Hi,
I have been offered this very tired dry stored Norton Commando. Can anyone advise me as to the value as it is now for a restoration project.
I would also appreciate any nfo you can give me about the bike as the side panel I can see does not look the same as side panels of 850s I have seen on various websites.
I am assuming all chrome is redone. complete engine/ suspension overhaul, new seat, refurbished clocks etc, to bring back to concours.
I am a Laverda Man really but fancy a go at something british.
Your thoughts please.Sorry I am not so good on computers and cant seem to get the picture of the whole machine on to photo bucket.
Thanks

The bike is worth what ever you want to invest. Are you going to get it as an investment or something to ride? By this picture it looks pretty rough. Does it run? Are all the parts there? If you are getting it to sell, you will probably have more into it than it is worth. If you are getting it to tinker with and ride, have a ball. I have a MK III that I have invested more than it is worth getting it back into shape. I wanted something to tinker with and have definately gotten my moneys worth in that department. I can't sell it for what I have invested, but I have had a great time working on it and riding it.

It doesnt run, but is 100% complete. Am looking for something to restore over 2-3 years. So as long as I can enjoy it I will be happy. But I dont know how much the bike is worth, as I dont want to pay over the odds for a machine that I intend to spend a lot of money restoring if you see what I mean. Whats your gut feel on price?
Thanks Guys

marknorton wrote:I have been offered this very tired dry stored Norton Commando. Can anyone advise me as to the value as it is now for a restoration project.

In cases such as this, it helps greatly if the bike's location can be given, as a bike's value can vary according to exactly whereabouts on the planet it is (as well as the difference in currency). As moderator, I know you have a UK IP address, so I presume that's where both you and the bike actually are?

The valuations given so far (presumably in US Dollars?) are no doubt intended for a bike in the USA (I think it would also help avoid confusion if members actually remembered to show the currency ) but they would be rather low for an 850 Interstate offered for sale the UK market, which even in the condition you have described and the limited information that can be gleaned from your photo could probably be expected to make at least £2,000 GBP. If you can buy it for less than that figure then you are reasonably lucky. However you can still expect to spend somewhere around £3,000-£4,000 GBP or more, if you intended to do a full restoration, but it will of course depend on how much of the work you intend to do yourself?

marknorton wrote:I would also appreciate any nfo you can give me about the bike as the side panel I can see does not look the same as side panels of 850s I have seen on various websites.

From the photo, it appears to be either a Commando MkIA or MkIIA Interstate model, so the side panel is the correct type. http://www.nortonmotors.de/ANIL/NCInterstate.htm

Sorry Guys my assumption was a UK forum, but anyways, prices will reflect what you say as I have no intention of purchasing at any cost.
I think I will start at 500 pounds and go up from there to 1000 pounds ( about 1790USD). After this I think I will leave it. Its not going to be worth the hassle and cost.
Thanks so much for the identification tips. I will investigate this and see what an immaculate example will fetch though am not interested in a money making project, but want too ensure I dont send too much over the sale price of a good example. Thanks Guys for all your advice and I will keep you posted on developments.

If its all there and not damaged externally (no holes in the crankcases etc) its probably worth £1000 all day long. You get nothing Norton for £500!

500-750 US Currency from the picture so far.

In 2006, (sight unseen except for pics) I bought a "perfect" 850 commando roadster, NON matching number bike from a well knwn US dealer in Brittbikes. The bike looked great - new paint on tank/side covers and I paid 6200USD for this perfect, turn key machine.

Turned out that though the bike looked great, it was an unsafe rolling disaster (my fault for buying based on what a dealer told me) Since then I have paid AT LEAST that much more to put it in what is now really excellent shape - doing all the work myself.

I suspect that if I tallied the money I have spent, I would be up in the Colorado Norton Works bike price. My point is that you will most likely spend a lot more money bringing it back to life than you think you will so if you are NOT looking at this bike as a project "just because" you want to enjoy a great bike, forget about it. As an investment it's totally insane.

marknorton wrote:I will investigate this and see what an immaculate example will fetch though am not interested in a money making project, but want too ensure I dont send too much over the sale price of a good example.

Ebay is normally a good indicator of current selling prices, and the bidding's up to £6,000 GBP, which is about what I'd expect, for this apparently excellent condition 850 Interstate MkI with 3 days left to go: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NORTON-COMMANDO_W ... 2559295b71

marknorton wrote:I think I will start at 500 pounds and go up from there to 1000 pounds

I think £1,000 would be a bargain price.

I haven't seen a complete, original equipment Nort for less than $2500 regardless of mileage and non-running condition. If it's all there and hasn't been mucked up, it should be worth at least $7500 restored. There was an original, 0-mile '75 Mk III Roadster (in black with gold livery no less) on Ebay the other day and it had been bid up to $60,000 (yes, sixty thousand bucks). These things are worth more and more as time passes, and yours may be a '74 850 with right-side shift, which is considered the most desirable of Commandos for actual riding purposes. If you get it for the $1790 mentioned (1000 GBP) buy it and even if you end up with more than $7500 in it, you'll still have a great motorcycle.

I agree with Danno's assessment/suggestion.

Peter Egan of Cycle World just did an editorial on older Nortons, he purchased one. The article is very complimentary and could easily effect the value of our machines.

RS