What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

Working on front end, installed handle bars, new grips, gauges, polished Lucas switch covers and deoxed copper contacts, recoated plastic wire loom covers with SEM medium gray, alinged and tightened headlight ears.
 

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Finished removing gantry and synchronized carb slides, happy with assembly as is after failing to get gantry to work properly with my Amals.
 

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Learning how to polish on my own as good metal polishers are hard to find on the central coast. Its much easier than I thought, but very time consuming as I found out with these stainless steel muffler hangers. I have a new set of Andover Norton chrome hangers if anyone is interested.
 

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Looked ahead to my next adventure in Norton building, and became filled with terror. Prince of Darkness awaits:
 

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A warning on stainless steel hardware “galling”. I learned first hand about galling when I attached a stainless nut to an ARP bolt I was test fitting for my muffler hangers. They immediately seized with very little tightening preesure, forcing me to remove the Z plate and grind the head off on my bench grinder. You can see the nut is rounded off as I applied a lot of pressure to loosen it, before realizing I would have to grind it. I now use generous amounts of anti seize. Never had this problem before as I never used much stainless in the past, so went back and added anti seize to other previously installed bolts.
 

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Desmopower said:
With the carb gantry you are better to set it up so you adjust the idle with the Amal throttle stop screws (as recommended in the instructions)
Also in your picture it looks like the top alloy plate of your gantry is not sitting flush with the carb tops ?
Click to expand...
It appears to me that the screws have been overtightened at some point. Interesting that the gantry works, functions in this case when I was told the reason my slide was sticking was for unevenness at the carb top. Even after filing mine flat, it still would not work as the slide would stick. I also found that the carbs still had to be synchronized with the gantry due to uneven cable length. So, if the idle needs to be set on the individual carbs, and the slides need to be sync’d with the gantry when first installed, it makes one wonder what the advantage is?
 
jamesp said:
It appears to me that the screws have been overtightened at some point. Interesting that the gantry works, functions in this case when I was told the reason my slide was sticking was for unevenness at the carb top. Even after filing mine flat, it still would not work as the slide would stick. I also found that the carbs still had to be synchronized with the gantry due to uneven cable length. So, if the idle needs to be set on the individual carbs, and the slides need to be sync’d with the gantry when first installed, it makes one wonder what the advantage is?
Click to expand...
Set up the gantry so both slides lift at exactly the same time but leave some free play so that idle adjustment can be done with the Amal throttle stop screws. (With the slides on the throttle stop screws there should still be a small amount of free play in your gantry throttle cable)
When you operate the throttle the slides come up off the Amal throttle stops but are both in sync with each other in the carbs.
 
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Desmopower said:
Set up the gantry so both slides lift at exactly the same time but leave some free play so that idle adjustment can be done with the Amal throttle stop screws. (With the slides on the throttle stop screws there should still be a small amount of free play in your gantry throttle cable)
When you operate the throttle the slides come up off the Amal throttle stops but are both in sync with each other in the carbs.
Click to expand...
You can do the same without the gantry using the stock throttle cables.
 
I found with all the throttle cables on the stock set up I could not consistently keep both slides in sync, the gantry removes the splitters and all the variables in the multi throttle cables.
Having the gantry set up for idle adjustments with the Amal throttle stops allows each carb to be individually adjusted for idle speed.
 
Desmopower said:
With the carb gantry you are better to set it up so you adjust the idle with the Amal throttle stop screws (as recommended in the instructions)
Click to expand...
Desmopower said:
Having the gantry set up for idle adjustments with the Amal throttle stops allows each carb to be individually adjusted for idle speed.
Click to expand...

I hear what you're saying, but I was sure I read in the gantry fitting instructions that the Amal throttle stop screws were to be screwed out a turn as they were no longer required - I'll try to dig out the instructions later. I'm even sure I read that someone (maybe Cliff?), cut the TS screws in half effectively using them as a plug.

Desmopower said:
Also in your picture it looks like the top alloy plate of your gantry is not sitting flush with the carb tops ?
Click to expand...

It does, doesn't it? Good spot!

I'll check on that later 👍
 
YING said:
Bonzo,
Could you actually hear the OPRV rattling?Also could not figure out where the hole in the silencer was.Was a bolt rubbing against it?
Thanks,
Mike
Click to expand...
Hi Mike, rattling it in my hand, yes. I could feel the spring/piston sliding inside. I tried it with 1, 2, 3 and 4 shims. There was very slight movement with 4 shims, but 3 shims felt the best.

The hole is very difficult to photograph in the chrome. It isn't a rust patch but directly underneath the passenger footrest. There's nothing at all to suggest the bike has been on its side, but it seems there has been a coming together with the footrest at some stage. I'll try to get a better pic later 👍
 
Bonzo said:
I hear what you're saying, but I was sure I read in the gantry fitting instructions that the Amal throttle stop screws were to be screwed out a turn as they were no longer required - I'll try to dig out the instructions later. I'm even sure I read that someone (maybe Cliff?), cut the TS screws in half effectively using them as a plug.



It does, doesn't it? Good spot!

I'll check on that later 👍
Click to expand...
My directions also said that the idle stop screws were to be backed off.
 
Bonzo said:
I hear what you're saying, but I was sure I read in the gantry fitting instructions that the Amal throttle stop screws were to be screwed out a turn as they were no longer required - I'll try to dig out the instructions later. I'm even sure I read that someone (maybe Cliff?), cut the TS screws in half effectively using them as a plug.



It does, doesn't it? Good spot!

I'll check on that later 👍
Click to expand...
I find that when I fit the carbs it is best to leave them loose at the head and snug down the alloy top plate before tightening the manifolds to the head.
 
Bonzo said:
You think JB Weld would work?
Click to expand...
Yes I do...they have a hi strength hi temp epoxy ..which would be worth a go... and hard to spot if you keep the repair "small"...
Tap the damaged area in a touch and fill the scallop (if that makes sence)

Or you could get it brazed or mig welded...it looks like a very small hole.
The key is keeping the repair small.

Its alot like scratching your arse apposed to tearing it completely to pieces 🤣
 
YING said:
My directions also said that the idle stop screws were to be backed off.
Click to expand...
OK - I might have got that wrong about the instructions but I have found by trial and error that setting it up for the use of the Amal idle stop screws works very well.
 
No
Bonzo said:
I hear what you're saying, but I was sure I read in the gantry fitting instructions that the Amal throttle stop screws were to be screwed out a turn as they were no longer required - I'll try to dig out the instructions later. I'm even sure I read that someone (maybe Cliff?), cut the TS screws in half effectively using them as a plug.



It does, doesn't it? Good spot!

I'll check on that later 👍
Click to expand...
I’m not sure if it was me that said it, Bonz, but yes the throttle stop screws should become redundant. You should be able to adjust the height of the slides on the short link cables and still keep some slack in the throttle cable.
I reckon the tops of your carbs are slightly distorted, but if it’s working ok I’d leave it personally.
For your silencer I can recommend this putty…

www.quiksteel.com

16002TRI | Quiksteel Steel Repair Blister Card

www.quiksteel.com www.quiksteel.com

available on EBay etc.
 


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