Hi all,

I am in the process of selling my house and everything I own to spend a few years seeing the world and riding a bike. My preferred choice would be a Norton Commando, but I've never owned one before (closest I've got was a '68 Trophy).

I know that there are a lot of downsides to any old British bike, the repairs, the vibrations etc but that is all part of the appeal to me. I'll be taking it easy and spending a lot of time in Asia and Siberia so the odd few days-weeks of downtime fixing things is no bad thing.

Has anyone here done any serious long-distance on a commando and does anyone have any advice as to what sensible suspension mods would be an what model would be best? As I will be covering a fair amount of gravel and a small amount of sand etc I am thinking an 's' with the high level would be best, but I readily admit I know naff-all about Nortons!

Any advice would be much appreciated (apart from 'have you thought about a BMW GS'...)!

Unless you have totaly gone right through the machine, appling all the best mods you would be wise to implement some "get back home" plan. Most 10000 plus miles out back riders would not risk a Commando...you said dont recommend a BW Gs...so what about a Africa Twin

I've done it on a Cagiva Elefant (well, ok UK to Kazakhstan so only 20,000 miles but in my defence that was my first time on a motorbike) the Elefants an Italian Africa Twin, great bike, very fast, good in dirt, especially hardpack and gravel but with some reliability issues. . This time I want to take it a bit slower so the odd engine rebuild here and there isn't that discouraging as I will have no dates to get home for and nowhere I have to be. The contingency get back home plan is to buy a push-bike!

The elefant was a great form of transport but this trip isn't so much a 'trip' from a-b as a new way of life, I'll be living out of the bike and a bivvy bag for a few years at least and I'd like to push myself in terms of the mechanical challenge as well as the mental and physical endurance.

Modern 'adventure motorcycling' seems to be getting a bit sanitised and I guess I'm rebelling against that. In January I'm in a rally across the Sahara on a pizza delivery bike (http://www.bamakoorbust.org.uk) so I guess I'm just a masochist!

I think it would be foolish, but I urge you to do it anyway, sure it will break, but what wouldn't, especially using paths called roads in other parts of the world. A couple of guys took 70 year old Nimbus hacks around the world http://kccd.no/blog_en.html and broke just about everything on their bikes. I know it's a long shot, but maybe you could get (new) Norton to sponsor you with one of their bikes or how about asking Triumph, they have models more suited to off road conditions.

Jean

Afraid that as a newbie my posts are still being moderated so there is a bit of a delay here....

Since I decided to go on my first trip and got a bike license I was instantly addicted to the sensation of riding a bike round bends, so a sidecar is no option, plus I like to travel (very) light, some throw-over soft luggage and a small toolbox in front of the bash plate is all I want - the sidecar would be empty dead weight!

I used to have a '68 Triumph and it was a great bike but when I saw my first Norton something clicked, it's just bloody gorgeous! The great thing about travelling on your own is meeting people and I think the aesthetics would help with that....

I'd love to have one of the new Nortons one day, just not now, and if you're talking about the new Tiger 800 xc it's just too much bling for me, I'd just be another guy in a gore-tex adventure suit and an Arai tour-x lid. I'll be hitting some off-road for sure but probably a very small percentage of the whole trip and mainly on well maintained gravel roads. Contrary to what 'Ewan and Charley' made it look like the road of bones in Siberia could be ridden on a goldwing!

Jeandr wrote:I think it would be foolish, but I urge you to do it anyway, sure it will break, but what wouldn't, especially using paths called roads in other parts of the world. .....

Jean - exactly!! And foolish is what I do best....

Ted Simon used a Triumph in the 70's and wrote a pretty inspirational account (Jupiters Travels, highly recommended!). He considered a Norton too temperamental at the time but the amount of aftermarket upgrades available now, amd the fact you can get parts anywhere has moved the goalposts a bit. Someone I met a few years ago got a gearbox output seal sent from Rotherham (UK) to Ulaan Batur and it only took four days

Hi,

My first reaction was to say are you mad my second reaction was to say . . . . are you mad and so on . . . . . .

I think the main thing is to get a bike with a known history or if money & time is no object get one built to the highest specs you can afford so at least you know what has been done to it.

If you have the time & are willing to chill out somewhere if the bike needs to be fixed then I suppose you could go on any bike.

If you are based in the UK I've seen some completely rebuilt Norton Commando's on Ebay, I'd ask who rebuilt the engine, new parts are useless if the person using them does not know what they are doing

Best of luck with your adventure

Kevin

Cheers Kevin,

I'm in the UK and will be spending 8 months or so in Oz at the start of the trip - where I can access engineering facilities and get parts relatively easily. I'd like to do some serious engine work myself so I know the internals inside out and if I get a problem can strip it back down and rebuild more easily. I'll be shipping the bike to Oz as part of a consignment of British bikes, slightly sacriligous but they are worth a fair bit more out there and it will help stop the instant devaluation of my GBP as soon as I leave the country! Realistically I have a budget of about 5-6 grand for the bike including any and all upgrades, I'm thinking that about a 50-50 split between the actual bike and then the additional parts is sensible.

I've heard different things about gearboxes ranging from 'the original Norton box is fantastic' to 'get a quaife' (how much!) so I will definitely be picking peoples brains on this forum for a while!!

Henry its dangerous for me to read and response to your wild hair idea as so appeals to me its hard or resist doing the same and to some degree I'm being forced to build up a Commando myself that is capable of running the rest of my life living on it. I live off road with miles of THE Gravel paths in tights and steeps and blinds and crazy traffic, natural hazards, tree falls to washouts and big dumb tough animals. I find my Combat Commando with a few cheap easy mods is the most capable-comfortable-secure of any cycle I've tried such as modern endruo and MX bikes and for sure the big heavy clunky expensive BMW's that a published world cycle traveler, now killed dead as a F**king door nail friend -Tee boned on hwy, left his famous well used steed at end of pavement wisely, to visit my home and Norton nest shed. I'm living breathing bleeding and broken up mental physical and emotional devotee that there is only one motorcycle for me to invest in to live up what time I've got left or die in the saddle enjoying to last horrific terrifying end.
Commando's in their hey day won endurance races on factory equipped bikes. Nowadays way better options exist for long time flying and nil maintaince. The iron butt Cdo fellas I know mainly have to keep an eye on rear tire life as they use them up on one leg of long trips out in about 5000 miles. Wise cheap ones fit same size front and back to move front to rear with new on front as front wears sides most and rear the center.

I first tested my cheap easy handling modifications on wild trials bike private 'course' into ravine drops up to 3 stories deep V and whoppeeteedo dug out piled up molgals and then through raw brush and woods surprising deer I ran down with better acceleration and zig zaging ability than them, till they leaped over fences, tree falls or washouts I had to toss sideways to avoid crashing into. A HUGE feature in favor of Cdo's over others is how dam tough they are to crashes that only does cosmetic damage and can be ridden away if pilot still functional. With some crash bars wisely placed I plan to make mine about invulnerable unless run over by a truck or endo'd over a bluff, mere race type crashes and hill climb drops will mean nothing to my Ms Peel.

There are very few cycles that can be configured to carry as much cargo as a Commando, it big Interstate tank allows over 300 mile range and support for big tank bag, saddle is wide and long to pile stuff to lean against, rear lope allows big flat area luggage rack with sissy bar to strap too as well and this don't count saddle bags or fork tool kit bag and you own back pack.

No other cycle in the world will break the ice like a purring long in tooth looking Commando showing up, so you will instantly be recognized as a real nut case only dangerous to himself and sharing the joy around the world while still able to tempt fates others wish they were up for too... Cdo's don't need to special fluids and can run on poor fuel too i've found and uses tires sizes most the world does too. Do it do it do it on an ever loving trace inducing addicting Norton Commando. I'd seek out the 750 over the 850 myself as best bang for the bux and simple ness to tackle most repairs all by your lonesome. I've carried full rebuild tool kit with me 1000 miles to rally and mostly shared them with others as not needed for my own recovery-repair.


Depending or shop space and your ability and time factor, I'D shop for the desired pieces and put you own together from scratch as saves the tear down and wasted worn out parts you'll discover and reconfigure a few things for the long haul and you'll know everything about your Commando and how to deal with it. Mastering the Commando in all ways is one of my life time goals for last decade and expect to enjoy the fruits of what I've learned the hard way within a year or so to shock the world and me too with her.

HenryUK wrote:

Jeandr wrote:I think it would be foolish, but I urge you to do it anyway, sure it will break, but what wouldn't, especially using paths called roads in other parts of the world. .....

Jean - exactly!! And foolish is what I do best....

Ted Simon used a Triumph in the 70's and wrote a pretty inspirational account (Jupiters Travels, highly recommended!). He considered a Norton too temperamental at the time but the amount of aftermarket upgrades available now, amd the fact you can get parts anywhere has moved the goalposts a bit. Someone I met a few years ago got a gearbox output seal sent from Rotherham (UK) to Ulaan Batur and it only took four days

I'm still getting through the book but he did run unto a couple in South America on a Commando. If you want to use a Commando you may want to seriously consider heavily modifying it. I'd probably start with reinforcing the frame. The bike was never intended as an off-road vehicle, doing so just compounds the issues you will face. Oh, wait, hobot hasn't chimed in. He'll tell you ALL about Nortons and gravel.

Hobot - fan-bloody-tastic. I'll have to include Dixieland on my places to drop in list and see your 'Norton nest'. Building my own is definitely the more appealing option.

Swooshdave - I'll be looking at where I think the weak points are on the frame and doing some cheap-but-effective 'triple-butting' and adding some fairly discreet crash bars at the front (these make great places to add some pushbike bottle holders for oil, water and vodka- a Russian essential).

I seem to be getting a consensus from all the bikers I have mentioned this to - I'd have to be mad as a badger to try it, but had better do it anyway!

The main problem now is how to I get any bloody office work done with this racing through my mind, I'll be very pleased to lose the tie, the most innefficient noose ever invented - effective but very slow

Hi,

Sounds like you have a plan

The lads on this forum, myself excluded, have an unbelievable knowledge of Norton's, general engineering, life! etc.

I'm sure somebody in some post has answered the question: 'what is the meaning of life' and then went on to the more difficult question: 'What is the meaning of Norton's'!!


Good Luck

Kevin

HenryUK wrote:Cheers Kevin,

I'm in the UK and will be spending 8 months or so in Oz at the start of the trip - where I can access engineering facilities and get parts relatively easily. I'd like to do some serious engine work myself so I know the internals inside out and if I get a problem can strip it back down and rebuild more easily. I'll be shipping the bike to Oz as part of a consignment of British bikes, slightly sacriligous but they are worth a fair bit more out there and it will help stop the instant devaluation of my GBP as soon as I leave the country! Realistically I have a budget of about 5-6 grand for the bike including any and all upgrades, I'm thinking that about a 50-50 split between the actual bike and then the additional parts is sensible.

I've heard different things about gearboxes ranging from 'the original Norton box is fantastic' to 'get a quaife' (how much!) so I will definitely be picking peoples brains on this forum for a while!!

Henry,
Good for you, take lots of pic's for us! We do like our pictures here. It would take a very long post to cover all the mod's you should probably consider, so you might want to break it down. Briefly though, think about an Interstate with a steel tank. Take it completely apart yourself. Become Mick Hemmings' new best friend.

I've taken a few trips up to Alaska on my Commando. It's a great bike for what you intend to do. You're right, you will never be mistaken for an 'Adventure Touring Yuppy Bastard' when you're on a Commando The bike becomes your 'Charley' like the dog in Steinbeck's Travels With Charley. Get a Barbor jacket and some goggles, people love it.

When do we leave?