at BBBs or RGM etc, they are a very comfortable seat as they are made for long distant riding.

Ashley

Welcome to the group. Your bike looks nice and with a bit of work you can make it oil tight.
RK Leighton in the UK makes great seats or if your seat pan is good they supply foam and a cover .
The wisdom and knowledge of the group is great, got a problem or question and you will get more insight than you can imagine.

Took my wife to Scotland just after we got married. A trip of a lifetime with wonderful scenery and great people.

Cheers
John Ebert
Texas

welcome to the forum. that's funny about the remark, this is not England, I am right down south but have been around Scotland a few times, at least we are still all British.
I have been to Canada but not on a bike and am going back to the states next year for some Californian sun along the coast so will be looking for a few places to visit. it is good that this forum is so international. looking forward to your updates on the bike. cheers.

Torontonian said:

I've got to figure out an affordable way to ship/send my bike including the wife and myself over there for about a month long tour of England and Scotland. I wonder if my Canadian plates would be legal there as well as my insurance.

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some info here

http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/sh ... ost2339657

Our Canadian insurance only covers riding in US and Canada. Once we headed south of the US, each country we rode through has its own rules about the kind of insurance, costs and coverage are required.

<snip>

In the European Union, it's a bit simpler. They have a system for foreign travelers called Green Card Insurance. It covers you for every country in the EU. We paid €385 for 6-months.

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contact info
http://www.ridedot.com/faq/
click on 'drop us a line' or right click mouse on it to get an email addy

I am sure your plates will be fine as it is only for a month but you would need to sort insurance

Hi all just a quick update, the weather up here has been a bit of a mixed bag but I've managed to get my norton out of the bike bubble and out for a blast!

I've fixed the majority of the leaks and with only a small drip coming from the sump bolt, i must say I'm fairly pleased.
Turns out that the majority of the leaks were due to fasteners working loose. The drain plug on the gearbox was merely finger tight!

Im not sure whats odd about the remark? taken out of context as the quote suggests i guess it may look odd, but i was only saying that it wasn't in England but further north in Scotland. :?

Happy riding