I'm twiddling my thumbs waiting for the title to arrive, so I took the time to scrounge up my last e-bay Norton sale and edited each section to reflect this bike's details. Although this bike may already be sold, I figured I'd want to be ready in case it goes on e-bay.
I'd like to know what y'all think about this, I have tried hard not to embellish anything technical, and disclose all the details absolutely...
1974 NORTON COMMANDO 850 ROADSTER MkII
CLASSIC BRITISH IRON, MILD CUSTOM “SURVIVOR”
COMPLETE AND RUNNING, MOSTLY ORIGINAL
On offer is a complete, nearly all original, classic Norton Commando 850 in Roadster trim, with
ALL MATCHING NUMBERS. It truly is a “survivor” in that the bike has nearly all of the main original parts, only a small handful of bits were replaced in the “make-run” after it sat for over 40 years in a garage. I bought the bike from the ORIGINAL owner who told me a few stories, and what I found inside the engine verified everything he told me was true.
Please read the entire listing before asking questions, as all the answers are in the listing text which is broken down into the various systems, and in full detail.
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION - Original “Isolastic” frame with rubber-suspended engine & rear end; isolastic buffers are still in decent condition. Forks are the original units and oil shows proper maintenance, no fork seal weepage. Shocks are original and still have decent damping. Swingarm bushings may need cleaning & proper lubrication, but are operating smoothly and are not dry, same for steering. Frame appears totally straight.
WHEELS, BRAKES & TIRES – Original Dunlop chrome steel wheels laced to original hubs; some surface rust, not structural. Front and rear brakes are original. Front brake system was disassembled, cleaned and re-filled with DOT3 fluid, a
NEW Andover Norton brake hose was installed. Rear cush hub received
NEW Andover Norton cush rubbers, as the originals were perished. Bearings should be re-packed, although they roll smoothly and are not “notchy” at all. Rear brake shoes are good. Tires are okay, but old; they should be replaced for roadworthiness, both have
NEW tubes. Chain is still in decent shape, needs to be cleaned & lubed; I cannot confirm originality.
ENGINE – Completely original in every respect. This engine has never had a failure of any sort, and has always been maintained according to the factory shop manual. Correct RH10 cylinder head. Oil was found to be clean and free of debris or any moisture whatsoever, but was changed anyway (Castrol 4-stroke 10/30). Same for the primary system and transmission, all were clean. All valves were within specified adjustment. I installed a
NEW Fram air filter element to replace the crumbling residue of the old one. My compression tester would not hold the reading, but compression is very good.
INTAKE & EXHAUST – Original Amal 932 concentric carbs have been cleaned, and one cracked inlet screen was replaced. I will include two
NEW sets of Amal rebuild gaskets & o-rings. Exhaust system has a few dings, one dent, and some scratches; some surface rust, not structural. One muffler hangar plate was missing and has been replaced with a drilled base plate which works just fine although it is a visible flaw. I installed the pipes with
NEW Andover Norton manifold crush washers. I will include a pair of new cush rubber mounting bolts that I did not install, since all are intact.
IGNITION - Original points, condensers, coils & plug wires, all working perfectly. I installed
NEW Champion N7Y spark plugs.
HAND & FOOT CONTROLS - All original parts, dull, scratched, some rust. All controls are fully functional and operate smoothly. Throttle cables have been lubed and pull smoothly, snap back smartly. Clutch cable is original and works well, as does the original rear brake cable.
ELECTRICAL & LIGHTING – ALL original wiring with one noted repair done to the “gang” grounding wires at the cylinder head – they appear to have been cut, then re-spliced. The original length is retained.
NEW 2MC capacitor, the original had a corrosion hole. I installed a
NEW aftermarket keyswitch tumber, as the original keys were lost by the original owner. All original lights. Headlight bucket has some surface rust. All turn signal lenses and tail light lens are dull, some are slightly cracked. Some lights and horn are intermittent due to corrosion and looseness. I will be making an attempt to have every electrical device working before the auction ends but I DO NOT guarantee it.
METERS – Both meters are original and working. Odometer miles are 12,756.7 FROM NEW. Original owner verified true mileage, which works out to just over 2,000 miles per year. Meter cups are faded and scuffed. Tach cable is loose on the tach drive shoulder and does not stay engaged. I am attempting to remedy this before the auction ends.
BODYWORK – Original steel gas tank with only very minor internal surface rust, NO LEAKS, with
NEW aftermarket fuel taps. Tank has been custom painted, with matching original Right sidecover. There is some paint fade, scuffing, small dings, and a few light scratches. Left sidecover was lost, and has been replaced with a plain fiberglass cover, painted in a non-matching blue. Original seat cover is in good shape; some dry cracking on the left side and a small hole at the lower front (hardly visible). Original stainless steel front fender is in good condition. Original stainless steel rear fender in good condition. Both fenders have some scuffing and old “AC Delco Spark Plug” decals. Original oil tank is in good condition, NO LEAKS.
HARDWARE – With the exception of 4 or 5 small bolts, washers, and nuts used to re-install some of the parts that were off of the bike, all of the remaining hardware is completely original and mostly undisturbed.
OTHER – The bike took only THREE kicks to start up, after more than 40 years of sitting. I have taken a very basic test-ride of the bike after I got it running, and everything works as it should. The bike blew a slight few puffs of smoke on first start-up, but it had cleared before the test ride began. It will now start on the FIRST KICK with just a tickle of the carbs; no special routine. The bike makes all the usual sounds for an older Commando, but has all the usual FEEL of a Command also! It is smooth and predictable.
DOCUMENTATION - This bike is sold with clear Texas title in MY name. I will include a digital copy of the work log that lists everything I did to the bike to get it running, and all of the photos I took during the project. All of this is available on fecebook under my name, Paul Zuniga (Leander, Tx).
SHIPPING – All transportation arrangements are the responsibility of the
BUYER. I highly recommend using either Keyboard Motorcycle Shipping or MotorcycleShippers. Both use dedicated motorcycle pallets, travel fully enclosed, and the drivers load and unload, door-to-door, coast to coast. I have successfully used both well over a dozen times with great communication and 100% perfect delivery records.
SPECIFICATIONS – Four-stroke, parallel twin cylinder, pushrod actuated overhead valves (2 per cylinder), 829cc / 50.6 cu.in., Bore 77mm x 89mm stroke, 8.5:1 compression ratio, 60 HP / 44.7 kW @ 6,200 RPM, Air and oil-cooled, twin Amal 932 concentric carbs, pedal kickstart, 4-speed transmission (1 up, 3 down), chain driven diaphragm-type multi-plate clutch. Telescopic hydraulic forks, dual rear shocks. Dry weight 414 lbs / 188 kg. (ALL numerical specs “factory claimed”).
BOTTOM LINE
As with every bike, project, and part that I’ve sold online in over 25 years, the above listing contains no hype, no fluff and
NO BULL. The bike is EXACTLY as stated in the listing. 100% e-bay seller score.
This would be a GREAT “survivor” or “oily rag” unrestored bike that would appear as though it was still living in the 70s, but is ready to ride 50 years later. Or, it could easily be restored to showroom condition without having to source boxes of missing parts. Of course it could be ANYTHING the buyer wants, from a café racer to a production class roadracer, street tracker, chopper, bobber, adventure or touring bike, to a bar hopper, or show bike. The possibilities are endless, but ANY result would be Classic Brit Iron muscle at it’s core.
SOLD AS-IS. ALL SALES FINAL. NO RETURNS, NO REFUNDS.
Thanx for looking and bidding.
To AccessNorton forum:
Anyone wanting to copy the boilerplate for use when listing a bike for sale, feel free. Just change where appropriate, of course...
