961 is back !

Hello Voodoo , I cannot argue this point . I can only say that TVS should be better than the earlier ones with a team of engineers , original bikes to sample/test and a bucket load of TVS money. 🤞 And at this time , I cannot even get a reponse to my parts request ! So , I just put money down on a 2022 Indian Chief Bobber with the 111 Thunderstroke motor .

That looks like a fun bike Tony. Enjoy !
 
Numbers of new bikes , so to remind everyone the “classic “was the bike making up the orders from Donnington Norton , it would appear from the numbers that are SORN ( off road & not taxed ) that those ones are lounge ornaments & some people think they are investments if never ridden , only 2 xCR this year up to March , & then the SP versions all seem to be ridden
961 is back !
961 is back !
961 is back !
 
There are a couple of concerning reports relating to idle/throttle.

We’ll know more of course when these bikes have their first service and we find out the cause/remediation action.

For those that believe the primary sounds loud. Welcome to the 961😆 !
 
Hello Voodoo , I cannot argue this point . I can only say that TVS should be better than the earlier ones with a team of engineers , original bikes to sample/test and a bucket load of TVS money. 🤞 And at this time , I cannot even get a reponse to my parts request ! So , I just put money down on a 2022 Indian Chief Bobber with the 111 Thunderstroke motor .

Congratulations on the new bike. Can’t wait to hear your feedback.
 
so long as there is an intermediate gear in the primary, there will be no effective cure to the loud noise emanating from the primary.

The "wild" idle is another matter. This is almost certainly the result of the poor integration of the ECU programming, fuel mapping, and the array of sensors. i.e. temperature, O2, etc. I wonder if any users of the Delta 400 ECU experience the wild idle. I doubt it. If Norton switched the 961 to the Delta 400, or the EFI system that the V4 uses, this problem would probably be history. Yes it would add cost to the 961, but if they were serious about eliminating this issue, well it would be gone by now.
Actually, if they cut the gears a little differently it would minimize the noise. Some of the rattle comes from the clutch pack. No different than Ducati, etc

And the wild idle is more about "air" than ECU. The IAC is not the best way to control that and there are tons of posts about this including our research about starting with low battery power etc. My personal belief after ordering more than 20 IAC's is that so many of them were faulty or slow-moving that it caused a lot of issues. Bikes that don't have good seals or are missing the intake spacer. The list goes on.

The 400 or any other ecu can run this bike fine but you will find that most "corrected" bikes removed the IAC from the equation
 
Numbers of new bikes , so to remind everyone the “classic “was the bike making up the orders from Donnington Norton , it would appear from the numbers that are SORN ( off road & not taxed ) that those ones are lounge ornaments & some people think they are investments if never ridden , only 2 xCR this year up to March , & then the SP versions all seem to be ridden View attachment 109956View attachment 109957View attachment 109958

I guess they are still lined up down the block for the new bikes??? I wish this number was a lot bigger.
 
For what it´s worth: 2022 Classic, around 1500 miles now.
Idle rpm around 1250, no issues with rising rpms at any speed. Sounds scary.
I did notice, however, that the 2023 Commando does not have the lambda sensors where we have them (just behind the main bend under the cylinders). The fuelling map must be controlled differently.
I can also report, however, that our bike sometimes stalls after prolonged engine braking. The solution is to lightly blip the throttle just before engaging the clutch. It makes it seem that you have to remind the engine that it is still supposed to turn over.
And hot starts are sometimes inconclusive. I tried the trick with first twisting the throttle to the max before starting, but to no effect. There is a very specific way to perform a hot start with judging the correct number of times the engine turns with no throttle, then giving it just the right amount of throttle at just the right rate of opening. And it just about continues to turn, as if it was an old engine with retard set to negative. It has never happened that it would not restart. Just that it is not the kind of forgetful event you get with any modern bike (save for Moto Guzzi, I heard someone say). I measured the cylinder head temperatures - around 165 C on either side. At this condition, the oil cooler measures at around 65 C.
The other solution is to let it cool down for at least 20 minutes. Then it doesn´t really matter how you go about it. A little bit of throttle opening is still necessary, however.
From cold, it starts very energetically and theatrically with no throttle opening and within three to five cranks.
 
Actually, if they cut the gears a little differently it would minimize the noise. Some of the rattle comes from the clutch pack. No different than Ducati, etc

And the wild idle is more about "air" than ECU. The IAC is not the best way to control that and there are tons of posts about this including our research about starting with low battery power etc. My personal belief after ordering more than 20 IAC's is that so many of them were faulty or slow-moving that it caused a lot of issues. Bikes that don't have good seals or are missing the intake spacer. The list goes on.

The 400 or any other ecu can run this bike fine but you will find that most "corrected" bikes removed the IAC from the equation
Just saying, Norton should trash the whole bargain basement EFI system on the 961, and move to something like that used by the V4. I'm assuming the £40K+ V4's system does not have a wild idle. Problem solved then. No more owners complaining about the problem. No more posts about how to jury rig the IAC system, and the factory will not have to waste any additional time/resources to fix problems for owners under warranty. Of course if Norton actually plan to sunset the 961 after the new twins are introduced in a year, it's probably a non-issue for them.
 
From cold, it starts very energetically and theatrically with no throttle opening and within three to five cranks.
That is interesting for me.

My CR will not start cold unless I hold the throttle open some.
It takes me several tries on cold startup to "catch" the engine with a little throttle opening to prevent it from stopping.
Generally 3 - 4 tries.
Then I hold the engine just below 2000RPM for about 30-40 seconds.
Then the motor will usually settle down to a weak idle around 1000-2000 rpm.
Sometimes it will die, and I have to repeat the process.
If I blip the throttle at this time, it will die as well.

Once I pull away, the motor will have a small flap spot around 2500-3000rpm until warmed up after a few minutes of riding.
After the motor is warmed to operating temp, throttle response is excellent, everywhere, idle to redline.:confused:
If I have to stop and restart a warm motor, no problem, starts and runs like a champ.
961, go figure.

Reminds me of something Sir Winston said: A riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.
 
That is interesting for me.

My CR will not start cold unless I hold the throttle open some.
It takes me several tries on cold startup to "catch" the engine with a little throttle opening to prevent it from stopping.
Generally 3 - 4 tries.
Then I hold the engine just below 2000RPM for about 30-40 seconds.
Then the motor will usually settle down to a weak idle around 1000-2000 rpm.
Sometimes it will die, and I have to repeat the process.
If I blip the throttle at this time, it will die as well.

Once I pull away, the motor will have a small flap spot around 2500-3000rpm until warmed up after a few minutes of riding.
After the motor is warmed to operating temp, throttle response is excellent, everywhere, idle to redline.:confused:
If I have to stop and restart a warm motor, no problem, starts and runs like a champ.
961, go figure.

Reminds me of something Sir Winston said: A riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.
Basically, your bike is acting in the opposite to mine.
The common ground is the fuelling around 2500 rpm, worse when cold, but even when warm, never perfect.
 
Basically, your bike is acting in the opposite to mine.
The common ground is the fuelling around 2500 rpm, worse when cold, but even when warm, never perfect.
That is odd.
My bike has after market exhaust and the 090 fuel map.
So it's not standard.
I would let the factory know about that fueling issue.
Enjoy the ride.
 
I think the reason we differ in perspective on this is down to two reasons.

1. I’m an engineer, I get involved in the fixing of issues daily. So when I see a previous fault reoccur, it cannot tell me anything else than the fact that the engineering issue has NOT been resolved. If this was happening in my day job, I can assure you it would be deemed wholly unacceptable.

2. I think the perspective is different if you’re an ‘enthusiastic observer’ (as you are) vs someone with active interest (as I WAS). I was looking seriously at buying one again, so, the evidence of these past issues still being present was / is big deal. It’s a huge red flag that instantly killed any further thoughts about purchasing one.

I seriously doubt I am alone / unique in the above points, especially #2. I suggest that Norton really have shot themselves in the foot somewhat here with people who were waiting and watching and looking with active interest, who have concluded “f*ck that”…
961 is back !
 
How long will you sit back and wait?
How many complaints is enough for you to say “OK now it’s a problem that needs more attention “?

I mean let’s be real, TVS screwed up on some things right out of the gate.

1) The gas tank couldn’t be removed without hitting the top yolk.
YES I know it’s been addressed. But come on!
How and why did that even occur?

2) The eliminated the swing arm bobbin mounts.
Minor yes.
Removing something so useful, again, ridiculous.

3) Whoever is assembling the bikes obviously isn’t doing a thorough cleaning before assembling.
Large debris in the oil is proof of that.

4) Idle issues. It’s 2023, not 20-Donington

TVS talks quality.
TVS talked up all that state of the art facility.
TVS talked up top quality inspections.
TVS talks engineering and design.

TVS bought Norton.
They should be doing better. And I don’t mean by warranty work. I mean, these problems shouldn’t be happening at all, especially when you consider the 961 is 13 years old and TVS had 3 years to address all the known issues.

They only sold a few handful of bikes. Not 100s.
 
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How long will you sit back and wait?
How many complaints is enough for you to say “OK now it’s a problem that needs more attention “?

I mean let’s be real, TVS screwed up on some things right out of the gate.

1) The gas tank couldn’t be removed without hitting the top yolk.
YES I know it’s been addressed. But come on!
How and why did that even occur?

2) The eliminated the swing arm bobbin mounts.
Minor yes.
Removing something so useful, again, ridiculous.

3) Whoever is assembling the bikes obviously isn’t doing a thorough cleaning before assembling.
Large debris in the oil is proof of that.

4) Idle issues. It’s 2023, not 20-Donington

TVS talks quality.
TVS talked up all that state of the art facility.
TVS talked up top quality inspections.
TVS talks engineering and design.

TVS bought Norton.
They should be doing better. And I don’t mean by warranty work. I mean, these problems shouldn’t be happening at all, especially when you consider the 961 is 13 years old and TVS had 3 years to address all the know issues.

They only sold a few handful of bikes. Not 100s.
You’ve tried pretty hard to make everything sound like a total disaster there Voodoo 🤣! - at least you‘re consistent.

With respect mate, there is nothing of any real consequence to a new owner on your above list of doom, less the idle issues showing on a couple of bikes. Now that is disappointing. Let’s see what the faults actually are (at the first service) and then we can discuss it in an informed way.

Maybe don’t post that list on FB Voodoo 😆 - apart from the one guy really, suffering three faults, who is clearly not happy, the rest seem pretty damn delighted with their new bikes. Fingers crossed that continues.

TVS is obviously the source of your considerable ire. But when you list TVS above (TVS talks quality..etc ..TVS bought Norton - they should be doing better) and post things like ‘TVS is ruining Norton’ it’s not really clear what you mean. When you say TVS above you mean Norton right?

Norton has a full leadership, design and development team, a local production, quality and logistic workforce. It is Norton that are/have been talking up…quality…facilities….engineering etc, not TVS.

TVS are in the background, virtually silent from all appearances. They barely rate a mention on the Norton website. Norton are producing British bikes, using a British workforce for the British market (at present). Of course TVS are pulling significant strings you would think, or maybe they have given Norton some considerable autonomy - who knows.

I suppose then, when we are publicly criticising (when that’s justified of course), we might wanna do so in a balanced way. Cos we are only indirectly sticking the boot into our fat Indian friend with the even fatter wallet. The steel toe cap is initially landing squarely in the UK and has potential to impact on the re-launching of our favourite marque. We probably shouldn’t underestimate what influence Access Norton and the FB site may have.
 
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On numerous occasions the culprit for the high idle issue had been either the IAC screws coming loose or the hose from it popping off, both allowing air directly into the throttle bodies. They are an easy fix, but I wonder if TVS were aware before starting production? I know their engineers visited 961 owners, but perhaps that issue was not mentioned to them?
 
You’ve tried pretty hard to make everything sound like a total disaster there Voodoo 🤣! - at least you‘re consistent.

With respect mate, there is nothing of any real consequence to a new owner on your above list of doom, less the idle issues showing on a couple of bikes. Now that is disappointing. Let’s see what the faults actually are (at the first service) and then we can discuss it in an informed way.

Maybe don’t post that list on FB Voodoo 😆 - apart from the one guy really, suffering three faults, who is clearly not happy, the rest seem pretty damn delighted with their new bikes. Fingers crossed that continues.

TVS is obviously the source of your considerable ire. But when you list TVS above (TVS talks quality..etc ..TVS bought Norton - they should be doing better) and post things like ‘TVS is ruining Norton’ it’s not really clear what you mean. When you say TVS above you mean Norton right?

Norton has a full leadership, design and development team, a local production, quality and logistic workforce. It is Norton that are/have been talking up…quality…facilities….engineering etc, not TVS.

TVS are in the background, virtually silent from all appearances. They barely rate a mention on the Norton website. Norton are producing British bikes, using a British workforce for the British market (at present). Of course TVS are pulling significant strings you would think, or maybe they have given Norton some considerable autonomy - who knows.

I suppose then, when we are publicly criticising (when that’s justified of course), we might wanna do so in a balanced way. Cos we are only indirectly sticking the boot into our fat Indian friend with the even fatter wallet. The steel toe cap is initially landing squarely in the UK and has potential to impact on the re-launching of our favourite marque. We probably shouldn’t underestimate what influence Access Norton and the FB site may have.
Stephen
Here we are again!
Why should I be surprised by your overly optimistic views?

I get that you think Norton is the greatest bike manufacturer available on the market today.
I know that you see everything with an optimistic outlook.

But I will stand by my statement.
The 961 has been on the market for 13 years. In those years, we’ve have multiple owners who’ve either had flawlessly running bikes, or some with complete dissatisfaction, to where they sold their Norton because of the poor quality, or for personal reasons.

We also had some very smart and successful owners and shops who’ve fixed many of the known issues and problems.
Fortunately they shared those solutions with us all so we could address the known issues on our own 961.
Some have gone so far to work with Norton only to be pushed away, and then Norton later used those very ideas or solutions themselves on later manufactured bikes.

When TVS took over Norton, they talked how much this new state of the art factory cost, how important quality means, how they take testing seriously and how they inspect each product and motorcycle before leaving the factory.

As you also know, some of the members from Donington work for the Solihull Norton (TVS).
Do you not think they were aware of the known issues the 961 had all these years?
Do you really think it takes 13 years to fix such problems on a small scale of production?

TVS Norton hasn’t sold anywhere near the amount of bikes Donington sold world wide, and yet even though TVS sells only in the UK, for reasons clearly because of warranty and dealer network, they still produced some bikes with the same known issues as the Donington made bikes.

How can you possibly say that it’s not a problem?
I don’t care how they handle it at its first service. It should have never happened to begin with.

They had 3 years to fix these known issues, they said they addressed 1/3 of the bike parts.

You keep saying it’s only one or 2 new bikes.

How many brand new 961 TVS owned Commandos have made it to its new owners as of now? NOT MANY AT ALL.
IF you were the owner of a brand new 2023 TVS Norton and you had idle and primary issues that you were dealing with, you wouldn’t be happy.

If you bought a brand new 2023 Commando today, you bought it because you listened to TVS / Norton talking up all their sales pitches of factory money spent, state of the art, testing, quality control, etc.

You would of bought a new 961 now because you were worried to buying one during the Doomed Donington Days (DDD)
These new TVS Norton owners should not be having the same issues as Donington made bikes on any level. Period.

Just imagine you ordering an item you’ve been wanting for a period of time.
Waiting patiently to receive this item.

Then when you do finally receive this beloved item, it’s in some way flawed and already needs repaired or addressed.
The gut wrenching feeling of your new item takes away the excitement.

Oh wait, I forgot. You do know that feeling. Your gas cap leaks fuel.
The same one you been complaining about since you installed the new tank. Yet you don’t want to send it back because you’re not willing to remove the fuel pump and risk shipping it back to the maker. Interesting.

Kinda like you also complaining about the cost of the seat tail and other replacement parts.

Side note:
When I say TVS.
You know exactly whom I speaking of.

Long live Norton.
 
I hate to beat what seems to be a dead horse, but...
After reading CR961's posts, I'm more than a bit discouraged by the performance of Dr. Bob's boys.
I thought that it was promising that TVS/Norton decided to continue 961 production, and correct its known flaws.
Now it seems that perhaps the engineering effort was not all that successful.
Apparently, the EFI system still has its issues, and that is truly sad.
Something that can easily be remedied, or replaced should not be a factor in the 961's joy of ownership.
Good grief, Royal Enfield bikes start nicely, idle well, and run fine, but not Norton 961s!!!?o_O
Shame on Dr. Bob's boys.
As V2D2 stated previously, 13 years is enough time to correct the 961's issues.
ALL OF THE 961's PROBLEMS!
 
I hate to beat what seems to be a dead horse, but...
After reading CR961's posts, I'm more than a bit discouraged by the performance of Dr. Bob's boys.
I thought that it was promising that TVS/Norton decided to continue 961 production, and correct its known flaws.
Now it seems that perhaps the engineering effort was not all that successful.
Apparently, the EFI system still has its issues, and that is truly sad.
Something that can easily be remedied, or replaced should not be a factor in the 961's joy of ownership.
Good grief, Royal Enfield bikes start nicely, idle well, and run fine, but not Norton 961s!!!?o_O
Shame on Dr. Bob's boys.
As V2D2 stated previously, 13 years is enough time to correct the 961's issues.
ALL OF THE 961's PROBLEMS!
I understand it may seem to many of us like a hassle to deal with fuelling in the modern era, but the Commando is in its own category today. There is nothing comparable. Since it starts every time and runs and rides great where it matters, I take the issues that I have highlighted (and which may now seem overblown) as a part of the whole package, which I love completely.
So far, I am very happy with it, it´s magical, in part specifically because it is not perfect in a modern excel spreadsheet assessment kind of way.
I am sorry and dismayed for anyone who is experiencing evidence of substandard workmanship/engineering/QC going contrary to the story told by Solihull. So far, that is not the case of our bike, except for the above.
 
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