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norton commando advice

Hey, Littlebeast, may not be your cup o tea, but at IMS last year I stopped by Triumph's display and saw a bike that made me drool. It's a bit similar to the Comando, though it may not be your style or within your budget. Still, it's so friggin' cool. It's a customized Triumph Scrambler from a company called British Customs. It's called The Great Escape. Another one that may be more your speed might be the Bonneville Café. I can't quite tell if they just sell parts or sell the modified bikes too.

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Two last things. If you weigh under 140 pounds, kick starting that beast may be an experience you will end up wishing had never happened.
The 850 Commando electric starter is the most magnificent boat anchor Norton ever built.
 
Carlo said:
This is something of an exaggeration.
Of course if you race them, they're going to require a lot of maintenance.
That's an engine that started its existence as a mildly tuned 500cc twin, and gradually increased in displacement, compression ratio, valve timing/lift until they were more like hand grenades than engines.
But if you avoided using the full power potential of them, the high performance later models could be as reliable as the original models, many of which soldiered on for many years, and in some cases hundreds of thousands of miles (not without the occasional rebuild, no engines designed in the late 40's and built in the 50's, 60's and early 70's lasted forever).
In spite of running basically the same engine as the Norton Atlas, to which AFM's warning truly does apply, the Commando when properly set up, and properly maintained, is one of the most reliable of the British vertical twins.
Hell, my Royal Enfield 750 Interceptor, which is not as highly reputed in the reliability area as the Commando, has been running since 1984, when I last rebuilt it. It's due for a rebore, pistons and a valve job, but still runs fine, and doesn't smoke.
I don't race around on it (that's the reason to own a modern bike), but I do ride it, and haven't had much trouble with it in those 30 years.

In some ways, it could be argued that older bikes are better than modern bikes. Simple, easy to fix (it's not that big a deal to have an extra set of wrenches on hand), and way fewer things to go wrong.
In all the years I've owned my Enfield (since 1972), it's only actually let me down to the point where I couldn't get home on it 3 times.
For several years, it was my only bike, and I rode it all over Northern California, and was up on Skyline with it nearly every weekend.

Meanwhile, in the 10 years I've owned my Aprilia, it's been trailered home exactly the same number of times.
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Ehh. I don't think any of my Japanese bikes have ever left me stranded, my Norton/s did. I also think it's an exaggeration to say it's trouble free. :laughing If you end up with one of the old Commando's with the pre barrell shape main bearings, you will wish you hadn't. Honestly. I had a bunch and I wasn't sorry to let them go. While I had them I had huge fun working on them and riding them. Just remember that Japanese turn key bikes are popular for a reason.

The way it ends up is: Old bikes look cool. New bikes ride cool.
 
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Carlo said:
...it's only actually let me down to the point where I couldn't get home on it 3 times...
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I've owned 50 plus bikes and except for flat tires I've never been stuck on the road.

Tri750 said:
...Some of the old timers may remember the tallest fattest guy they ever saw on a racetrack . That was, and likely still is, me!
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I always had a little sympathy for you big guys. Leathers are expensive enough without the extra upcharge for more cow skin.
 
I bought my Norton new in 1975 and it's sitting behind me right now in my kitchen looking absolutely stunning. About 60 other bikes have come and gone since then, I have a stained glass panel with the logo built into the wall over a doorway that my niece made for me 30 years ago, so I'm obviously very fond of the machine. I would recommend you get a test ride on a "new" Triumph twin (Bonneville, Scrambler, etc.) and think about going that way. I have a Bonneville (2007) and will tell you it feels more like the Nortons than the old Triumphs. Owning any older Brit bike does pretty much require a strong mechanical back ground to be at one with the machine and ownership. The new Triumphs will give you all the good stuff of the old with none of the ongoing maintenance issues. Build it as you like and enjoy a stress-free cool feeling machine. Check out this site...
http://www.bonnefication.com/
 
you can make a hinkley triumph look like a norton. all the money that you use to keep an norton running could be used to mod up a newer thruxton or bonneville.go look at bellacourse-triumph performance usa-british customs-twin shack websites.look at pictures on the triumph rat website.people make some amazing looking bikes.they are still pos.but they are running pos.this is my 2010 thruxton.
 

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here is an example of a hinkley faux vintage bike.corndog build yourself a old thruxton with a stroker motor.100 rwhp with that crap frame.that will give you some thrills.
 

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My dad has a 75 commando, he bought it new, it's currently in pieces spread out on their basement floor.

He rebuilt it a few years ago and rode it from Boston to S.F. through Canada. By the end of the trip it was burning a quart of oil every other tank of gas. Beautiful bike though, and he's planning on fixing it up again, but for now he's loving his wee-strom!

:ride
 
larry kahn is correct. One of my Nortons hung in a display window for years in Berkeley, with a kotex taped to the sump to catch drips. Buy a Thruxton for the same feel ( wobbly frame, mediocre brakes, nice sound) and no troubles. Honestly, old bikes are only fun if you enjoy working on them.
 
<<I always had a little sympathy for you big guys. Leathers are expensive enough without the extra upcharge for more cow skin.>>>

I was just happy to find someone that would do it.
Vanson would do it by email, but that terrified me.

Zooni offered to give it a whirl without hesitation. Juan said it was the biggest set he'd ever made. I've had several big dudes ask about them and hopefully sent some business his way.

My old leathers were a set of leather pants modified to full zip to my First Gear Scout jacket so a set of real leathers was tall cotton.
They still fit and I baby them.
 
Amazing info gents. :applause
 
corndog67 said:
Alex Jorgenson...number 44, the first bike was built by Ron Wood of Wood Racing Frames. Gary Nixon, Gene Romero, and number 11, I can't recall, someone here will know. Some other cool stuff.

Damnit LB, I think you might have woke up an old obsession.
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am with you on the obsession bit. no matter how much i try, i can't get this bike out of my head.
 
Wow that bike is clean!!! :thumbup

Don Castro is who I would have said too, but I really remember him on Yamahas and did not know he rode Nortons. :cool
 
Maybe 1990 or so. Sears Point
 

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afm199 said:
Ehh. I don't think any of my Japanese bikes have ever left me stranded, my Norton/s did. I also think it's an exaggeration to say it's trouble free. :laughing If you end up with one of the old Commando's with the pre barrell shape main bearings, you will wish you hadn't. Honestly. I had a bunch and I wasn't sorry to let them go. While I had them I had huge fun working on them and riding them. Just remember that Japanese turn key bikes are popular for a reason.

The way it ends up is: Old bikes look cool. New bikes ride cool.
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I never said they were trouble free, and I also pointed out that a person with less experience should be looking for one that's got the modern upgrades that have been developed for them, including the four pole starter motor, which transforms the electric start Commando (boat anchor is another bit of exaggeration; they still had the kickstart lever to compensate for the original starter motor).
I didn't mention the superblend bearings, but it's safe to assume (which I did allude to already) that if the engine has been rebuilt any time within the last 20 years, it's got the upgrades that are required like the superblend bearings. (edit: and if you ride a Commando conservatively, keeping the revs below redline at all times, the main bearings are a non-issue!)

Let's not look back too fondly on older Japanese motorcycles, either. What about the top end lubrication issues that destroyed camshafts on the original Honda Interceptors? The early production Viragos had similar issues. I could probably dig up quite a few more examples if I wanted to.

If someone wants an old bike, a new bike won't fill the desire adequately.
 
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littlebeast said:
am with you on the obsession bit. no matter how much i try, i can't get this bike out of my head.
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Just do it. You might regret it like AFM199 is telling you, but you'll never know until you buy one.

If you get the right one, I'm betting you won't regret it. I happen to be very happy with my old bikes, even if I have to work on them occasionally.
It's how motorcycling is a hobby for me.
 
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