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First ride.

Submitted by richard_hudson1 on Mon, 31/08/2020
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Heavy Twins

Took the bike out for its first ride today after 49 years and 354 days since the con rod came through the crankcase, only about 3/4 of a mile as a trier, but all the waiting was worth it in the end. My school reports always said "could do better".

Regards

Dick

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Submitted by alan_hesslewood on Mon, 31/08/2020

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Looks Superb, well done!

Al.

Submitted by peter_banks on Mon, 31/08/2020

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That's one beautiful looking machine, well done. It reminds me why I have a lifelong love of Nortons after seeing my first one in the early sixties and being forever smitten.

Hi all

Many thanks for the compliments, I bought it in 1962 and also thought it was the best looking bike of all time and still holds it’s own. 
 

The clock on the handlebars is a Mungo oil pressure gauge, I looked everywhere for a small dial clock and when I found this one it comes complete as a kit with bracket pipe and adapter to fit into the blanking bolt just under the pressure relief valve. It was designed to fit through the rocker feed banjo on later models so I turned a small aluminium spacer to make up the gap. If anyone purchases the kit check the handlebar clamp screw length, I had to shorten mine as it would have cracked the glass on the gauge. I haven’t fitted an anti-dumping valve yet until I see how it goes but thought a pressure gauge better than a mechanical valve with my memory.

Best regards

Dick

 

Submitted by robert_tuck on Tue, 01/09/2020

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A very nice bike,if thats your first restoration ,I'm impressed. I looked hard to see anything I would alter (sad old nit picker!) ,  The short gear lever would be no use to my size 10's , I would make up some bar risers to use with those flat bars to ease the cable runs. I prefer the earlier silencers which have a bit more  of the old style.  And I would not be keen to show pictures for old gits to nit pick!!.

Hi Robert,

I never had any problems with the gear lever and mine are size 13’s, agree about the cable runs but that is how it was from 1962 when I got it. The original silencer rusted through in late 62 and on an apprentices wage I couldn’t afford a new one so just made a straight through megga with steel wool outside the perforated pipe, it worked well and still sounds great but the steel wool has rusted away, If you mean the teardrop silencer it was more stylish but 1957 was the start of the new shape along with tank panels etc. It was first registered on the 3rd January 1957 so must be one of the earliest of the new model. Similarly with the handlebars but at 6’-3” they are very comfortable.

Regards

Dick

Submitted by richard_tool on Tue, 01/09/2020

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Very nice indeed - well done ! I have a 1956 Model 99 in bits that I am about to begin . Your tank looks bigger -almost like an International tank . Is it just the camera angle ?

Cheers - Richard 

Submitted by kevin_bell on Tue, 01/09/2020

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Certainly looks like it could just keep going and going. Well done!

Submitted by jonathan_newton on Tue, 01/09/2020

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Did you paint it Richard?   I recently completed a Model 50 and only freshened up the paint on the  "fixtures and fittings" but I found it such a messy process I farmed out the tank and  mudguards to professionals.  What do you do to keep the over spray away from everything else!!

I tried making a large cardboard booth, shower curtains on rails and just spray outside, but  nothing controlled the dust... 

 It's almost like I need a separate building with and extract....

 There is a lot of paint on your machine, is your workshop silver grey now???

 

Cheers

Jon

Submitted by richard_hudson1 on Wed, 02/09/2020

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Hi Jon,

I fully intended to when I started, even bought all the spraying tackle, but by the time I was winning with the mechanical bits I decided to farm it out. Dream Machine in Nottingham had it blasted and did the respray, superb job and I would highly recommend them. I had resprayed it in 62 with my mum's Hoover (she wasn't pleased about all the different coloured spots when she got it back) as well as alloy guards , dolphin fairing etc. as was the norm. A full spray booth with extractors and heaters is essential if it is to be done correctly.

Regards

Dick

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DM do very nice work, It’s surprising when you lay out the parts how much needs painting...  Then build without marking the finish....  nice job!

Hi Jonathan,

Yes, I was a little apprehensive to start with, I photographed all the parts, numbered them on the photo and typed a full numbered listing. When I went to pick them up I needn’t have bothered, everything was perfect including a bottle of touch up paint. My other concern was that the frame number may be obliterated with too much paint as I needed to re-register it with DVLA to reclaim the original registration, again perfect.

Regards

Dick

Hi Dick,

Dare we ask how much a professional full paint job like that is?.......I`ve done a Commando chassis that i`m rebuilding using enamel paint but it chips off with the brush of a cats tail (nearly). Do you know what type of paint they`ve used on your bike? I`m in two minds whether to redo it all again in something different. I ordered some paint for the tank and side panels but the stuff sent is water based. It`s bloody awful stuff, you can`t rub it down between coats as it just peels off. Oh the joys!!!

Regards, Al.

Submitted by peter_holland1 on Sun, 06/09/2020

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Dick,

I am referring to the bike in the 2020 NOC calendar, August picture.

In my opinion the finish is superb and here are the details. It will be seen by many as eye watering.

Powder coating in Dove Grey (RAL 1013) for those less visible parts, incl blasting.

Centre stand, mudguard stays, swinging arm, plus 21 other items. £185.00

Spraying, including rust removal and full preparation in RAL 1013 and Blue RAL 5009. Tank is two tone. Finish lacquer and ethanol resistant.

Tank, Mudguards, Chainguard, dismantled shockers, styling panels, oil tank and battery box, fork ears and covers, top and bottom yokes, Handlebar clamps, headlamp shell and steering head cover.  £740.00

As stated earlier in this thread, great care is needed on re-assembly if the finish is not to be scratched. RAL touch ups can be bought if necessary.

My wife and I chuckled at the thought of using mum's hoover to spray paint.

Peter Holland

Hi Peter,

Very nice indeed and a lot cheaper than mine, I wrapped all the frame in foam central heating insulation and it saved a lot of the possible damage. Putting the engine in caught the inside of the frame just under the timing cover but touched it up fine. Only people I run over will ever see it.

Regards

Dick

Submitted by richard_hudson1 on Sun, 06/09/2020

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Hi Alan,

The reason that there were so many parts was that I stripped every little part for painting.

I drilled out the 2 sliding plate rivets in the rear chain-case where the gearbox shaft comes though so that they didn't get cellulose welded together and stripped the rear shockers down so that all internals and collets were silver plus many more riveted bits.

All in all it came to 2k including sandblast filling minor dents etc.

It is cellulose with ethanol proof laquer but only time will tell.

Regards

Dick

I resprayed our family car (A Commer van with windows) when I was 15 in 1961 using Mum's Electrolux Vacuum cleaner!  In those days they came with a paint sprayer so you clipped the hose onto the exhaust on top of the cleaner!  People much younger than us wonder what we're talking about!  Of course I used around 5 or 6 coats of cellulose paint as it was (and still is) so forgiving of damp, flies, condensation etc.

Interesting colour for your bike.  Is it Norton Silver?  The old polychromatic grey was quite a bit darker. I still have some unadulterated tinware from my 1955 88 which was the grey.  I have always kept it in the dark and recently uncovered an area which had never seen the light of day so the colour is as original as you can get.  My 99, which is very slowly being restored, is the usual black, silver and chrome.

You've done an excellent job!

Submitted by richard_hudson1 on Sun, 06/09/2020

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Hi Lionel,

Ours was an Electrolux cylinder model, one end sucked and one end blew, unfortunately it was only a few weeks old when I borrowed it from my mum. I painted the headlamp shell with the new fangled paint system called an aerosol, they hadn't been on the market long up in Durham but decided on the Electrolux instead. To be fair the headlamp was still quite good after 58 years.

It is polychromatic grey, must be a trick of the camera. I also found components which hadn't seen daylight for 63 years (the inside of the Armstrong rear shocks which I had to Replace) and tested them against official colour charts. The colour coincided with the Volkswagen Platin. The match was as near perfect as my old eyes could tell.

Best of luck with your rebuild.

Regards

Dick

 

Submitted by gordon_johnston on Wed, 02/09/2020

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A rod through the cases is always a touch disappointing. I'm sure I said Tsk the first time and probably just shrugged the second. Or something. The second time coincided with my son totalling his Atlas so an engine transplant was promptly performed. No further problems.

Your bike looks beautiful - too good to take out in the rain!   

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Submitted by robert_tuck on Thu, 03/09/2020

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Have to admit that pictures of the "exploded"  99  engine  make me nervous . There is a school of thought that  something else going wrong triggers the rod failure , but the only sure answer is a set of new and better rods.

Hi Robert,

I agree about the “something else”, my little end on the drive side had started rattling a few days before but had to use the bike to get to work, driving vey gingerly. On the Saturday morning I went out to buy a VW Beetle as out second son was due any day. Half way home, thinking that I had got away with it and could strip the engine the rod came through.

My son is 50 next weekend so I know exactly the date it blew.

Regards

Dick

Submitted by russ_payne on Sat, 05/09/2020

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And a story that I think sums up what we're all about.  A 50 year rebuild though must be some kind of record .... I wouldn't sell my three machines no matter what state they're in, and now I think about it, it's not many years until mine are in that time-frame. 

Brilliant!

 

p.s. my school reports were a bit wide of the mark too. 

Submitted by gordon_johnston on Sun, 06/09/2020

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One was as I was on my way from St Andrews to Aberdeen to start a new job. Trundling along at 70mph, no warning, just a big bang. The next was when I slid off on a fuel spill on a roundabout. I had fitted stainless handlebars - now be warned - not knowing that they are thinner walled than normal chromed ones. The bars bent as I slid off stretching the throttle cable wide open with the back wheel in the air. The resulting high revs were too much for the rod which sliced the cases clean in half. It was still running on one cylinder when I picked it up.

I am fairly sure that 99s are not Norton's strongest engine so would advise any 99 owner to ride with due regard to its age. These engines are old and alloy rods fatigue and you really don't know just how much fatigue life has been used up. 10% or 99% - who knows?      

Hi Gordon,

When I saw your cases my only conclusion was that the engine had done quite a few revs to cause 360 Deg of damage, I hadn't counted for it running on one cylinder, I just thought that possibly the clutch had locked and it was driven from the back wheel.

I was fortunate that the rod hit the magneto and killed the engine after only a few revs.

Regards

Dick

 



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