Norton Upright Gearbox - Cam Plate or Quadrant Spindle Washer - Pack of Three:  these are the special, thick/wide pan washers used to secure the gearbox quadrant and lever arms/positive stop mechanism on all Norton upright gearbox's (1933 type onwards).

They are also used on the main gearbox quadrant and lever arm on later Norton laydown gearboxs's (although only two washers are required on this later type gearbox, as this type of gearbox has a built in positive stop mechanism).

These washers are thicker and wider than most commercially available washers - and have identical dimensions to the original Norton items, as can be seen in the first photograph, where our stainless washers are fitted to an original Norton upright gearbox, and the original thick Norton washers are shown above the new washers.

There are 3 of these per gearbox - two on the main gearbox shell, one of which retains the main gearchange quadrant (shown in photograph) and the other two retain the two quadrant/ratchet levers.  Therefore these are sold in a pack of three. .

The reason it is important to use these correct thick washers, is that they ensure there is no loosening and therefore sideplay of the gearchange levers and quadrant - which gives best chance of clean gearchange.  These wide washers fully cover the spline and lever as per the originals    

Hint and tips: If you are experiencing loose or vague gearchanges with your upright Norton gearbox, here are the more obvious things to check:

- Clevis pins or holes on the gearchange quadrant/ratchet levers are worn.  We sell new clevis pins (see seperate listings)

- Gearchange positive stop plain  bearings are worn or loose - there are two of these in the top of the front gearbox plate one at the back and one at the front they often come loose or get worn - they normally need replacing (I will be offering these shortly)

- These thick washers have been omitted or the bolts are loose and the gearchange levers wobble around.

(Note:  If you have shopped on this catalog in the past you may have noticed we used to have to get this washer lasercut and then plate them.  We have now been able to obtain them in stainless steel and to the correct Norton dimensions from one of our fastener supplirs.  The last photograph shows the older type of washer against the selector plate - just to show the spline that the washer covers)

This is the gearbox kickstarter spring, as fitted to most Norton Upright and Laydown gearboxs (pre-AMC) from 1930's to late 1950's. Original kickstarter springs commonly wear on Norton gearbox's - often identifiable by the kickstarter moving backwards by its own accord on takeoff from standstill.  

As with the Gearbox Selector Fork Return Spring Item 0384), this kickstarter spring is commonly worn on Norton gearbox's - often identifiable by the kickstarter moving backwards by its own accord on takeoff from standstill, or just being floppy and ineffective.

As with the Selector Fork Return Spring, a good quality original was used as a template and manufactured by our top quality UK spring manufacturer

Fitting Instructions (See also second picture)

Fitting it is a relatively simple exercise, but can be fiddly - and as with all spring fitting  eye protection should be used:

Remove the pressed steel end cover on the kickstart shaft and prise out the old spring from where it locates vertically in the kickstart shaft - always wear safety glasses when doing this, although it should not fly off (in case it should break).  Then slide off the old spring - but before removing you may want make a note where the old spring located into one of the 4 notch's placed radially around the steel sleeve that the kickstart shaft fits into. 

To fit the new spring - you first need to ensure the kickstart shaft is turned as far clockwise as it can go - this signifies the kickstarter being at the top of its swing.  Then fit the new spring over the shaft, I use a pair of pliers to lever the inward facing tang over the end of the shaft, and then gently move it back (a bit fiddly as the tang will be pressed hard against the kickstarter knurl), until the tang enters the hole on the kicstarter shaft.

Then, the idea is to try and rotate the spring as far clockwise as you can achieve, until the spring is in as much tension as possible, and the parrallel tang engages with one of the four slots in the kickstarter shaft sleeve (which is shrunk fit into the outer gearbox cover).  Obviously, this is not easy - and if it does turn out to be easy . . . you need to check to see if you think you could have gone another quarter turn.  The more tension that can be applied to the spring, the firmer the return of the kickstarter will be.

. . . And if you are sweating and swearing when you are doing this - don't despair, that is normal!  Once fitted, if correct, the kickstarter should return to the vertical easily on its own accord after starting the bike, and not flop around in use.  

And again always wear eyeglasses when doing this - as you should when doing anything with springs.

This is the gearbox kickstarter spring cover, of the type that was fitted on all roadgoing Norton model gearbox's from 1934 to 1957 (both Upright and Laydown type Norton gearbox's). 

This is the standard type cover that is fitted over the kickstart spring (our Item 0385) on all roadgoing models, normally painted gloss black.

This item has been machined from solid steel bar, rather than the original pressed steel item (which would require a specialist and uneconomical press steel pattern mould to remanufacture) - so although not cheap to manufacture - result in a high quality item, with a good final gauge that will not easily distort.

We used a genuine 'New Old Stock' Norton item as the template to manufacture these (see the black painted item in the accompanying photographs, which is probalby original Norton black paint) - and it is worth noting that this original is of a thicker gauge than some other kickstart spring covers I have seen over the years - which often get dented in use.  Therefore, as we have replicated this gauge in our 'machined' versions - I think they will be far less susceptable to denting . ..  which is often what you find when looking at original items.

As can be seen from the photo - these are a slide fit/light tap fit over the machined alloy bosss of the gearbox end cover.  It is worth stating we copied that internal fit exactly from the original (new old stock) Norton spring cover - but as part of the setup for this part - we checked a number of original Norton Gearbox end covers - and found that machining tolerances on the machined boss on those covers can vary by 20 or 30 thou over the years . . . so they may just slide on, or may require light tapping with a mallet!. 

They come in bare metal (but protected in Duck Oil). Price is each (and price is for cover only, spring is sold seperately - see Item 0385, although it is shown in one of the acompanyning photos for reference).

Additional Model Gearbox Information:  Although we state these should fit all Norton roadgoing models from 1934 onwards fitted with a kickstarter (up until the introduction of the different 'AMC' type gearbox in 1957), the one exception to this would be the rare genuine Norton 500T trials models.  This model used a pre-war style 'Dollshead' type gearbox, but had a shortened kickstart shaft.  We do not have a genuine 500T gearbox to test against - but would expect that the kickstart spring cover for that model is also shorter - but it may be possible to shorten ours to fit if this is the case.

For Norton single models up to (some point) in 1934, Sturmey Archer gearbox's were fitted (in a variety of guises).  At some point in 1934, Sturmey Archer's parent company closed and Norton started producing their own gearbox.  If you have an earlier Sturmey Archer gearbox - as at December 2021 - we are looking to manufacture some small batch's of kickstart spring covers for 2 or 3 of those gearbox types fitted to Norton.  Contact us on sales@racingvincent.co.uk if you require more information on these - we are still trying to confirm definitive dimensions on a couple of models, but see also this section for Sturmey Archer kickstart springs - Item 1064/1065/1066 which we also offer

This is the gearbox kickstarter spring of the type fitted to genuine Norton 500T Trials models (i.e. from approximately 1949 - 53).  Similar to the standard roadgoing models - genuine Trials gearbox's employed a shorter kickstart shaft, to give better foot clearance - hence the kickstart spring was also narrower. 

Becasue of the rarity of the genuine 500T (Dollshead) type gearbox, with its different end cover casting and kickstart shaft - new springs for this type have been unobtainable for many years, and I would imagine most original bikes by now have quite a 'soggy' kickstart action!

These springs are UK manufactured by our specialist spring manufacturer, and we were very fortunate to have been lent a genuine 'New Old Stock' 500T kickstart spring as the pattern. from an old friend who owns two genuine 500T models - I doubt there  can be very many NOS springs of this type that still exist!

Price is each (and apologies these are not cheap - but as I am sure you will appreciate - we have to pay a minimum batch cost . . . even though we konw there is likely to be only the minimum of demand for these rare springs).

Fitting The Spring:

Please look at the accompanyning photographs and the last 4 should make it self evident how they were originally fitted - if you have a genuine 500T gearbox and kickstarter - you should find the kickstart shaft has a slot ground in it (in line with the axis) that one of the kickstart spring tangs fits into, then a special collar fits over the shaft and spring tang to retain it.  The other end of the spring fits into a single hole in the gearbox cover.  Hope this helps.

This is the gearbox kickstarter spring fitted to the 4 Speed Sturmey Archer models from approximately 1932-34, visually similar to the Norton gearbox spring that followed it, this spring has a wider diameter.  It is identifiable from earler Sturmey gearboxs in having one tang facing inwards, and the other facing backwards .

Price is each.

We used a genuine 'New Old Stock' Sturmey Archer (for Norton models) kickstart spring for the pattern for manufacturing these springs - so they are as per originals.

It is difficult to be definitive about exactly which models (and when) were fitted with this type of kickstart spring - but reading through Norton literature of the period - this spring seems to have been fitted mainly to the Four Speed (CSR) Sturmey Archer gearbox types.  The 4 speed gearbox looks to have be first supplied on SOHC (Mod 30 and 40) models on their introduction in 1932.  In 1933 the 4 speed was also offered for the SOHC CS!/CSJ.  Then for 1934 it was shown as available for all models - albeit with a slightly different positive stop mechanism on OHV/SV models.

In late 1934 - early 1935 the Sturmey Archer gearbox was replaced with Norton's own similar design, based on the earlier Sturmey design but with many smaller design differences - including the kickstarter spring, which was easily identifiable by having a smaller diameter coil section. 

For identification if you are not sure if this is the correct spring for your gearbox - It has an outer diameter of 47.5mm and a depth of coils of approximately 21mm

This is now an extremely difficult spring to find, and many original gearbox's are likely to be suffering with the original spring worn and tired - this new spring should help revitalise the kickstart lever returning! 

This is the gearbox kickstarter spring fitted to the 3 Speed Sturmey Archer models that were fitted to Walter Moore Norton CS1 and ES2 models in the late 1920's, through to the first Arthur Carroll engines and other models, to approximately 1932.  It has a long tang that protruded out and wrapped around the kickstart. 

Price is each.

We used a genuine original Sturmey Archer (for Norton models) kickstart spring for the pattern for manufacturing these springs - so they are as per originals.

This spring is unusual, in that it is has forward facing tang and loop, which fed through a hole in the kickstart spring cover (see accompanyning photos), and then looped behind the shaft of the kickstart lever.  The length that this tang protruded is important, as other Sturmey Archer gearbox's had a similar spring - but with a shorter length protruding (see also Item 1064).

The length the tang protrudes on this spring is approximately: 44mm

The outer diameter of the spring is approximately: 47.5mm

It is difficult to be definitive about exactly which Sturmey Archer Gearbox's and models this spring was fitted to - but it is certainly of the type that was fitted to the sporting Norton Models from 1927 through to approximately 1932 - as it is listed in the 1927/28 Norton Spare Parts catalog for Walter Moore type CS1 and ES2 models.  At this point the spring was shown as part number 4585.  I cannot be entirely sure - but I believe the gearbox was known as the CRS type gearbox (please email me if you think I have got this wrong!).

It was then shown again in the 1930-31 Spare Parts Catalog, by which time this gearbox was now being fitted to the newly introduced Arthur Carroll type SOHC CS1 engine, as well as the ES2 models.  By this time the part number had changed to 5X44. See accompanyning photos for exerts of both these catalog pictures.

The following year (i.e. 1932) the Sturmey Archer 4 speed gearbox was introduced for the SOHC Mod30/40 models with a different kickstarter spring type (see Item 1066) - but the 3 speed gearbox was still listed for the CS1 models - so although I cannot be sure if the spring design changed, the 1932 3 speed may have continued to use this spring type - and it may have also been used on other models at that point in time (again, please email if you have a 3 speed of 1932-34 design and can confirm this, thx).

This spring may have also been fitted to other manufacturers models fitted with Sturmey Archer 3 speed gearbox's from mid 1920's to early 1930's - if unsure, the important dimensions to check are shown above - the distance the tang protrudes to reach the kickstarter shaft, and the width of the spring (and again - I would be happy to update this listing if anyone knows of other models using it).

As a final point - as at time of the writing this listing (Jan 2022) - I am in the process of having a small batch of the spring covers manufactured - as shown in the centre of the photo with the springs and covers together.  These were tin covers (although we may need to machine from solid), with a hole for the forward facing tang to protrude.  Email us on sales@racingvincent.co.uk if you wish to reserve one.

This is now an extremely difficult spring to find, and many original gearbox's are likely to be suffering with the original spring worn and tired - this new spring should help revitalise the kickstart lever returning! 

This is the 'short tang' type gearbox kickstarter spring fitted to the 3 Speed Sturmey Archer CS type gearbox, and possibly other early Sturmey Archer gearbox's - both Norton and other marques, this most likely being for earlier, 1920's SV/OHV modelss - but please read all of this description listing - and that of Item 1108 before confirming this is the correct spring for your model - as this pattern is slightly different to the other Sturmey CS type spring we sell (Item 1108), and there were many variations of Sturmey Archer gearbox throughout the 1920's and into the early 1930's. 

Price is each.

We used a genuine original Sturmey Archer kickstart spring for the pattern for manufacturing this spring - but this particular spring was found in a box of Sturmey Archer gearbox parts I have owned for many years, obtained from someone who had owned many 1920s's/30's bikes - Norton's being prevelant, but I cannot guarantee this spring originated from a Norton CS gearbox.

However, the original spring did come from a Sturmey Archer CS type gearbox of the 1920's era - and looking at other photographs of CS type gearboxs - it seems most likely that the earlier CS type gearbox used a spring with a shorter tang - i.e. the straight part that came out from the spring coil, with a loop at the end, that was used to loop around the shaft of the kickstart lever of these models.

I have included a photograph of a very original 1925 Model 18 Norton, which was fitted with a CS type gearbox - and looks to employ this 'short tang' version spring (acknnowledgement to www.Bonhams.com - who provide excellent photographs of many original bikes of this era, and are well worth visiting if you are considering buying either a complete bike, or spare parts) - which indicates that this earlier Norton model may have used this gearbox kickstarter spring (Item 1064), rather than our other CS 'long tang' type gearbox spring - Item 1108, which I know was fitted to the later CS gearbox's, into the early 1930's.

This spring is unusual, in that it is has forward facing tang and loop, which fed through a hole in the kickstart spring cover (see accompanyning photos), and then looped behind the shaft of the kickstart lever.  

If you own a Norton model (or indeed any other similar aged marque that may have also fitted Sturmey Archer gearbox's in this period), then it is important you also look at our similar Item 1108, as we offer two different type of springs from this era, that although are very similar, have slightly different tang length's, and the spring ends are at different positions - so please check the accompanyning photographs for both listings before ordering - we try to show the exact differences between the two different types, so you can select which looks most correct for your particular gearbox.

When looking at the phtograph that shows the 'clock' position the tangs are positioned at for both springs - it should be remembered that it would be normal to pull the kickstart back (i.e. anticlockwise) slightly, so the kickstart is under slight pressure, even when at the top of its stroke - so take this into account when looking  at the spring end positions.

Both this spring (Item 1064) and the other CS spring (Item 1108) have a kickstart spring tang that protrudes outward from the gearbox approximately 20mm, meaning the kickstart lever is very close to the gearbox cover.  The later CRS gearbox spring (Item 1065) protrudes out much further, meaning the kickstart shaft protrudes further out from the gearbox end cover than the CS model.

6A final point - I am not an expert on early Sturmey Archer gearbox's (very few people are these days for obvious reasons!) - and have only pieced together the information shown here from looking at many photographs from different models, customers and friends who still have these - and looking at the few Sturmey Archer gearbox spares I own myself.  If you think you can provide more information - or own models with other types fitted - feel free to email us on sales@racingvincent.co.uk - we will be happy to update these listings with more information, or add other springs if patterns become available.expert 

The length the tang protrudes on this spring is approximately: 26mm (this being the straight section between bend and start of top loop)

The outer diameter of the spring is approximately: 47.5mm

The kickstarter tang protrudes out approximately: 20mm from the main coil spring

This is now an extremely difficult spring to find, and many original gearbox's are likely to be suffering with the original spring worn and tired - this new spring should help revitalise the kickstart lever returning!  It is slightly more expensive than later springs, as we have had to pay setup on a smaller size of batch than the later springs - hope this makes sense.

This is the 'long tang' type gearbox kickstarter spring fitted to the 3 Speed Sturmey Archer CS type gearbox - as fitted to most Norton SV and OHV models in the mid 1920's to approximately 1932.  We also sell a similar CS type spring with shorter tang (Item 1065), See listing detail for information on each type.

Price is each.

We used a genuine original Sturmey Archer (for Norton models) kickstart spring for the pattern for manufacturing these springs - so they are just as per the original spring.  This spring came from a CS gearbox fitted to a 1930 Norton OHV model, and the original spring even had pitting along its length - indicating it is a very old spring, and possibly the original spring fitted to that gearbox (very kindly lent to me by a customer who owned the bike).

This spring is unusual, in that it is has forward facing tang and loop, which fed through a hole in the kickstart spring cover (see accompanyning photos), and then looped behind the shaft of the kickstart lever.  

If you own a Norton model (or indeed any other similar aged marque that may have also fitted Sturmey Archer gearbox's in this period), then it is important you also look at our similar Item 1064, as we offer two different type of springs from this era, that although are very similar, have slightly different tang length's, and the spring ends are at different positions - so please check the accompanyning photographs for both listings before ordering - we try to show the exact differences between the two different types, so you can select which looks most correct for your particular gearbox.

It is difficult to be definitive about which year and which models used which particular spring - as there seemed to be many different Sturmey Archer gearbox's with minor variations through the 1920's (and Norton Spare Parts List did not seem to clearly identify one type from another) - but this type has a slightly longer tang than Item 1064 - and the pattern spring we used definitely came from a 1930 model - which indicates that this spring was probably more likely to be fitted to late 1920's-early 1930's Norton's using the CS gearbox, but it could be this spring type was also fitted on earlier models - but in parallel to the short tang type gearbox (Item 1064).

However, it is worth looking at the picture of gearbox shown for Item 1064 as a comparison - as this is taken from a 1925 Norton model, and that gearbox looks to have been fitted with the 'short' length tang kickstarter spring.  So, although not definitive - it may be possible that the earlier versions of the CS gearbox were fitted witht the short tang type (Item 1064), and later types of this gearbox were fitted with this spring (Item 1108).  To support this - you will notice that the later (i.e. 1930) type gearbox shown here also had a pressed steel kickstart lever retaining clip bolted to the gearbox cover just above the kickstart shaft, which the mid-1920's version did not have - which may explain why the tang lengths are different, to avoid fouling this clip.

When looking at the phtograph that shows the 'clock' position the tangs are positioned at for both springs - it should be remembered that it would be normal to pull the kickstart back (i.e. anticlockwise) slightly, so the kickstart is under slight pressure, even when at the top of its stroke - so take this into account when looking  at the spring end positions.

Both this spring (Item 1108) and the other CS spring (Item 1064) have a kickstart spring tang that protrudes outward from the gearbox approximately 20mm, meaning the kickstart lever is very close to the gearbox cover.  The later CRS gearbox spring (Item 1065) protrudes out much further, meaning the kickstart shaft protrudes further out from the gearbox end cover than the CS model.

A final point - I am not an expert on early Sturmey Archer gearbox's (very few people are these days for obvious reasons!) - and have only pieced together the information shown here from looking at many photographs from different models, customers and friends who still have these - and looking at the few Sturmey Archer gearbox spares I own myself.  If you think you can provide more information - or own models with other types fitted - feel free to email us on sales@racingvincent.co.uk - we will be happy to update these listings with more information, or add other springs if patterns become available.expert 

The length the tang protrudes on this spring is approximately: 44mm (this being the straight section between bend and start of top loop)

The outer diameter of the spring is approximately: 47.5mm

The kickstarter tang protrudes out approximately: 20mm from the main coil spring

This is now an extremely difficult spring to find, and many original gearbox's are likely to be suffering with the original spring worn and tired - this new spring should help revitalise the kickstart lever returning!  It is slightly more expensive than later springs, as we have had to pay setup on a smaller size of batch than the later springs - hope this makes sense.

TThese are a modern equivelant for the clevis pins used to connect the gear linkage on Norton gearbox's between the positive stop selector mechanism and the main gearbox selector plate.  Listing is for 2 clevis pins and 2 split pins.

These are supplied from a good quality UK manufacturer.

If you have any play at all on your existing pins, then fitting new pins is an easy way of instantly improving gearchange - it is a cheap way of improving gearchange before looking at other causes of bad gearchange (i.e. worn thrust washer, worn gear selector mechanism bearings, bad clutch adjustment etc.

These clevis pins are 0.250" diameter, which is also a common size for use on rear brake rod clevis connectors - so can be used for that purpose as well.  We also sell in slightly cheaper packs of 4 - Item listing 0337B

Price is for a pair (2) of clevis pins and two split pins

These are a modern equivelant for the clevis pins used to connect the gear linkage on Norton gearbox's between the positive stop selector mechanism and the main gearbox selector plate.  They are also of the type commonly fitted to rear brake rods.  This listing is for 4 clevis pins and 4 split pins - slightly more economical than buying 2 x item 0357 if you want a spare pair of gearbox rod clevis's or want to do brake rod and gearbox clevis's.

These are supplied from a good quality UK manufacturer.

If you have any play at all on your existing pins, then fitting new pins is an easy way of instantly improving gearchange - it is a cheap way of improving gearchange before looking at other causes of bad gearchange (i.e. worn thrust washer, worn gear selector mechanism bearings, bad clutch adjustment etc.

These clevis pins are 0.250" diameter, which is also a common size for use on rear brake rod clevis connectors - so can be used for that purpose as well.  We also sell as a pair - Item listing 0337

Price is for a 4 clevis pins and 4 split pins.

Note - these should not be used on Norton girder fork rebound springs, which are intended for a bigger clevis pin.  See Norton forks section where we offer the correct clevis pins to fit those springs.