Sweet sound of the Norton

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After about ten years I replaced my original mufflers with some that were made in Japan. They were louder than the originals but still had the tone. Twenty years later I just purchased some new pea shooters made in England that are nothing but LOUD. Nothing that resembles that unique throaty tone of the Norton. Where can I get my hands on the real thing.
 
I am just bumping this message really, because I want to know the answer too. I need a pair of new silencers as well.

What is the make of the 'LOUD' ones you just bought? You say they're made in England. Are they Wassell, Armours, Andover-Norton, what? I would like to know so that I can avoid them. I prefer to leave overly-loud exhausts to the overly-tattooed v-twin riders.
 
I looked high and low for silencers that had a quality finish and that would last a long time. There are some beauties made of SS that cost a fortune, then there are the Wassells, for me the perfect match. Beautiful finish, nice construction, the cone blends superbly (and concentrictly) with the body of the muffler. Not inexpensive, but a real good choice for a road going Norton.

The Emglo and other Pacific rim parts look cheap and (my guess) won't hold their finish (which is crude enough) for more than two seasons.

WASSELL!

RS
 
I have Wassells on my Commando and they're fine but if I were doing it again I'd get a set of stainless ones from Epco. I have a set of Norton-style peashooter mufflers on an 84 BMW R100RT and they look and sound great.
 
I just replaced my cheaper peashooters (with the welds showing) with a set of non weld showing pipes off ebay. The finish looks great and they have a much smoother tone. Not quite, but rounded and smoother (less crack). They were at a price I couldn't pass up, about $120.00 with free shipping.
 
I have Wassells on my 750 and have been happy with them. They look good and sound good but are not excessively loud.

Debby
 
Thanks

I looked at my mufflers and could not find a name or any kind of a manufacturers logo. Haven't been able to get and answer from the shop about who exactualy manufactured them. They have a weld around them were they taper towards the end. They seem solid but like I said to much noise.

Katzboo
 
Apparently there are two different styles of Wassell mufflers. Old Britts lists a Wassell and a Wassell "smooth".

The factory-supplied peashooters changed over the years. I recall the '71 style that had a slightly smaller exit opening and tended to "whistle" at times. In '72-'73 they supplied a larger opening with a "mute" that was removable for more noise. I still have my original mutes (put in a bag at the dealer in 1973 and never been installed!), although the original mufflers rotted out years ago.

And the "S" style mufflers seemed to have a sound all their own. Of course, part of that may be due to the headpipes.

There was a time when TOGA mufflers were well thought of. I haven't seen many lately. I have a couple still in the boxes but haven't used them yet. Is anyone using them?

What is Andover supplying these days? Is Campbell still in business?
 
Silencers

I have the original silencers that came with my 69/70 S. They were fine sounding silencers, if a bit loud. Not as loud or sharp as the Hooker set I got that was 2 into 1 and messed up the carburation. Bike has been apart for many years and I got a set of UK S style silencers from Walridge. Originals had a baffle near the end and the new silencers don't. I will be interested in hearing them. Might be a year before I get it together. The measurements on the new silencers are pretty close to the original.

Dave
69 S
 
Anyone familiar with the big bore (1-1/2 inch) pipes and mufflers offered by Commando Specialties? Is there a performance advantage with an otherwise stock engine or does it match better with higher compression, improved head, etc.?
 
big bore pipes

I've got a set of the big bores on my bike. Got mine as a basket case and rebuilt it with those though, so I can't really compare performance to a stock exhaust. Certainly sounds nice though, and not really any louder than other Nortons I've heard.
I think theoretically the biggest benefit is high-RPM running where the larger pipes have less restrictive flow. In lower RPMs I think the typical Commando exhaust is pretty sufficient. 850s would probably see slightly more of a benefit.
 
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