questions Norton ES2 (1955) wiring & running

.. to tell what's going on from the photos but it does look like a rat's nest in there and I spy those abominable pre-insulated crimps.

My advice would be to strip it all out and throw it in the bin and to make up your own loom following the wiring diagram in the handbook / manual and using thin wall wire as available from Vehicle Wiring Products etc. Together with soldered connectors. I'd also add an earth wire from the headlamp back to the battery rather than relying on the electrons trying to find their way through the steering head bearings and associated grease.

Green/yellow for earth is 240v AC practise, doubt there is a wiring diagram that matches unless Mike Pemberton has it.

Ian is right. Use original wire colours and most off all take good care when stuffing the wires into the bullet connectors, Make sure they are in completely! I had one bullect connector sticking out a small bit, it touched the frame and the fuse blew on my Norton Navigator. Took me long to find the fault!

I see some unisulated wires in your loom which may cause trouble when stuffing all this back into the headlamp shell.

The headlamp bulb connector has a GREEN earth wire. Honda has GREEN earth wires. This connector has been made in the Far East for British bikes but with Japanese wiring colours. Why? Why do we put up with and buy such parts?

... they're all we can get. And most people don't know (or care) about the difference. I actually rewire bulb holders sometimes to get the right colours.

Well done Ian. I have been know to rewire the 'far eastern' dip switches before now as the wiring colours are crap.

The funny thing about all these STANDARD colours is there is only about 12 and we have been using them since 1963. If you get to recognise them you don't need a diagram and you can understand the wiring. So why fit rubbish colours? A week later you can't remember what the PINK wire or the PURPLE wire does. Your problem-you have created!

Don't even mention RED BLUE connectors!! 

... my pet hate. You sometimes see beautifully restored bikes totally spoilt by using those horrible pre-insulated crimps.

I recently a 1961 ES2, some owner before me rewired the machine with solid blue wire for negative and solid red for positive. That is the only two colors they used for the whole machine.

I've come to realize that we all had answers about the wiring and have not answered the question of the ticklers so I will try. The tickler add raw fuel into the carb to enhance starting. If the carb is on a angle of lower at the mouth it will run out, or if the trickler is held to log the same will happen. Both my ES2 and my Royal Enfield will do it it those situations. My dad always pumped the trickler instead of holding it down. He said there is less chance of flooding the engine.

Cheers,

Greg