Pictures of your Norton 961

Stephen_Spencer · May 5, 2026

TonyA said:
I rode mine about 4 days ago. It is running better than it ever has. With your riding with your Superbike buddies must keep you in pretty good shape. How would a glass light unit fair with those stones ?

I am in shape Tony - ‘round’ is a shape right!

No, I have remained pretty fit as a legacy of my past - the same past that screwed my back though unfortunately. Riding with the lads is great fun and the Norton gets a (very) good workout also The limit is distance on my instrument of torture; by 150km I’m about done. The handlebars are on the way - that should sort it for me (fingers crossed).

Not sure about a glass lens. When the Ducati or BMW rocket ships throw up a sizeable chunk of gravel we can all hear it hit through our intercoms. Can’t remember whether my original lens was glass or not but I replaced black for chrome and the lens is plastic. It’s holding up ok.

TonyA · May 5, 2026

Stephen_Spencer said:
I am in shape Tony - ‘round’ is a shape right! No, I have remained pretty fit as a legacy of my past - the same past that screwed my back though unfortunately. Riding with the lads is great fun and the Norton gets a (very) good workout also The limit is distance on my instrument of torture; by 150km I’m about done. The handlebars are on the way - that should sort it for me (fingers crossed).

Not sure about a glass lens. When the Ducati or BMW rocket ships throw up a sizeable chunk of gravel we can all hear it hit through our intercoms. Can’t remember whether my original lens was glass or not but I replaced black for chrome and the lens is plastic. It’s holding up ok.

I hated the plastic light unit on my 961 , I’ve got a glass unit on mine with standard H4 bulb.

robs ss · May 5, 2026

TonyA said:
I hated the plastic light unit on my 961 , I’ve got a glass unit on mine with standard H4 bulb.

Goffy sells an excellent LED replacement for that H4 bulb (Daylighter 2?) - I have one in mine and it's great!

Cheers

Stephen_Spencer · May 6, 2026

TonyA said:
I hated the plastic light unit on my 961 , I’ve got a glass unit on mine with standard H4 bulb.

It’s just the lens with the BAAK replacement that is plastic - glass would have been preferable.

The OEM unit was steel (glass lens) on my 2015 CR from memory - only changed for the bezel colour.

TonyA · May 6, 2026

Stephen_Spencer said:
It’s just the lens with the BAAK replacement that is plastic - glass would have been preferable.

The OEM unit was steel (glass lens) on my 2015 CR from memory - only changed for the bezel colour.

View attachment 124679

I have never seen glass as OEM on the 961. Glass light units should be easy to find correct ? They are just held in with those clips. So can I ask again . Do you have glass or plastic ?

Stephen_Spencer · May 6, 2026

TonyA said:
I have never seen glass as OEM on the 961. Glass light units should be easy to find correct ? They are just held in with those clips. So can I ask again . Do you have glass or plastic ?

Hey Tony,

My recollection was wrong - it’s confirmed, I do have the memory of an ageing goldfish!

Shell is steel on my 2015 OEM headlight but the lens is plastic as you say. Not sure whether a glass lens could be sourced, I’ll have a look.

The BAAK Classic Universal headlight is an almost exact match for the 2015 961 (maybe other years?) which is useful for anyone wishing to swap to a chrome bezel or renew the headlight.

cliffa · May 7, 2026

Stephen_Spencer said:
Hey Tony,

My recollection was wrong - it’s confirmed, I do have the memory of an ageing goldfish! Shell is steel on my 2015 OEM headlight but the lens is plastic as you say. Not sure whether a glass lens could be sourced, I’ll have a look.

The BAAK Classic Universal headlight is an almost exact match for the 2015 961 (maybe other years?) which is useful for anyone wishing to swap to a chrome bezel or renew the headlight.

View attachment 124687

I know that Stu has removed the plastic lens, and glued a Lucas glass lens to the reflector on at least one of his bikes.

Edit: found a pic..

TonyA · May 7, 2026

cliffa said:
I know that Stu has removed the plastic lens, and glued a Lucas glass lens to the reflector on at least one of his bikes.

Edit: found a pic..

View attachment 124690

Hi Again , I didn't care about the pilot light bulb . I packed my pilot bulb socket with dielectric grease and taped it up , done. If you don't worry about the pilot bulb , there are many glass light units to choose from. This wonderful bike should have a glass light unit not plastic.

Stephen_Spencer · May 11, 2026

So the ABM adjustable clip-ons arrived today from the UK. Well packaged and excellent quality as you would expect.

Project ‘Comfy ass Cafe’ commences - well, slightly less torturous anyway! Waiting for the headstock stand to arrive.

Expecting complications of course - braided hose/throttle cable length, resevoir position, drilling bars (various). I can already see that the elliptical Rizoma reservoirs may not work with these bars.

I’ll post the outcome for anyone interested in doing the same mod.

robs ss · Tuesday at 4:44 AM

Stephen_Spencer said:
Does’nt mention thickness that I can see Rob. The product is .20mm - feels about the same thickness as other PPF I’ve used. Certainly sufficient to protect the lens - also self healing.

No good for wrapping the wife’s cat though - I tried!

View attachment 124673

The stuff I ordered (Altrex Skinz) arrived today. Haven't fitted it yet but it cuts easily and is 1.7mm thick (and clear)
Cheers & thanks again for the suggestion!

Stephen_Spencer · 2026-05-18T03:03:20-0600

Received the Oxford Zero G Headstock Stand. Quality product: well made; sturdy; quality wheel set and easy to use. 15 mm spigot provided (961 steering stem ID). Super useful for maintenance on the front end.

No need to remove the horn. Pull both electrical connectors, loosen mounting screw and rotate horn out of the way. No need to relocate as previously discussed.

Time to get on with the ‘comfy ass cafe conversion’!

TonyA · 2026-05-18T12:49:05-0600

Stephen_Spencer said:
Received the Oxford Zero G Headstock Stand. Quality product: well made; sturdy; quality wheel set and easy to use. 15 mm spigot provided (961 steering stem ID). Super useful for maintenance on the front end.

No need to remove the horn. Pull both electrical connectors, loosen mounting screw and rotate horn out of the way. No need to relocate as previously discussed.

Time to get on with the ‘comfy ass cafe conversion’!

View attachment 124886

View attachment 124887

Was there a maintenance procedure you could not do with your previous front stand ?

Stephen_Spencer · 2026-05-18T21:42:32-0600

TonyA said:
Was there a maintenance procedure you could not do with your previous front stand ?

Hi Tony,

No dealer over here anymore, so all maint is down to me. I’m ok with that but my current front stand, although great for moving the bike around, holds the front end rigid/compressed. No option for removing the front wheel, accessing forks etc. The Oxford stand offers full access. Also great for cleaning that front carbon wheel.

As for fitting the ABM bars - I shouldn’t need to touch the lower triple tree or move the forks, but will be able to do so with the Oxford stand if it becomes necessary. A useful bit of kit.

Pictures of your Norton 961

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