1974 NORTON COMMANDO 750 SHORT STROKE on EBAY (2015)

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Nortiboy said:
L.A.B,

Do you have any record of a factory short stroke engine number not starting with 235xxx ?

Not so far, at least I don't remember anybody mentioning a non-235 numbered short-stroke engine before.
 
L.A.B. said:
Nortiboy said:
L.A.B,

Do you have any record of a factory short stroke engine number not starting with 235xxx ?

Not so far, at least I don't remember anybody mentioning a non-235 numbered short-stroke engine before.

Based on the collective knowledge thus far, it appears likely a 1972 (ish) bike with a factory short stroke motor assembled and numbered most probably in the USA.

A lovely and unique bike well presented. Whether it is the "Missing Link" time will tell.
 
Nortiboy said:
L.A.B. said:
Nortiboy said:
L.A.B,

Do you have any record of a factory short stroke engine number not starting with 235xxx ?

Not so far, at least I don't remember anybody mentioning a non-235 numbered short-stroke engine before.

Based on the collective knowledge thus far, it appears likely a 1972 (ish) bike with a factory short stroke motor assembled and numbered most probably in the USA.

A lovely and unique bike well presented. Whether it is the "Missing Link" time will tell.

What makes you think it's a '72? Don't recall ever seeing those cylinders before '74. Certainly looks to be identical to MKII '74s other than the lack of blinkers, alloy rims and lettering on the sidepanels, which appears to be factory.
 
Looked that ad over pretty closely and the only mention of vintage was "mid-seventies" So I guess I'm still stuck on 1974. Jerry vouches for the seller, so still no reason to believe it's anything other than a '74 as the f/s ad indicates.
 
Serial number says 72,
and the seller says 74.
Does anyone else see a problem here ?

Danno said:
and lettering on the sidepanels, which appears to be factory.
The few pics of the proposed short stroke road model that were shown didn't say 'short stroke',
so what is this statement based on ?

Be interesting to know what the NOC/factory records say about this 207000 number.
You'd think that that would have been checked on, and shown, for proof the sale bike was genuine.
 
Rohan said:
Serial number says 72,
and the seller says 74.
Does anyone else see a problem here ?

Danno said:
and lettering on the sidepanels, which appears to be factory.
The few pics of the proposed short stroke road model that were shown didn't say 'short stroke',
so what is this statement based on ?

Be interesting to know what the NOC/factory records say about this 207000 number.
You'd think that that would have been checked on, and shown, for proof the sale bike was genuine.

I was referring to differences between it and a stock '74. I'm not so naive to think this couldn't possibly be a hodge-podge of parts. I myself have a '71 with '75 motor, brakes and isos. However, I've never represented it as otherwise. According to LAB, the ad was '73 vintage, so that pic proves nothing in relation to a possible '74 short-stroke. I do however, wonder why everyone takes the VIN as creedence and everything else as smoke and mirrors. You can see the bike, but you can't see the VIN plate. Any chance the number could be a misprint or purposely falsified? The guy's holding out for more than the $14K+ that's been offered, so someone besides himself thinks it's worth high dollars for some reason. Maybe the whole bid process was staged to get someone to lay out major bucks for a fake? I mean, as long as you're going to be skeptical, why hold back? And if he wanted to do a fake, blank VIN plates are readily available.
 
He says he doesn't know the history, so assuming the 'faking' was done somewhere way back in the past,
he is simply selling it in good faith - as the saying goes.

Since its been restored, extensively ? recently, all traces of what it may have looked like have gone.
It seems to have acquired the twin pinstripes of the 850 models too.

And, 1973 was the year of the short stroke, so why would the factory wait until 1974 to produce an oddball of a bike,
using 1972 numbers.
As said earlier, the factory records of this would be interesting to see quoted.
 
I'd say it looks as if someone is getting a beautiful well sorted bike
built by a man who's built beautiful Nortons for decades. In the end
the only opinion that will matter is whomever the highest bidder is.

I personally am not a purist, so I find a few of Ron's other bikes
more appealing. But If given the chance to have one of his "Big Nortons"
I would do it in a Heartbeat.

1974 NORTON COMMANDO 750 SHORT STROKE on EBAY (2015)
 
The bidders just weren't convinced by that 'factory built' comment.
As it should be, they just didn't build any....

Without extensive paperwork and sleuthing to prove it, anyway.
 
It is certainly a "factory built short stroke" motor. Probably mated to a frame in or after 1974, when the motor was made. Better than anything that left the factory.

Lovely bike and a worthy tribute to the factory short stroke that may have been.
 
A factory built motor is an entirely different deal to a factory built bike.
Rewriting Norton history, selling something that was never made, and gaining a fistfull of $$ as well.


Nortiboy said:
Lovely bike and a worthy tribute to the factory short stroke that may have been.
If it had been sold on that basis, that is entirely a different matter ?
 
Nortiboy said:
Lovely bike and a worthy tribute to the factory short stroke that may have been.
There is also that minor matter of those 'matching numbers'
 
207000 left the factory on 25th July 1972 as a black Roadster. Nothing short stroke about it. Indeed the short strokes I have seen so far and that I have found in our (incomplete) recordes are 235xxx- I agree with L.A.B. there. That engine went into that frame somewhere outside the factory or was modified to short stroke. This is possible: There was an (internal, for factory use) service sheet about converting shortstrokes back to standart spec. I suppose because there was no demand for shortstrokes.

The last 750 Commandos had the through bolted barrels that looked like the 850. The bore and stroke was as per standard 750 though. This one on ebay does look like the top barrel fin is close to the cylinder head though
Not according to my memory- the 850 look barrels came into the market in the 1980s as a reproduction from outside the factory. The factory didn't offer barrels as a spare at that time. We later bought the tooling which had not been used for a number of years and after overhaul and modification have since produced 750 and 850 barrels from it. The Peter Willams Monocoque replicas have our barrels (and a lot of other parts, naturally).
Joe/Andover Norton
 
Like anything else, it's worth as much as some damn fool will pay for it. One only has to look at the prices of classic late-sixties muscle cars to know that. In this case, some damn fool thought it was worth $14,600 but the current owner thinks it's worth more. Feigning ignorance is no excuse for misrepresentation. When you own something of great (relative) value, most folks would have done their homework and known EXACTLY what it was before even trying to pawn it off as something else. Buyer beware.
 
ZFD said:
207000 left the factory on 25th July 1972 as a black Roadster.

The VMCC records department confirmed that 207000 was a black Roadster, date of manufacture, 24th May 1972.
 
from what joe has stated it by all rights should be a 72 year bike, but the seller has it as a 74. it also has the 73/74 style large tail light and longer black instrument holders. it sure looks like some one is trying to pull the wool over an unsuspecting buyer.

ZFD said:
207000 left the factory on 25th July 1972 as a black Roadster. Nothing short stroke about it. Indeed the short strokes I have seen so far and that I have found in our (incomplete) recordes are 235xxx- I agree with L.A.B. there. That engine went into that frame somewhere outside the factory or was modified to short stroke.
Joe/Andover Norton
 
L.A.B. said:
ZFD said:
207000 left the factory on 25th July 1972 as a black Roadster.

The VMCC records department confirmed that 207000 was a black Roadster, date of manufacture, 24th May 1972.

At least the crank case numbers would suggest this. How relative is that, eh. What about the frame number, or the gearbox numbers? Maybe the date mentioned is of the first registration. And how much do numbers really matter with such machines? Are all the CNW bike all numbers matching, and does it make them less valuable if their not.

I am sure it's a bitsa, albeit the nicest bitsa I have seen. I have no doubt that it is worth what he wants for it. I feel that this bike didn't start out this way but as with CNW creation, it is what it is and that's not bad.
 
pete.v said:
L.A.B. said:
The VMCC records department confirmed that 207000 was a black Roadster, date of manufacture, 24th May 1972.

At least the crank case numbers would suggest this. How relative is that, eh. What about the frame number, or the gearbox numbers?

All three numbers should have matched when the bike left the factory.
 
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