Sticky downshifts

Snorton74 said:

The pushrod is #31. Its accessed through the primary behind the slotted clutch adjustment screw/bolt #47 in center of clutch.

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I had a problem a few years ago changing gears up was nomal but down shifts werea lot stiffer, the problem I found with mine was no3 plate and no10 gearleaver the small shaft from the plate where no6 o'ring sits on was full of crude and had become very tight in the hole where the shaft goes throught, it was so tight I had to tap it out with a punch and small hammer, all I did to fix it was give it a good clean on the wire buff, new o'ring and a some grease on the shaft, it was a easy fix for me and have never had any more problems with down shifting, something to look at might not be your problem but who knows with these gear boxes, it will proberly be a easy fix with any luck.

Ashley

Can't forget thin 1st gear bush crumbling away or the TS main shaft nut loose or dog faces smearing out so may just want to put up with it till fails to shift and no more newbie thots of easy short cuts.

(still hijacking this thread, sorry)

"IT'S ALIVE!!!"

4 weeks and 5 days, and quite a few dollars, later, I'm happy to report that the Kick Start works again.

And amazingly I can get all 4 gears and neutral, and in the right sequence.

I know some of, or most of you can probably do this in your sleep but it was kind of like stepping off a cliff for me. I took the Gear Box apart and found that the Kick Start Pawl was badly rounded/worn, and the inner "gear surface", where the Pawl "pawls" against, was kind of worn/rounded as well. I also found that First Gear Lay had one very badly pitted tooth, but the rest of the teeth looked un-used (?). It must have sat for a long time at some point in it's history and condensation/moisture cycles must have done it's thing. The Detent Housing and Plunger was pretty corroded as well, and about a 1/4 inch of the little spring inside was busted off.

I replaced a number of bushings and the Main Shaft "outer" bearing, 1st Gear Main and Lay . . . I was happy to find that the Lay Shaft Main Bearing had been replaced w/ a Roller Bearing (I emailed the P.O. and he said he had work done on the Gear Box about 5 years ago, and he remembered that, "the Mechanic replaced a Bearing that had some possibility of causing problems", but he wasn't sure exactly what was done . . . must have been the Lay Shaft Main Bearing).

Anyway, I literally just got it all back together, and believing in Murphy like I do, and it being only a couple days after St. Patrick's Day, I was sure something was going to go wrong . . . started up about 3rd kick, rode very gingerly for a few blocks, went thru all 4 gears a couple of times, felt like "butter" . . . Murphy must be hung over, under a tree somewhere in the forest. Tomorrow I'll go for an extended ride and see how it does.

It feels really good to "KNOW" the condition, first hand, of the Gear Box. I'm really glad I did it myself . . . which I could not have done w/out the "Old Britts" Technical Articles on their website, AND Fred's help on the phone and emailing. And thanks for the help here as well.

MarkR

Congratulations.
You have successfully graduated to a real Nortonian!
Trial by fire makes the riding sweeter.

Good one, its the only way to fully learn your bike and next time you have to go in there you won't even have to look in the Norton bible, they are a good gearbox to work on, but if you look after it, it will last for ever, just have to replace that kick start pawl every so offen, I have replaced mine 4 times now in 39 years of riding and have only rebuilt my gearbox once in 1979 when the lay shath bearing blew.

Ashley