Rebuild Paranoia

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danfr

danfr

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So I finally have my Commando insured and on the road. New (almost) everything. But I can't shake the worry of "what if". What if the new isolastics are set too tight? What if the rear axle breaks? What if a gear box bearing grenades? What if the gas tank leaks onto the engine?......I torqued everything to spec from the crank nut to the axles. I have also never ridden a british bike and it sounds like nothing i've ever ridden before and the pushrods sound so light and pingy. I have owned about 20 bikes in my life and have rebuilt and ridden many Honda CB's but those are like lego compared to a Norton.

Being that this is a Norton Commando forum and seeing all the beautifully frame up restorations , I have no doubt that these doubt that I can't be the only one that suffers from the rebuild paranoia. So how did you get past it? Time in the saddle? I have trouble getting past 1/4 throttle and if i do, I shift the wrong way haha.

Thanks all,
Dan
 
danfr said:
So I finally have my Commando insured and on the road. New (almost) everything. But I can't shake the worry of "what if". What if the new isolastics are set too tight? What if the rear axle breaks? What if a gear box bearing grenades? What if the gas tank leaks onto the engine?......I torqued everything to spec from the crank nut to the axles. I have also never ridden a british bike and it sounds like nothing i've ever ridden before and the pushrods sound so light and pingy. I have owned about 20 bikes in my life and have rebuilt and ridden many Honda CB's but those are like lego compared to a Norton.

Being that this is a Norton Commando forum and seeing all the beautifully frame up restorations , I have no doubt that these doubt that I can't be the only one that suffers from the rebuild paranoia. So how did you get past it? Time in the saddle? I have trouble getting past 1/4 throttle and if i do, I shift the wrong way haha.

Thanks all,
Dan
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As long as you're not doing this......

you're going to be ok.
 
Dan, just take small circular trips so you‘re never far from home, gradually increase the size of the ’loop’ until you’re covering more distance.

Trust is earned, not given. Soon you’ll realise the bike is behaving itself and the anxiety will decrease.

You’ll also learn what noises a d vibrations are normal, then you know you only need to investigate if anything abnormal rears it’s head.

But in honesty, if you’re used to Honda’s, the anxiety might never go away fully.
 
Fast Eddie said:
Dan, just take small circular trips so you‘re never far from home, gradually increase the size of the ’loop’ until you’re covering more distance.

Trust is earned, not given. Soon you’ll realise the bike is behaving itself and the anxiety will decrease.

You’ll also learn what noises a d vibrations are normal, then you know you only need to investigate if anything abnormal rears it’s head.

But in honesty, if you’re used to Honda’s, the anxiety might never go away fully.
Click to expand...
Nor will the grin. I started on 80s Hondas. Never been back after my first Commando.

Now, Ducs...
 
gortnipper said:
Nor will the grin. I started on 80s Hondas. Never been back after my first Commando.

Now, Ducs...
Click to expand...
Yes, I agree on that. My '73 bevel sport is by far the best bike I own - stable as a rock, goes round Spa as if it was on rails, never a twitch or wobble, starts every time, looks gorgeous....
However, I find myself spending much more time, energy and thought on the Norton rather than the Ducati. I think this is because the Ducati is very difficult to improve on without doing something drastic (and it's rather expensive), while there is much more scope to experiment with on the Norton.
It's the difference between buying something and making something - the sense of achievement is greater :)

Of course, this is specific to what I use the bikes for. Long distance touring just does not do much for me, so it's shorter blasts along such windy roads as can be found around here.
 
It depends on where you live of course but my method is to head out up a quarter mile hill where it is flatish at the top. If you flame out
or disaster threatens you can kill the engine and drift all the way back.
DAHIK.
 
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Rebuild Paranoia
 
As others have said ... short trips around home , check all adjustments and fasteners , gradually increase distance . If you rebuilt the entire bike you can fettle & fix anything it throws at you.
I have Hondas as well as Nortons and the left shift / right shift thing rarely is a problem but the shift pattern sometimes trips me up ...
Now go ride and enjoy.
 
A CAA card in your wallet, cell phone in your pocket, and Bob's your uncle. Enjoy the ride.
 
My wife made me strap a toolkit to mine. You can see it behind the seat in my avatar. She got tired of picking me up when a shifter bolt fell out or a fuel line began leaking, whatever. Years ago, I pushed it about a mile home rather than bang-shift it when the clutch cable broke. Coil up a spare and stash it in your headlight shell.

Riding back to my flop from the Speedway one day, a plug blew out. Could have been the day I took the avatar pic. Opened up the bag, grabbed the errant and hot plug with a pliers and screwed it back in with the kit wrench. Doubt she would have come 1000 miles for that.
 
I believe paranoia increases with herb smokings, so reduce the weed consumption. A couple of beers works the other way , but obviously don't drive.
CAA membership , cel phone ( I just borrow one from any rescuer or ask them nicely to call CAA please) , last breakdown event I bought him beers at the local bar as we waited 4 hrs. or so for a show - up. Was all good.
 
I don't carry any tools at all on the Norton; I don't carry spare parts. The number of times the bike has let me down in the 15 years I have owned it due to inherent issues with the bike is...none. Yes, it takes a bit more maintenance than a Honda and it might leak here and there - though it can be made leakless - but that does not affect its ability/reliability on the road.

FWIW, sometimes "upgrades" will cause problems that didn't exist originally; as does discovering and implementing solutions for which there is no problem. The only failures I have experienced with my '73 850 were caused by aftermarket parts/mods. The worst one was a failed sleeved mastercylinder that went from being perfectly normal at one stop light to no front brakes at the next stoplight. Re that, I had two such sleeved MC failures, the second one occurred with the bike sitting in the garage - had brakes the day before, none when I went to to ride it the next day. As part of the "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me" philosophy, I don't do sleeved MCs! ;)

I'm not saying DON"T carry tools/spares. If you are more comfortable doing so, then by all means, do what makes you comfortable. What I am saying is that with normal routine maintenance, the bike is reliable and not something to be worried about. But you can make it unreliable by not following the maintenance guidelines or not adjusting things properly.

One thing to be aware of though -- Norton fuel reserve is...well...less than you may think it is. On my first ride on my '71 Commando Roadster back in the day, it sputtered and I switched to reserve about 9 miles from the next gas station. I didn't make it that 9 miles! When I got the bike home I did a check and found that the "reserve" was one cup of fuel... ;)
 
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Its all in your head, just get on it and ride, get use to the Norton take it easy till you master the gear changes, the bike will let you know if something is wrong, if you worry about things that might happen you won't enjoy it, just relax and enjoy the ride, you be running it in just don't labour the motor, the Norton's if done right are a very reliable bike, yes things do wear out or break as they get old and worn but most times they get you home, just don't over think things and get to know your bike and how it handles, how to kick it to life and just do regular maintenance and everything will come together, nothing better than a Norton between your legs.
Over 46 years on mine now and its only let me down from a broken chain twice and it was a everyday rider for most of its life with me.

Ashley
 
I'm on my 4 th and final ? Norton. I only sold the other 3 because of financial reasons. They break , all things eventually break including your bod , but we have an excellent parts supply network. Tonight I place an order with Walridge Motors , and another with RGM England. Ride on , you can fix anything.
 
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