I bought my 1974 850 earlier but am only now about to start on a complete renovation. Before I start I am looking for tips and good ideas, I wonder;
* Are there any frame mods I should carry out before painting? * shall I go for one carb or two and which carb? * Can I simply swop fork sliders left to right to get the caliper on the RHS? * I have bought a Boyer ignition and a Pazon are there any other good tips before I start? * What tyres * Are there any engine or other mods I could do? Have I missed anything
I am hoping to start riding in the spring
Thanks in advance for your suggestions?
Roger
Hello Rodger, There are so…
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* Are there any frame mods…
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Previously john_holmes wro…
Previously john_holmes wrote:
* Are there any frame mods I should carry out before painting? I powdercoat, weld a tab on the left rail under the primary where the sidestand rubber touches to stop it going too far in. If they are not there weld reinforing plates by the top shock mounts to support the back rail.Fit venier iso's and fit clamps on the swing arm tube in the gearbox cradle to stop the pin wallowing out the tube..* shall I go for one carb or two and which carb?Resleeve the current ones or buy Premier replacements, both will have different materials body and slides so the excessive wear of the orginals is cured * Can I simply swop fork sliders left to right to get the caliper on the RHS?No as you need to stop the bearing retainer from unscrewing, my 74 850 tracks true hands off, no reason why yours shouldn't if assembled correctly.* I have bought a Boyer ignition and a Pazon are there any other good tips before I start? Only fit one, Pazon is slightly better than a Boyer* What tyresAvon roadriders 90/90 front 100/90 rear * Are there any engine or other mods I could do?How much do you want to spend ?Have I missed anythingFront brake upgrades, at least stainless pipe and a 13mm bore master cylinder.I am hoping to start riding in the springThen don't plan on doing too much, it always takes longer
The reason for swopping the caliper to the other side is not to prevent brake pull but to minimise a subject sometimes dealt with under the general heading of"Centroids of Areas and Volumes". Sounds good dosn't it -basically summed up it means that if a weight rotates about a centre of rotation there is a momentum to be dealt with at the end of its travel; the closer to the point of rotation thesmaller is the momentum. I don't suppose it will make much difference to my riding, grey beard and years though.
I amjust wondering if anything came loose if the caliper was moved to the other side?
Anyway thanks for your help so far. Roger
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Hello Rodger,
There are so many upgrades and special parts available for Nortons and especially Commando's that it is really down to how deep your pockets are! Start by deciding what you want the bike to look like and what sort of riding you will be using it for as a lot of tuning parts are a waste of money if you are not looking for the fastest bike out there.
There are no special secrets on how to build a good engine but it is definitely not an area to try to skimp and save. Get a genuine workshop manual and read it carefully. Make sure everything that is going back in the engine is servicable, Clean the sludge trap out in the crank!
Think carfully before blasting anything with grit that has anything to do with the oil or the engine as if any residue is left inside this can quickly destroy a new engine (I know because I've done it).
The standard Commando (if there is such a thing) is a good compromise between reliability and performance. In real world terms, it should do the ton and if put together carefully should not need touching for many thousands of miles. Tuning, or going away from standard will more often than not effect this unless the work is carried out by someone who knows the Norton engine well. Sensible mods do include electronic ignition and other electrical updates such as higher output alternator, solid state regulator/rectifier, new wiring harness if needed and so forth, as a lot of niggly problems originate from dodgy old electrics. The problems with the front brake are well documented and can be vastly improved by changing/modifying the mastercylinder and the brake caliper and fitting a bigger disc makes for a fine front brake if your not too worried about originality. The idea of swapping the fork sliders over so that the caliper is on the left (nearside) seems to have originated because some people seemed to think that with the standard set up, the bike either (a) pulled to the right, or (b) suffered from poor brakes in the rain due to the position of the caliper, or (c) both! I have ridden many Commando's with all sorts of brakes in all sorts of positions and I can only say that as long as they work well, I've never been able to tell the difference. I see lots of bikes fitted with single carbs, and there's nothing wrong with that. They usually change them when the old concentrics get worn out and they blame them for being fiddly to set up. If you like the look of the twin Amals they are quite simple to set up and offer optimum performance and still manage remarkable mpg ( I was averaging almost 70mpg on a Combat 750 going to and from the Bremen rally doing 70mph on the Autobahn!). At the end of the day, it's your bike and your going to have to ride it so its up to you.
The rest is really down to fitting the later adjustable isolastic fittings and making sure that the swining arm and fork bushes are ok, everything else is just cosmetic and how you want the bike to look.
Good luck and have fun!
Regards,
Pete Austin