1974 Norton Commando 850 - Part 6 - Tri-Spark Electronic Ignition Upgrade

[@stevekelly2720]

Tri-Spark has updated the Classic Twin ignition since Mike installed one on his Norton. This Classic Twin (TRI-0006) supersedes the Classic Twin TRI-0005A and TRI-0005B as the two A/B versions have been eliminated. The Classic Twin ignition stator unit TRI-0006 can be used as a replacement for the earlier versions, however the installation is different and you must use the installation manual for your version. See the Technical Page on their website for installation manuals.

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thank you Steve!! I have pinned this to the top for the guys 🙏

[@Acewhip]

Everyone needs a Geoff... SO nice to have someone who can provide the confidence to just get the job done! (and he even brings his own coffee?!?!)

[@colinnuttall9579]

Mike, since you liked my Darmah story, I thought I’d share another with you. This one concerns my misspent youth and my subsequent education. My first ‘on-the-spot’ fine About 1972 I was riding a Honda 350 (blue & cream) down a steep hail that led along the coast into Frankston Victoria, Australia. I was a young man discovering the joys of the world. Suddenly a white Police car came along side me with blue light on and siren blaring. It was one of those old air raid jobs whose sound follows a sine wave. We pulled over and he got out, put his hat on, the walked up to me. I turned the bike off but stayed seated. Plod: Do you know what speed you were doing driver ? Me: Yes, your officiousness. Just the right amount I think, but I could have gone much faster. Plod: Well, I had you at 15 mph over the limit, so I’m going to issue you one of the new on-the-spot traffic infringements. Now, I had never actually seen one of these before, since they were quite new, though I had heard about them on The Nightly TV News. At this point I didn’t really know if you had to pay the Policeman cash or what ? Then the Policeman said something I’ve never encounter before or after, except in movies. Plod: Of course, you could buy two tickets to upcoming Policeman’s Ball, instead, for $10. Being basically clever, I immediately answered. Me: I didn’t think Policemen had balls. (Imaginary wetted finger chalking, one-nil to me in the air, as a stupid smirk began to contort my idiotic face) Plod: Remaining stoic, and never once averting his penetrating gaze from my eyes, just issued me a $100 dollar on-the-spot fine and silently returned to his car. Note to self: Hmm, may need to brush up my Citizen to Plod denigration skills. Note o everyone else: In June 1972 the average male earnings in Australia were $51.35 and I was below that. Ouch ! At home my Dad’s droll comment on the affair was, a good education is always expensive son, wether you go to University or get it on the street.

[@TheMightyGarage]

😆😆

[@alanbstard4]

electronic ignitions are a Godsend

[@dgordon130]

Absolute church music. What a difference that ignition has made.

[@wdhewson]

Glad to see the TriSpark in use. I get about 3 bikes a year that are not working well with the BB

[@scottstuber5857]

First thing I did was install to Tri-Sparks in all of my bikes just after purchase. You won't regret it. They are incredible.

[@johnmcclain3887]

I never cease to be amazed at how well these electronic ignition modules go in and fire right up. That was an amazing sound, from simply lining up the magnets. That really sounds great, thanks for showing this video!

[@garycb8592]

Making progress. Sounds much better.

[@TheDavey333]

It sounds better, will be even smoother when you sync the carbs 👍 Good to see Geoff, again, adding his knowledge and expertise 😀 Be good and drink plenty of tea ☕️😎

[@Beanerds]

LUCAS ,, prince of darkness ! how many times we ended up sleeping in a farmers hay shed because of good old Lucas !

[@johnb5519]

Well done, and it sounds great. Could probably idle through a whole tank without stalling now.

[@daveco1270]

It's always a great feeling when the bike fires right up after some minor surgery. I've got a Vape electronic ignition I'm going to put on my Triumph once the weather gets nicer.

[@coreylevenson]

I kept waiting for the timing light to come out at the end to check dynamic timing. Nice tutorial video!

[@TheMightyGarage]

Hehe, thanks Corey. I haven't done the timing yet but it seems great. Definitely planning on doing that and synchronizing the carbs again. Cheers, Mike

[@ssrcbike]

What a great part 6 loved it, love the colour combination with the chrome and black frame looking fantastic in the daylight roll on summer 👌 well done.

[@uwekarstens3384]

Always fine made videos. It makes appetite on the coming Classic Bike season. The work on my Commando is already finished . Regards from North Germany Uwe

[@ArmenianLifewithMitch]

You're doing a fantastic job Mike! Plus, your able assistant seems to have a fountain of knowledge. Really enjoyed listening to you both...and then the sound of your beautiful Mk2A fire into life. Keep up the great work, Mike. Best regards, Mitch

[@Kevin-cy9cv]

Very satisfying when a bike actually idles properly, and especially when it returns sharply to idle after giving it some revs.

[@erwinballings9155]

Hello Mike, this was again a very good video and worth seeing how the electronic ignition is installed. And I also have to admit that you can hear the difference right from the start. And as you say, adjust the carbs again and it's 👌. I remember in the late 70's early 80's when my uncle installed an electronic ignition on his Ford Granada and was very happy with it, the running culture was much better.

[@bundook303]

Well done Mike! If it's any consolation, I have installed Tri-Spark on three Triumphs and on AT LEAST one occasion tried to set the LED position before realizing the ignition was not switched on - D'Oh! It happens in the best of families! Enjoy your new ride!

[@eseepma2213]

Hi Mike, Great result and easy to do. I fitted a mikuni carburetor and a pazon ignition on my 1971 Commando and it run perfect now. Next project is start on my 1972 Triumph T150 which hasn’t run for more than 20 years. Like your channel , greetings from the Netherlands

[@tadpoles10]

This is like 'the good old days' around at you mate place or yours sorting out the bikes together. Great stuff guys, good team work with the desired result, a little fine tuning & no doubt a 'test ride out' together .. 😉 .. 😂 .. 👍 .. 🏍 Thanks for sharing Mike atvb t ..

[@pauliebots]

He spoke the magic words.."sounds better than it did." The patient is renewed.! Nice work guys.

[@RWayne-nu2fi]

Enjoyed that very much, thanks for posting. I also got my Tri-Spark from Matt at CNW, always a pleasure to deal with CNW.

[@mfitzgerald130]

Good job the motor sounds smoother , as most know it's all about even impulses on the crankshaft hence its crucial when using the standard Amal twin carburettor set up that both carburettors are metering as close as possible the identical fuel/ air mixture ratios , cheers looking forward to your next video 🙂👍

[@aaronturner5409]

Thank you! this really helped me here in the states to get my my 72 750 project finished, cheers 🥂

[@TheMightyGarage]

Many thanks Aaron. Best wishes

[@mickgerard6696]

Brilliant Mike. I have the Trispark on some of my T140s and it is a wonderful set up. Cheers my friend.

[@johndorber6877]

That was interesting and seemed pretty easy in the video. So the Vincent would love the same treatment, I'm sure!

[@candymintz]

quite an involved job, the motor sounded very sweet and even on start up.

[@anthonysartor9729]

Nice video! I'm just building up the courage to put a trispark on my '70, I hope it's as painless as your video made it look!

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thanks Anthony. It has been great so far and I also have one on my other Commando. It’s been years with no problems at all. Best wishes

[@daveb1268]

Your getting there Mike.....At around 17'20 you can really see the isolastics / head steady doing their 'thing' with the motor moving on the mounts - great stuff ! 😊

[@garybrown4854]

Well that seems to have solved the problem , fitting that electronic ignition was more involved than I thought , running sweet now Mike .

[@raypusey8037]

Mike the patient is sounding great 👍🙂

[@hillarylevenworth8824]

Brilliant! Great result.

[@dducdude6315]

-6 C here to cold to wrench on the Norton but soon! Cheers Mike...

[@philmuskett265]

Good stuff, mate. Smooth as.

[@paulwoods682]

Nice result Mike, if its like the older TriSpark, it has an idle stabilization on the advance curve, so the electronics are actually stabilising the idle, worked very well on my T140

[@billysolhurok5542]

He's got the 'old' style'. Works well on my RE Mk2. I really like that feature,seems they have simplified the twin setup. Any idea why that feature was dropped?

[@billysolhurok5542]

Steven Kelly from Tri-Spark stated that the stabilization feature was not dropped. It's just not mentioned.

[@larrys.3992]

Time for a cup of tea!

[@michaelkrup5451]

Very informative. Great teamwork and coaching.

[@sf940477]

Not seen electronic ignition fitted before Mike. Good job, you really see that engine flex on the rubber mounts eh . Didn't realise they moved so much..

[@gregbrassington2120]

Great choice Tri spark, use them in my bikes . She's looking good Mike & sounds strong👍

[@nicolasdolley3882]

Thanks a lot mile as every week-end. I’d be terrified to touch this electric part.

[@tandem8]

Nice video Mike - Same result I got but I used the cnw single coil arrangement

[@jonathanhucker4634]

Sounds awesome ,thanks for sharing Mike 👍 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@speedtriplerider7853]

Great job lads

[@stevecolwill9761]

Nice one Mike! I bit the bullet last year and fitted a Boyer ignition unit to my BMW R50/5 (1973). It now runs sweet as a nut and idles perfectly. So nice to think there will be no more points adjusting to do! 👍

[@geoffozevans4500]

It sounds like its running much smoother & cleaner, I wouldn't be able to help myself polishing the hell out of all the alloy, lovely bike. Nice & wet & miserable here in Wales 😆😎

[@positiveground2995]

Great to see this job done! I've been happy with the Boyer on my MK2. I know there's a purist camp, but I want be out riding and not cleaning breaker contacts... I've had one Boyer fail over the 20 years I've run them with a cracked solder line on the breaker plate that was a nightmare to diagnose (worked cold, cut out on a good bump when hot!), but since then its run great for years. I could feel myself tense when you tightened the Standoff bolts though! I've got a broken one framed on my "Do Not Overtighten" sign in the garage (and spares of that particularly pesky-to-extract bolt in a drawer). Great work, great video, great sound! Congrats!!

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thanks very much for your note. Yes, I feel the same way. I’ve had a tri-spark on my other commando for many years and it’s been fantastic. I’ve never touched it since it was installed. I promise I was being careful with those bolts :-)

[@paulsire]

Great job, good teamwork 👍

[@54macdog]

I am really loving this bike. Working on it must be so sweet.

[@TornadoCAN99]

Well sorted on that idle return issue. Think I could drips of fuel below the carbs during the warm up idling, well after your last tickles. Maybe just from your temp fuel piping?

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thanks a lot. Yes, I noticed them while watching the video back. I tightened up the knurled nuts at the bottom of the float bowls and it seems to have done the trick. I appreciate you mentioning it. Cheers, Mike

[@cpscustom1292]

greetings Mr. I want to ask what is the name of the tool

[@TheMightyGarage]

@@cpscustom1292 Sorry, I don't know which tool you mean. Can you send me a timestamp in the video?

[@Norton731]

First kick wow, got to be happy with that?

[@henryhawk978]

Hey Mike, had no idea it would have something to do with the ignition. My bike that has the idle problem has Electronic ignition and FI. I'm gonna make a phone call to Harper's MG. Great stuff you've posted Mike. Enjoyed

[@classicmusclecarexhaust1988]

Once you go Tri-Spark, you never go back. After fitting a Tri-Spark Classic to my T160 Trident, I was amazed how many "carburetor" issues were solved. My bike has only 2,400 miles on it so the starting, running, and idle inconsistencies can't be blamed on worn out parts- it was like that since new. To say that the difference in the bike's behavior is like night and day would be an understatement. Not saying that getting an old classic to run right on points and mechanical advance is impossible, it just takes a level of experience and the right "touch" to do it. Most of us don't have that. Just get yourself a Tri-Spark and be done with it.

[@t.s.racing]

Outstanding Mike, and I do hope that even a small amount of my input last video helped. I was absolutely convinced it was the advance unit. Restoring and engine building of Triumphs helped pay my way through college decades ago. I always hoped to 1 day switch to the Norton platform, but I made my niche in the Harley Davidson and Suzuki Racing platforms, which has provided for me quite well. From sunny Florida, enjoy the ride Sir. T.S. RACING

[@TheMightyGarage]

It really did, thanks very much! Best wishes, Mike

[@t.s.racing]

Thank you Mike, and for the record, I truly should behind your friends carb mods. Excellent, excellent, thank you.

[@t.s.racing]

I went through my files and remembered a second generation 955 Triumph Sprint RS I restored for a good client. A little off topic I know, but I used to digest the bike for hours, and as most people know, the only true flaw was the plastic fuel line connectors, easily remedied with stainless steel connectors. A truly beautiful, well engineered Sport Touring machine. Thank you Sir, I truly enjoy contributing to your channel.

[@supercomp7078]

Spotted your electrical problem as soon as your were disassembling the condenser pack, it had LUCAS written on it.

[@TheMightyGarage]

😉😉👍

[@northlandrider5396]

In my opinion there's nothing wrong with the factory mechanical ignition system on a standard classic, provided it is properly maintained. There is no getting around the fact that old British iron is high maintenance. Electronic ignition is great for those with little mechanical aptitude or inclination, but if it fails on the road, it's over, Rover. PS You might like to pop some isolastics in your camera tripod (20:49 or thereabouts)! All that shakin' has to go somewhere 👌

[@swooshdave]

The problem is that the stock parts wear and that is when you have problems. It's not a failure of the owner, it's that 50+ year old stuff wears out. And you will never get the two sets of points perfectly in sync no matter how good you think you are. Then try to buy a new AAU because once those are worn out it's done.

[@northlandrider5396]

@@swooshdave Not a lot to wear out on a mechanical advance setup unless you have huge miles up and no access to lubrication.. I'm not anti electronic ignition, but I'm comfortable with servicing the standard factory system. Not least because its original. I'm fitting a Boyer system to one of the two Daytonas I'm currently working on because the owner is not a mechanic. The other is mine, which will be set up with cigarette paper. 😉

[@swooshdave]

@@northlandrider5396 I’ve seen tons of worn out AAUs in my days. They aren’t lubricated by the engine so the only care they get is from a person. And who is going to disturb their points to live the AAU? Then there’s the springs that wear out too.

[@northlandrider5396]

@@swooshdave The points will wear out before the advance springs lose tension. You sound like a solution looking for a problem when it comes to British motorcycle maintenance. The factory set up is really not that scary. I appreciate the advantages of set and forget. But there is nothing wrong with the original system, properly maintained. We're not talking high performance technology here. For that you'll be wanting a magneto!😉

[@hammerandhatchetengineerin4967]

Your bike sounds wonderful!! Also thanks for web sites for the gravity auxiliary fuel tank. I got one from Amazon and it is on its way 🤙

[@tandem8]

Mike, I suggest the Colorado Norton Single coil

[@maaseyracer]

Mike, check the Tri Spark manual it says that the 12V Lucas coils should not be used as they will result in poor performance and/or misfiring. (Page 11, Coil Compatability). I ended up wiring two 6v Lucas coils in series on my Triumph and used the CNW coil on my Norton. CNW coil is not my favorite look, but at the time I could not find 6v lucas coils. Cheers and best of luck.

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thanks a lot Eric. I appreciate it. I’ll see how it goes for a little while. I’ve also got a Tri-Spark in my other commander with the standard coil set up and it has been terrific, but it’s a fair point. I’ll definitely watch out with this bike. Cheers, Mike

[@np1663]

I’ve not even got an old bike yet. I keep wondering what I’m about to get myself into!

[@TheMightyGarage]

Honestly, once they are setup, they really don't take much maintenance and are just like any other classics. But they are totally worth it 😉

[@np1663]

@@TheMightyGarage Cheers mate. I’m actually looking forward to the learning process. I think I’ll end up with either a Commando or a Triton. Whichever it is I want to know every nut and bolt on the whole bike. Thanks for a the great videos.

[@kenkayiii]

Rear tire not centered or is that a flat spot?

[@elwoodbluesmorris2120]

will a 1972 commando engine fit into a 1968 s frame.

[@garybrown4854]

High mike , would just like to make you aware of a new KZbin Channel called " The Classic motorcycle mechanic 2 " he has a commando he doing ATM , you might find it interesting for reference. The guy is called Dave Mitchell he runs a classic bike dealership and workshop and is very knowledgeable.

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thanks very much Gary. Yes, I know the channel and am a big fan. I particularly like Dave's episodes. Best wishes, Mike

[@malcolmbennett3555]

gr8 vid Mike...........ever consider Boyer ignition?

[@waltmills6105]

Hi Mike, just wondering what spark plugs you are using with the Tri Spark and if you retained the stock coils. Thanks.

[@grahamseward1388]

Did you strobe it at all, I found mine was about 5 degrees out when I did, worth doing before you sync the carbs as it affects the idle speed as well the mixture, great video though

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thanks Graham, yes we did put the bike on the strobe and synched the carbs again. It was out, so well worth doing the timing with the gun. Best wishes, Mike

[@billcobb9408]

I see the motor moving quite a bit. Are the Isolator's bad?

[@waltmills6105]

For a 1974, the bike is in excellent shape. Even has the glass fuse! Just wondering why you removed the rocker covers to check the valves but didn't seem to check them during the install?

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thanks very much, Walt. We removed the rock covers to check that the bike was at TDC (top dead center) before setting the timing with the new Tri-Spark. I had checked the valves in a previous video. Cheers, Mike

[@eseepma2213]

One other thing, the rear tire doesn’t seems to be fitted properly on the rim.

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thanks very much for pointing this out. I appreciate it. I will take a look.

[@Jaysqualityparts]

Motorcycles feel more linear with E.Ignition imo.

[@mickducati1947]

🏍😜👍

[@craigkeller]

I wonder how many man years have been lost in wondering ‘where did this red wire go ?’

[@TheMightyGarage]

😀😀. Yes, I'm sure Craig!

[@nigelhammond8417]

Do the neighbours complain about the noise?

[@TheMightyGarage]

They are great and never complain. I don't start and run the bikes often. Most of their mowers and leaf blowers are louder 😉

[@MoeLarrycurly1]

🏍️👍😉✌️🐯🍺🍺

[@gren509]

Throw those coils away and fit Japanese !

[@TheMightyGarage]

😀😀