1975 hi rider to covert, opinions?

Skyler6 · Feb 16, 2015

Hey Everyone,

I am new to the forum and to Nortons. I fell for them fast and hard. I've been searching for one to buy and this one was just offered to me. It's a 1975 Hi rider. The guy said he has the parts to convert it for me since my dream Norton is a black 1974 850cc. He said the only difference is the tank, headlight, handlebars and seat. It has 8000 miles and needs attention to the master cylinder tune up, battery carb cleaning, etc.the Chrome looks good. It's been nicely kept and has had 2 owners in its lifetime. The offer is 6000 dollars. I have photos on my desktop but don't know how to get them on this forum post yet..

Part of me wants to wait for the stars to align and my dream Norton to appear.. But I wanted to get everyone's opinion on this. Thanks for the help!

Skyler

gatsby · Feb 16, 2015

Welcome Skyler!

Your buddy is right regarding the conversion. Check out the 'Technical Information & How To Post Photos" thread and post some pics.
Its hard to judge value without seeing the condition of the bike. The 1975 MK3 is fetching a high dollar these days.
Cheers,
Gatsby

CanukNortonNut · Feb 16, 2015

Skyler
No star alignment needed... just Go for it man. Its not that hard to convert. Welcome to the forum.
Thomas
CNN

Ron L · Feb 16, 2015

It is simple to convert a 1975 Hi-Rider to a 1975 Roadster or Interstate, but if this is indeed a 1975 model year (MkIII), converting it to a 1974 model year is much more involved. If a 1974 850 is your dream, to convert a 1975 you would need to convert the rear wheel and swing arm to a drum brake style, convert the transmission to right side shift with early model inner and outer gearbox covers and linkage, replace the foot peg hangers and brake pedal with early style, replace the primary covers, replace the crank, etc.

Skyler6 · Feb 16, 2015

here she is

Hey guys! Happy to be here!

Why are the hi riders so sought after now? If this can look like a standard Norton when converted, then i'm in. Is 6,000 a good price? It said 'electric start' on the side as well. Let me know what you think after you see the photo. The guy said he can send me more as well. I'll get on that.

Rohan · Feb 16, 2015

Skyler6 said:
Why are the hi riders so sought after now?

Are they ??
We might take some convincing.
Only because you can take off the hi-rider stuff, and convert it back into a proper Commando.

That bike looks good - the seat is no longer that weird hi-rider skyscraper one,
but has either been chopped down, or changed.

Your gearlever will be on the left side with the Mk 3.
That tank doesn't hold much either, you will get to know lots of gas stations.
With just a change of handlebars, will be a good bike.
havefun !

L.A.B. · Feb 16, 2015

Skyler6 said:
Why are the hi riders so sought after now?

Who told you that? :wink:

Skyler6 said:
Let me know what you think after you see the photo.

Well, it's already got a Roadster model seat by the looks of it-but not exactly the right type for an 850 MkIII.

p400 · Feb 16, 2015

Here is brochure photo.

Mr.Sparks · Feb 16, 2015

Not exactly my taste either but easy to convert to either roadster or interstae. Big fan of the electric start, just buy it and enjoy the experience. Everyone of them has there own personality.

MikesVintageParts · Feb 16, 2015

Love it...But I'm in the Minority!

gtsun · Feb 16, 2015

Well frankly I would say the Hi riders are the LEAST sellable models. And for $6,000 you could buy one that is up and running so I'm not saying not to buy it but I would say to look around a bit & learn about them first. Mkiii's are nice but I personally like the pre Mkiiibut 850's. I like Brit bikes to shift on the right, I hate the look of the front rotor on the left with the caliper in front, etc. Where are you? Unless your in Australia I'd say the price is a bit high but I could be wrong. What is your skill level & Brit bike experience like. If you're going to need to pay someone to do that kind of stuff it's going to get expensive fast.

worntorn · Feb 16, 2015

I think the OP was confused by Gatby's comment that a 75 MK3 is a valuable model, which it is. The OP is probably thinking that a MK3 means Highrider, hence his question right after, "why are highriders so valuable?"
But the Highrider model, unattractive though it may be, should not have much affect on the price. It's easy to change the bike into a Roadster or Interstate MK3, so the Highrider items really aren't a big deal and can be sold on when the change is made.

Glen

gtsun · Feb 16, 2015

That's true & a good point worn torn. And price / value is a relative thing. 1/2 the fun is taking some corroded dusty old thing & making it put & shine if your up to the task. I don't look at these bikes has investments, I look at them as a hobby and hobbies cost money. Oh btw welcome skyler6. Buy it enjoy it and keep us posted on the process.

Biscuit · Feb 16, 2015

Really not anything to convert as far as I can see. Seat already changed to something decent, take off the sissy bar that used to surround the original HR seat. Lower bars are easy and cheap to source and if your handy you can shorten the cables your self. You'll have to source the one rubber brake line that runs from the master cyl to the steel pipes at the triple tree or run a one piece SS brake line from the master to the caliper (what I would do) and that's about it. Don't sweat the small tank, it'll be ok until you just have to have a Roadster or Interstate tank. I think "convert" is a bit of an overkill word to describe the few parts that need to be changed to make a Highrider a pleasant ride.

cjandme · Feb 16, 2015

Biscuit said:
........... Don't sweat the small tank, it'll be ok ....... I think "convert" is a bit of an overkill word to describe the few parts that need to be changed.....

+1 ....& I believe those smaller steel gas tanks are some what sought after.

P.S. I forgot to add---go for it---- the bike looks to be complete and in good condition :mrgreen:

Rohan · Feb 17, 2015

cjandme said:
+1 ....& I believe those smaller steel gas tanks are some what sought after.

To go on competition Matchless bikes though ??

Skyler6 · Feb 17, 2015

Thanks for all the feedback on the bike. I'm im Florida, so opportunities to find Norton's are slim..

Yellow_Cad · Feb 17, 2015

See if the bike fires and runs or at least turns over. Also, read all the posts on improving the electric start before you start using it. Florida is a hard place on old bikes. Just my 2 cents.

nortriubuell · Feb 17, 2015

One of the 'many" great things about a Norton Commando, is it is fairly easy to make several different models ... from the same bike

The below pictures are all the same bike, mine, but just chamging gas tanks, sidecovers, seats, and handlebars.

Harley Davidsom started doing this in the early 70s ... after Norton. Cheers.

dynodave · Feb 18, 2015

Skyler6 said:
here she is

Hey guys! Happy to be here!

Why are the hi riders so sought after now? If this can look like a standard Norton when converted, then i'm in. Is 6,000 a good price? It said 'electric start' on the side as well. Let me know what you think after you see the photo. The guy said he can send me more as well. I'll get on that.

If you stay focused on what matters you will be OK.

1 The body style can be changed to most any available for commando.

Separate and more important is :

2. A MKIII 850 electric start is a drastically different machine and is from a machine stand point a highly different bike from the 69-74 bikes and should be an entirely seperate decision from the body style. Any one who glosses over the differences from early commandos...does not know them.
At one time they were the red haired step child of commando and many went unsold in their day. Todays price inflation is partly due to the aging population and their physical limitations making them now more desireable.

1975 hi rider to covert, opinions?

Skyler6

gatsby

CanukNortonNut

Ron L

Skyler6

Rohan

L.A.B.

Moderator

p400

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