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My Norton is taking shape

OK now we're getting somewhere. The engine plates and bolts are a ship in a bottle exercise and I messed up the order and had to back out a couple times. First timer blues. But having the frame on a chain hoist and supporting the engine on a furniture dolly on its side made it tolerable. I just can't imagine doing it in an upright bike, putting it in from the side. Much dinner for the knuckle meat gods!

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oldGSfan said:
I've decided to go with air suspension :rolleyes:

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I get it. But, truth be told, I was looking at the shocks at first, to see what 'air shocks' look like.

I've always been insecure, and needed an 'alpha male' type of bike, whether it was my Kaw Z1 or my Suzi 11E. But I would be grinning ear to ear if I rode that old vertical twin in any group of bikers. :cool:
 
Well this one is certainly 'alpha'. I mean just look at Clint on the P11! I am his size so I should look just like him. I don't have that uniform though.

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Tried chrome in a can. On a major budget so why not, nothing to lose except my health. Middle one mostly done looks 'OK'. Left the outside edges real chrome as they looked fine and will withstand mounting. Just a $10 experiment. I may lay down some 2K clear I have on hand, which will increase luster and make it last longer probably. The middle one I sprayed was slightly better than the foreground one, that was my starting point.

Filled pits with red clay, used etching primer, filler primer and finally sealing primer before the can 'o chrome. I didn't go crazy, and It isn't horrible. I can't swing the cost or re-chroming at over $200 so I may use this way. Somehow I ended up with some Commando rims, all good, but wrong size. Rear is 18" and I didn't want to go with a Commando 19.

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I tried the same stuff on a chrome exhaust tip and it came out the same as your rim. Bright silver yes,chrome no,
 
red1100 said:
I tried the same stuff on a chrome exhaust tip and it came out the same as your rim. Bright silver yes,chrome no,
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Yeah it was a waste of time, it's not gonna hold up. I ordered a new reproduction rim from Blighty. I knew it wouldn't be chrome but didn't realize it would be so soft it would leave an imprint with a finger touch. Oh well, it didn't use much and I can use the rest of the can on some interior picture frames or something.
 
I once painted a set of Chevy rally wheels with chrome paint. It was awful. Even though it was just for a set of drastrip tires, I couldn't leave it. I topped them off with rally wheel paint which was a more subdued shade of silver.

Good luck selling the GS. If any bike deserves top dollar, its that one. Especially with its history.
 
I lashed out and got a new rear rim, and Buchanan's spokes. I also scored a pile of free parts, including a perfect front rim so I will have to re-lace it, this time with Buchanan's spokes. I have to get moving, new K70 tires arrive this weekend and I want the bike on its feet. I did some small things, like using hardware store stainless steel carriage bolts on the fender stays (about 5x cheaper an look better IMO). Starting to look like a bike, really pleased how the front disc mated up with no issues.

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Looking ready to stand on its own feet but I am struggling with the wrong side stand and a center stand that won't mount, very tricky to install on these bikes.

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Getting a look at how it will, err look. Seat with thinner firmer foam would help it a bit, says my son. I agree. Wrestling those tires on was nasty work in hot humid weather but they hold air and no damage to the chrome. Heavy duty IRC tubes too, which makes it even tougher.

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Very beautious. Side cover seems a trifle blank. "850"? Or "Commando"? Or bof'em?
 
Big T said:
Neither It's an Atlas
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N15CS 'desert sled', has a bolted up frame from Matchless single, quite an old frame used in a lot of bikes, dates back to around 1950 I think. Very strong, the Norton earlier desert sled broke frames at the headstock. But very heavy too, has lugs for sidecar use. It makes for a good handling road bike, from reviews I've read.

The Atlas had the Norton slimline featherbed frame. Other than the frame it's pretty much all Atlas though. Forks are about an inch longer, fenders are higher. Makes it more difficult to figure out the bolts and mounts as there are really no diagrams like the Norton frame has.

Later Norton improved with a frame from the Matchless G85 single to create the P11, a lighter piece using Reynolds 531 tubing. That one is very tough to work on as it has lots of shims. The P11 is really nice and quite rare. It was mashed together in Southern California by a famous racer and sent back to the factory, they didn't change much at all. It was called the Ranger later on. When I first saw the ad I was thinking it was a P11 as I'd never heard of the N15CS.

The N15CS had a twin brother, Matchless G15CS, identical except the badge. They're called hybrids as they mixed Matchless and Norton. Some deride this as not a 'real' Norton but I don't really care. AMC bought out Norton and they built this to compete with the BSA and Triumph twins as the single wasn't cutting it.

That oil tank and the cover (which I still need to source and paint to match) is too big for symmetry, the P11 looks better. But the price was right.

https://www.motorcycleclassics.com/c...-zmtz18jazhur/
 
Towed my N15 up to my new home in Washington state and got to work again. It's now down to this one bike but am also helping to fix a friend's '67 Vespa's electrics. It's a Vietnam import and OMG but he got it free. Several tasks remain on the Norton but I got several things done already and it's inching closer.

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So the seat was too puffy/high and may be still. But it's lower than it was, and is super comfy. I looked high and low for foam online, and it was not easy to get ahold of. In the garage I picked up a 1.5" thick garden kneeling pad and thought hmm, this might work as a base, with the open cell firm foam on top. It works very well indeed. I took apart a small throw pillow and used the filler to fill spaces as well. Not perfect but not bad either.

Working on electrics - got a 3 phase alternator, Podtronics reg/rec, electronic ignition and single 2 plug coil. Original wiring harness is like new so I'll use it.

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