Putting My 1951 Norton ES2 Back to Work - 482 Miles in Three Days
Having done around 15,000 miles on my 1951 Norton ES2, it is safe to say it is my trusty touring bike. But on the way back from a weekend in Somerset last year, it started smoking badly. Other projects took priority and it sat untouched for ten months before the time came to get it ready for another long-distance run.
Why I'm Riding My ES2 to Weston-Super-Mare
Why Weston? I've been going to Weston with the East Sussex VMCC off and on for over 10 years. It's a lovely ride down and back and, after a few people started saying it was too far to go in a day to just come back the following day, an extra day has been added for the last 3 years so we can explore the area and have a slightly easier middle day.
I use my ES2 for this event because, with over 200 miles to do in a day, we stick to the A and B roads and we do tend to 'crack on' a bit. My ES2 is the perfect mix of comfort and speed for this. I'd be thrashing the Harley or the CS1 and my Inter would cripple me by the time I got there. The ES2 also has the benefit of properly waterproof luggage and, going in September, that is often important.
By the time I got home from Weston last year, my ES2 was smoking badly and using a lot of oil. It clearly needed pulling apart and investigating. I never planned to leave it for 10 months but other events and projects took over and the bike sat untouched until July of this year.
A Year of Other Projects
If you've been following this blog over the last few months, you'll know I haven't sat idle all year. As well as spending a lot of time working on the business, I have been making an effort to get some of my other bikes out and use them. It's easy to fall into the trap of using the ES2 for everything, but this year seemed a good opportunity to get the others out. I wrote about preparing the bikes and taking my 1929 Harley to France and my 1928 Norton CS1 to Wales.
I also rode my 1934 Norton International to a local bike show where it won the Judges' Choice award. This was especially surprising given that the day was organised by the BSA Owners Club!
I wouldn't go as far as to say my ES2 was forgotten. It just never quite became the priority. But in July I decided it was time to get it sorted. I didn't want to use another bike for Weston and, as I suspected it needed new piston rings, I wanted time to get a few miles on it before we set off. In a rash moment I entered it for the International West Kent Run (IWKR), giving myself about 10 days to get it ready - nothing like a deadline to focus the mind.
The ES2 Back at the Top of the Queue
First job was to take the head and barrel off and see what was going on. The first thing I noticed was that all three piston ring gaps lined up perfectly. I've never seen this before, but by complete coincidence a friend had found the same thing in one cylinder of a Series 1 Land Rover a couple of weeks earlier. I'm confident I didn't put the engine together like this and besides, if I had it wouldn't have done thousands of smoke free miles before suddenly starting.
I measured the gaps and, although still within limits, I decided to fit new rings. It's not a huge sum of money and while the bike is apart, lets not put parts back in that are almost worn out. I spoke to the very knowledgeable and helpful guy at Cox and Turner. He told me that OEM Norton pistons use 0.060" thick piston rings whereas all of the newer offerings use 0.0625" (1/16") thick ones. Not a lot in it but enough to mean they aren't interchangeable.
They had both types in stock so I bought the correct ones for the NOS 16H piston which I use in my ES2 and, after a glaze busting hone, I reassembled the engine.
Now - confession time. I was a bit pressed for time so I didn't check the valve guides. Having found a problem with the rings, I put that right and reassembled the engine to try it. If I'd checked the guides and found them to be worn I didn't have time to do anything about it, so I took my chances.
After about 30 miles locally, we loaded the bike in the van alongside my Dad's '48 Model 18 and all our camping gear and took them to Aylesford for the IWKR.
The International West Kent Run
I love this event, it's far from the best riding I've ever done, Kent is congested and full of potholes. But the social side is superb with the beer tent in the evenings and a bike show and autojumble on Sunday.
We got there in time for the Friday ride out and by the time we arrived at the lunch stop I was starting to worry that the new rings hadn't made much difference. Dad, who was following me, tried to reassure me that things were improving. There was less smoke than when we set off and the rings would take a while to bed in. I wasn't convinced and by the time we got back to base I was feeling pretty dejected.
Chatting to people in the evening it was suggested that if I was running the bike rich it would stop the rings bedding in properly. I hadn't played with the carb settings in a long time and it used to be OK, but then most things that go wrong used to be OK. I decided there was no harm in trying, but I'd had a few beers by then, so decided it was a job for the morning.
Side tracking from the ES2 for a minute, Friday night was my first night sleeping in a tent in nearly two years. I've done a lot of camping and travelled around Europe with a tent on the back of a bike more than once. I love it, and as I walked back to my tent I couldn't keep the grin off my face (although the beer might have contributed to that). By Saturday morning I was determined, I'll be going 'motocamping' again next year!
Anyway - back to the ES2. I dropped the needle a notch and rode it round the car park in the morning. It seemed OK so we set off on the main Saturday run. By the time we stopped for coffee 25 miles later the smoking had noticeably reduced, by lunchtime it had all but stopped. Looks like we've cracked it!
By the time we'd got home from the IWKR, I'd done about 200 miles on the bike and I was happy that it was ready for the 500ish mile trip to Weston and back. I was still getting smoke when going uphill, so I took the exhaust off and washed it out. I stood the Brooklands Can on its end with a bung in it and filled it with some old petrol. After leaving it to soak overnight I swilled it around and washed it out. When I took the bung out the other end I found a 1/2" thick slug of black gunge that had sunk to the bottom! It was a messy and time consuming job but one that appears to have been worthwhile!
The Real Test
Nothing really tests a classic touring bike like loading it up with luggage and doing 500 miles in 3 days! I've done it plenty of times before, and I've done it with far less preparation, so I was confident I was ready.
Last Minute Prep
The day before departure I had a couple of hours spare to give the bike a once over and get it ready. I topped the engine and gearbox oil up, checked the tyres and adjusted the chains. I even had time to take the primary cover off, and use the straight edges to ensure I didn't throw the rear wheel alignment out.
I've already mentioned the luggage on this bike. It's overkill for a weekend away but it is useful to be able to simply 'chuck it all in' rather than having to squeeze it into a small bag. The bike rides so well with it on there isn't really a downside.
I had the bike ready and loaded in time to go out for the evening, no 11pm prep this time.
Riding to the Start
I wake up on Friday morning to the sound of the rain hammering against the window - great! Fortunately by the time we set off just after 8:30 it's stopped. I put my waterproofs on anyway, the roads are awash and by the time we stop for petrol a couple of miles from home I'm questioning why I cleaned the bike yesterday!
We stop a couple of times in the first 15 miles or so to pick other riders up and by the time we turn onto the A272 we're a group of 10. Too many to ride together all day but we'll split it up when we stop for breakfast.
By the time we arrive at the Chalet Café in Cowfold for breakfast I'm feeling very comfortable on my ES2 again. Switching between bikes does mean it sometimes takes a while to settle in, but I've used the ES2 enough now that it never takes long.
It's motoring along very well, sounds fantastic and I don't know the luggage is there. I don't notice any smoke in my mirror and when I ask Dad, this time following on his 1960 Triumph TR6, he hasn't noticed much either.
Although the roads are still wet, the sun is now shinning, the temperature is steadily rising and the speedo finally ticks over 15,000 miles, I had it zeroed when I rebuilt the bike so this is all me. I've spent most of the last year saying I've done around 15k miles on the bike, it's nice to finally be able to say over 15k miles. This all feels like a good omen for the weekend.
At breakfast we are given the route sheets for the day and split into two groups of five. I'll lead one group, and Mick the other.
Settling Back In
The rest of the morning passes without incident, other than my missing a junction on the A34 and adding about five miles to our route. The group following me don't seem too upset though, probably helps that it isn't raining.
I notice the bike runs significantly better when I retard it slightly on the lever - I don't think the timing has slipped, maybe it's tied in with the weakened mixture. I check the plug at the lunch stop and the electrode looks very good, it's still a bit oily around the outside so I check the tank and can see it has dropped a bit. Nothing like it was this time last year though.
After a bowl of chips (I'm still full from breakfast) we set off on the afternoon ride. Although I am still leading we soon catch up with the other group of five I start paying less attention to the route sheet and my mind starts to wander:
I'm getting a sore ass. The A36 to Warminster is fantastic on a bike. I've got a sore ass. Ron still hasn't cancelled his indicators. I've got a sore ass. Where are we on the route? I've got a sore ass.
As we approach Cheddar we come across a closed road. Mick looks at me to see if I have any ideas and I realise I'm not even sure where we are on the route sheet anymore. Between us we get everyone around it and back onto the route in time for the ride down through Cheddar Gorge.
As we ride down through the gorge I'm looking for a spot to pull over and take a picture. I want a few for this blog post and I never seem to get very many when I'm riding with a group, I always feel guilty about stopping everyone so I can take a photo. I do find a spot though, pull in, wave everyone past and take the picture before jumping back on and catching up when we stop for an ice cream.
Last bit into Weston is ridden as a group of ten. But once we hit the traffic and the endless roundabouts we soon become a seven, then a five. Oops, we all get there in the end but it wasn't quite how it should work. We'll have to spread the two groups out a bit more tomorrow.
I check the oil on my bike and end up pouring quite a lot in, there's no smoke when I'm riding with the throttle open, but there is the odd puff on the overrun or when I first open the throttle to pull away. I'm guessing those valve guides could do with a look at after all.
The ES2 is Back!
Other than continuing to keep the oil topped up I don't have to touch the ES2 for the rest of the weekend. Saturday's ride out involves a long stop at the spectacular County Classic Motor Museum in Taunton. One man's dream, this museum opened in 2023. Located in the old Country Stores department store it is far bigger and more impressive than you'd expect from the outside. I would highly recommend a visit to anyone who is in the area!
Sunday usually consists of a good thrash back home, and this year was no different. All of the bikes continued to perform faultlessly, the only blot on my ES2's copybook came whilst riding in heavy rain - I knew when I set off that the tyres were coming to the end of their life, but figured they'd do 500 miles. They did, and they're still legal but they didn't work as well in the rain as they used to.
By the time I'm wheeling the bike into the workshop at home, we've covered 482 miles in three days and I'm delighted with my ES2. It has romped up some huge hills in top gear, sat at 65 mph on the open road and plodded along in traffic. Other than in the wet it has handled as well with the luggage as it does without and it hasn't missed a beat. I'm glad I used other bikes this summer and will continue to spread it around again next year, but I won't be waiting until so late in the year to get this one out again.
A Few Jobs for the Winter
As is always the way, I have come home with a few jobs I'd like to do over the winter.
Valve Guides
These definitely need some attention. I'll take the head off again and have a look at them, the piston rings have significantly improved the oil consumption but, given the miles I often cover on this bike, I need it to be better. I can only carry so much oil with me!
Ignition Timing
This is very easy to change because I am using one of my Vernier Sprockets on the bike. I'm going to take my time though and measure what it is now and what I end up changing it to.
Tyres
I had hoped that by getting them to the end of this season the AM26 Roadriders I like would be available again in time for next season. However I've since heard that the resumption of production in France has been delayed and I won't be able to get any for quite some time. I'll give it some thought and try a different tyre for next year, I like the way my Harley rides with Mitas tyres on it so I might try them.
Saddle
Joking aside, I was getting uncomfortable on the bike, which is not something I am used to on this one. When I got home I peeled the cover back slightly to find the layer under the leatherette cover has fallen apart completely. It's done well, but it's something else for me to look at. I'll do it sooner rather than later because I don't want to wear holes in the cover, it's still in very good condition.
Fix the Oil Leak
My engine is remarkably oil tight, I've fitted seals and rubber o-rings everywhere I can and it's paid off. However it has sprung the typical pushrod Norton oil leak, weeping out of the top of the inner timing cover. I'll take this off and reseal it over the winter.
While I'm at it I want to take some pictures for a couple more tech articles on valve and ignition timing, so stay tuned for those.
After a superb weekend's riding, and considerably less rain than was forecast, the ES2 is back in the workshop and ready for a few more jobs. I've done well over 15,000 miles on it now and it has once again proved what a great touring bike it is. I'll get the jobs done and it'll be ready to go again next summer.
What Would You Like to Do Next?
Read more about my 1951 Norton ES2
Read about the Engine Development I have carried out on this bike
See our full range of Norton Parts for Sale
See our Norton Technical Guides
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