Norton N15CS Hybrid restoration

Thanx. Bought a P-11 just to get the tach drive & mag.

Turned out to be a great deal.
 
I'm doing detail work on all the ancillary stuff. Since the exhaust is customized, fabricating brackets that work well and look right is probably the last big obstacle.

Somehow the tach drive disappeared into thin air; I've searched high and low, especially the last month or so while thinning out all my shelves and bins for e-bay sales. That was the final straw that made me resort to buying the P11 to get the mag from (new tach drive assy from Walridge was almost $300 with shipping).

I'm going to need the old mag from the N15 properly repaired to re-install on the P11 once I get to it; however, that'll probably not be for more than a year, I have at least 2 other projects already well down the punchlist that I need to concentrate on.
 
grandpaul said:
I'm going to need the old mag from the N15 properly repaired to re-install on the P11 once I get to it

Just curious, GP. Why did the P11 have a mag on it?
 
I don't know why or even if the P11 had a mag on it.

It was actually in a box with some other stuff that came with the bike; i bought it to get the tach drive. I haven't messed with the actual P11 yet.
 
grandpaul said:
I don't know why or even if the P11 had a mag on it.

It was actually in a box with some other stuff that came with the bike; i bought it to get the tach drive. I haven't messed with the actual P11 yet.

OK then, it probably ended up in the box because a PO got it with some spares. P11s had distributors, coils and blue cans, just like the late N15s, Atlases and early Commandos.
 
The mag and tach drive are almost worth 1/2 what I got the P11 for, so I'm a happy camper.

Tough thing is, I'm pretty sure it's going to get sold, along with two dozen of my bikes. None of the houses we're looking at moving to, will allow me to have a garage/shop big enough to keep more than about 10 bikes.

It's going to be tough deciding what to sell and what to keep.
 
When I'm finished here in Afghanistan grandpaul, I'll be back in Houston for a month or two and can take the one in your avitar off your hands "just to help you out" :)
 
Recently received the overhauled (re-overhauled?) magneto from Joe at V-Cycle, and it had no pickups! Anyway, he sent me two sets (one set for the other Atlas project).

Installed, re-connected fuel lines, checked for spark, installed plugs and backed the bike up out the shop doors.

FIRST KICK startup.

I need to mess with the low speed mixture and install the air filters, but this project is finally back on track.

Not much left but to install the ammeter, wire the instruments lights, re-install the primary cover & rear brake setup, then just need to fabricate some very particular brackets that will double as mounts and clamps for the scrambler pipes and mini-mufflers. Oh, yes, proper front brake cable to replace the original, that's it.

Nearly the end of a very long story...



Need to strip the paint off the tach drive and polish it up; really miffed that the USPS lost my perfect P11 unit that I bought the bike SPECIFICALLY to remove the tach drive from-
 

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A few more items off the punchlist-

Mufflers installed using a nice set of splices made from the remnants of the pipes I cut for my Triton; used a longer set of shock top bolts and cut a pair of spacers to get them off the sidecovers & shock shrouds-



Received the new front brake cable and the sheath was 1/4" too long. I managed to cut 3/16 from the underside of the thumb-set nut on the adjuster and it worked a treat. With the adjuster all the way in, the wheel just releases from the brake.

Rounding up all the bits & bobs from the boxes and shelves where I had set them aside; of course I'm short a couple of nuts and bolts, good thing I sent about 10 pounds of miscellaneous stuff out for cad plating with a big batch last year.
 

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Long day today, a lot of little items crossed off the punchlist.

First, had to run to the hardware store for some wiring shrink-wrap, then got down to installing the new pigtail on the alternator. RATS! My newest soldering gun crapped out. My old gun seemed to hum nicely but never got hot. Then, I remembered I had my Dad's old soldering gun from when my siblings and I sorted through the stuff in his storage room. YAHTZEE! Worked like a champ.



Stripped the ends, slipped 3 chunks of shrink-wrap on them, soldered them and trimmed neatly, then slipped the shrink-wrap in place and rubbed the soldering tip over them a few times-
 

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Note the fact that the stator is mounted to the inside of the outer primary cover. Paper gasket was trashed, so I used a thin bead of Yamabond 4.



I hope that's the last time I'm inside that primary, it's been a nightmare, and it's finally over. Bike starts right up, but still needs low speed carb fiddling.



No pictures, but also got done:

-Headlight wiring & installed new sealed beam bulb
-Dipper switch / horn wiring, including elongated jumpers for the horn (new harness was short 6" for horn leads)
-Ammeter installed & wired
-Seat mounting hardware all done
-Oil tank & tool box hardware all done
-Rear brake lever re-installed & adjusted
-Chain link removed to put adjustment in proper range, adjusted and nipped up
-Pillion peg mounts installed (need proper rubbers)
 

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Just a few details, chainguard, pillion pegs, brake light switch, proper grips, tank badges, oil tank & toolbox covers, and the odd bundle tie to get everything neat and in place...



Got the carbs sorted and it's a 1 or 2 kick starter (maybe 3 when stone cold). The quick-response throttle takes some getting used to, the bike just wants to wheelie if you twitch it a bit too much! Pulls nice and strong, zero smoke (yes, it has oil). Io need to nip up the float bowl screws; maybe fab up a drip shield for the mag...

A couple of beauty shots on a beautiful day!
 

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I think it's a fairly significant transformation...
 

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I know that its been a while, but can I ask a question. The crankcase vent hose does it return to the oil tank? I always thought that it vented to atmosphere? How did the project go and do you have any other pictures, as my the project (66 N15CS ) was not complete and I am flying blind-no N15CS were shipped to Australia.

Cheers,
Monaro
 
Crankcase vents into the backside of the tank, froth tower vents to the atmosphere.
 
grandpaul said:
Put everything away, posted the last few shots, washed my hands and did some paperwork and the postman knocked on my door with this:

Norton N15CS Hybrid restoration


It'll go on tomorrow, with the fenders.
Hi.
Who supply the N15 wiring harness?
Thank you.
Piero
 
Walridge Motors in Canada, and others in Great Britain.

Walridge has supplied ALL of my early (pre-Commando) Norton-specific needs, apart from the standard stuff that I buy thru 5 different U.S. distributors.
 
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