published by the oregon norton enthusiasts february 2016 · 2016-07-23 · club newsletter: the...
TRANSCRIPT
Published by the Oregon Norton Enthusiasts
FEBRUARY 2016
CONTENTSThe Small printThe Riders SeatCalendar of EventsMeeting MinutesAnti-wet sump valveBuy and SellOVM Annual BanquetThe Pillion
Norton Bits IN THIS ISSUE
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9-11121314
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OFFICERSPresidentVice PresidentTreasurerSecretaryWeb ManagerNewsletter Editor
Mike TylerGeorge KrausSam JusticeBob FugateDave FriesenGeorge Kraus
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to the February issue of the oNe (Oregon Norton Enthusiasts), Norton Bits! A quick reminder to please pay your $10 membership dues at the this February meeting. They were due in January. As mentioned last month this is the only real income oNe has available to pay for some of our yearly activities. Also, please send me any photos or tech articles, etc., for future Bits issues.I encourage any and all submissions of either articles or photos of Norton content for future issues. It’s your newsletter, and it will greatly improve with your participation. Submissions are due by the second Saturday of each month. I will try to publish the Norton Bits one week before the general meeting which is the first Saturday of each month.Cheers, George Kraus Editor.NORTON BITS is the official newsletter of the Oregon Norton Enthusiasts club (oNe). It will be published as needed throughout the year in PDF format and may be downloadable from the club’s website oregonnorton.org.We welcome submissions of topical editorial material, and non-commercial buy-sell-trade Norton-related ads are free for members. Contact the editor for details, or better yet, just send your ad and we’ll let you know if there’s a problem.
ABOUT oNe Oregon Norton Enthusiasts was founded in 2010 and is a chapter of the International Norton Owners Association. Membership dues are $10 per year and are due annually in January. For the latest information check out our Facebook page for events and pictures. Oregon Norton Enthusiasts Monthly meetings are held at the Horse Brass Pub at 45th and SE Belmont on the first Saturday of each month at 11am.
oNe MEMBERSHIP LIST Although located in Oregon, oNe welcomes members from the Pacific Northwest and around the world.
Old BrittsNorton Access Forum
International Norton Owners Association (INOA)Northwest Norton Owners (NWNO)
LINKS
Fair Spares AmericaYahoo Group
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O
REGON NORTON
The Small Print FEBRUARY 2016
Club Newsletter:The monthly Newsletters NORTON BITS is the official newsletter of the Oregon Norton Enthusiasts club (oNe). It will be published as needed throughout the year in PDF format and may be downloadable from the club’s website oregonnorton.org. The purpose of presenting the newsletter in PDF format is that it (a) archives them for future reading and reference, (b) they are in a higher resolution PDF file and therefore a better reading quality and (c) everyone should be able to open and read them. The newsletters are now posted on the club website and Yahoo group for future reference. Club Website:http://oregonnorton.orgThis is our club’s official website. It's our "shop window" and contains basic information about the club, events and affiliations.Dave Friesen has also just uploaded all the clubs newsletters that George creates and publishes above. Dave is the creator and administrator of the club website Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/OregonNortonEnthusiastsThis is our club’s social media page. Here, you'll find pictures, club event notices and other "what's happening now" news and snapshots. Dave Friesen and I are administrators of the Facebook page. Yahoo Email Group and Email Distribution list:https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/OregonNortonEnthusiasts/infoThis is our club’s email group. A Yahoo group can be used more comprehensively than for just email, but it works well for our email exchanges. Email distribution list: [email protected] is our club’s email list and the most common way of sharing information with club members. Everyone who has subscribed to the Yahoo group above is automatically entered into this email distribution list. I have also been blind-copying everyone on the club member master list just in case they have not yet subscribed to the Yahoo group. Blind-copying means that no one else can see your personal email address whenever I send an email.
If you haven't done so already, I would recommend that you join the Yahoo group, so that you don't miss out on emails from other club members who don't have your personal email address. One important thing to note is that we take our Internet security protocols very seriously. Doug Towsley, Dave Friesen and I are the administrators of the Yahoo email group.
Norton Videos: The club has a number of Norton videos in DVD and electronic format for loan. Please ask Sam, George or Mike for an inventory of the videos.
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More Small Print FEBRUARY 2016
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The Riders Seat A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
From the Rider's Seat:
Hopefully by the time you read this we will start seeing fewer rainy days and more opportunities to ride. It has been a very wet Oregon for the past month or so and it seems like it hasn’t stopped raining for weeks.
I hope everyone is making good progress on winter projects in preparation for the spring when the fun will begin. However, we should have the opportunity to have a few club events between now and then, especially now that it’s a little warmer.
A special welcome to our new club members who have joined recently via friends, acquaintances and the Yahoo community. It’s a pleasure to see our club’s numbers growing when so many clubs these days are seeing their numbers dwindle. It’s also great to have more Norton’s in the club.
We now have approximately 50 club members with approximately 40 Nortons. We hope that our new club members, as well as our existing club members, will be able to join us in our 2016 events and bring new ideas to enrich the calendar. Please see the calendar for upcoming events this year.
Thanks to everyone who has paid their 2016 club membership fees. We hope to continue collecting everyone's $10 annual membership dues at the February club meeting. The goal is to collect membership fees, so that we can use funds for club-related events.
Following the March club meeting, George has kindly offered to host a "tech day", during which he will perform his magic on a couple of patients. We'll ride directly from the club meeting to George's house.
As always, please let us know if you have any ideas for Norton or other vintage motorcycle-related events that you think the guys will enjoy.
Finally, it is the OVM (Oregon Vintage Motorcyclists) annual banquet on February 13. It’s a very enjoyable evening and an opportunity to meet with friends and fellow motorcycle enthusiasts. This year’s guest speaker will be Bob Lanphere who will present “50 years of Honda in Portland”. For more details, please see the flyer in this month’s edition of the newsletter. Happy riding!CheersMike, President 503-206-1620
Norton Bits CALENDAR OF EVENTSEVERY MONTH:oNe (Oregon Norton Enthusiasts) club meeting at the Horse Brass pub on the first Saturday at 11am. See Page 8 for more details 2016 EVENTS CALENDAR:January 1/30-31, Portland Motorcycle Film Festival
February -2/6 General meeting, Horse Brass Pub. 2/13 OVM (Oregon Vintage Motorcyclists) Banquet. Guest speaker TBA.2/12–14 ONE Motorcycle Show
March - 3/5 After meeting “Tech Day” at George Kraus’s.
April - TBA:
MayTBA: OVM (Oregon Vintage Motorcyclists) Show & Swap Meet. Corvallis, OR
June - TBA:
July -7/11-7/16: INOA (International Norton Owners Association) Rally. Quincy, CA
AugustTBA: OVM (Oregon Vintage Motorcyclists) Oaks Park Picnic. Portland, OR8/30: LeMay Vintage Motorcycle Festival. Tacoma, WA
September - TBA:
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Norton Bits JANUARY MEETING MINUTES
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JANUARY MINUTES Repeated from last month The December meeting of oNe was at it’s usual location of the Horse Brass Pub on December 5th. The weather was no improvement on last months. There was only one bike outside. We had a total attendance of 12. Not bad for the holiday season. Plans were firmed up for the Christmas party. See Mike Tyler’s posts for that. We discussed what coming events to put on the calendar for next year. A “polish day” was proposed. Some of last month’s topics were touched on.
The first monthly meeting of Oregon Norton Enthusiasts on January 2nd came on a clear cold 27 degree day. That there were four motorcycles parked outside was extraordinary. About a dozen members filled our usual tables at the horse Brass Pub.
President Mike Tyler outlined upcoming events including a “polish your bike” event hosted by Steve Millard after our February meeting and a tech day with George Kraus following our March meeting. Other noteworthy events around town mentioned were the OMRA film fest January 29th & 30th, the
February12th & 13th ONE show, and the February 13th OVM banquet.
Sam Justice donated a hooded sweatshirt to be auctioned off for the good of the club. The lucky winner was new member Paul Sherbo.
Respectfully submitted Bob Fugate Secretary
Norton Bits FEBRUARY MEETING
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Don’t forget Saturday February 6th, 11:00 am, is oNe’s general
meeting held at the Horse Brass Pub, 4534 SE Belmont St,
Portland, OR 97215. Horse Brass directions: click
HERE.
Norton Bits ANTI-WET SUMP VALVE
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DIY ANTI WET SUMP VALVE By Geoff Carrigg
WARNING – Modifications to the engine lubrication system should be done with great care. Adding any obstruction to the oil flow has potential to cause severe engine damage.
Anti-wet sump valves are a sometimes controversial subject and have been discussed in many forums over the years. A quick search of the internet will reveal a lot of information and numerous commercial and DIY devices that have been produced to deal with the issue.
My 1969 Norton Commando would drain the oil from the tank to the sump after a relatively short time. I tried “lapping” the oil pump to get a better seal and this did slow the leakage but did not stop it. Depending on conditions I would either start the engine with oil in the crankcase or alternatively drain the oil from the crankcase and return it to the tank. Some claim that starting the engine with excess oil in the sump can cause cylinders to hydro lock or damage the oil seals. I did not experience this. However kick starting the engine with oil in the sump in cold weather can be quite a challenge and the resulting smoke screen after start up may be spectacular.
The Norton factory addressed the wet sumping problem by fitting a spring loaded check valve downstream of the oil pump on the MK3 models. A business called Alternative Motorcycle Repair/NORTEC (http://www.amr-of-tucson.com/nortech.html) offer a service to modify early timing covers by adding a check valve downstream of the oil pump. This is a technically a good safe solution to the problem although apparently not always effective in practice.
A widely used and very convenient solution is to use one of the readily available external automatic check valves. These are very simple devices that are placed in the oil feed line upstream from the pump. They typically contain a spring loaded ball valve. The spring tension is a carefully adjusted compromise with enough strength to remain closed under the pressure of oil under gravity but to open with the suction of the pump. Because the valve is upstream of the oil pump and relies on pump suction to activate it, there is a significant risk with this arrangement.
Check Valve Aware of the risks associated with the automatic valve, I fitted one to my Norton along with an oil pressure indicator. It worked very well for a number of years BUT on two separate occasions the engine failed to produce oil pressure on start up. Manual priming of the oil pump restored normal operation. Had I not noticed the lack of oil pressure my engine most likely would have been damaged. About this time two friends also had loss of oil pressure caused by different check valves with one case resulting in engine damage. I decided that the risk associated with this type of valve was too high to be acceptable to me and I removed the valve seeking a safer alternative.
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A manual valve is a very simple and reliable device but requires some type of safety interlock to prevent accidental engine operation while the valve is closed. Commercial products are available for purchase. A lot of information is also available for DIY versions with either a mechanical or electrical safety interlock. I decided to construct my own version with an electrical interlock. The interlock is a switch that is wired in series with the ignition and activated by the valve such that when the valve is closed, the ignition is disabled and the engine will not run.
I used a brass PEX ½’ by ½” T handle ball valve that was inexpensive and readily available. (Vanguard PXV1212 - Home Depot) The barbs attached to the valve are a (very) snug fit in the 3/8” id oil hose between the oil tank and engine. The switch I used is a standard micro switch. (SS0501 at Fry’s Electronics) I made a right angle mounting bracket for the switch using brass sheet and soldered it to the valve body. I notice that some builders secure the switch bracket with a hose clamp. The aluminum T handle is ground so that the switch is activated when the valve is in the open position as shown in the pictures.
Norton Bits ANTI-WET SUMP VALVE
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Micro switch side view, valve open. Micro switch top view, valve closed.
Ready for installation.
The use of external anti drain valves is controversial and well discussed topic. Do some research and make your own decisions. As a result of my experience I came to the following conclusions.
1. Wet sumping is nuisance but not harmful. Run your engine regularly and it will not happen. If it does happen drain the excess oil from the sump or just start the engine.
2. Do not ever use the two part (plastic/metal) automatic valves3. An automatic valve up stream of the oil pump is a risk and should
be combined with some kind of oil pressure indicator that is monitored on start up.
4. A manual valve MUST have a safety interlock to prevent engine operation while the valve is closed.
Norton Bits ANTI-WET SUMP VALVE
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The switch is wired in series with the ignition power to
the coil as shown in the diagram.
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Valve installed.
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Wanted: • Ron Cook is looking for a right-hand switchgear
housing for a 71 commando. Need not be pristine. Switches not critical. • Ron is also looking for a left-hand side frame cover
for a 1971 Norton commando. Fiberglass or [email protected] CNW.
• Dave Friesen is looking for an 850 pre-MKIII Oil [email protected]
• Mike Tyler is (always) looking for any old school cool Norton/Triumph//BSA/Vincent signs and other interesting vintage motorcycle memorabilia for his "man cave" [email protected], 503-206-1620
For sale: 1974 Triumph Bonneville 750 Runs but is Project Bike. Needs valve guides, main bearing & battery. Starts 99.9% of time 1st kick. Price negotiable.
1972, 750 Norton Commando "Combat" Project Bike, mostly disassembled. Engine ran fine
Buy and Sell ADVERTISE YOUR STUFF HERE
Please note: you can have your free ad on these pages. Send in your ad today! We welcome submissions of topical editorial material, and non commercial buy-sell-trade Norton-related ads are free for members. Contact the editor for details, or better yet, just send your ad and we’ll let you know if there’s a problem.
before disassembly of bike. New 0.0020 oversized pistons, plugs, Boyer ignition, new head with SS head bolts, new adjustable rear ISO, Chrome Triple tree bolts, polished carbs, ported carb manifolds, polished head, KNN air filter & more. Needs new rear swing arm bearings. Price negotiable. Pictures & detailed list of work done on both bikes available upon request by E-mail or phone.Contact: Jim Jones, 503-643-1567, [email protected]
1972, 750 Norton Commando "Combat" Head. $300.00. Needs one new exhaust thread insert.Bare head only no valves, rockers, etc. Was glass bead cleaned. Small non-structural crack at bottom of one fin. Repair not necessary. Pics available on request by E-mail.Contact: Jim Jones, 503-643-1567, [email protected]
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OVM 2016 ANNUAL BANQUET
The Pillion
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