New Zealand Based 1973 850 Roadster

New member bike down in the Bay of Plenty New Zealand.
This bike came via the States, was sent from the factory, with only 6000m on it in 1998 and now has 17,500m on it, 1000m of which I have done since Sept.
Changes I have made include.
1 Thoroughly been through the frame, electrics , , brakes,wheel bearings, outer gearbox and primary chain case to change fluids and oils and check everything possible.
2 Install Pazon Sure fire ignition, including new 6 V coils , HT leads and caps.
3 Service front forks
3 install JS Flatslide carbs.
4 Fit new 100/90-19 Avon Venom to front and move good K81 Dunlop TT100 from front to rear wheel (New Avon to go on when this is used up)
5 Fit new indicators and flasher unit.
6 Fit new warning ligt assimilator
7 Remove , clean and repair oil tank
6 Repair seat base and reupholster using old rubber but cut and infilled with new foam. Silver logo on new cover
7 Remove choke cabling
8 Straighten footrest mounts
9 Have new header pipes fabricated
10 Touch up paint as and where required
11 And who knows what I missed on the list!!!
To do list,
1 Ride it often !!!
2 Fit belt primary drive
3 Ride it often
4 Attend NOC rally end of Jan 2012
5 Modify original air filter set up and fit to JS Keihin carbs
6 And heaps more as the need arises!!!!
As advertised

16000 miles

Getting it home

After a good clean, service and a few extras added at Lake Rotorua

Very Good , Time to enjoy it now . summer coming up .

Did you get stung a grand for the V.I.N. bit . :shock: :?

If theres a knife edge / tippy feel , its the TT100 if still pointy , steady when healed over though .
If its toey / loose , on brakes or throttle , Leaned . It might pay to fit the other Avon Now .
5000 year old tyres can be a bit degraded .

Looks good , have fun .

hi Matt,
bike handled like a horse drawn plough first outing, I thought 'Have I really forgotten how well these handled way back when?" but it turned out very sad TT100 on the front and very little if any old crap oil in the forks, a leaky rear shock and and a very semiseized other shock didn't help!!! Will have to deal with the swing arm next as there is a bit of side flex, but not enough
Forgot to mention in my list ,new shocks , grab rail as well, and RGM kit for front master cylinder
No VIN didn't dedollar $$$$ me, rego was on a 'farm hold' and have nanaged to get it fully rego'ed for a year and WOF( road worthy) for just over $500NZD, so not top bad.
Am in Singapore at work so have to wait until New Year for her next outing, have the master cylinder and upgrade kit with me so will do that in the next few days and post some pics.
Home first week of Jan and back on it again
Are you a NOC memeber and rally attendee, am going with old fart mates from Ngati Porou country (GisVegas)
Regards mike

At the top of the hill at the back of town ( Sydney ) at the moment . Are a relic from 70s / 80s rideing , in N.Z. .
Back here a few yrs now .

ANYWAY , wondering if I brought the XF Falcon back Id be charged 5.000.000 to put it on the road .

Couple of Al ominum V8s in the shed here , If its of to S.A. , its flog Em to find a C'do injun , or slot em in a Featherbed .

Ran the 72 750 around 81 , mostly round the big smoke or S H 1 Nth , and Rodney County . Loopies everywhere now .

Brooking 850 said:

New member bike down in the Bay of Plenty New Zealand.

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Yo Cuzzy Bro. Nice wheels. Got married in Matamata and rode every weekend over the Kaimai's to fish the Astrolabe.That is a hell of a nice road.
Still got a container ship stuck on it I hear.
Aussie living in Sydney, the best mods I made was to add a Trispark and breathers internally and externally. You have electronic ignition so keep what you have and look at some of the PCV / reed valves on this site. Free's up some horsepower for nuthin.

kia ora NortiBoy, have already been onto Jim about his bottom crankcase breather, and the JS carbs did the trick everywhere including the Kaimias, tested them to Rotorua twice, then Ngaruawahia and use the Kaimais as my test track.
Container ship still on the Astrolabe Reef, that is where I still spearfish for my best kingfish!!! (can't until wreck has been finally dealt with)
What internal braether you talking about? Did I miss something on the threads?
REgards Mike

Hey Matt,
yes also a relic of that era, first bike in 1969 was a BSA Bantam 125 with Jawa forks!!!! Swapped it for $15 NZD and a pair of handmade Ho Chi Minh car tyre tpe sandals, I thought I paid through the nose for it!!!
Have ridden all Malaysia, southern Thailand, lots in Aussie including Barkely stock Route, Canning Stock Route(1994) and all the Red Centre, Tanami, Plenty Highways etc
When I lived on the Sunshine Coast (13 years) my mate from Gissy had a 1974 Mk11 A used to live with me until wife and kids arrived, he is still in Brisbane but his bike is in Gissy waiting to get ready for 2012 rally.
Him and another mate the reason I joined the NOC club and got this bike in Sept
Regards Mike

Brooking 850 said:

kia ora NortiBoy, have already been onto Jim about his bottom crankcase breather, and the JS carbs did the trick everywhere including the Kaimias, tested them to Rotorua twice, then Ngaruawahia and use the Kaimais as my test track.
Container ship still on the Astrolabe Reef, that is where I still spearfish for my best kingfish!!! (can't until wreck has been finally dealt with)
What internal braether you talking about? Did I miss something on the threads?
REgards Mike

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Hi Mike

Ngaruawahia to New Plymouth via the Gorge. World class. I used the old combat style breather, plus 850 breather plus vented rocker covers, all to a bottle.

Enlarged the holes to the timing chest. In other words, just opened everything. Old school. Jims bottom crankcase breather is a beautiful piece. Negative case pressure is supposed to be the best. You would not need extra holes as the bottom breather is removing pressure at the source.

My best yellowtail (kingy) at the Astrolabe was 76lbs. The best I know of was 123lbs. Got plenty of marlin there.

Mark

Hi Mark, thanks for that on the breather, waiting on a reply from jim, but nothing as yet!!
should I be cheeky and post a pic of my 36kg speared Kingi with Astrolabe i the background???
Doesn't have the word Norton any where in the pic though may have to edit it on my wetsuit.
Shame I am at work i singapore and missing good summer days
Regards mike

G ' day Mike, yep she's a real looker, sounds like you got her sorted pretty well.
Do know the roads you'r refereing to, a little, as my wife is a Kiwi from Eastern Beach and have travelled Nth and Sth a bit.
One of her brothers took me fishing a couple of times, love those King fish.
Welcome aboard.
AC.

Thanks AC already have 50 million sites saved in 'my favourites' drop down list of things I would like to get for her, without changing the current look.
Bought a front stay from a supplier in NZ only to find the chrome item i ordered was in fact supplied painted silver and doesn't look good.That will go back for a credit and in fact like the look without.
Contemplating a fork up grade, inside only, have the master cylinder here with me for the brakes at work and setting up to kit that so wil post pics of the process as I have an idea to help others who might think the task to difficult.
want to do some reliable engine mods eventually, but only if it ever stops on me and needs open heart surgery!!!!
Want it to go like hell and still look nice and original.
I think belt drive for primary is really my next big one.
Am planning of going to the IoM races next year, so will cart one bck with me from RGM.
Have gained a heap of info from all the threads, posted a few myself, probably not very helpful from me at this stage though.
both my daughters were born on the Sunshine Coast to a kiwi mum, in Buderim!!! so there is a bit of cross in all of us somwhere !!!!
Regards Mike

Ah.... But do you know the difference between a Kiwi and an Aussie...".

Kiwis were handpicked.... Aussies... Handcuffed!!!

Greetings from Canada and Crazy Combat ,I be a crazed fisherman meself so would like to see that Kingy.My dad resides at 16 Hamilton Rd. near Cambridge and drives a new mobility assistance device into town, I am mailing him a prismatic Norton decal to fit to it. Other posters such as Steve have hunting photos for our admiration or disgust here so please give it a try. I have just booked 2 months on the Pacific coast of Mexico to harass the fishy population. You should see the look on their faces when I practice catch n release. Light snow here, Crazy comes into my studio in a few days to fit new R.G.M. belt drive.

Hi , have put in a couple of pics at your request.My other passion in life has been spearfishing, have been fortunate to be able have done this right throughout the Pacific Islands, New Zealand , Australia and South East Asia. Personal best to 30m on breath hold and that just last month in Cebu in the Philippines on my way home from work in China.
Me with 36kg Blue Nose caught on line in 320m in Bay of Plenty

Me at Astrolabe Reef with 26kg Yellowtail Kingfish (speared) Astorlabe is where the container ship RENA is wrecked and being salvaged.
You can see the reef in the background

Hello from the mainland, I am planning on coming up for the rally should catch you there.

Which Norton are you taking, there is a list to choose from?
Mike

Hello Mike and others, I am another Kiwi, living in Sydney. Geez those fish are impressive, we get the odd King off Crounulla in Sydney, but just rats compared to that mother you speared. Saw some bi ones like that in Lord Howe though. Sounfs like you have the Commando under control, what is your reason for the belt primary? I find as long as the primary is sealed properly the chain drive is fine. My bike was a pretty low mile American bike, 14000 and I now have 22000 on her. I did replace the original chain, and maybe worth looking at it you keep it. The rollers on the original chains are split type, and some of mine were parting company, I bought a Tsubaki version from British Spares, as an upgrade.
Another type of reed breather is the ex Yamaha XS650 from MIKES XS there is a site and they ship from the states in a few days, cheap as chips and seems to work very well. I ran mine with one exhaust rocker cap loose, by mistake and the engine still did not leak, but I could hear the cap rattling eventually. Just mount it on the back of the air box next to the battery out of site and route your breather line through it.

P.S.

Not wishing to Hi Jack the thread, but all the Sydneyites on the site, how about we get together for a ride one day?

Cheers richard

Hi richard thanks for that, use a kayak as well for spearing inclose species and paua(abalone) and trolling for kawahai.
Yes saw those XS breathers, but to late, have ordered on off Jim and it's on its way. have some future plans for the engine , at htis stage just want to get the m's up and keep it reliable.
Reason for belt primary was purely for less maintenance, install it , true it up close the cover, job done for some high K's. Also a long time Norton owner and mate, rides hard and has a few triplex chains let go, will check my rollers in the meantime.
loking at going to IoM next year, so will get a RGM while I am there.
Regards Mike

Lurking in the list of to-dos should be the roller bearing layshaft conversion. It is not as hard as you may think, the Old Britts site can walk you through it using a heat gun to the box and a frozen bearing. Apparent advantages to belt drive kit is set it up properly and not adjust it again ,no triplex chain wearing and losing rollers,reduced vibration,reduced weight for a snappier throttle response,a new ratio means the gearbox internals will spin faster giving less loading/lugging on the components. You have to fit a slightly smaller mainshaft sprocket to compensate. I will be using a 20 tooth but am told a 19 is good too. Nice fishy critters,did you know there is a shooter magazine ? Saw it in S.W. Cuba swamp guesthouse with Italian shooter guest regularvisitor. Have fished near Cebu (horrid city to be kind),and around Malapasqua Is. Caught 75 lb. Sailfish in Mexico and a 72 lb. Dorado that the captain said was the biggest seen in his 30 yr. career.We are a thousand miles inland here so we target freshwater salmon ,rainbows,browns and America's favourite, the Largemouth Bass. Now if shooters could practice catch n' release ? Enjoy, Peter.