Monday 20 September 2010

Removing the pinion from the crankshaft


How to remove the pinion from the crankshaft of your vintage Norton? It's a tapered press-fit and there is not enough room behind the pinion to use a normal puller. Clumsy attempts to use the weight of the crankshaft invariably result in cracking of the thin wall between the bearing and the pinion. The Norton manual suggests to give the pinion an almigthy blow with a hammer and a soft metal drift...which works OK but I need a stiff drink before I dare to abuse the delicate pinion in that manner.

Viktor found a much better way and the pics below explain it all. The puller was made from grained steel grade 600 MPa.