Removing Gearbox Outer Cover

The gearbox outer cover is on the right side of the bike and has mechanism for the kick starter and the clutch cable termination point.

The cover is retained by 5, fillister head, slotted machine screws. Since these screws most likely haven't been removed for 35 years, it wasn't surprising that 3 were frozen. Two came free with a lot of pressure on the end of the screw driver and slow even application of torque turning the screw, the other 3 were stuck. Besides being slotted head screws and recessed the screws seemed to be of a fairly soft metal as using a drift on one to try and break the binding free resulted in the slot on one screw closing slightly. Fortunately I was able to get the screw drive blade back into the slot. A combination of lots of heat and sacrificing a chuckable flat bladed driver to fit in the screws slot and then hammering it, they came free.

Not surprisingly a bit of water leaked out the bottom before the gear lube spilled out when the cover was removed.

Gearbox Inner Cover

Gearbox Outer Cover

Rust on the Clutch Operating Lever

Metal filings in the bottom of the gearbox outer cover

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Of concern is the sizable amount of metal filings in the outer cover. It has me wondering what I'll find when I open the gearbox itself.

Stuck Piston

The piston is still stuck after repeated attempts to free it. The present plan is to disassemble the motor and split the cases, then unbolt the connecting rod and free the cylinder. Then I can attempt to fee the piston without damaging anything but the piston and cylinder. A foreseeable problem is that the studs that secure the cylinder to the cases do not clear the cylinder even when the cylinder is raised as much as the con rod length allows. That's a tomorrow problem. 

Of Valves and Stuck Pistons

Disassembled the valve train today and it came apart quite easily. I feared that the valves in the left cylinder would be frozen like the piston but they fell out without much effort.

The valve seat doesn't appear in bad shape and neither does the valve.

Now the frozen left piston is another matter. This past Wednesday I filled the cylinder with PB Blaster and let it sit till Friday afternoon, hoping it would free the piston. No such luck. So I tried it again and left the PB Blaster in till this morning. Repeatedly beating on the piston top with a 5lb hammer with first a block of wood cushioning (hoping to save the piston) and then a hardened steel drift pin had no effect but denting the piston top.

Evapo-Rust was suggested as a possible solvent to release the piston, but that requires the ambient temperature be 65 degrees, which my garage won't be on its own till June. Fired up the torpedo heater to warm the place up and filled the cylinder with Evapo-Rust and left it sit for 5 hours, and... The piston is still stuck in place. But the solvent did loosen much of the surface rust on the cylinder wall.

Earlier I had removed all the nuts and bolts retaining the cylinder to the crank case and raised the cylinder about 3/4" off the crank case, which shows that the crank will turn freely.

Not sure where to go with the piston. One thought is remove the crankcase and cylinder from the frame, which I'll be doing anyway, and then splitting the crank case and unbolting connecting rod.

Jim

Cylinder and Pistons

The needed tools to disassemble the cylinder head have been acquired and this will take place in the next couple of days. In the meantime, I've been trying to remove the cylinder from the crank case.

The left piston is rust-welded to the cylinder wall. Wednesday I filled the that cylinder with PB Blaster, hoping that it would free the piston. No such luck. I have removed the retaining nuts and bolts and freed the cylinder from the crank case and elevated it about an inch, where it is now supported by blocks and wedges. I spent about an hour today bang away at the piston with a 5lb mallet cushioned with a block of wood, but to no avail the piston is still stuck. Next I'm going to try an air chisel fitted with a drift pin to see if that can break the hold of the rust.

Lifting the cylinder off the crank case shows that at least the crank shaft will turn and that is not rusted solid.

I've been able to determine that I'm the 4th owner of this bike, recently I tracked down the original owner hoping he would take a bit of time to answer a few questions about the bike.

Readers familiar with Norton Commandos will not right away that the frame has been heavily modified to approximate the design of the legendary Norton Featherbed frame. Commenters at the AccessNorton forum expressed concern that about its rigidity, so this was a primary question that I had. The friend who I bought the Norton from, mentioned that the engine had been modified and I was curious as to if any light could be shed on the nature of the modifications.

The original owner and the person who completed the modifications is the owner of a well known manufacturer of motorcycle accessories. He told me that the frame works well and was stiffer than the stock Commando frame. He also gave me an overview of the motor.

It has been bored out to 906cc, the head ported and polished with big valves installed. The whole thing was balanced and blueprinted and built with light weight pistons and valve train. His recollection is that the motor was producing about 90hp and 75 ft/lb of torque when he had the bike.

Jim

Cylinder Head Off!

My how time fly's. Heat and the hand impact wrench persuaded the stubborn number one head bolt to release.

As you can see water gained access to the left cylinder with the result being rust and mold. Had a friend who does a restorations take a look at the head and his thoughts that it will clean up just fine, but he'd like to take a look at the valve seats.

Note the spark plug tip in the picture below, it was frozen in.

The left cylinder and piston do not look promising, but I expected to replace the cylinder body and pistons.

Valve caps and rocker covers are off in preparation for removing the valve gear. These areas appear to be clean and properly oily.

Note that the lower threads of the spark plug pictured below are filled with aluminum. Something else to be addressed.

Now to locate a valve spring compressing tool that will fit into this head.

Jim

Cylinder Head Removal

Beginning to disassemble the engine. A previous owner had converted the motor to a single carb with the intake manifold appearing that it could have been fabricated by the builder. This manifold is held on by 3 Allen screws. What is interesting is that in both the shop manual and the parts exploded view, 4 bolt holes are shown attaching the intake manifolds for dual carbs. Don't know if 3 was a production variation or if the builder filled the inner pair and then drilled and tapped a single center bolt.

The Allen bolts retaining the manifold easily came out, though the center one required that I cut down an Allen wrench, ruining 3 hack saw blades in the process.

The bolts and nuts securing the cylinder head came off easy enough, except #1 in the tightening sequence. In the picture below, the bolt head on the right.

 

 Most of the fasteners showed evidence that lock-tight or similar was used on assembly and I suspect for #1 that this is also the case. Due to the location it is difficult to get heat on to the position in the cylinder where the bolt is threaded. I'm more afraid of stripping the bolt head than breaking it off. I'll try it again tomorrow with more heat and a hand impact tool, but I need to get the proper size impact socket.

Jim

Progress

The revival had stalled a combination of household projects, the winter of 2015 and frankly waning interest. Prior to the project coming to a halt, I'd built a bench upon which to set the bike, so I could work on it from a comfortable standing height. 

What got me enthused about the revival once again was a dollop of guilt, the chance to view the successfully completed projects of others and the rediscovery of the joy of bombing around on a roadster.

For a week I had the use of an RnineT, a wonderful, smile inducing machine and began thinking, I'd like to have one. But knowing that permission wouldn't be forth coming and forgiveness doubtful, I returned to the revival to scratch my roadster itch.

Today's project was to remove the cylinder head and begin the process of determining the condition of the engine. But immediately a problem appeared. Trixie had been converted from twin carbs to a single Amal with a custom fabricated intake manual, held on by 3 Allen screws. Getting the middle one out will require cutting down an Allen key to fit under the arch.

Difficult to reach Allen screw

 A previous owner had modified the frame in the manner of a Feather Bed Frame by removing the center tube and replacing it with a pair of frame members that runs along the base of the tank and a steering head reinforcement bar that also provides a mounting point for the coils.

Modified frame section with fabricated steering head reinforcement.

Also part of the frame modification was the inclusion of a third Isolator mount in place of the Head Steady. This is mounted to the reinforcement bar and mounted to the cylinder head using the same mounting points as the Head Steady.

Added Isolator

Back at it

The riding season is over, the BMW is put away, the leaves are raked and the other household projects are under control. It's back to Dissembling Trixie.

Small Progress

After several weeks of looking at Trixie in the garage, I finally had a couple of hours to continue the disassembly. The good news is that the spring service is complete in the Dakar and I've gotten out for a couple of day rides.

Joinery

The other day I had a couple of hours and continued the dismantling of the Norton. Most of this involved removal of the electrical, so much marking of wires and note taking transpired. Often when I come across a vehicle of interest or a piece of furniture, my eyes are drawn to how it is joined together. If it is furniture, are the drawers dove tailed, hand or machine cut. How are the corners of the cases joined, etc.

For restored automobiles, it is how do the panels fit, are they level relative to the others and are the gaps uniform. On motorcycles, it is the welds of the frame. Up till now I've mostly looked at Trixie from the point of view of what the bike needed and what I want the finished product to be, but as I spend more time with the bike, I'm seeing and learning more about it.

I'm impressed by the quality of the welds where the frame was modified, the builder was skilled.

Small Progress

Another hour became available and I dismantled much of the ignition system. Among the best advice is taking many pictures, before and during the dismantling. This was true even in the days of film cameras, but digital photography and the ability to print at home, allows you to take the picture and mark up the print as you proceed.

Undoubtedly, I'm among the last to discover this but I still appreciate the ability.

Oh, it Should be So Easy

For the first time in a couple of weeks, I was able to find an hour to begin the marking and removal of the electrical systems, starting with the tail light and blinkers. Having only the hour, there wasn't time to warm the garage, so I bundled up to pull and mark wires in the balmy 25 degree space.

Next step will be to remove the coils and ignition system and then remove the cylinder head to get an idea of what lies in those dark holes.

Today at the Local Beach

Alas, not much has been accomplished on Trixie, life and responsibilities, ugh.

A front has been pushing through over the last couple of days pushing the temperatures into the 50's even 60's. Last night a strong storm passed with the typical effect on the ground swell. A couple of hours before this picture was taken the surf was a mushy mess, then the wind shifted to the SW and the waves smoothed out and the lips held up. Surfers should have been happy.

A Small Start

The other night I had a spare hour and took the opportunity to remove the gas tank and tail light assembly. I've also had an opportunity to spend some quality time examining the shop manuals and have decided to remove the drive train as a unit to begin the examination of the condition of the engine and transmission.

Next step is to mark and remove all the ignition wiring and systems.

Jim

Today on the Local Beach

Normally the local beach looks some thing like this...

But today it looked like this...

This is the result of mixing seawalls with powerful storms. Sandy did the initial damage and last week's Nor'easter simply stripped away the remaining sand. Interestingly some of the missing sand was deposited a mile or so to the south on a section of beach that typically has only rip-rap.

Jim

Why name the Norton Trixie?

The first bike I named was my F650 Dakar, which received the sobriquet Crisco, as in Fat in the Can for the bikes appearance when fitted with aluminum panniers.

Casting about for a name for the Norton, I thought of the Jackie Gleason sit com from the 1950's, the Honeymooners, and remembered Gleason's on air buddy was named Norton, but I couldn't remember the first name. A quick look up showed that Norton's name was Ed and that his wife's was Trixie and that Trixie was a former burlesque performer. Norton: "Every night I'd meet her backstage and hand her a rose ... It was her costume!" My Norton will lose some parts during its revival and it will be entertaining, so why not Trixie, the name is more interesting than Ed.

Jim

Progress Report

The only progress on Trixie has been the receipt of a set of Whitworth sockets, work and finishing a kitchen project have been a priority. But I have given some thought the direction the the revival will take.

The first task is to get the head off and evaluate the condition of that and the cylinder, which I expect will need work. Hopefully the bottom end is still bathed in 20 year old oil, but its not leaking and being British, that's a concern.

The bike will be fully disassembled the subsystems, brake cylinders, wheel & steering head bearing etc, will be rebuilt. I'll replace the wiring harness and electrical components, figuring it is better to start fresh than trouble shoot the old.

The gauges and switch gear are intact but with a broken lens on the tach and the fact that Trixie was left outside for several years, its doubtful that they work. By the way, there are 18,847 miles on the bike, maybe. I'll likely be evaluating replacement gauges and switch gear. Suggestions welcome.

I know this is stock, but it will go.

Depending the the choice of direction, mostly stock or lightly modified I expect to replace

the out of scale tail light and turn signals with something more discreet. Did Euro & UK bikes have different tail light assemblies?

It would be interesting to replace the headlamp with a bi-xenon or LED unit. More light and

less draw on the electrical system. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated?

Jim

Plans - Tentative

With Trixie in the garage and a set of Whitworth sockets having arrived Monday from British Tools and Fasteners, dismantling the bike can begin later this week as my schedule permits.

Prior to starting, some thought needs to be given to what the finished bike will be. First and foremost Trixie will be a rider and this project won't be a restoration, I simply don't care about historical accuracy and if the bike left Wolverhampton with this or that fastening or the proper color paint that was used on the gauge faces. Besides the bike isn't a neglected, but intact, barn find and has been extensively modified by previous owners. So my view of this project is that it is a renovation, reconstruction or revival of an old bike.

That said, I have competing ideas of what Trixie will be finished from mostly stock appearing, to mildly customized, a café racer, flat tracker or scrambler. I greatly admire the work of such shops as Deus ex Machina, Ritmo Sereno and Mc Deeb, particularly the quality of the workmanship and attention to detail. Alternately the edgier or dare I say "rougher" of such shops as Blitz, Wrenchmonkees and Urban holds appeal.

1972 Norton by Deus

If I believe that I lack the skill to produce a bike on par with the first group, the second produces an added challenge of conception. Many an amateur has been inspired by the Fluxus movement in art to go home and try to create something with a found object, only to have something odd and kitchky as the result.

My concept of a custom that I would consider is similar to this Gold Star (Victor?)

 Given that my location has an annual motor vehicle safety inspection that requires such items as fenders, turn signals etc, a bike this spare is unlikely. But clubman bars and a solo saddle paired with trimmed fenders, aftermarket gauges and a less chunky tail lamp is possible. Going this route would make the decision to leave the welded on bracing in place easier.

Jim

The Beginning

Sitting around the campfire during a week long motorcycle trip my friend Jim Herrick mentioned that he had one too many derelict bikes in his garage that he could see himself getting running in the foreseeable future. The two 'projects' were a Triumph Bonneville and a Norton 850 Commando. The Bonnie was the bike that was undergoing a slow restoration and the one that Jim was interested in finishing. "Sell me the Norton," I suggested and he said he'd consider the idea.

Jim, Joe Warner and Peter Preteroti of Max discussing where the starter motor once was.

A year or so later, Jim got the hankering to build another sidecar rig, around an BMW R1200R to go along with his lovely K100 sidehack. His domestic arrangement is that if one bike came, another needs to go, so Jim called and asked if I was still interested in the Norton. I was and a few months later we met at Max BMW to conduct the transfer.

This Norton is a 1975 850 Commando Mark 3. That has undergone some modifications. The electric start is gone, a single Amal carb replaces the original twin carbs and the frame has had braces welded in for stiffness. The plan is to return the bike to being a regularly ridden

The bracing is obvious

Note the missing starter motor

Like everything else the carb needs rebuilding.

The odometer shows 18,842 long ago miles.

Trixie when new

A quick peek into the cylinders and exhaust ports with a borescope, indicates the expected rusted conditions. The next step is to remove the head and see what we have.

Jim