It's an air cooled engine. Needs warming up. Notice the smoke on start up? This is why you start it, then put your helmet and gloves on. Less sweaty too.
Had a ‘68. Going 450 miles a day was nothing, as long as I kept it at 4225 4235 rpm. Minimal vibration at that range. Rode it for eight years. Gave it to my oldest son when I made a grave error, bought a 750 Shadow. Top end went South at 1200 miles.
Mine used to leave me stranded or throw me into the air , until I had the magneto rewound . Many were faulty from new . It's hard-work balancing and kicking-over an Atlas when you have a few years 'under-your-belt' , not as bad as a large Brit-single though (don't google 'that', some things can't be unseen ) My 2003 W650 is a piece of cake and doesn't need its electric-starter . Dave NZ
Hi , this video has only just caught my eye because I ride the 650SS and at the wrong side of sixty I'm no spring chicken iether but I carry a few more lbs. than this chap 😂 , the smoke at start could be aa bit of wet sumping and a bit of "popping" both no big problem ,, starting is much easier with it on the stand , mine on a warm day 1st or 2nd kick but on a cooler day ,, lets just say it doesn't like the cold nice bike , I hope you're still ennjoying it
I bought a Norton Atlas a week after passing my test in 1971. I was 17 years old. I paid £159 for it from Birmingham Motorcycles. EOB 81C where are you now?
Had a 61 600 cc Domi SS. Open dual carbs. Fast once rocker arms turned back around. Two kicker most times never more than four or five, unless the Zener diode was busted again.
If it were me, I would have turned down that hill, snicked second gear and started that bike like a racer. I was a Norton triumph mechanic for several years. I loved the Commandos. I hated the Atlas or more accurately I hated the worn out Lucas mag that came with it.
I just bought a commando and found it difficult to start at first. From what I have read, if you cant start it with a couple of kicks, the bike either needs some work or your technique needs some work. Anyway, this bike didn't sound like it was running well. Lots of white smoke and misfiring at the start. Good luck!
This bike needs some points set, spark plugs changed. Put the bike on center stand and start, once started put your gloves, helmet 🪖 while the bike warms up.
He did not seem familiar with that bike. I had a Norton Atlas for years. You never start the thing after you take it off the center stand. You start it on the stand and then after it starts, you take it off the stand! Really?
NORTON Motorcycles are excellent machines but with the Aluminium Engine the weight and Size of the Engine should be made Small so that the Motorcycles will catch the world market
if you wonder why norton folded, 10 kicks is too many. my honda cb 92 was electric start, pretty much press button, go. brits ignored those little bikes, and then the 750 ran away from them, 6 months later kawa had a 1 liter faster still.
@@din9605 I don’t agree with you . I c engines working outside their normal operating temperature range suffer from accelerated wear. Within reason, the quicker the engine reaches its normal operating temperature and works at that temperature the slower it will wear. That is not to say however that they should be thrashed from stone cold.
It's an air cooled engine.
Needs warming up.
Notice the smoke on start up?
This is why you start it, then put your helmet and gloves on.
Less sweaty too.
Right!
Had a ‘68. Going 450 miles a day was nothing, as long as I kept it at 4225 4235 rpm. Minimal vibration at that range. Rode it for eight years. Gave it to my oldest son when I made a grave error, bought a 750 Shadow. Top end went South at 1200 miles.
Lovely old bike .I think the engine needs a bit of t.l.c . .nice kick-starting . .nice to see a old atlas on the road
Mine used to leave me stranded or throw me into the air , until I had the magneto rewound . Many were faulty from new . It's hard-work balancing and kicking-over an Atlas when you have a few years 'under-your-belt' , not as bad as a large Brit-single though (don't google 'that', some things can't be unseen ) My 2003 W650 is a piece of cake and doesn't need its electric-starter . Dave NZ
Very nice sound !
Hi , this video has only just caught my eye because I ride the 650SS and at the wrong side of sixty I'm no spring chicken iether but I carry a few more lbs. than this chap 😂 , the smoke at start could be aa bit of wet sumping and a bit of "popping" both no big problem ,, starting is much easier with it on the stand , mine on a warm day 1st or 2nd kick but on a cooler day ,, lets just say it doesn't like the cold
nice bike , I hope you're still ennjoying it
I bought a Norton Atlas a week after passing my test in 1971.
I was 17 years old.
I paid £159 for it from Birmingham Motorcycles.
EOB 81C where are you now?
Easier to Kickstart whilst on the center stand.
God, I miss the one I rode back in 1964.
Had a 61 600 cc Domi SS. Open dual carbs. Fast once rocker arms turned back around. Two kicker most times never more than four or five, unless the Zener diode was busted again.
Wonderful,, 😃😀 cleverest good design
Nice Norton….
If it were me, I would have turned down that hill, snicked second gear and started that bike like a racer. I was a Norton triumph mechanic for several years. I loved the Commandos. I hated the Atlas or more accurately I hated the worn out Lucas mag that came with it.
Well-said mate. It destroyed a great bike . Dave NZ
Very smokey 😮
I just bought a commando and found it difficult to start at first. From what I have read, if you cant start it with a couple of kicks, the bike either needs some work or your technique needs some work. Anyway, this bike didn't sound like it was running well. Lots of white smoke and misfiring at the start. Good luck!
This bike needs some points set, spark plugs changed. Put the bike on center stand and start, once started put your gloves, helmet 🪖 while the bike warms up.
yes mine too...90% of the time my Nortons would start on the tenth or twentieth kick, the rest of the time , not at all.
90% of the time my commando starts 2nd kick but if it’s in the huff it can take 10 kicks. I like the video good lad 👍
You've got timing issues. That's why it's tough to start and backfires.
no compression release?
This is why as an older bloke I won’t buy a bike with kickstart 😂
He did not seem familiar with that bike. I had a Norton Atlas for years. You never start the thing after you take it off the center stand. You start it on the stand and then after it starts, you take it off the stand! Really?
Is this a 250 cc?
I just love kicking a bike over not but that started prity good lol
It didn't start 2nd kick, smokes and backfires. Something is out of adjustment and worn on this bike.
I had a 600 dommi that wss a cow to start
dont get me wrong but some of these people that own these bikes dont seem safe to operate them, how they get back alive baffles me
What did he do wrong?
You are referring to the 18 TO 30 YEAR OLDS I presume ????????
Brilliant!
NORTON Motorcycles are excellent machines but with the Aluminium Engine the weight and Size of the Engine should be made Small so that the Motorcycles will catch the world market
if you wonder why norton folded, 10 kicks is too many. my honda cb 92 was electric start, pretty much press button, go. brits ignored those little bikes, and then the 750 ran away from them, 6 months later kawa had a 1 liter faster still.
Your front brake needs new linings
..let the machine warming first..then you ride..ooohh what a poor bike..
Moron
What for? The engine warms up much quicker while driving. Therefore the run time with cold oil is significantly reduced.
..i'm mechanical engineer..i know very well..
@@din9605 So being an engineer is your argument? I thought you might give some insight into the why.
@@din9605 I don’t agree with you . I c engines working outside their normal operating temperature range suffer from accelerated wear. Within reason, the quicker the engine reaches its normal operating temperature and works at that temperature the slower it will wear. That is not to say however that they should be thrashed from stone cold.
Its the art of kicking an old bike....ahaahhahah