What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

concours said:
Great work on the mill. Looks great.

Be aware, that the rubber balls in an x-mount provide some modicum of vibration isolation (also flops like a fish in the bottom of a boat at idle 😜)
I would humbly suggest adding some rubber in there somewhere.

I completely understand the XT is ruggedized electronic kit (I have one, rode the TAT with it) but have witnessed the destructive power of vibration.

JMWO
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Thanks for the advice, I was in two minds about that and you’ve pushed me along the route of putting some rubber between the Garmin cradle and my mount.

Dave
 
Back to working on my Commando again. Finished wiring up new cNw loom and fitted seat. Now waiting for cNw e starter so I can get to work on primary.
What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
 
jamesp said:
Back to working on my Commando again. Finished wiring up new cNw loom and fitted seat. Now waiting for cNw e starter so I can get to work on primary.View attachment 113337
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James,

Looks great.Where did you mount the main switch?Coming along nicely and hope you get your Estart soon.
Mike
 
YING said:
James,

Looks great.Where did you mount the main switch?Coming along nicely and hope you get your Estart soon.
Mike
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Hi Mike, I haven’t installed the switch yet. It will essentially go near the original spot. I need to make a bracket for it to mount in front of the battery box.
 
Well, it's been a side panel kinda day. The modifications to the right side I mentioned earlier on worked out well (although I am tempted to remove the protruding part completely).
Then I took a look at the left one which is a pain in the arse to refit with it's horrible plastic Dzus fastener. So I removed the plastic female part of it from the bracket and fixed an M6 computer rack captive nut in its place. Next I got an M6 knob and removed the first few threads on the lathe to make it easier to locate and start. I was very pleased with the result, as the panel seems much more secure.

I reckon I have removed two annoying rattle sources today.

More work to do in this space as the front Dzus on the left panel is also very difficult to locate on an Interstate.
 

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During the week, after work, I fitted new stanchions, springs, damper rods & caps, bushes, seals, gaskets & obviously oil and took the opportunity to swap the original 'short' gaiters for full ones. Also, put some mud flaps on. Today, during an unexpected 'non rain window' seized the moment and took the bike out of the workshop (spare bedroom - not a 30 second roll out ;) )

I'll take it for a run tomorrow to see (feel) how much better (hopefully) the front end feels.

What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

I'm delighted with the quality of the parts from AN. Of the parts you can see from the outside, the gaiters particularly are a wonderful fit and the rubber is top quality 👍

What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
 
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A 60 mile spin to test out the 'new' front end (see above). Happy to report that all is well 👍

What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

I reckon I'm actually done with fettling for now (famous last words :rolleyes:) and plan to spend as much time as I possibly can actually riding this bloody wonderful machine 💥
 
Anyone who runs an SU carb on their Commando knows what a pain it is to top up the damper oil in the dashpot. I have seen various solutions to make it easier, mostly by drilling and inserting a tube into the suction chamber. I decided to go a slightly different route, and drilled through the damper cap as close as I could to the damper piston rod, then pushed some vacuum advance pipe through and connected a short length of pipe to it which routes up and under the seat. When oil is pumped down the pipe it runs down the damper piston rod and directly into the dashpot. Any excess will overflow and get sucked into the engine.
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Bonzo said:
A 60 mile spin to test out the 'new' front end (see above). Happy to report that all is well 👍

What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

I reckon I'm actually done with fettling for now (famous last words :rolleyes:) and plan to spend as much time as I possibly can actually riding this bloody wonderful machine 💥
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How did you like the single carb setup riding those 60 miles?
 
Starvingphotog said:
How did you like the single carb setup riding those 60 miles?
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Well, I suppose the truth is the predictable and obvious answer.

Pro: I love the easy starting, smooth idling and linear drive with the bonus of fuss free confidence at traffic lights etc. Dead easy to adjust.
Con: It obviously lacks the grunt when accelerating. It's much less athletic when sprinting. The cabling is tight as the carb sits in the middle.

I know there'll be the usual "a Commando should have twin carbs" and "if you'd learn to synch the carbs correctly..." etc. comments, but for how I feel like riding at the moment, I'm dead happy with a single carb. When I feel the need to go back to twin carbs, I have the other one waiting in the box 👍
 
Bonzo said:
Well, I suppose the truth is the predictable and obvious answer.

Pro: I love the easy starting, smooth idling and linear drive with the bonus of fuss free confidence at traffic lights etc. Dead easy to adjust.
Con: It obviously lacks the grunt when accelerating. It's much less athletic when sprinting. The cabling is tight as the carb sits in the middle.

I know there'll be the usual "a Commando should have twin carbs" and "if you'd learn to synch the carbs correctly..." etc. comments, but for how I feel like riding at the moment, I'm dead happy with a single carb. When I feel the need to go back to twin carbs, I have the other one waiting in the box 👍
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I would never criticise a single carb conversion…

Great brake upgrade 😁
 
Bonzo said:
Well, I suppose the truth is the predictable and obvious answer.

Pro: I love the easy starting, smooth idling and linear drive with the bonus of fuss free confidence at traffic lights etc. Dead easy to adjust.
Con: It obviously lacks the grunt when accelerating. It's much less athletic when sprinting. The cabling is tight as the carb sits in the middle.

I know there'll be the usual "a Commando should have twin carbs" and "if you'd learn to synch the carbs correctly..." etc. comments, but for how I feel like riding at the moment, I'm dead happy with a single carb. When I feel the need to go back to twin carbs, I have the other one waiting in the box 👍
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I feel the same Bonzo. My cabling wasn’t tight though. I have a proper sized cable made and it sits and runs well from the carb to my grip. I had to do some fiddling with the choke cable however using the junction box. The same throttle cable was too short for the protruding wire to drop the air cutoff slide.

I’ve had the chance to try out my new wheels and I am quite happy with the increased confidence. I can see now how it’s quite easy to run these bikes fast. I caught myself doing over the speed limits a number of times. Been out quite a few times now and thinking like you that I’m good to enjoy it, with the caveat that sometime in the future I’ll replace the headsteady with a cNw unit.

Happy Easter all!
 

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Bonzo said:
Well, I suppose the truth is the predictable and obvious answer.

Pro: I love the easy starting, smooth idling and linear drive with the bonus of fuss free confidence at traffic lights etc. Dead easy to adjust.
Con: It obviously lacks the grunt when accelerating. It's much less athletic when sprinting. The cabling is tight as the carb sits in the middle.

I know there'll be the usual "a Commando should have twin carbs" and "if you'd learn to synch the carbs correctly..." etc. comments, but for how I feel like riding at the moment, I'm dead happy with a single carb. When I feel the need to go back to twin carbs, I have the other one waiting in the box 👍
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A fair comparison from one who has done both.
Thanks for your honest assessment.
 
All spring fussing done - oil filter change - brake fluid topped off - primary / final drive adjusted- battery charged and reinstalled, nut and bolt check , washed , waxed polished - test run around the block . Just in time for a week of rain !
 
Over the last couple of weeks I've fitted a new oil tank, sitting on a foam bed without the locating screw, new oil filter head (with barbs ) new old stock herringbone hoses, new 32 mm single Amal premier with RGM slim airbox, oh and set the tappets. Just need to put some oil in now . Tally Ho.
 
Bonzo said:
There wasn't a bracket on my bike, so nowhere to mount the rectifier (the relay is right behind its original resting place on the frame, so would be good 👍)

I have a slot in the LH side panel too, so that's where the tool roll resides. Doesn't hurt to have a bit more space though.

No flasher relay or rectifier? The tray will just slot in. Bloody expensive for what it is though!
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Bonzo
i was thinking of getting one of these as my side panel is a pain to remove with high level pipes, are they that thin and crappy ?
Cheers, Colin
 
colin davie said:
Bonzo
i was thinking of getting one of these as my side panel is a pain to remove with high level pipes, are they that thin and crappy ?
Cheers, Colin
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Hi Colin,

I'll be honest, I sort of wish I hadn't have bothered. I removed the seat today, looked at the plastic tray that just about holds a couple of spanners wrapped in a rag, and can't believe I paid £20 for it :eek:

Yes, its thin, crappy, expensive and almost useless, however if you need a couple of bits without the faff of removing the side panel, then maybe it's worth it to you.
 
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