These settings are those that I found for my 1966 Matchless G12, which has many shared components with Nortons of the same period. Bear in mind that some of these settings will make it hard to undo nuts by the side of the road with normal tool roll tools. I tighten wheel nuts up so that I can undo them by the side of the road if necessary; just check them regularly.

I will add to the list as I work through the bike.

Disclaimer: everything on this page, and indeed on this entire website, is provided for information purposes only. It is up to you to verify the information before using or relying on it, either or both of which you do entirely at your own risk.

Torque Spanner (‘wrench’ if you must) Settings

Forks and Wheels

Bolt fixing damper tube to fork slider – 10 ft. lb.
Damper tube aluminium cap – easily stripped so tighten sensibly
Front wheel nut (tighten first) – 60 ft. lb.
Front wheel pinch bolt nut (tighten after wheel nut) – just 10-15 ft. lb.
Fork stanchion top caps – 35 ft. lb.
Fork yolk pinch bolts – 10-15 ft. lb.
Rear wheel sleeve nuts (3) – 40 ft. lb.
Rear wheel main speedo drive side nut – 80 ft. lb.

Wheel Sizes and Tyre Pressures

These were based on those in Roy Bacon’s restoration book.

Front Wheel – WM3 18 inch rim, 3.25 x 18 tyre (Metric is 90/90)
Rear Wheel – WM3 18 inch rim, 3.50 x 18 tyre (Metric 100/90)

My bike actually has tyre sizes suited to the 750 bike, 3.50 x 18 on the front and 4.00 x 18 on the back. They seem fine, but may have a negligible effect on the speedo reading; 3% maybe.

The tyre pressures on my wheels were set to 28 by the tyre fitter. From what I can find they should be Front – 25 psi and Rear – 22 psi, but those need checking.

Oil Types and Grades for UK Weather

Engine – Silkolene (or similar) Classic Silkolube 20W-50
Gearbox – Silkolene (or similar) Gear Oil Medium SAE 85 / SAE 90
Forks – 20 SAE Fork Oil, 142ml (5 fluid ounces) per fork
Primary Chaincase – as per ‘engine’ above
Grease for wheel bearings and spindles – EP2 High Melting Point Grease, good to 130C
Chain – this depends on your chain, for a classic chain use a quality ‘Chain Lube’ and for more modern chains use ‘Chain Wax’ if you prefer. Don’t use old engine oil, the chain will ‘fling’ it everywhere.

Here’s a guide to the torque settings for the Norton Commando, which will give you a good idea of the other settings: Norton Commando Torque Settings V2