Commando IIA recommissioning!

Once the old oil has been drained and replaced with new, including the crankcases, provided the bores are clean and not rusty starting should be straightforward. Pazon seem to get good reviews, Trispark are more expensive and also get good reviews though I have had problems with mine. It would be worth cleaning the carbs and completely fresh petrol in the tank. Your two handed clutch probably needs an extra steel plate in to get the stack of plates to the correct height and get the diaphragm spring to the optimum operating point. New tyres and tubes and a new battery. 20:50 is a good choice in my opinion and Morris V twin gets my vote.

Trispark has a slow but steady dip of failures, no reason has ever been given by Trispark, units are replaced promptly but speculation is that the electronics being fitted inside the timing chamber is being affected by heat. Boyer MK1 electronics were in the same place and suffered failures from heat, from MK2 Boyer moved to an external box.

New tyres of course, but also look over any other rubber items, the front brake hose can delaminate and lock the brake on or block the pressure leaving you with no brake. It will also have gone spongy and reduce the applied pressure, Goodridge type tube replacement wil cure and also improve feel.

The extra plate in the clutch will reduce the effort but if it starts slipping you need to go back a bit in overall thickness of the stack by fitting a thinner outer plate, the one the diaphragm bears on.

Replace all rubber seals in brake system and the flexible pipe if its not been changed for a braided stainless type.

Pour 1/2 pint of oil over rockers this will give them some lube and then drain down to cam and followers.

New fuel piping is also a must as it will be hard and brittle. The same goes for the oil supply and return pipes. All these pipe are cheap and easy to change but leakage and/or failure can be very costly.

Remove and wash out the oil tank well as crud will have settled in the bottom. Give it a full service new plugs an leads etc.

Then cross fingers an kick it up (hopefully). Fork seals plus engine and gearbox seal may need replacing but they will not stop the engine from working which is a big day an good morale boost.

Previously andrew_frejek wrote:

Thanks for the advice.

I intend to get the engine and drivetrain up and running first off and then tackle the running gear and cycle parts.

The front brake master cylinder is going to need replacing,and as a precaution the braided brake hose,the calliper I possibly may be able to overhaul,but would it be worth it,they weren't great in their day and may be best to just change the lot.Back in the day a club mate tried all the then upgrades for the front brake and he found that the only thing worth changing for a marked improvement was to fit a braided hose,maybe things have moved on since then?Not sure about the front disc,has some surface rust but not much more than being parked overnight on Douglas promenade!

i put a new set of forks in in 1986! and fitted fork gaiters so hopefully the sliders are ok but shall lift the gaiters to check the fork seals after changing the oil.

I used to use Russell motors for Commando parts,they are still there but not too sure what they stock nowadays,mainly AMC,I think ,but shall pop in and see,can anyone recommend any other current suppliers?

Previously christopher_winsby wrote:

Previously andrew_frejek wrote:

Thanks for the advice.

I intend to get the engine and drivetrain up and running first off and then tackle the running gear and cycle parts.

The front brake master cylinder is going to need replacing,and as a precaution the braided brake hose,the calliper I possibly may be able to overhaul,but would it be worth it,they weren't great in their day and may be best to just change the lot.Back in the day a club mate tried all the then upgrades for the front brake and he found that the only thing worth changing for a marked improvement was to fit a braided hose,maybe things have moved on since then?Not sure about the front disc,has some surface rust but not much more than being parked overnight on Douglas promenade!

i put a new set of forks in in 1986! and fitted fork gaiters so hopefully the sliders are ok but shall lift the gaiters to check the fork seals after changing the oil.

I used to use Russell motors for Commando parts,they are still there but not too sure what they stock nowadays,mainly AMC,I think ,but shall pop in and see,can anyone recommend any other current suppliers?

Try Andover Norton or RGM motors

I agree, about the Trispark ignition mine never ran right, changed it to a Pazon perfect now, didn't bother returning it. If their quality control can't get it right first time who's to say a repair will be any better.

Hi all,

This is very informative.

I have just acquired a '74 interstate and am faced with much the same concerns and dilemmas!!

I shall continue to follow the thread.

Keith

My recommissioning experience. Ibought a '73 MK1A 850 with 11,000 miles on the clockback in '77 , ran it for a year then went out to East Africa for the next 28 years living and working there.Returned to UK in 2006 and wheeled the bike out of the garage whereit had sat silenton its centre stand for almost three decades.Changed the engine oil and filter , fitted a new set of plugsand battery , kicked here over several times and away she went after about a dozen swings - albeit roughly. After checking and resetting timing and fitting a new set ofAmal carbs , she ranfine - and still does today.

Hi Andrew,

I'm one year into restoring my 72 Roadster which was stored for 38 years and I concur with the above advice given and would add that the carbs should be cleaned as the old petrol would have left deposits in the float chambers and could have blocked the jets. If you were running on unleaded prior to storing the bike then the deposits maybe less but I found that old 4 star made a complete mess of my carbs. Also, the petrol tank should be cleaned out and resealed. I did not initially do that and then found the filters in the banjos getting clogged once new fuel was added. I followed the process shown on RealClassic web site and the results we excellent. (http://www.realclassic.co.uk/techfiles/petrol_tank_cleaning_and_rust_removal.html )

The 2 chemicals mentioned can be found in Homebase for a few pounds but take note of the safety advice. I took the process to the point of drying the tank then used Caswell tank sealer which worked a treat.

Regarding the front master cylinder, I suggest you get an upgraded version from Andover Norton rather than refurbish the only one. Everyone I have spoken to recommends this approach as the braking is greatly improved.

With the bike sitting for so long you may also find the crankcase seal on the primary side may have deteriorated and if this is the case you will find the primary case has excess oil in it. This was the case on mine and after a few runs after draining, the oil level in the primary case was a few inches above the level plug. A few additional bits to add your to do list!!

Hi Andrew,

interesting comparison of electronic ignition advance curves on accessnorton.com

http://www.accessnorton.com/electronic-ignition-advance-curves-t25596.htmp

David, your link appears to be broken ...

Previously david_crader wrote:

Hi Andrew,

interesting comparison of electronic ignition advance curves on accessnorton.com

http://www.accessnorton.com/electronic-ignition-advance-curves-t25596.htmp

Hello all

This link should work.

http://www.accessnorton.com/electronic-ignition-advance-curves-t25596.html

Andy

Previously neil_renwick wrote:

Hi Andrew,

Regarding the front master cylinder, I suggest you get an upgraded version from Andover Norton rather than refurbish the only one. Everyone I have spoken to recommends this approach as the braking is greatly improved.

With the bike sitting for so long you may also find the crankcase seal on the primary side may have deteriorated and if this is the case you will find the primary case has excess oil in it. This was the case on mine and after a few runs after draining, the oil level in the primary case was a few inches above the level plug. A few additional bits to add your to do list!!

... yes , front brake upgrade definitely recommended. After several attempts at getting the original Norton front disc brake to work properly with all new parts in caliper and master cylindergave up and fitted a Norvil upgrade kit which solved all problems and produced a really good stopper. Needed to change the completehydraulic line also as original was gunged up after three decades and would not allow caliper pistons to release properly. Quality upgrade kits available from Norvil , RGM and Andover Norton.