Rotary Owners' Club

The carbs, as you say, are Mikuni BDS34 originally fitted to a Yamaha FZ750 of about 1988.Make sure you get genuine Mikuni parts; I've just been supplied, by an alleged Mikuni specialist, with float bowl rubber seals that weren't petrol-proof (!) and viton-tipped float needles that looked like the r...

Tony,The Commando bearing arrangement has both inner and outer races of the bearing located by shoulders on one side and circlips on the other.I've just remembered that the F1 clutch has a much simpler arrangement; the bearing is pressed into the drum, against a shoulder, from the plates side and th...

Just had a look at a few sites offering the Commando bearing, and none of the photos show a groove in the outer race.So Commando 06-0750 / 6007 is not interchangeable with rotary 55-0743 / 6007N.So, what does the circlip actually do? As installed, the bearing is pushed towards the back of the clutch...

During an F1 rebuild, I decided it was quicker to have an 'expert' based to the East of Nottingham do a carb overhaul and ultrasonic clean; fitted them yesterday morning.The result? A pair of carbs that flood as soon as they're pressured up (wrong float needles) and float chamber rubber seals that g...

My equivalents list suggests that the bearing from a Commando clutch is the same; part number 06-0750Andover Norton are closed now until 4th January but a search of Ebay, for example, should get a quicker delivery if your local bearing stockist can't oblige.Merry Xmas!R.

Hi Tony,Another of Norton's little jokes! You have to remove the starter sprag outer ring first and then push the bearing and sprag race out from the clutch plate side. There is a conventional circlip in a groove in the outer race of the ball bearingFirst push the sprag ring (and bearing) as far IN ...

David,UG80PV surface discharge was the only factory-approved plug for the air-cooled engines and was specified for the Commander water-cooled too. Feedback from police customers was that the UG80 plug fouled too easily as the water-cooled engine ran much lower temperatures. A change was made to the ...

David,Your Classic handbook probably says that the spark plugs should be Champion UG80PV, a now-rare-as-rocking-horse-manure-and-bl@@dy-expensive-if-you-can-find-any surface discharge plug. They are prone to cold-fouling too. This surface discharge plug had a non-adjustable gap of about 1 mm.Recomme...

Most of my images, and particularly those for magazine articles, are typically 6 - 7 MB.For on-line posting, I reduce them down to around 1 MB using 'Resize Image' function of Photoplus editing software. The more usual Photoshop has a similar function.Posting on the ROC gallery no longer seem to wor...

Is that an oblique reference to the high silicon aluminium material of the air-cooled engine plates? Or are you really an old piston person?Anyway, welcome!R.

You're welcome! But you've got to post the photos.R.

Reg,As I understand it from the previous posts:.you put oil in the chambers and fitted new plugs.you started it with lots of exhaust smoke.after a few minutes, after the smoke cleared, it stopped and wouldn't re-start.you put more oil in the chambers, re-fitted the same plugs without cleaning them, ...

Are there any tests I can carry out to check the efficiency of the box and the rest of the system? You can check the sensor gap and all the sub-harness connections are good. Is it possible to still have the box checked over, replaced or serviced in any sort of way? Yes, I can get it tested by the o...

Mick,That black box is a Norton Digikit system, which, when I made it, would have had it's own separate wiring loom to connect the box to the 12 volt PVL coils (part of the kit) and a spur with a black and a brown wire to connect in to the bike's main loom. The round connectors to the box are IP68 w...

David, No idea of cost yet, but I have to make at least one of each for the Classic insurance job.I should get a better idea what's involved early next week.R.

I'm going to need rear light lenses, both red and yellow, for a Classic attacked from the rear by white-van-no-insurance-man.There were threads a while ago about such lenses - but did anyone actually do anything about making new ones?If not, I'll have to do it - any expressions of interest for a few...

Brave of you to own up, Gordon! R.

I got the message, as did several others that have subsequently contacted me.I have a suspicion that a new poster, perhaps not familiar with messaging, sent his mail to all members rather than just to me.R.

Goncalo,I fully support what Joe has said. Mineral oils, such as DD40, are appropriate for Norton rotaries that are used regularly and cover high mileages.Those who do short journeys and infrequent long distances, myself included, have better engine protection using a synthetic such as Classic 2T.

Hi Joe,You mean something like this? smiley 4002-34.jpg I have an enormous number of photo files, the only problem being remembering where each photo is.To add a photo, go below the 'Post a Reply' box, below 'Submit' and find 'Options' & 'Attachments'Click on the latter, select your photo, wait ...

Roy,Norton's original gaskets were made from an asbestos material with a woven wire mesh insert made by Klinger and called, I think, Klingerit 1000. These gaskets were, as you say, rigid and became brittle during use. Asbestos is now a no-no and current gaskets are made from a hazard-free material w...

Roy,Thick flanges are a good thing - they take longer to rust away!The important dimension is the depth of the recess in the flange, into which the port liner fits.If this is pretty much as your original manifold, it will be ok.How thick are the gaskets?R.

Graham,Agree with all that gripper suggests, but what type of rear disc do you have?Originals Brembos (and the later Spondon replacements) were a stainless disc with an alloy carrier; in my experience, these work best with genuine Brembo pads.Cast iron discs of various manufacture, including Brembo,...

Hello Marco,The complete front brake master cylinder (pump) is from a Yamaha FX750 circa 1988, fitted also to other Yamaha models of the same period.The repair kit has Yamaha part number 36Y.W0041.00.I recommend you buy the genuine Yamaha kit as some of the non-genuine kits have one rubber seal that...

Now sold to Gordon from Sussex.R.

Museum bikes without engine internals? Whatever next!

Ned, David,Norton's production record book shows that 3372 passed final inspection on 5th March 1988.R.

Originally a West Midlands Police IP2 until 1989, I acquired this bike in 2012 already converted to, and registered as, a Classic Replica. It's a unique machine that's comfortably taken me round Scotland several times, rarely being used for short journeys. Most recent was Popham this year, a 418 mil...

Ian,Difficult question! Some days I take the view " If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and other times I'm glad I have "get-me-home" RAC membership. Only once, up in Scotland, have I needed it as, even with a workshop, I couldn't have fixed the bike there.The Boyer hasn't failed in...

Does the oil Lubricate anything else other than the chain? It lubricates the sprocket carrier inner bearing, which should be ok with grease.Depending on which air-cooled you have, there may be a needle roller bearing supporting the outer end of the sleeve gear (the outrigger bearing). This one take...