New owner of Commando 961 Sport mk2

As above, just taken delivery of a 3000 mile old Norton Commando 961 Sport MK2 and have only managed a very short ride today as the weather was not great. I must admit I didn't get the chance to test ride and was won over by the looks!

First thing I have noticed is how 'grabby' the clutch seems to be which is not helped by a hesitancy as you try to move off - the engine doesn't seem to respond immediately to the throttle and then the clutch grabs resulting in a not very smooth take off. The bike does have cat replacement pipes and the 'sport' mufflers and I can only assume it has been mapped to suit but without a visit to a dealer I doubt I can confirm this one way or the other. I also noticed the occasional 'squeal' from the clutch when setting off - not unlike what I used to have with the dry clutch in my Ducati but I assume this is a wet clutch?

I also noticed that the bike just would not drop into corners - especially the front end but having checked the tyre pressures were 28 front and 32 rear which are a long way out from the recommended 34/38 so I have sorted that and will try again tomorrow. there does seem to be a lot of vibration - makes my old Ducati seem smooth but I guess that is just a characteristic of a parallel twin as my Son's Laverda is similar.

Last thing for now is there is an odd 'canister' under the swinging arm - this has 3 nipples on it but only 2 have pipes going to them whereas the 3rd is just open - is this correct? I have looked online and can't see any mention of this canister!

I hope not to ask too many dumb questions but I always find forums like this very useful when getting a new bike as they all have their own quirks..

The bike tends to be a little snatchy at low rpm so I just wind her up a little before I slip the clutch, it's not something I notice so much these days especially after the decat.

I don't drop into corners anymore, too lazy for proper sport riding, I just roll around them, I think the bike does it better than me lol

My bike has a vibration level that I am quite fond of, nothing harsh, not 'till you get to around the 4k to 4.5k rpm when it feels bad but I keep above that on more 'spirited' days or or stay below when out sightseeing.

The canister thing is part of the euro4 evap setup, is fugly so I've stopped looking at it. I don't think any of it is important so it wouldn't worry me if the whole thing fell off, as soon as warranty expires mine will be off. I think others have removed theirs (Fast Eddy? If you have then care to share what's involved in removal?)

Welcome Chris. I trod a similar path to you through this forum a fortnight ago, having recently bought a 961 Sport Mk2. However, my clutch is fine and I have not noticed any of the problems you speak of with it. Handling is good also; even if the suspension is a little too firm. I have to admit there is a lot of vibration, but I just call it the character of the engine.

Hope you come to love it as I have.

PS. I have a Transmission Vent Kit for sale if you don't have one. They appear to be strongly recommended if you look elsewhere on this forum. Cheers.

Yes I removed the charcoal canister, it was quite straightforward as I recall, but I can’t remember the details of what was involved now!

The factory do a kit of some blanking materials and an instruction sheet as a recall.

Chris, 'the looks' are very important. Each time you prep yourself for a ride take time out to admire the bike from your favourite angle and smile, then no matter what happens next you will immediately forgive her

Hey Chris welcome and congratulations. I’m with you, I was sold on the sheer beauty also and never test rode. When I picked it up I wobbled accross the road to a fuel station, got off and immediately thought ‘what have I done!’ It felt alien, so agricultural and very far from the modern bikes that I was used to. I guess that we need to remember that the engine technology is some 70 years old.

It took me a few weeks to grow accustomed to its idiosyncrasies. The pipes were opened up, cats removed and new ECU fitted. Thereafter she began to start, idle and ride as she should. Note though that mine also requires a little more revs than you would expect to pull away. Definitely check the map/ECU fitted if she is not idling/running correctly. Apparently the Mk II’s have better onboard diagnostic’s so your dealers computer should be able to clarify.

Although I loved my bike almost from the start, I always thought that the handling was not great. My bike did not ‘tip in’ particularly well and was far from what you would call flickable. I got the opportunity to purchase the BST carbon wheels and that all changed. Night and day difference for me. Turn in immediate, very flickable, changes direction with minimum input. I’m not saying carbon wheels are the only fix and please note that I never adjusted my suspension from new. No doubt there are others on the forum that could help you there, it’s a dark art to me. No doubt correctly setup suspension would have a major impact.

I have other bikes to ride and that is helpful with Norton ownership, but I have never owned a bike that I treasure more. Read the history behind the marque, the TT heritage, the Cafe Racer culture and soak it all in. The machine is well worth the effort of ownership.

Steve

Steve,

What year is your bike and does it have ABS?

I’ve been told that BST wheels won’t fit ABS bikes. I’d be interested if you know different...

Hi Eddie,

I believe that you’re right. The BST wheels fit non-ABS models only. Mine is a 2015 CR MK 1.

It may be worth contacting the manufacturer to double check. They may have plans to produce an ABS version.

They are extremely expensive but make a huge difference. Pound for percentage performance - outstanding. That said, if you can get a pair I would try and find a bike with them fitted to test ride first.

Regards.

Steve

Great to have you on board. Only experienced a MK2 with the latest Omex ECU so not sure how different they feel - I assume the suspension setup is similar. I also get an occasional squeal moving off. Has been doing it sporadically for a while so I don't think it's anything terminal but I'd like to understand why.

Re handling I use mine (standard wheels) on a daily basis and am constantly flicking it through the traffic and frequently embarrassing sports bikes on tight bends. There are two obvious questions - has anyone been fiddling with the suspension settings and what tyres do you have? I recently moved from the Dunlop Qualifiers to the Sportsmart 3 max and the difference is huge. As you can appreciate the profile of the front significantly affects how the bike feels when dropping into a corner. At first I thought I had problems with a loose head race.

Welcome to the character club.
On my 2018 MkII, the clutch is grabby in that it bites at the last minute and over too short a lever travel. It also squeals now and then if I am frisky with pulling away. But it does feel robust and at least it is hydraulic and not too heavy a pull.
I do find the turn in slow. I thought it was because I came from a S1000R but it is slow to turn in. Plan is to wait until I have done a couple of thousand miles (up to 1200 now) for the suspension to settle and then look at preload, ride height and damping to try and make it steer a bit quicker.

Well what a difference adjusting tyre pressures and suspension has made - raised tyre pressures to the recommended 34/38 and followed some suggestions on here for suspension settings and now it goes like it should. Handles nicely and no longer feels as if the front end doesn't want to turn. The clutch still squeals a little from a standstill if I don't get it right but I'm starting to gel with the bike now and can see why people rave about them. Seems to attract a lot of attention which I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing yet! Vibration is bad below 2K and between 4-5K but it's to be expected with a big parallel twin.

Mine is the twin seat model but I'm disappointed that I don't have the pillion pad - perhaps they didn't come with one or perhaps the previous owner kept it but either way I need to get hold of one. Also need to bleed the rear brake as it's non-existent at the moment. On sports bikes I don't really use the rear brake but I feel it is required on teh Norton as I do get quite a bit of pitching under braking - perhaps a little more compression damping at the front or maybe rebound at the rear will help....

Chris Drew said:

WAlso need to bleed the rear brake as it's non-existent at the moment.

Click to expand...

Glad to hear all is well on the handling front! See other threads re bleeding the back brake. Seems like you need to remove the caliper to get the bleed nipple pointing up.

If its an ABS bike you can bleed from the caliper upto the ABS unit under the passenger seat, which is the high point. There are 4 banjo bolts on top of the unit, the rear brake is second from the left (looking forward). The dealer did mine very quickly and it worked.

if anyone thinks vibration is bad, maybe they haven’t ridden an Atlas or similar around Snetterton as I did many moons ago.....!

I've also got a Harley 110" Screaming Eagle engine in my Dyna Low Rider. Most of the 110" engine bikes have a balance shaft, but there's no room in the Dyna frame. Boy that thing can shake with the best of them, unless you keep the revs up that is...and then you're flying.

These bikes do not handle great. They are very secure in sweepers, but they don't just flick into a tight corner like a sport bike. They seem a little top heavy so some effort is required to dive into a tight turn, but those Ohlins keep you nicely on track without the bouncing or warbling about. I was also a little more confident on my Dunlop Q3 tires than I am with my Bridgestone Battlemax.
I can dive into a turn easier on my old Bonnie, but once I'm in it....my knuckles get a little whiter.

Talking tyres, I was recommended to try Michelin Power RS’s. Have no complains, they feel super grippy and have never given me any ‘moments’ despite being ridden reasonably hard.

That said, I am a weekend pleasure rider only and don’t take her our if the long range weather forecast says there’s a 2% chance of rain! The ride for 4 and clean for 6 ratio does’nt work for me.

As such I can’t comment on the wet weather performance.

Steve