getting my norton back on the road

A lot will depend on the condition of the bike before storage and what if any preparation for storage was done and what conditions it was stored under . If stored correctly ,a new battery ,fuel and oil and probably tires changed and it would be ready to go. But I very much doubt that is the case. Tell us more.

This thread could be helpfull to many as plenty of new owners will not know what to do before storing a bike . The very least I would do would be ,clean the machine and apply oil/grease to chrome and polished alloy change engine and box oil and run the motor,drain fuel ,remove battery, Kick the motor over with the plugs out to remove combustion products and oil the bores,replace the plugs finger tight ,oil the drive chain,tape over the tank breather, block up to take load off tyres, pad the tank seat and clocks and cover the whole bike. Don't mean to hi jack your thread Dean, What did you do?.

Previously dean_smith wrote:

hello, I have just brought my Norton dominator to France after having it in storage for 6 years, I don't have a great deal of mechanical knowledge and was wondering if anybody could give me some advice/top tips on what to do or watch out for when getting a motorcycle started and road safe after it being in storage for a long while. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Dean

As Robertsays it dependson the conditions it was kept in, and the condition it was in whenstored. If things (wheels, steering, levers suspension)turnand move as they shouldwithno obviousseizing, wobblingetcthen thefirst thingIwoulddo iswash it down. Youwill beamazedwhat you seewhen you spongeitover.

Lubeup themoving parts (fulcrums, cables chains), drain the sump andanalyse what's come out; water?oil?blackgunge?

Fueltank,carb bowls should beinspected fordebris; open the filler cap and run yourfinger around theinner surface... is it rusty? ifso it will get in to you carb andblock jets etc. Carbbowl(s),clean?

Pay particularattention totyres andevenmore so, totubes. theytendtoletgoafterthey have beenstatic a while.

Turnthewheelswhileresting a steel against thespokes, theyshould all make(more orless) the same"ring" sound,a"dead" sound may indicatelooseorbrokenspoke.

Drop thewheels outand vacuum thebrakes out. Checkyouhavereasonablelinings(usually small drillings in thewear surface; if they are flush theymay needchanging [or they arebonded])and the mechanisms move. Drumfrictionsurfacesneedto beclean anddry.

Sixyears ago is nota long periodbut the previoususe ofthe machine, condition when storedorparts fittedback then may have an influence on thecurrent condition. Original parts,Chinese copies, maintenance level, anysignsoflack of lubrication tochain orcables?

These are justpreliminary checks and again itdepends on what we are starting with. Pictures wouldhelp. ....Enjoy

If coil ignition it will need a new battery, If the old one fitted well and had the connectors in the right place take it along with you as a pattern as there are many combinations . Check the date on the tyre walls ,if they have flatted or very old they wont ride well. change the engine and box oils ,if you release the rubber return pipe to the tank fitting when you run the motor you can pump out a pint of old oil till the new comes through. THe clutch will be a bit stuck but may free with a bit of abuse. check primary case oil level . put a few drops of light oil in the plug holes and kick over,drain the sump, it will be full. squirt some oil into the exhaust valve areas to drain onto the cams, brake drums may be rusty watch out for grabbing on the front. The carb float will probably stick in the open position may have to give it a few taps on the cover if petrol floods, Tap may have dried out ,watch out for leaks. It will likely smoke well at first and you may need a few new plugs . Try it out well before joining the traffic. I once started and rode an old rusty wreck of a Rudge Ulster Grand Prix that had been stored with no prep in a damp shed for 35 years after adding oil and petrol only, but i was only 14 at the time!.

Previously dean_smith wrote:

wow looks like ive got a lot to keep me busy, thanks for the adviceI will try and post some pictures at the weekend.

Hey its notheapsof work Dean. Just be aware of thingsthatmake it goAND stop. Ensure that clutch isfree and there issomesemblence of rertardation from thebrakes. Buildup toitslowly. Robert has hit the keypoints. Ifitdontlookright or you are unsurepostiton here. Someone will help....

Was it running whenstored? They are fairly simple things; fuel air and firein sufficient quantityand orderand itsaway. Just dont doitbefore you aresure its not going to destroy itself,internallyoragainstabrickwall!

CHeers

Jon

Think I might add oil to that list Jon! George

Hi Dean,

Just to add, the fuel tank- Did it have any internal sealant applied in the past? e.g. Petseal?

If so, it is almost certain that the modern fuels will dissolve it, especially in France now that E10 is the norm there.

If it has been sealed in the dim and distant past, then the only 'solution' is to get the old sealant out and redo it with one of the modern "ethanol safe" sealants.

Regards,

George.

Hi Dean. I'm in pretty much the same situation having just bought a 1960's '99', the slight difference is that mine has been stored in a somewhat better condition to yours. That said the previous owner/owners have made a rats nest out of the wiring but it does work, the mag ignition doesn't produce any chance of a spark as yet so is probably in a less than perfect condition. Up to now I've had the carb to bits and gave it a really good clean out and replace all the gaskets, etc. Oiled all the cable operated parts, replacedthe copper sealson the exhausts, drained the oil as it had wet-sumpedand I'll soonbe attacking the clutch as it seems to be very stiff. Luckily the bike was stored with the weight off the wheels with the tyres inflated so they seem OK as does the spoke tension.Brake inspection/refurbishment, electronic ignition and new clutch cable and some minor cosmetic workare allon the 'to do list'. To add to the list of what has already been said, just make sure you can definitely stop before you go.

Regards

John

Further to what Jonathan suggested, I would urge caution when dismantling the brakes and in the first instance, assume that it has old linings which are likely to contain asbestos. I certainly wouldn't use a vaccuum cleaner which will then blow particles back into the air.

If asbestos in present then you'll certainly need a mask and disposable overalls are not a bad idea. Clean the parts with damp rags and bag them properly for correct disposal. My preference would be to do it out of doors on a still day.

Of course, we all worked on asbestos linings back in the day but no sense taking unnecessary risks in the light of modern-day knowledge.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/mvr/mechanical-repair/asbestos.htm

Previously richard_payne wrote:

Further to what Jonathan suggested, I would urge caution when dismantling the brakes and in the first instance, assume that it has old linings which are likely to contain asbestos. I certainly wouldn't use a vaccuum cleaner which will then blow particles back into the air.

If asbestos in present then you'll certainly need a mask and disposable overalls are not a bad idea. Clean the parts with damp rags and bag them properly for correct disposal. My preference would be to do it out of doors on a still day.

Of course, we all worked on asbestos linings back in the day but no sense taking unnecessary risks in the light of modern-day knowledge.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/mvr/mechanical-repair/asbestos.htm

NotedRichard,especially thePPE, though Istillsee vacuummoreeffectivefor theoperativethan cleaningwithdamp ragsetc. Goodmodern dayitemscomewithHEPAfilter capturing particlesdown to 0.3mu(asbestos 0.7mu). Dispose of thebag/filter appropriatlyandall should bewell. But point taken.

Best Regards

Jon