College kid with a Norton Atlas
- Thread starter Scott84
- Start date
Well I finally got the rest of the parts. The engine was in pieces it was in 2 different boxes and 4 coffee cans, but all the major parts seam to be there... Anyways it seams like the engine was being rebuilt and they ran into a problem and quit. The engine has .30 over pistons that are brand new. I got the jug off and everything turns but it does need to be lubed up. There a small problem the connecting rod hits the case just before TDC and binds up. Could the connecting rod be on backwards? Over all I am happy because I only have $300 in it 8) but it is one giant puzzle. Anyways here's some pictures of my nightmare.
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vuuduu21
Serously?
Great find for $300 you might want to post questions over at accessnorton.com. There is a ton of knowledgeable folks over there on everything Norton and matchless too. They have a classified page for selling and buying parts as well.
You can probably download the shop manuals there or find a link for them there if you search or ask around.
Get yourself a set of Whitworth tools while your at it, you'll definitely need them.
Another resource is brittbike.com. Lots of advitisors for British parts.
Good luck with it.
You can probably download the shop manuals there or find a link for them there if you search or ask around.
Get yourself a set of Whitworth tools while your at it, you'll definitely need them.
Another resource is brittbike.com. Lots of advitisors for British parts.
Good luck with it.
vuuduu21
Serously?
Cxman has u covered. On my nortons there is a mix of SAE, metric, and Whitworth. I always end up with a pile of tools on the bench for even the simplest jobs.
This link might shed some light on your bikes history
http://www.mc-albion.dk/AMC/Editorial/Scramblers/The_Atlas_Hybrids__From_G15CS_to_P11_(Paul_Morin).pdf
This link might shed some light on your bikes history
http://www.mc-albion.dk/AMC/Editorial/Scramblers/The_Atlas_Hybrids__From_G15CS_to_P11_(Paul_Morin).pdf
Chopped Monoblocks - sweet. Had a pair on my T100 Cafe Racer with Race Kit inlet manifold back in the early seventies. K2F magneto or K2C? Either is fine.
Matchless frame and primary drive with Norton Forks wheel and motor and transmission confirms that it's a NORTON N15. N15 was basically a Matchless G15 with Norton badges. There's not a lot of them around. http://www.realclassic.co.uk/norton07110500.html It was known as the Nomad and was built as a desert sled for the US market.
That will be a fun restoration project now we know what it is, or sell it to a UK collector.
Matchless frame and primary drive with Norton Forks wheel and motor and transmission confirms that it's a NORTON N15. N15 was basically a Matchless G15 with Norton badges. There's not a lot of them around. http://www.realclassic.co.uk/norton07110500.html It was known as the Nomad and was built as a desert sled for the US market.
That will be a fun restoration project now we know what it is, or sell it to a UK collector.
I'm happy with it 8) but idk about my room mates though. I have the parts completely spread across the garage. As well as my other 3 motorcycles. Its a disease, that first trail 70 gave me when I was 11. ha.
Yeah the bike has Amals on it, they are kind of cool looking I'm excited to pull them apart and see how they work. I've only ever messed with Jap carbs so it will be a learning experience.
Another thing I've been wondering about is the magneto which is the 2kf. How reliable is it? I saw some electronic ignition conversions on line for under $200 would it be worth getting one? I hate dealing with points I'd rather have EI.
I definitely want to restore it or at least get it running and do a partial restoration.
Yeah the bike has Amals on it, they are kind of cool looking I'm excited to pull them apart and see how they work. I've only ever messed with Jap carbs so it will be a learning experience.
Another thing I've been wondering about is the magneto which is the 2kf. How reliable is it? I saw some electronic ignition conversions on line for under $200 would it be worth getting one? I hate dealing with points I'd rather have EI.
I definitely want to restore it or at least get it running and do a partial restoration.
K2F was 100% reliable on my bikes back in the day. They often need to be remagnetized and so on but they are a good ignition system. You could look out for a distributor ignition and convert that to electronic or grab any ignition off a later model and make it work. They are not so much plug n play as Jap bikes, but require a more hands on inventive approach to ownership.
The carbs are monoblocks and the right one is "chopped" to get them close together. Because the float chamber was off to one side, they were rather wide. So they used an extended jet block and used one float to feed both carbs. Race bikes often used two chopped monoblocks and GP "matchbox" float bowl.
The carbs are monoblocks and the right one is "chopped" to get them close together. Because the float chamber was off to one side, they were rather wide. So they used an extended jet block and used one float to feed both carbs. Race bikes often used two chopped monoblocks and GP "matchbox" float bowl.
best rebuild kit for amals says mikuni on it
if you are purist and want to run that amals check the bores first to make sure they are worth spending any money on
often they would get butchered and people owuld mix the slides up so often that the carb bores would get worn badly
and the slides stick
if you need some amal parts i have some not tons but some
if you are purist and want to run that amals check the bores first to make sure they are worth spending any money on
often they would get butchered and people owuld mix the slides up so often that the carb bores would get worn badly
and the slides stick
if you need some amal parts i have some not tons but some
Thanks for the info guys. Id like to use the amals because I have all the parts and they look to be in usable shape. To check the bore will they be visually worn or will I need a bore caliper or something like that to determine the shape that they are in? Also is there way to tell which slide goes in the chopped carb?
The bores on the carbs look pretty good 8)
I also split the cases and did some cleaning in there. Everything looks pretty good actually. I'm going to have to make another base gasket though.
I got the cylinders honed because there was rust in the bores. There is still some pitting in the walls but its near the top and it shouldn't really affect it all that much.
Does anyone know how the pins? I think they are pins, that hold the rocker arms in the head come out?
I also split the cases and did some cleaning in there. Everything looks pretty good actually. I'm going to have to make another base gasket though.
I got the cylinders honed because there was rust in the bores. There is still some pitting in the walls but its near the top and it shouldn't really affect it all that much.
Does anyone know how the pins? I think they are pins, that hold the rocker arms in the head come out?
Well I went to put the cases back together and didn't realize that I had to line up the camshaft breather with the cam and I messed up the ears that line up with cam.... :-\ I haven't been able to find one for a norton. Does anyone know if the BSA/Triumph version will work it looks and the same. I also can't get it out of the bushing that the cam rides in. Here's some pics of the case I cant get a good pic of the breather.
I think that a rod went through the case because of the welding. I think its kinda cool, and gives it some character.
I think that a rod went through the case because of the welding. I think its kinda cool, and gives it some character.
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Well I just discovered this. Im not sure exactly how it happened? Maybe when I got the cylinder honed it was dropped or something but I didn't notice it when I picked it up so i cant place blame on them. But anyways I think it should still work? Is it useable or should I just find another one and pick up new std pistons?
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N
NortonGuy
Guest
I would not worry about that chip in the cylinder as long as there are no cracks radiating from it. Smooth it out with some abrasive so cracks don't start in the future.
If your cam timing disk is smashed into your cam tunnel, maybe drill a hole in it and get a long screw into it you can maybe pull it out with. Don't worry about replacing it as they were useless anyway, that bit of advice is from a former Norton factory technician.
The N15/G15 was a street scrambler. It was a heavy bike. The corporation that bought up Norton closed the original factory down at the end of 1962, layed off all the workers and moved Norton production to the Matchless motorcycle factory. The USA was hungry for motorcycles and it was a cheap way for AMC to increase production. The capacity to make Matchless chassis was there already, the Matchless twin engine was not as good and more expensive to make than the Norton engine so they axed it and threw bikes together with Norton engines and wheel hubs in Matchless cycle parts. they built them from about 1964 through the end of the 60s.
My old man was a Matchless dealer and of course likes Matchless bikes with Matchless engines in them, just as Norton enthusiasts from the 50s would rather have a Norton with a Norton chassis. So it was sort of a bastard child in the eyes of old timers. But it was a 60s bike and lots of people bought them and have fond memories of them. They are not road racers and too heavy for anything but sedate off-road use, but there is one old guy that has his put together as a touring bike and has done thousands of miles on it reliably, of course he has it expertly sorted.
Your best friend is going to be going slow with the project, because you have a lot to learn.
Your crankcases have a hole in them because the oiling system on Norton bikes from this era was marginal, but the people in the 60s beat the hell out of them. In 1966 Nortons had bigger oil passageways and oil pump drive gears that doubled the speed of the pump, all improvements which you can retrofit if you take your time and learn how to implement them.
You can say your bike is a Norton Atlas, it is just the scrambler version. Norton did advertise it as the "Atlas Scrambler" for a while.
Nothing wrong with the Lucas mags or Amal carbs, those who can't get them to work simply don't know how. The mag on my Norton 650 I ride is over 50 years old, has never been rewound, never been re-magnetized, and does not have new points or capacitor. I just cleaned it and made sure the brushes were in good shape, it starts the bike in one kick and never misses a beat. I also have 50+ year old Amals on my bike that get me around just fine, you just have to make sure they are completely clean.
You are in for a long steep learning curve, good luck. Check here and maybe you will find some useful info:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Norton-Manxman-SportSpecial-and-racing-motorcycles/187441501303123
If your cam timing disk is smashed into your cam tunnel, maybe drill a hole in it and get a long screw into it you can maybe pull it out with. Don't worry about replacing it as they were useless anyway, that bit of advice is from a former Norton factory technician.
The N15/G15 was a street scrambler. It was a heavy bike. The corporation that bought up Norton closed the original factory down at the end of 1962, layed off all the workers and moved Norton production to the Matchless motorcycle factory. The USA was hungry for motorcycles and it was a cheap way for AMC to increase production. The capacity to make Matchless chassis was there already, the Matchless twin engine was not as good and more expensive to make than the Norton engine so they axed it and threw bikes together with Norton engines and wheel hubs in Matchless cycle parts. they built them from about 1964 through the end of the 60s.
My old man was a Matchless dealer and of course likes Matchless bikes with Matchless engines in them, just as Norton enthusiasts from the 50s would rather have a Norton with a Norton chassis. So it was sort of a bastard child in the eyes of old timers. But it was a 60s bike and lots of people bought them and have fond memories of them. They are not road racers and too heavy for anything but sedate off-road use, but there is one old guy that has his put together as a touring bike and has done thousands of miles on it reliably, of course he has it expertly sorted.
Your best friend is going to be going slow with the project, because you have a lot to learn.
Your crankcases have a hole in them because the oiling system on Norton bikes from this era was marginal, but the people in the 60s beat the hell out of them. In 1966 Nortons had bigger oil passageways and oil pump drive gears that doubled the speed of the pump, all improvements which you can retrofit if you take your time and learn how to implement them.
You can say your bike is a Norton Atlas, it is just the scrambler version. Norton did advertise it as the "Atlas Scrambler" for a while.
Nothing wrong with the Lucas mags or Amal carbs, those who can't get them to work simply don't know how. The mag on my Norton 650 I ride is over 50 years old, has never been rewound, never been re-magnetized, and does not have new points or capacitor. I just cleaned it and made sure the brushes were in good shape, it starts the bike in one kick and never misses a beat. I also have 50+ year old Amals on my bike that get me around just fine, you just have to make sure they are completely clean.
You are in for a long steep learning curve, good luck. Check here and maybe you will find some useful info:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Norton-Manxman-SportSpecial-and-racing-motorcycles/187441501303123
