Matts hot Norton and a flaming good ride. Sunday 12th August

13/8/2012

Based on an email from Matt.

Sunday 12th of August was a fine sunny day so what could be more pleasant and relaxing than a ride out with friends from the club?
Tea on a village green was was the plan for today after a meander around the countryside....HOWEVER we never made it as instead we tried a roadside barbeque on the back lane from Cottesbrooke to Naesby, unfortunately the barbeque involved my Model 7 Norton catching fire.
The bike's in front stopped suddenly causing me to stall the engine. To restart, I tried kick starting several times whist still astride the bike before eventually getting off and putting the bike on its stand. Next I tickled carb a bit too much and like old Amal carbs do, it flooded. Undeterred I continued to kick but now with the fuel taps off and with the throttle wide open until a dirty great flame shot out of carb igniting all residual fuel vapours resulting in flames everywhere.
We could not extinguish flames and as they started lapping round the tank, which of course I had just filled. I suggested we best leave it and I would have to make an agreed value insurance claim, but then the flames started to die back slightly so long green grass from the verges was stuffed everywhere and fire extinguished. As we stood and wondered what to do next a chap pulled up in his car apparently he had seen the fire at its height had raced home to pick up a fire extinguisher and returned to help…there are still knights on the road.
Being in the back of nowhere with electrics fried, battery box melting, carb and magneto so hot they presented a risk of re-ignition, and smoke still coming from seat, we again pondered what to do next. Postponing thoughts of an insurance write off claim, I as an eternal optimist decided to check the Norton over. Despite semi melted HT leads I discovered there still a spark (well two actually as it's a twin). The fuel lines were still intact, luckily copper, so I tried to start her and she fired up albeit with the carb slide stuck due to different expansion of brass float and ally chamber. After a bit of messing about and freeing carb float, she started again. The decision was made I would try and get it home and think further about making an insurance claim after a cup of tea.
Accompanied by my helpers, Rod,Trevor, and Short Legs there followed a relatively uneventful 20 odd mile journey home which ended with a rather forlorn looking Norton on my drive. THANKS GUYS!
Matt.

At home with the bike on the bench and the tank drained I think providing I can clean up the tank then I will be starting a rewire etc.
An insurance claim will effect both future car and bike policies for at least three years.
Does anyone know where I can get the oil tank re-sprayed and possibly a replacement carb?
Like I said you really missed "a flaming good ride".
Matt

1 Comment

Matt

28/8/2012 08:29:40 pm

Not sure if people actually look at the blogs - but on the offchance they do I guess an update of what happened next is required.

Sunday night the sorry looking Norton was wheeled into the gargae and work commenced - after 4 hours of cutting and polishing I managed to get the tank looking ok so decided I would start a rewire and try and salvage everything I could - although at sometime in the future I will have to get oil tank repainted....didin't want to strip it from the bie until I knew I could get her up and running again and more importantly source the engine to oil pressure guage (located in petrol tank) plastic feed pipe which had melted ( luckily sealing any oil leak) - anyone any ideas?

All day monday rewiring and everything woring fine - carburettor rebuild was next followed by HT rreplacement and general engine and magneto clean up.....oh yes and a start on repairing the saddle.

By midday Tuesday I reached the point where I could start reassembling her and take her on the driveway with hose pipe at the ready and see what happened........in rode Jonah to see if I had made my insurance claim..........needless to say he was amazed to see the bike on the drive looking quite respectable, explaind what I had done said all electrics working fine pressed the horn...SILENCE, switched the lights on ...DARKNESS - as I said JONAH HAD ARRIVED!

Further investigation showed the continental type fuse was slightly too short to make a good contact situation rectified now was the time to see what happened - Jonah took the hose pipe.....AND IT STOPPED WORKING........it really is him honest as short legs was given it and it worked!

Fuel on - no way was I tickling the carb and first kick it roared into life roar being the operative word as tick over was about 2500 rpm, which I couldn't regulate - much faffing about carb off on off etc still the same - cable operating propoerly slide clicing back when released etc so back on the bench. It took about four hours to eventually discover the cause when I realised that with the slide detached from the cable it actually closed on the stop lower this led to the cable itself which for all intents was perfectly ok ...until I realised that it was a nylon insert cable which had split about a foot inside so when yo opened the throttle the two parts overode each other resulting in the slide being lifted 1/4" - situation rectified bike out again and first kick and she was off - normal tick over and running fine.

The only things left to do is the replacement pressure tube pipe and repaint of the oil tank which has been very roughly hand painted in situ and I guess remains a good talking point. So insurance write off to back on the road in 3 and a bit days - could you do that on your modern machine?

Matt

Matt

Matts hot Norton and a flaming good ride. Sunday 12th August

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