What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

Big_Jim59 said:

This kick start looks a lot like the version for the Triumph T160 three cylinder. I am wondering if it too has a tendency to fold under at the end of the stroke? The way it is mounted makes me think not but I have no experience with this application and I am curious.

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Yes it's a t160 kickstart with a Norton spline
I've never known mine to fold at the end of stroke
I fitted one when my knee started to go and it was a great help

It was a very exciting day today, took my 750 Commando for its first visit to a petrol station in 31 years, then did a 20 miles run into the country.

Now looking at a short list of things to fix/adjust. The front TLS brake sticks 'on' and needs the lever pushing to turn it off, and the clutch is adjusted exactly as specified in the official Norton manual, but doesn't fully disengage the drive, so gearchanges are rough and its impossible to find neutral whilst stationary. I wonder if these two problems are caused by the new levers I fitted, anyone else experienced these problems?

Also, the speedometer isn't working, but the odometer is ok, so it has to be a problem in the speedo head, Will have to google options for that ...

MichaelD said:

. The front TLS brake sticks 'on' and needs the lever pushing to turn it off, and the clutch is adjusted exactly as specified in the official Norton manual, but doesn't fully disengage the drive, so gearchanges are rough and its impossible to find neutral whilst stationary. I wonder if these two problems are caused by the new levers I fitted, anyone else experienced these problems?

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Double check your primary chain tension, sounds too tight.

Use a 10mm open end wrench and you should get the links pins to centre on both jaws up/down with no more than moderate pressure. Check in 3-4 places.

Starvingphotog ather any long lay up winter or any time you should do a full service before any ride drain the oil, fuel tank and primary and put fresh fluids in no matter what also seems your clutch is not freed up so maybe a pull down and clean the plates before riding, really it's part of maintenance.
Here I ride all year round so lay ups are not on unless doing work on my Norton or upgrades to it or life getting in the way as I have a few bikes, I am just about to fire up my Norton from a life in the way lay up, at this moment writing this I have the motor drain plug out and draining the oil, have 10ltr of fresh fuel have already drain the fuel tank, but my Norton hasn't sat in a cold freezing shed as it's our summer here.
If your bike has wet sump drain the oil before kicking and put fresh fuel in it and go over the whole bike no matter what then you won't have any problems even put new plugs in it if you want, I don't but I know my own bike and plugs are good and my clutch is also free as I run tyranny oil in the primary, but always important to do all maintenance on any long lay ups.

Sound advice there Ashman. This is the first year since owning the bike that I left it out in the Michigan cold and just getting a routine together I suppose for reviving it. We did have some fine weather here quite a few weeks back and for a good stretch. I bought a HF lift and put the bike in the air and did a thorough cleaning and some service to it, including upgrading to the Podtronics regulator, and replacing with a smaller battery. I also replaced the trans fluid, primary rubber ring seal and oil, and chain. Clutch is free and smooth. I noticed quite a few chips in the paint on the tank and will likely remove it and touch up those spots later this spring when it warms up proper. So, yeah, if I plan to try and start it up when we get some nicer weather, I'll drain the sump, and put some fresh fuel in there. The oil and filter was changed before winter storage, and I also put stabilizer in the non-ethanol fuel. Looks like winter is still here in Michigan so not looking like I'll be attempting to start the bike up anytime soon. We had an ice storm yesterday and a tree split in a neighbour yard and is laying over my garage. Also the tall pine dropped a few branches. Lots of cleanup I have to do this weekend.

baz said:

Yes it's a t160 kickstart with a Norton spline
I've never known mine to fold at the end of stroke
I fitted one when my knee started to go and it was a great help

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I think it folded under, on the T160 because of the placement. It really looks like a lot better kick start option for the Norton.

MichaelD said:

750 Commando

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A lot of changes occurred during "750" production so could you possibly narrow it down a bit (give the first four digits of the engine/frame number for instance)?

MichaelD said:

the clutch is adjusted exactly as specified in the official Norton manual, but doesn't fully disengage the drive, so gearchanges are rough and its impossible to find neutral whilst stationary.

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Did you clean the plates or are they as they were left 31 years ago?
Do you know which set of plates it has?
You could try setting the pushrod adjuster to 1/3 -1/2 a turn out (after fully slackening the cable) instead of the factory 1 turn.

MichaelD said:

I wonder if these two problems are caused by the new levers I fitted,

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Which or what type of "new levers"? Early plated steel (Amal type)? Later Alloy (Lucas switch clusters)? Other? Standard 1-1/16" pivot radius?

Starvingphotog said:

Sound advice there Ashman. This is the first year since owning the bike that I left it out in the Michigan cold and just getting a routine together I suppose for reviving it. We did have some fine weather here quite a few weeks back and for a good stretch. I bought a HF lift and put the bike in the air and did a thorough cleaning and some service to it, including upgrading to the Podtronics regulator, and replacing with a smaller battery. I also replaced the trans fluid, primary rubber ring seal and oil, and chain. Clutch is free and smooth. I noticed quite a few chips in the paint on the tank and will likely remove it and touch up those spots later this spring when it warms up proper. So, yeah, if I plan to try and start it up when we get some nicer weather, I'll drain the sump, and put some fresh fuel in there. The oil and filter was changed before winter storage, and I also put stabilizer in the non-ethanol fuel. Looks like winter is still here in Michigan so not looking like I'll be attempting to start the bike up anytime soon. We had an ice storm yesterday and a tree split in a neighbour yard and is laying over my garage. Also the tall pine dropped a few branches. Lots of cleanup I have to do this weekend. View attachment 104247

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That could be a bit challenging to remove without dropping it onto the shed.

Fitted a mk3 head steady suspensory spring device to the mk2 to try before I go all in with the DT HS.

It took much longer than I thought it would and was a bit of a faff (particularly tightening that 1/2 nut with so little access).

Haven't quite finished as my stomach is telling me I skipped lunch.



I have a feeling that it will interfere with the spring mounted warning light assimilator where it is currently located (wasn't an issue on the mk3).

If you've done this mod on your pre-mk3, where does your WLA sit ?

Bonzo said:

I have a feeling that it will interfere with the spring mounted warning light assimilator where it is currently located (wasn't an issue on the mk3).

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The first 2000+ Mk3s still had the 3AW silver can assimilator.

Re-torqued the head and checked the valve clearances, now for a spin to see if the head steady spring needs any tension adjustment.

L.A.B. said:

A lot of changes occurred during "750" production so could you possibly narrow it down a bit (give the first four digits of the engine/frame number for instance)?

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Its a 1970, 20-MS3/140

L.A.B. said:

Did you clean the plates or are they as they were left 31 years ago?
Do you know which set of plates it has?
You could try setting the pushrod adjuster to 1/3 -1/2 a turn out (after fully slackening the cable) instead of the factory 1 turn.

Click to expand...

I didn't touch the clutch when I brought the bike out of storage, other than to check the adjustment. The primary drive had drained itself over the years, so the clutch wouldn't have been submerged in oil, but I guess any oil left on the plates when it was parked all those years ago, will still be there. Its stretching my memory, but I did upgrade the clutch plates some time in the late '70s to some that could cope with oil. Would that have been cork plates to bronze plates? The details of the upgrade have gone, unfortunately.

L.A.B. said:

Which or what type of "new levers"? Early plated steel (Amal type)? Later Alloy (Lucas switch clusters)? Other? Standard 1-1/16" pivot radius?

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The levers were one of the first things I bought when I started the refurb six months ago, before I'd found Andover Norton and RGM. They were some plated steel replicas off ebay, their pivot radius is 1"

MichaelD said:

Its a 1970, 20-MS3/140

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(20M3S/140)
Ok, that narrows it down a lot.

MichaelD said:

I didn't touch the clutch when I brought the bike out of storage, other than to check the adjustment. The primary drive had drained itself over the years, so the clutch wouldn't have been submerged in oil, but I guess any oil left on the plates when it was parked all those years ago, will still be there.

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They would probably benefit from a clean, regardless. Maybe invest in a new set of Barnett, etc. friction plates (and perhaps a new clutch centre, see below).

MichaelD said:

Its stretching my memory, but I did upgrade the clutch plates some time in the late '70s to some that could cope with oil. Would that have been cork plates to bronze plates? The details of the upgrade have gone, unfortunately.

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The bronze plates also need cleaning periodically and the clutch centre spines inspected for notching because that can cause clutch drag if perhaps bronze plates have been used with the old unhardened four-pate centre but the hardened centres still wear.

The original clutch would have had four 'postage stamp' friction plates, three plain plates and a 'thick' pressure plate...

The later 'bronze' plate clutch had five bronze, four plain and a 'thin' pressure plate...
https://andover-norton.co.uk/en/shop-drawing/207/chaincases-chains-sprockets-clutch-alternator

MichaelD said:

The levers were one of the first things I bought when I started the refurb six months ago, before I'd found Andover Norton and RGM. They were some plated steel replicas off ebay, their pivot radius is 1"

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A 1" pivot radius could be ok, (7/8", might not) I can only suggest you back off the clutch pushrod adjustment to 1/3 - 1/2 a turn as mentioned and see if that's an improvement.

L.A.B. said:

(20M3S/140)
Ok, that narrows it down a lot.


They would probably benefit from a clean, regardless. Maybe invest in a new set of Barnett, etc. friction plates (and perhaps a new clutch centre, see below).


The bronze plates also need cleaning periodically and the clutch centre spines inspected for notching because that can cause clutch drag if perhaps bronze plates have been used with the old unhardened four-pate centre but the hardened centres still wear.

The original clutch would have had four 'postage stamp' friction plates, three plain plates and a 'thick' pressure plate...

Andover Norton Parts Drawings - Andover Norton Factory Parts - Commando Parts

Andover Norton Parts are the only Norton spare parts in the market manufactured to original drawings, within the factory-approved tolerances, from the correct materials, and with the correct finish.

andover-norton.co.uk

The later 'bronze' plate clutch had five bronze, four plain and a 'thin' pressure plate...
https://andover-norton.co.uk/en/shop-drawing/207/chaincases-chains-sprockets-clutch-alternator


A 1" pivot radius could be ok, (7/8", might not) I can only suggest you back off the clutch pushrod adjustment to 1/3 - 1/2 a turn as mentioned and see if that's an improvement.

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Thanks this is really helpful, it will be Wednesday before I can get back in the garage, but now I know where to start

Following LAB's advice, I stripped the clutch and found that my clutch centre was pretty heavily notched. So looked on AN and they are £103, frustrating, but it needs replacing. So I stripped the clutch and removed the centre, then as I looked at it, it looked familiar, I'd seen something like that in my box of 'unfitted parts'. Had a look through that box, and there it was, a brand new, unused clutch centre! Some time in the 1980s I must have recognised the bike needed a new clutch centre, so I'd bought one, but it never got fitted, until today. So that purchase from about 40 years ago probably cost about £10, but saved me £103 and a couple of days waiting. Amazing

Don't you love that having spare bits stashed so long ago and forgetting about it, but worst is ordering a new replacement to find you already had one after the part has arrived, so lucky you found it when you did.
Good on you, my luck would have been the opposite lol.

ashman said:

Don't you love that having spare bits stashed so long ago and forgetting about it, but worst is ordering a new replacement to find you already had one after the part has arrived, so lucky you found it when you did.
Good on you, my luck would have been the opposite lol.

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That's happened to me as well, lol

MichaelD said:

Following LAB's advice, I stripped the clutch and found that my clutch centre was pretty heavily notched. So looked on AN and they are £103, frustrating, but it needs replacing. So I stripped the clutch and removed the centre, then as I looked at it, it looked familiar, I'd seen something like that in my box of 'unfitted parts'. Had a look through that box, and there it was, a brand new, unused clutch centre! Some time in the 1980s I must have recognised the bike needed a new clutch centre, so I'd bought one, but it never got fitted, until today. So that purchase from about 40 years ago probably cost about £10, but saved me £103 and a couple of days waiting. Amazing

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Likely that might not be hardened. I would avoid putting bronze plates back in or you will be in same boat. Get some Barnett plates.

MichaelD said:

Following LAB's advice, I stripped the clutch and found that my clutch centre was pretty heavily notched. So looked on AN and they are £103, frustrating, but it needs replacing. So I stripped the clutch and removed the centre, then as I looked at it, it looked familiar, I'd seen something like that in my box of 'unfitted parts'. Had a look through that box, and there it was, a brand new, unused clutch centre! Some time in the 1980s I must have recognised the bike needed a new clutch centre, so I'd bought one, but it never got fitted, until today. So that purchase from about 40 years ago probably cost about £10, but saved me £103 and a couple of days waiting. Amazing

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Were you able to identify the type of friction plates?
Later '4-plate clutch' frictions would have been the "solid fibre" type.

gortnipper said:

Likely that might not be hardened. I would avoid putting bronze plates back in or you will be in same boat. Get some Barnett plates.

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I have ordered Barnett plates, placed the order at 23:45 last night, they were shipped at 11:15 this morning, should arrive in the next day or two. Buying Norton parts used to be so difficult, writing letters to a few places to see who had what, then writing back to place an order, with a cheque in the envelope. On-line shopping is so much easier, I love the Internet.