New member Tallahassee, FL - any Norton owners nearby

I have recently taken delivery of a 1975 MKII roadster. I have owned a number of bikes over the years, BMW, Laverda, Guzzi, Ducati, early Trident, etc. My most recent bike was a wonderful 2002 FZ1. The Norton has been on my bucket list for a long time, at the age of 74, it was time to scratch some lines off the list. That said, I haven't owned an old Britbike in a long time. I would love to connect with a nearby Norton owner to pick brains about my new toy. I keep a decent supply of Guinness and a few assorted other beers and ales, and would be glad to share. I had planned to ride Norton to the vintage days at Barber, but am not sure just how roadworthy the bike is. Turn signals have vibrated loose and there is a kind of judder/shutter around 2,500 RPM even when getting off the gas. I'm thinking this might be isolastics, but not sure. The bike has a Mikuni V34 and I am not happy with it. I'm getting 32 MPG, which just ain't right. I'd really love to have a Norton Whisperer ride it and evaulate it in terms of what might be worth doing. It has a Boyer (I think) ignition, an upgraded starter and a resleeved front master cylinder, which works pretty well.

Would much some advice for future upgrades and simple fixes. Neutral is quite difficult to find, Clutch adjustment, probably.

So, if there is a kind-hearted soul somewhere nearby, I would love to hear from you.

ElTigre1 said:

I have recently taken delivery of a 1975 MKII roadster. I have owned a number of bikes over the years, BMW, Laverda, Guzzi, Ducati, early Trident, etc. My most recent bike was a wonderful 2002 FZ1. The Norton has been on my bucket list for a long time, at the age of 74, it was time to scratch some lines off the list. That said, I haven't owned an old Britbike in a long time. I would love to connect with a nearby Norton owner to pick brains about my new toy. I keep a decent supply of Guinness and a few assorted other beers and ales, and would be glad to share. I had planned to ride Norton to the vintage days at Barber, but am not sure just how roadworthy the bike is. Turn signals have vibrated loose and there is a kind of judder/shutter around 2,500 RPM even when getting off the gas. I'm thinking this might be isolastics, but not sure. The bike has a Mikuni V34 and I am not happy with it. I'm getting 32 MPG, which just ain't right. I'd really love to have a Norton Whisperer ride it and evaulate it in terms of what might be worth doing. It has a Boyer (I think) ignition, an upgraded starter and a resleeved front master cylinder, which works pretty well.

Would much some advice for future upgrades and simple fixes. Neutral is quite difficult to find, Clutch adjustment, probably.

So, if there is a kind-hearted soul somewhere nearby, I would love to hear from you.

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I know it is a good distance away, but there are several Norton owners in Jacksonville (including me) that ride on a regular basis. A total of about 15 to 20 Nortons between all of us

We have several very good Norton mechanics here in Jacksonville. Including one guy who owns a bike shop that specializes in British restores and maintenance. This guy is the original owner of a 74 Interstate with 250,000 miles on it.

A note about Barber: The marquee bike for the race this year is Norton . There is a large group of Norton owners that will be attending. We have rented an entire camping area right on the track adjacent to the Ace Café Corner. There will be 30 to 50 Norton enthusiusts there. The lady who has put this all together lives in Jacksonville. PM me and I will give you her contact information if you want to join us. Or, if you do come to Barber, at least come by the trackside camping area and talk Nortons with us. There will be a big banner by the campsite bearing the name "Norton Hill". There will also be a Norton Party of Saturday, the Annual "Turn 6" gathering in the vendor area.

Colorado Norton Works will have a big display at Barber, and the owner Matt Rambo will be there. CNW is a great place to get parts and upgrades for your Mark III. There are many people on this site that believe there is no better service or quality than CNW

John

+1 with everything "G81 Can Cycle" wrote above. I'm in Yulee, Florida myself (10 mile North of Jacksonville) so still quite aways from you. Sorry

Anyways, I think 32mpg is terrible, so "something" can't be right. :shock: I check MPG on all my bikes all the time, just something I'm "anal" about. And, one of my pet peeves is if the bike doesn't get at least 40 mpg ... I sell it !!! FWIW, I've also had 8 Kawasaki KZ1000s since 1988, and those have all gotten anywhere from 28 mpg to 45 mpg.

I've had 7 Nortons now since 1982, and have gotten anywhere from 37 mpg to 50 mpg. The lowest mpg was a 1971 Norton 750 with a single mikuni, (my first Norton) and the highest mpg is my current ..."bitsa" 1971 750 motor, 1973 frame, etc. It also has a single mikuni. Now my "first" one did have a 19T gearbox sprocket, and my current one has a 21T gearbox sprocket. Lowering the RPMs at same speed; now the bike may not be as "quick", but it should improve the mpg. "Quick" is not why I ride or like Nortons, although back in the day they were one of the fastest. Read the 1970 Cycle World "shootout" issue and the Norton was #1 with a 12.69 quarter mile. I think their sales REALLY went up after that !!!

All things being "almost" identical to the bikes I've owned, (KZ1000 to KZ1000 and Norton to Norton) some just get better mpg than others, that are even set up the same way. I never really have gotten a good explanation of this ... from anybody, ever. They just say I'm too anal about it.

And last, I have a 1999 Buell Cyclone, that averages 50 mpg. Years ago, I rode 120 miles West from OKC, and got 65 mpg So I went back, and got 63 mpg I HAD to double check. However, this was before they put ethanol in gas, so I think that has something to do with it too. THE very best I can get now with it is 53 mpg.

Well, enough of my rambling, but this forum is about sharing information.

Just my 2 cents on the mpg issue. (and other comments ...)

Cheers.

the first place to look is the jetting. it will be way to rich. the needle and needle jet is the most likely place to start as that is where it is running most of the time. a properly setup single mik should give you 50 + MPG on the road.

ElTigre1 said:

The bike has a Mikuni V34 and I am not happy with it. I'm getting 32 MPG, which just ain't right.

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My mistake, I am running a VM36 Mikuni, It fouls out the plugs in a hurry, turning them to soot and making the bike unrideable. I am getting a bit scatterbrained and reluctant to do a whole lot of tinkering, as I tend to misplace pieces/parts. It is a mantra at my house, "How hard can it be?" then we pick up the phone and call for help. I would really like to put the original 932s bak on it, and am actively looking for same. I'm thinking the 932 Premieres look good, Would, of course need manifolds and cables. Maybe I can sell the Mikuni kit on this forum, It is as new,

I was raised in Jacksonville and do know some Norton owners there. I have been to Nortona for at least the last 10-15 years. I will be at the vintage races in Barber next month but won't be riding, as I don't think the bike is trustworthy of such a trip just yet. Incidentally, I also have the original CYCLE mag superbike test, as well as the similar time-frame Cycle Guide test. I would really like a knowledgeable member to ride my bike and share knowledge. I have owned British bikes as well as a Ducati Bevel drive and a Laverda. But that was long ago, and I have been coddled by technology for the past 20 years or so. I do know Stan Keyes in Jacksonville very well, he worked at the dealership where I bought my new 1973 Trident. He prepped it and tuned it for me.

I am just a bit reluctant to start out on a 350-mile roundtrip until I get a few things sorted out. The front brake was in dreadful shape when I bought the bike (the owner sent me a rubber rebuild kit. He said no worry, he had put several in. When I got the cylinder apart I could see why. It was completely corroded. I have since had it resleeved to 13mm, and it works quite well. I am told it has a megacycle camshaft, but I am still trying to find the specs on it. It does strong when it isn't fouling the plugs. I would like to put some Euro bars on it, and maybe change sprockets to give it longer legs.

Thanks for the interest and replies, I am looking forward to a beautiful friendship with this forum.

bill said:

the first place to look is the jetting. it will be way to rich. the needle and needle jet is the most likely place to start as that is where it is running most of the time. a properly setup single mik should give you 50 + MPG on the road.

ElTigre1 said:

The bike has a Mikuni V34 and I am not happy with it. I'm getting 32 MPG, which just ain't right.

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Click to expand...

+1 with what Bill writes. I never met him, but I think he REALLY know Nortons. I would love to bolt my setup (single Mikuni VM34) on your bike ... and see how yours runs, then. Sometimes installing only "known good" parts is the only way to troubleshoot, and then find what is "actually" bad. Maybe your problem ends up being ...electrical :shock:

ElTigre1 said:

The bike has a Mikuni V34 and I am not happy with it. I'm getting 32 MPG, which just ain't right

Click to expand...

'74 with 17,000 miles, old-school Dunstall mufflers, 22T front sprocket, single VM34 Mickey, and gets a consistent 57 mpg in mixed use. That's with a 32.5 idle jet for our 2400' altitude. Steady-state operation (highway-freeway) is almost exclusively on the idle jet, so that's the one to go after. But, at 32 mpg, I would think your plugs would totally soot over in a very short period of time if it was strictly a mixture issue. 'Makes me think you have other problems, such as way retarded timing, or low compression. One quick check for idle jet sizing is based on idle mixture screw adjustment; If the idle jet's close, the mixture screw should be somewhere around 1 to 1-1/2 turns out from seated.

Nathan

thanks for the comment . if you have been to nortona in flagler we have probeley met.

+1 with what Bill writes. I never met him, but I think he REALLY know Nortons.
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