RealClassic – August 2019

wasn’t really an option and itwould have
tobe donebystrobe with the engine
runningtoget itright...butIhadtoget
the engine startedtobeabletodothat.
Afteracouple ofattemptsatbacking off
the timing slightly,the engine burst into
life.Subsequentsetting of the full advance

timingbystroberevealed thatalthough

it wasbang on when fully advanced,the

ignitionwasnotretarding enoughforeasy,

coldkick starting.Warmstarting proved

much easier though and theownerreckons

the ignition can bereprogrammedto give

awiderrangeofadvanceandretard.That

wouldcertainly beworthlooking

into,Ireckon.

Fornow,itwas good enough

totakeforaspin.Ineededto

think backtothoseteenage

daysonmydad’s6 50 torecall

riding anydistanceonabike

of thistype.Ithinkmyincrease

in bulkover theyears probably

cancelled out anyextraurge

from the larger capacityengine.

Iwas running in the new engine

components so therewould be

no thrashing it...

Igavetherear brake some

attention because itwas

reluctanttowork. Manyof us

knowthatthe handling offeatherbed-

framed machines,wideline or slimline,

is excellentsolongasthe wheels,tyres,

suspension and brakes areall in good order.

Iwill go along with everycomplimentever

maderegarding the handling of these

Nortons.Onone run, leanedover and

committedforacorner,Iran the frontwheel

rightoverasizeable item ofwetclothing

whichwasexactly inmyline on the bend.I

bracedmyselfforwhatIthoughtwould be

the inevitableconsequences.Therewasn’t

even much ofatwitch!Phew.

Thehandlebars on this machine put the

leversataslightly strange angleforme,but

Iassume theowner hasaset-up thatworks

forhim.Thefootrests areadjustable on their

serrated faces,whichcorrespondtosimilar

on their mounting points,sosomevariations

tosuitridersizeand personal preferenceare

possible.The seatand theride in general

wereprettycomfortable,Iwould say.

On the‘before’ ride,IthoughttheAtlas

lacked some get up and go.Initially itwas

76 I AUGUST 2019 More old bikes online: Real-Classic.co.uk

Neathome-made set of ring clamps eases refitting the barrel Findinggaskets which actuallyfitcan beachallenge...

Cleaning out oiltanksisasimpletasktoooften ignored

Remember the oil pump’s oil seal? Here’s anicenewone,along withanother in the timingcover. Cheapand essential