What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

Bonzo said:
Tidied up (emptied) the spare downstairs bedroom, cobbled together a makeshift ramp and rolled the mk2 right in there for a more comfortable fettle session.

What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
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Now THAT’S proper decor !
 
Bonzo said:
Tidied up (emptied) the spare downstairs bedroom, cobbled together a makeshift ramp and rolled the mk2 right in there for a more comfortable fettle session.

What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
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I suggest you remove the petrol tank unless it and the carbs are bone dry or it could invalidate your house insurance in the event of a fire claim.
 
L.A.B. said:
I suggest you remove the petrol tank unless it and the carbs are bone dry or it could invalidate your house insurance in the event of a fire claim.
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I learnt to remove the fuel a few years ago with a Ducati.

Not so much because of the fire issue, but the constant smell of petrol :eek:
 
Spent yesterday trying to start the 850 Interstate after a full motor rebuild. Not making much progress. Occasional spit back thru left carb. Double checked tappet clearances - used the dial gauge this time. Double checked points gap - ok. Triple checked static timing. Checked spark. Pulled carbs down again, cleaned and checked all orifices (orifi?) all seems ok. Will pull down the carbs again as there's a slight leak of fuel from there; probably the result of a stuck float. New battery - put on charger again as I've been away for 2 weeks. Not sure there's much more I can check. No beefy mates around to give me a push start - maybe time to buy some Start ya Bastard?
 
Made a dial guage and seems my placement of the auto-advance on the taper wasn't correct. Took it off and tried again resetting the position and checked ignition timing again. Adjusted and checked. Kicked like a friggin' mule. Like the ignition was waaaay advanced. Duh, take out the advance lock washer dummy. Ah! Betterer. She's alive! Still dunno how the timing could have been out and still test ok? Lock washer was only left on the last time.

Better bung up a pic or two.

Also, my dial gauge jpg might be worth adding to the data section, it's based on the pdf already there, but with the correct (CCW) direction marked. Added standard (not combat) valve timing and the 28degree BTDC timing mark. Print it off on a CD, stick a bolt thru to the rotor or as I did - use blutak and a wire marker off the stator. No wukkin' furries.
 
davamb said:
Spent yesterday trying to start the 850 Interstate after a full motor rebuild. Not making much progress. Occasional spit back thru left carb. Double checked tappet clearances - used the dial gauge this time. Double checked points gap - ok. Triple checked static timing. Checked spark. Pulled carbs down again, cleaned and checked all orifices (orifi?) all seems ok. Will pull down the carbs again as there's a slight leak of fuel from there; probably the result of a stuck float. New battery - put on charger again as I've been away for 2 weeks. Not sure there's much more I can check. No beefy mates around to give me a push start - maybe time to buy some Start ya Bastard?
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Was going to say points could be set 180 degrees out.
 
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davamb said:
Made a dial guage and seems my placement of the auto-advance on the taper wasn't correct. Took it off and tried again resetting the position and checked ignition timing again. Adjusted and checked. Kicked like a friggin' mule. Like the ignition was waaaay advanced. Duh, take out the advance lock washer dummy. Ah! Betterer. She's alive! Still dunno how the timing could have been out and still test ok? Lock washer was only left on the last time.

Better bung up a pic or two.

Also, my dial gauge jpg might be worth adding to the data section, it's based on the pdf already there, but with the correct (CCW) direction marked. Added standard (not combat) valve timing and the 28degree BTDC timing mark. Print it off on a CD, stick a bolt thru to the rotor or as I did - use blutak and a wire marker off the stator. No wukkin' furries.
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Yes very important to get the A-A tapper right and is also easy to set the points 180 degree out as well been caught out with that one with points, got rid of points a very long time ago.
 
Here's a link to the jpg timing wheel image from my google files via gdurl:




Scale and print direct to a CD or DVD if you've got printable discs and a printer that'll print 'em or print it on paper and glue it to any old disc.

Edit: Sorry, earlier CW version posted. Updated.
 
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1977years said:
Perhaps He's in the wind....:cool:
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Yes in the wind for 3 days.
Serious winds and cold camping at night in CVMG Paris Fairgrounds.
Warmer in the day and sold $450 of Norton Commando parts.
Lots of big rigs people who offered food and booze freely to me , so grateful.
I handed out some now legal weed to some Americans who were grateful too.
Drove a 650 BSA around the track , sweet , thanks.
Caught 5 large perch on the way home in the Speed river. Dinner.
 
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All in all, it was a 'win in spite of the wind' though ? BSA ride, and all the miscellaneous',
I would have been grateful as well !
I'd never heard of the Speed River, intriguing name, looks to be a cool area,
in the web images I viewed.
Mm mm, perch.

Glad for You, more memories.
Ride
 
Swapped out old Tympanium to new Podtronics Reg/Rec and now it’s charging much better. Re-crimped terminal connectors on coils that had worked loose and Cleaned up wiring loom.

now have to figure out the not so random cutout I have at about 4500. Does not do it often but it’s there.
 
Motown1 said:
Swapped out old Tympanium to new Podtronics Reg/Rec and now it’s charging much better. Re-crimped terminal connectors on coils that had worked loose and Cleaned up wiring loom.

now have to figure out the not so random cutout I have at about 4500. Does not do it often but it’s there.
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Open up the points cover. Check the wires .
 
Motown1 said:
Swapped out old Tympanium to new Podtronics Reg/Rec and now it’s charging much better. Re-crimped terminal connectors on coils that had worked loose and Cleaned up wiring loom.

now have to figure out the not so random cutout I have at about 4500. Does not do it often but it’s there.
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What ignition do you have
If it's electronic then a slightly corroded terminal can cause that
 
Boyer Mkiv. I will be riding it tonight and see if all my cleaning/crimping eliminated that. I’ve gone thought the carb multiple times and adjusted needle clip and needle jet 106 to 107 and back and it does not help…always the same so I hope it was electrical?
 
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Motown1 said:
Boyer Mkiv. I will be riding it tonight and see if all my cleaning/crimping eliminated that. I’ve gone thought the carb multiple times and adjusted needle clip and needle jet 106 to 107 and back and it does not help…always the same so I hope it was electrical?
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I had a misfire on my t140e at 3500 rpm for a long long time
It turned out to be a corroded bullet connection
I was convinced it was carburetion at the time
This was with Lucas Rita ignition
 
It's worth remembering that with a carburettor fault it's often at a certain throttle position you get a misfire not an rpm
 
Thanks Baz. Yes for the longest time I thought maybe a carb issue. When I went out last weekend It would miss and pop at Low speed/rpm in town for a moment and then fine for most of the trip home. About 65mph at around 4500 it started to act like fuel issue but I let off until about 2500 rpm then it was fine again the rest of the way home? Single MKii 34mm.

I then went through and found knackered up and loose connections and changed out my coils that were pinched….ohm ok but changed anyway. I hope this works?
 
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