What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

[nortonmargie]

My parts from Andover were delivered and I ran them over to the mechanic. Bike should be ready in 10 days. Happiness!

 

[Richard Tool]

Took a ride with a buddy to Mott’s Creek - beautiful sunny 70 degree weather in November. I’ll take it but it won’t last .

As I didn’t take any pics today here is one from a previous trip . Boat launch area at base of Lower Bank drawbridge on the Mullica River .

 

[TBW]

Took a ride with a buddy to Mott’s Creek - beautiful sunny 70 degree weather in November. I’ll take it but it won’t last .
View attachment 117201
As I didn’t take any pics today here is one from a previous trip . Boat launch area at base of Lower Bank drawbridge on the Mullica River .

Slick cycle there Richard

 

[Café au Lait]

Had my last long (group) ride of the year today (probably anyway), 150+ miles to and around The Cotswolds on a rather chilly @ 9 degrees day in lovely autumnal countryside. Set off at 8.30 am returned 3.30pm.

A couple of refreshment stops to let the poor GS riders admire a real bike

The Old Post Office cafe, Guiting Power,

 

[daveforty]

Lovely road from Stow to Toddington over Stanway Hill, and the cafe at the steam railway station at Toddington isnt bad.

 

[Café au Lait]

Well that 2nd 1k miles sure did come around quickly. Straightforward oil change again although waiting for the return oil still freaks me out even though I know it’s not starving the critical parts

Took the opportunity to check valve clearances and just as I had finished all 4 I noticed this:

Ouch!

I touched one edge and another bit fell off:

Thankfully it got stuck in the oil on the casting but I think I’ve found at least one source of all the swarf on the sump magnet

Obviously I’ll not be riding it like this and I assume it’s not a straightforward job, bugger!

 

[Fast Eddie]

I never use mushroom head tappets.

Not a huge job to replace: remove the rocker, unscrew the tappet, replace.

Normal (ie not mushroom head) types will simply unscrew from the top (for future ref).

All this is assuming you are confident that you have accounted for all the shrapnel. If any has fallen into the cam follower tunnels it could be eating away at your barrel and followers…

 

[Café au Lait]

I never use mushroom head tappets.

Not a huge job to replace: remove the rocker, unscrew the tappet, replace.

Normal (ie not mushroom head) types will simply unscrew from the top (for future ref).

All this is assuming you are confident that you have accounted for all the shrapnel. If any has fallen into the cam follower tunnels it could be eating away at your barrel and followers…

Certainly not confident. My first oil change found a fair amount of swarf but no chunks on the sump magnet or in oil which I sent Matt a photo of.

His advice was to see how the next oil change went:

I checked both sump magnets (I fitted AN sludge trap) Again, no bits in the old oil.

 

[marinatlas]

Post in thread 'Crunchies on the drainplug %^^&*&('

Sep 10, 2016

Jim
Which mushroom head rocker adjusters were you using? Did the bits of it score the bore of the lifter tunnel?
I don't like crunchies either.
Cheers,
Thomas
CNN

There are a few scratches. Not terminal.

I have found some hyper-eutectic pistons that look promising -and considerably longer. I will need to bush the pin holes.

If I can use the pistons, I will use a fresh barrel.

I will have to find out who made the mushroom adjusters.

• comnoz

 

[ludwig]

Well that 2nd 1k miles sure did come around quickly. Straightforward oil change again although waiting for the return oil still freaks me out even though I know it’s not starving the critical parts

Took the opportunity to check valve clearances and just as I had finished all 4 I noticed this:

Ouch!

I touched one edge and another bit fell off:

Thankfully it got stuck in the oil on the casting but I think I’ve found at least one source of all the swarf on the sump magnet

Obviously I’ll not be riding it like this and I assume it’s not a straightforward job, bugger!

Hard to believe that a reputed shop installed that crap.

 

[o0norton0o]

Wow, Just looking at the shape of the mushroom head adjuster, it seems like an obvious stress point at the smaller diameter above the mushroomed part... and sure enough it broke there. What's the idea behind the mushroom shaped adjuster? Does it help to center the force over the valve tip better than a stock adjuster?

Sometimes,.... ya gotta open it up and look... If it was my bike, the head and barrels would come off, then I'd assess from there whether I had to split the cases to change the cam if it's damaged too. If the cam is ok, I would wash the whole bottom end and reassemble hoping that the big ends were saved by the oil filter.

Maybe buy one of those cameras on a stalk that can go inside the crankcase and see for sure if there's any damage to the cam... This way if you decide to just replace the adjusters and take a chance, you've inspected the cam lobes and they aren't damaged..... If you inspect them and they are clearly damaged... you're in a whole 'nother world...

 

[Deets55]

This was what my drain plug looked like when my factory MKIII cam bit the dust at around 20k. I don't think you can get a bore scope up from the bottom to really see the cam. I just removed the head and barrel to find the damage. Wish you luck, and hopefully everything checks out good.

 

[DougC]

Dismantled the front isolastic to check that everything was ok in there. Hopefully it should be good for another 50 years.....

 

[mdt-son]

Well that 2nd 1k miles sure did come around quickly. Straightforward oil change again although waiting for the return oil still freaks me out even though I know it’s not starving the critical parts

Took the opportunity to check valve clearances and just as I had finished all 4 I noticed this:

Ouch!

I touched one edge and another bit fell off:

I think I see traces of fatigue cracking, transitioning to stress cracking, and finally violent rupture. This location is severly loaded, as it pushes the valve down at maxium valve spring resistance.
You should replace all of them as a matter of caution.

Who supplied these adjusters? A.N. sell mushroom head adjusters, but yours could be from another source.

If I were you, I'd lift off the barrel and clean the cam follower bores. Crankcase can then be flushed out with petrol + compressed air.
Are your valve adjusters made of a magnetic steel alloy? Not all steel alloys are magnetic. If they are not, the flushing needs to be very thorough.

Hopefully the cause of all the swarf can be revealed.

- Knut

 

[concours]

Certainly not confident. My first oil change found a fair amount of swarf but no chunks on the sump magnet or in oil which I sent Matt a photo of.

His advice was to see how the next oil change went:

I checked both sump magnets (I fitted AN sludge trap) Again, no bits in the old oil.

Thread 'Why we call it "inspection"...(2018)'

Jan 8, 2018

'74 Roadster, 43,000 miles (of which, the last 31,000 were well cared, not abused, and there is no reason to think the first 12,000 were different). No unusual noise whatsoever, and I listened.
Timing side main has failed.

• concours
• Replies: 156
• Forum: Norton Commando Forum

• 

 

[Café au Lait]

I think I see traces of fatigue cracking, transitioning to stress cracking, and finally violent rupture. This location is severly loaded, as it pushes the valve down at maxium valve spring resistance.
You should replace all of them as a matter of caution.

Who supplied these adjusters? A.N. sell mushroom head adjusters, but yours could be from another source.

If I were you, I'd lift off the barrel and clean the cam follower bores. Crankcase can then be flushed out with petrol + compressed air.
Are your valve adjusters made of a magnetic steel alloy? Not all steel alloys are magnetic. If they are not, the flushing needs to be very thorough.

Hopefully the cause of all the swarf can be revealed.

- Knut

The bike is cNw build #101 by Matt Rambow. Naturally I’ve been in contact with him and he’s given great advice and yes, I certainly will be replacing all 4! With the rockers out I’ll have a good look for other bits but Matt doesn’t think anything too drastic is necessary, I, as a novice here struggle with that and some of the feedback from you guys makes we wonder what course of action to take.

 

[Fast Eddie]

The bike is cNw build #101 by Matt Rambow. Naturally I’ve been in contact with him and he’s given great advice and yes, I certainly will be replacing all 4! With the rockers out I’ll have a good look for other bits but Matt doesn’t think anything too drastic is necessary, I, as a novice here struggle with that and some of the feedback from you guys makes we wonder what course of action to take.

There is not tons of material involved here.

Did you find the material ?

 

[Café au Lait]

As it happens I did a deeper inspection when I got back from a bike meet (on the Kawasaki obviously) and found this lodged between the valve spring seat and the casing. It’s bloody tight and no way I could use a magnet or any tool. Had a brainwave though and magnetised an old feel gauge which made it a doodle. Search as I could, I didn’t find any more though Matt reckons with the rockers out I may be able to search deeper.

I dropped the new oil from the sump, all 200ml of it and it alone with both magnets was clean and inspected the oil filter and gauze filter. Replaced with fresh nonetheless.

 

[Richard Tool]

Winter is coming so it seems time will be available - tear it down and be certain. A few evenings work - why risk it ? When you have it behind you , you will have moved out of the novice category somewhat…

 

[Café au Lait]

Further investigations have put my mind at rest. This shot from when I first noticed

This was before I dislodged a small piece with my fingernail which I immediately recovered.

This part clearly fills the gap in the 1st photo. Its underside is highly burnished meaning it can only fit on the left of the break. Therefore it appears I’ve recovered most of not all of the parts and I’m in agreement with Matt that tearing the engine down is therefore unnecessary. Time to order some parts me thinks, wish me luck