New owner - first on the road ride

Been a N O C member for years. I have had a Commando since the 70s and and find the club great maybe its because most members have older bikes the 961 is of no interest to them.
 
The NOC was a bit toxic for us Johnny-come-lately boutique motorcyclists who turned up on these abominations pretending to be Nortons. Anyone who saw the postings around a year ago would have been shocked by the vitriol - non 961 owners would post negative messages into the forum on a regular basis. The NOC committee banged a few heads together, carried out a suspension or two and cleared out offensive posts. This led to complaints of blocking free speech etc. but the problems seem to have gone away. I haven't attended the local NOC club meet but hope to later this year. In the meanwhile this AccessNorton forum has flourished as a more social site than a technical problem solving resource.

I wonder how many of us who are in the NOC attend local meetings and what sort of reception do you get?
 
Hi Clive, before I got mine, I looked at the noc site and was probably going to join. I then stumbled on this site and liked the format/layout better. The nearest doc club is either Leics & Northants some 33 miles away or Cambs which is about 40 miles away. I am a bit of a lone rider as not too much spare time and also only a fair weather one, but I do intend to try and get along to the Norton factory BBQ nights now and again and may well stay overnight as Eddie suggested. This is on the proviso that the weather is set to be dry for the duration.
 
MxMartin said:
Me at my favorite biker gear outlet... my 1st 'official' ride on Her Majesty's roads :)
New owner - first on the road ride
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Looks good, like the black cylinders too. Have to at least remove that back reflector though. Agree on sportsbikeshop, I have bought several items from them, gloves and security devices and they are always competitive and have good stock. I have J&S Accessories near me in Finedon, big warehouse full of stuff, huge range of leathers, boots etc but pricey compared to your shop.
 
I attend my 'so called' local NOC which is in Kent. Its easier than Essex or London branch for me to get to. This is a return ride of about 100 miles and I try to get there when I can. All the the local members have been friendly and bear no malice towards us newcomers and certainly I have never felt some of the vitriol as directed at me from the NOC site. Again this seems to have changed and it is far better than previous years. I have been on rides with some of the local members and they all seem genuine bikers without the false hierarchy sometimes displayed. It only costs a few pounds for membership. I have also visited Surrey Owners club and have even been on their display at Ardingly. Again the locals seemed genuinely interested in the bikes and in fact welcoming to us. Maybe go along and at least try one
 
Clive said:
In the meanwhile this AccessNorton forum has flourished as a more social site than a technical problem solving resource.
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Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

I was NOC back in the 80's and considered joining again but didn't find anything appealing or relevant on the main site and stumbled across AccessNorton which I find more appealing as I quite like the mix of technical and banter. The Commando Facebook page has a good lively mix but the Commando 961 page is very quiet.
 
Welshrugby said:
Looks good, like the black cylinders too. Have to at least remove that back reflector though. Agree on sportsbikeshop, I have bought several items from them, gloves and security devices and they are always competitive and have good stock. I have J&S Accessories near me in Finedon, big warehouse full of stuff, huge range of leathers, boots etc but pricey compared to your shop.
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Fingers crossed the new fuel map will cure your low idle stall. Mine plays up on cold startup but otherwise seems to be behaving, can't wait to get the decat pipes on though.

I like the big plain alloy lump but went for the blacked out engine to lift the otherwise bland white. I'm working on the reflectors, each time I go to remove them I find something else to do. I put a USB socket on the other day and have some new indicators and mirrors on order so plenty to keep me occupied :)
 
Just in from my first after dark run, only 37 miles but on some backroad twisties... main beam is pretty good :)
 
Welshrugby said:
You rascal, you will be hitting 300 miles soon and able to take it to 4500 revs which should be 80mph
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Can I? Are you sure? I thought I was stuck at 3500 for the duration. I'm on 250 mile (or 267 if the odo is right). As Eddie would say maybe I should RTFM lol

I must admit that I do get to about 3650 rpm during moments of madness :)
 
Running In :
0 TO 300 MILES = UP TO 3500 RPM
300 TO 600 MILES = UP TO 4500 RPM
600 TO 800 MILES = UP TO 6000 RPM
Engine speed can gradually be increased to the rev limit for short periods. (from owners manual 2014)

3800 RPM = 65MPH (indicated)
4800 RPM = 80MPH (indicated)
EVERY 1000 RPM give approx. 17 MPH in TOP Gear
 
That's great! Yes I went back to my owners book to check lol

The top gear/top speed won't impact me so much but the flexibility of having another 1k rpm in each gear will greatly improve the rideability.
 
4800 is the sweet spot. She hums. I'm only really doing about 72. Seems the faster I go, the higher percentage margin of error. Below 4k in fifth, she feels a little chuggy. I'll go to 4th to keep her in the low 4s instead.
 
Britfan60 said:
4800 is the sweet spot. She hums. I'm only really doing about 72. Seems the faster I go, the higher percentage margin of error. Below 4k in fifth, she feels a little chuggy. I'll go to 4th to keep her in the low 4s instead.
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With a 47T rear sprocket 4800 RPM = 80 MPH indicated and (true with GPS) . This setup works well for interstate use . Full face helmet helps here.
 
Last edited:
I'm still using the 50T. Good info, Tony. I'm pretty darned sure my usual stretch of hwy. to the beach, people arent cruising at 80. The state troopers would be all over them. They usually cruise at 65-70 and I'm just hanging with the usual traffic. Speedo indicates 78-80. I get a 5 mph error at about 45.
 
Britfan60 said:
I'm still using the 50T. Good info, Tony. I'm pretty darned sure my usual stretch of hwy. to the beach, people arent cruising at 80. The state troopers would be all over them. They usually cruise at 65-70 and I'm just hanging with the usual traffic. Speedo indicates 78-80. I get a 5 mph error at about 45.
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I have noticed during my 'running in' that when I am on the 60mph roads that I can barely keep up with the traffic so on occasions I indicate as to pull in to allow traffic behind me to overtake. I get the feel that my indicated 60 is probably closer to 55.
 
Britfan60 said:
4800 is the sweet spot. She hums. I'm only really doing about 72. Seems the faster I go, the higher percentage margin of error. Below 4k in fifth, she feels a little chuggy. I'll go to 4th to keep her in the low 4s instead.
Click to expand...
My engine feels quite smooth up to 4k rpm then the vibes start and is worse (read quite bad) at 4500rpm.... is this typical and does it start to smooth out as you get to 5k?
 
There seems to be some variation on vibes from one machine to another, but my vibes are worst between 4000 and 4500.
I won't call them bad, but definitely annoying.
At 4500 or so things are beginning to smooth out, by 4800 everything is nice.
 

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