UP AND RUNNING
A festive frolic on Kentish roads gives Rick the chance to assess how successful his Norvin fettling has been
Having finally sorted a few long-term Norvin problems over Christmas, the next step was a decent test ride. As Boxing Day 2016 dawned clear and bright, it presented the ideal opportunity for a ride on the West Kent VMCC’S Boxing Day Run (or, more correctly, its conclusion at the Pied Bull in Farningham. The run has ended there for as long as I can remember; the pub is situated in a residential lane and all residents must know by now that any chance of going out for a Boxing Day drive will need to be taken very early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
In the 1980s, the majority of the bikes there were either VMCC run entrants or other classics visiting for a look around; today there are far more modern bikes there for a look, which either makes for a more interesting mix or means you have to walk further up the road to see the interesting bikes, depending upon your viewpoint. But there’s always a good turnout of stuff and some seriously exotic bikes turn out, proving that not all highend classics are hidden away in vaults, sealed in airtight bags.
There were several tidy Vincents there, including a very rakish Series A twin, so probably few people will have given my, er, understated Norvin a second glance. It was leaning against the wall alongside Judy’s Scott, which incidentally is the bike she used to ride pillion with her dad on this very event as a child. But scruffy or not, I was delighted with the work I have done. The dynamo puts out a healthy charge, the tank retains all its fuel and the 150mph Enfield Constellation speedo I have fitted seemed reasonably accurate. OK, a 150mph clock is a bit OTT, but I
wanted to use it on something – it’s more believable on this than any of my other bikes, and at least Vincent fitted 150mph clocks to the Black Shadows.
In fact, I don’t really know how fast the bike is, having never previously had a working speedo. Judging by other traffic, at 70 it’s little more than ticking over, and this forms the start of the next ‘to do’ list. A Vincent rear wheel has a big sprocket (two, in fact, one either side – you can spin the wheel round to lower the gearing for pulling a sidecar). The standard size on a Rapide is 46 teeth, while the Norton rear sprocket is only 43, making my bike considerably taller geared than a stock Vincent. Although motorway work is relaxed, it means the engine labours below 40mph in top, so on B-roads you’re usually in second gear and on our 25-mile ride to the Pied Bull I only got into top on two short occasions.
Gearboxes are not designed to run in the intermediate gears; they’re set up so that in top, the drive is direct through the box and although all the gears are turning, none are under load; in the other gears everything is working harder. Norton gearing is altered on the gearbox sprocket, so only one size rear is made, but smaller Vincent gearbox sprockets are not available, so I may need to get a larger rear sprocket made up. Also, the fancy 4LS brake isn’t that good – half of me would prefer to sell it and fit a standard Norton brake, but to do that means swapping the Commando forks for Dominator ones. The thing is, if you own a modern bike and don’t like it, you simply sell it and buy a different one. With a classic, there’s always a way to improve it – you love it so much, but wouldn’t it be great if it just...
But this can lead to the bike being on the bench more than it is on the road, so maybe I’ll just forget all that for now...
The month in numbers: Miles 60 Money spent £40 Workshop time A week