Actually, I didn’t really plan on it, but my wife asked me if I wasn’t going to take the Norton for a ride and if so, not to be home too late (I often forget the time). So yes, actually, why not ?
So I took the Norton and went first to the gasstation to fill her up. Since I figured out how actually the “starter” works, the Norton uses a bit less gas than before. When I left the gasstation, waiting for the red trafic light, I noticed an other biker fiddling around his Suzuki GS 500 (not quite clear what he was doing) on the side of the road but whatever it was he was doing, he didn’t seem to go anywhere. I stopped next to him and asked him if he needed a hand. His Suzuki didn’t want to start anymore and he wanted to try pushstarting it. So I pulled my Norton up the sidewalk to park it in order to give him a hand. At the first try, it started, but the engine died quite quickly again. No electrical power (weak battery?). Upon the second try the engine started again, ran for about 2 minutes and just as I thought it was okay and wanted to turn around to walk back to my Norton, I only then noticed the cute blonde behind us in a Mercedes. I guess he wasnt alone. At the same time, I heared his Suzuki’s engine die again. While I turned around again and walked back to the Suzuki, the biker explained me that he didn’t understand; the battery was just new but well, the bike was 15 years old. A smile came up my face and I was thinking “mine is 36 years, yet mine runs” (at least for the moment)
After trying to pushstart it once more with no luck, I asked him to remove the buddyseat to have a look at the battery and while he did and wiggled a bit the wires, the bike’s electrical power came back on again. Ah, I’ve been there, had that, and made it back home by repeating the same action a couple of times (fuseholder made bad contact). As he had power again, his Suzuki started this time electric in 1 second, way better than pushstarting it, which is quite tiring. So I turned around for the second time to walk back to my Norton while the cute blonde in the Mercedes waved at me to thank me. Oh well, I didn’t do much, but it is the idea that counts. Giving a push to start still goes easier with two than all alone.
In general, I’ve noticed that “politeness” and “helpful” in trafic towards others is something that becomes rare; nowdays, when you’re stranded, people will look at you, maybe even honk their horn if, unlucky, you’re blocking the way, but seldom someone will yield to offer help as if they’re all in a hurry and couldn’t care less. Something I don’t understand.

That reminds me of a situation, years ago, when I went with my wife to Soissons; a terrible pooring rain was falling down and we couldn’t see 3 meters. We pulled off the road at a roadstop to wait until the rain would calm down, where there was also a group of bikers. When the rain calmed a bit, the bikers took off a couple of minutes before we continued our way. Some 5 minutes later, cars ahead of us slowed down, went through the grass or over the left side of the road. As we got closer I noticed why; one of the bikers of the group we’d seen at the roadstop had slipped and both he and the bike were laying on the middle of the road.
Instead of also passing, I didn’t have to think for a moment and stopped my car with its warning signals on in the middle of the road to protect them. After all, if some cardriver wouldn’t pay attention, they could still better hit the back of our car than hitting the biker laying on the road. When I stepped out of the car to ask if I could help, they told me that they already called an ambulance while other members of the group were trying to pick up the bike and put it aside the road. I stayed there and left my car in the middle of the road as protection until they were done. But what amazes me; why did nobody else stop to offer help? I have several of those kind of examples.

Oh well, I’m getting side tracked. I walked back to my Norton, fired it up and continued my ride. About 1 mile further, I was again behind the Suzuki (still running) and the Mercedes. As they turned left I passed them on the right to go straight, gave them a thumb up and continued my way. I don’t know where they were heading, but I hope they made it. If not, open the buddyseat, fiddle the wires and try again

Finally, while most people already went on summer holidays and are returning to their jobs, my summer holidays just started this weekend. I’ve got plenty of things to do; clean the house, take the cat to the veterinaire for her yearly check-up, renew my driving license and passport, etc etc, but I sure do plan on spending some time on the Norton as well.
Several things I would like to do; have a look at the suspensions, oil change, clutch operation (still slips a bit). But, at least the Norton runs. The copper sheet I’ve inserted over the thread of the exhaust locking nut still seems to hold.

The Norton cooling off after a ride, smelling hot oil

Today, when I drove through Sevres, again someone pulled up next to me, someone on an older model red/gold Suzuki GSx, who asked me if the Norton is original. I’m still quite surprised when people do that and I can only guess that somehow a Norton draws the attention.

Well, the problem still isn’t “solved”. I guess the only way to solve it would be to take the Norton to a specialised workshop and have the inner thread remade (or remove it, widen it, and insert a ring with new thread). The heat resisting joint didn’t do the job; at first, it was holding, but nearly 60 kilometers later, the joint “hardend” and the exhaust locking nut came out again.

Removed most of the joint, some still in the thread of the locking nut

A colleague from work had an other idea; sheet copper.
It is hard to come by, not easy to find it in a store, but he still had some that came from an old, heavy-duty electric cable. It looks like a sheet of paper, just a bit thicker and made of copper of course. The idea is simple; straighten and flatten the sheet copper, cut with a pair of cissors a piece that fits around the thread of the exhaust locking nut.

Present the sheet copper for messurements

Then, when it fits about right, put a tiny bit of glue at the far end of the sheet copper and hold it firmly on the thread. Then wrap it around, tight, and a bit of glue again at the other end to hold it together. Of course, wrap it in the right direction so when screwed in, the copper sheet appears anti-clockwise. When the exhaust locking nut is held against the cilinder head, I’ve used a tiny screwdriver to make sure the copper was correctly lined up in/with the inner thread. Then screw the exhaust locking nut back in and tighten (with a warm engine). The idea is that the copper, thin, forms itself to the thread and creates a kind of “filling”. It worked, screwing it back in goes quite heavy, but seems to work. I took the Norton out for a ride to heat the engine and when I came back I tightened it firmly, aligned the holes of the cilinder and locking nut to place back a small iron wire to secure the exhaust locking nut from unscrewing.
For the moment it holds, we’ll see if it will last longer than the black joint I’ve tried.

I’ve also replaced a screw in the throttle; the small bridge that holds the throttle around the stearing bars also had a weak thread and was only holding on one side.

Yesterday, when I took the Norton out for a ride, I was waiting for a red light when a scooter rider pulled up next to me. He looked at the Norton and said “that’s really a beautiful bike, I would like to see myself and could see myself very well on such bike”. Ah yes, who could have imagined that I would ever see myself again on my dad’s old Norton ? True, real, original (old) motorbikes are quite rare on the road here and it already happened several times that people that I don’t even know complimented me with the Norton. Who knows, maybe one day when the Norton will be a bit more reliable, I might finally be able to take her a bit further and visit Norton or old english bikes meetings