What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

I am guilty of doing nothing with my Commando for a very long time now. In my life, I always have a project, the last time I raced, I pretty much proved my Seeley 850. I would still very much like to record an on-board video to demonstrate how it self-steers in the correct direction when gassed hard in corners. However our local motor-race circuit has become cars-only - I will have to drive 400 kilometres to Goulburn in NSW. It will need a big burst of motivation. I was watching a video yesterday about a Laverda production racer being road tested. On every gear-change there was a pause - I never ride like that. All there should be, is a change of note. I must be very strange. I once rode my mate's 650 Triton - he picked-up on that about gear-changing. I still believe he does not know how I ride faster than him. His bike was faster than my 500cc Triton when I ran high gearing, but I once ran low gearing and made him look stupid - low gearing was dangerous when entering corners behind larger capacity bikes with the drum front brake. With discs, braking inside the corner is OK. That pause on the gearchange might have something to do with throttle response?
 
Today i installed the bottom half of my TDC tool in my left cylinder.
I think that was a mistake.
In addition i found my inventory or Whitworth wrenches is not correct for head removal.
And none of the inventory of off-size wrenches fit.

So 3 things accomplished.
And 1 week further back.

At this rate i will be done in forever. ( add a year, or 50, for underestimates.)
 
WW tools are cheap to buy I have a full WW sockets, open/ring and open spanners that I have collected over the years, work on a Norton you need them, not good forcing AF sockets on head bolts, just get the tools you need for the job and your motor will thank you for it, in fact I still have my first socket, ring and spanner set I brought back in the 70s to work on my Honda dirt bike at 15 years old, I have collected tools for all my bikes I have ever owned and they still get used.
 
ashman said:
WW tools are cheap to buy I have a full WW sockets, open/ring and open spanners that I have collected over the years, work on a Norton you need them, not good forcing AF sockets on head bolts, just get the tools you need for the job and your motor will thank you for it, in fact I still have my first socket, ring and spanner set I brought back in the 70s to work on my Honda dirt bike at 15 years old, I have collected tools for all my bikes I have ever owned and they still get used.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice.

I am a bit the same. tools dating back to the 70s. Its not the cost as much as the space!

I have a Craftsman 7/16 that is "sloppy" from back then, maybe the 80s. It fits a 1/4W tighter than my 1/4W! plus a couple other off-spec that fit specific places.
That doesn't include the _adjusted to fit_ pile! (my inspection cover remover is a ground down paddle bit. 1/4 drive is plenty of torque for inspection cover)

Waiting on what _else_ I need. Hopefully don't get one of the .1% that are out of spec...
 
Well, if there was a group for "What can't you do with your Norton today", I should be posting there because I won't be riding for a while. Did some work on the 850 yesterday installing Matt's LH switch and moved to the swing arm to install an upgrade bearing kit and discovered upon wiggling the rear tire, once the z-plate and muffler was removed to open things up a bit, that the engine subframe was wiggling in line with the rear wheel. Even felt like a "tunk" sound as the wheel went side to side. I felt around at the shims in the rear iso and they were spinning around freely and even had space to move side to side. Me thinks that I need a rear iso replacement. I replaced the front with a vernier type from Matt last summer, so this will be the second half of that install. I was hoping to wait until my e-start comes in from Matt, but I'm thinking its probably not too safe to ride around with it like that.

Any pointers for a newbie on how best to tackle this replacement on a fully assembled bike? I know that's a completely loaded question, with likely an equally loaded set of opinions and ideas. But hey, I'll take what I can get and start photographing and taking things apart...

Hopefully it won't take too long. Then again, maybe I'll drag that Combat out of the house and ride that while I work on the 850. Nice to have a spare bike...
 
Thanks for the input guys. I have the single part tube that Matt sells at cNw for the rear isolastic so I was hopeful that the process mentioned by ntst8 would work for me. It sounded like it might, but only if I try to insert it from the right side of the tube once I've exposed that part of the tube lifting the rear tire, as mentioned in the latter part of the procedure. Fingers crossed that it might work...
 
Have had to check in the archives : )
I fitted Andover part 06.6126, so one piece.
I already had verniers of unknown origin but there was chat around the Andover rubbers being better spec'd for absorbing the vibes. From memory there was a noticeable improvement after the fitting.
 
Over the weekend: Saturday: Checked head bolts and valve clearance. Head bolts were to spec. One exhaust valve was just a smidgen too tight, so I loosened it a couple of millimeters. .008 feeler gauge now goes in snug without binding. Sunday: rode to breakfast with some people. Very little traffic at 7 AM on a Sunday. Bike however was coughing a bit in lower gears at lower RPM. Smooth at 5 and a half to 6 thou RPM. I have made the decision not to ride Norton to the Quincy rally, taking a fifty year old bike 500 miles round trip when it is not 100% is madness, and I have been there and done that. No time before I leave to figure out what is wrong. Will ride one of my modern Triumphs.
 
Packed and loaded ready to set off to Newhaven for an overnight before the 9:30 ferry to Dieppe. The onwards to Guérande for the INOC Rally.
DO1000890.jpeg
DO1000891.jpeg

Arnie meets Elsie for the first time 😁
 
last evening; went down to a show / meeting of the local 'Steam & Vintage' society at the grounds of a local hotel, one of my neighbours is involved with the society and asked if I would go on my Commando. Turned out to be the only bike on display amongst several vintage tractors, some steam traction engines and a few cars. A very pleasant evening.

Then noticed that one of the fork legs is leaking oil, so a job to be done...

p.s. have some photos of my Commando similarly loaded for a continental trip - it's amazing how much stuff can be lashed onto the back seat with a few bungies. Have a great trip.
 

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