Worst upgrade.

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zotz

zotz

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Jul 15, 2007
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I expect we'll probably see a lot of anti-wet sump valve posts here. For me it was rear sets. I found they just locked me into a seating position where I couldn't move around on the bike to get comfortable when I had been sitting in one spot for too long.
 
The stupidest upgrade for me was installing a Drouin Supercharger. This is NOT something that a 22 year old speed junkie male needs to do to a somewhat fragile motorcycle. I found that if you slipped the clutch to let the boost really spool up it was like a shot of nitrous. All good until the crank snaps in half while wheeling past a Z1. Pieces of grief flew every which way. I still have the largest chunk of one of the pistons. It's about the size of a half dollar. Fortunately there was a Norton guy in Portland, OR that traded me a stock low mile 850 engine straight across for my Drouin.
 
eskasteve said:
The stupidest upgrade for me was installing a Drouin Supercharger. This is NOT something that a 22 year old speed junkie male needs to do to a somewhat fragile motorcycle. I found that if you slipped the clutch to let the boost really spool up it was like a shot of nitrous. All good until the crank snaps in half while wheeling past a Z1. Pieces of grief flew every which way. I still have the largest chunk of one of the pistons. It's about the size of a half dollar. Fortunately there was a Norton guy in Portland, OR that traded me a stock low mile 850 engine straight across for my Drouin.
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How many of us have been there. Probably most on this site though not so dramatic a lesson. I'm sure you could go down the line, each one feeling very lucky to be alive -- and probably having that feeling more than one time. I'm sure a few gave up this motorbike thing, thinking, "Man! I'll never do that again!" Then some years go by and here you are. "It's just a hobby," I says to the wife. I'm workin' on it more than riden' it anyway." .... I remember when the throttle wouldn't shut off in the gravel pit. Then there was the wall. Glad it wasn't vertical. Man, do these things accelerate fast.

Actually, I'd like to read the accident reports from the "survivors" on this site. Nothing grisley, but stories of great escapes and escapades. If you're riding a Norton, over all these years something was bound to happen. And my condolances to all those whose time it really was. I'm sure I'll get some dislikes for this last paragraph. But if you fly a plane, one of the most popular items in the literature is the accident reports and the analysis that goes with it. It's all part of "lessons learned". Flying is a dangerous business too. Mistakes can be costly.
 
Norvil 12” front disk, alloy carrier was made of putty and the button recesses wore oversized in no time.
 
zotz said:
I expect we'll probably see a lot of anti-wet sump valve posts here. For me it was rear sets. I found they just locked me into a seating position where I couldn't move around on the bike to get comfortable when I had been sitting in one spot for too long.
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Oh blimey I have an anti wet sump valve and rear sets I consider them both to be an upgrade
The biggest downgrade for me was fitting a large bore 2 into 1 with a short open megga
Another downgrade (for me at least) was fitting a single 34 mm VM mikuni
 
ntst8 said:
Norvil 12” front disk, alloy carrier was made of putty and the button recesses wore oversized in no time.
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That's pleased me no end.... ordered one of these yesterday .....Aaaaaaaah:(
 
ntst8 said:
Norvil 12” front disk, alloy carrier was made of putty and the button recesses wore oversized in no time.
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Be interested to know how many miles it lasted. Only done around 1,500 on mine so far with no issues.
 
Worst upgrades for me were all the one I didn't do - owning the bike for 30 years before getting it on the road!
 
[QUOTE="baz, post: 453056
Another downgrade (for me at least) was fitting a single 34 mm VM mikuni[/QUOTE]

Ha Ha, interesting, I love mine. It was fit and forget.
 
Gadge said:
Be interested to know how many miles it lasted. Only done around 1,500 on mine so far with no issues.
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It was a few years ago, hopefully they just had a bad batch.
I can’t remember exactly but no more than 2 - 3 thousand miles before I binned it. It got quite rattley very early on and took me a while to work out why. I didn’t feel safe once I worked it out.
 
zotz said:
[QUOTE="baz, post: 453056
Another downgrade (for me at least) was fitting a single 34 mm VM mikuni
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Ha Ha, interesting, I love mine. It was fit and forget.[/QUOTE]



Yep the single versus twin carb/Amal mikuni etc has been done to death on here
I know what you mean about fit and forget, it does make the commando very rideable but for me it's just a bit less of a commando
 
zotz said:
I expect we'll probably see a lot of anti-wet sump valve posts here. For me it was rear sets. I found they just locked me into a seating position where I couldn't move around on the bike to get comfortable when I had been sitting in one spot for too long.
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Like some of the rest of us, you are getting old!
 
Worst for me was a Rita EI failed in less than 12 months, open Velocity stacks without air filters (nearly burned my Norton down to the grown from a backfire that caused a major fire while I was on it), clip on handle bars, Dunstall rear sets (flogged out in less than 12 months) up grading my stock front disc that nearly killed me, sticking to the old K81 tyres for so long (the original ones made in England were great but the replacement ones made else where weren't so good) so not bad for over 43 years of ownership.

Ashley
 
Not sure bout rearsets , but would like to adjust my pegs a bit
 
Bernhard said:
All my bikes have had xx bad previous owners and one good one- me!
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You would think a brand new bike would be fine.
Africa Twin DCT ride away @ $18500.

I ask why the chain has around 15 mm of slack when the decal on the chain guard says 40 mm when I go to pick it up.
The tech kid says the chain will stretch and the filings (yes "filings") will come out at the first service/oil change (I thought I bought a new Honda, not a Austin Cambridge)
I limped it home and adjusted it, they did not want to adjust it and based on their previous skills though better of it.

All they had to do was fit the front wheel and fender/mud guard out of the crate.
Two bolts fell out of the guard within a 1000 kms, the two axle pinch bolts were one over tight, one near loose.
Their dealership (with their name on it) number plate surround was on upside down (this is a large dealership)
I then went over the complete bike including tightening the finger tight bolt on the battery earth cable to the engine case... Hello Honda ? and maybe why there had been reports of flickering dashes.
It hasn't missed a beat since.

Any upgrades are only as good as the persons skill (and passion) fitting them, you have to cover the basics first.
 
I don't have much time for a long list of trinkets.
Compliant suspension.
Responsive engine.
Acceptable brakes.
Reliability.
 
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