A 1500km introduction to Norton ownership. England to Norway.

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Hello everyone, id like to introduce myself and the new to me 76 850. I have a million questions but i'll save these for specific threads.

Im a 29 year old British guy, working in Oslo, Norway as a Porsche technician. After lusting after a commando for some time i found one back home in England last November. After weighing up the costs of driving over to trailer it back, the wild thought came and i decided to fly over and ride it back, much to the shock of the previous owner. A somewhat stupid thing to ride a 45 year old, unknown to me bike the 1500km or so back to Oslo, and it wasnt without its hicups.

I flew out from Oslo to London and took the train to meet a nice man called Peter (pictured), and had my first glance in the metal of my (soon to be) new motorcycle. After inspecting the machine and striking a deal, i secured my stuff to the back and headed off to the port in Harwich to catch the ferry to the Hook of Holland.
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After the initial ecstasy wore off and the length of the journey ahead of me started to sink in. This was the first week of november and after the sun set, the temperature started to drop, however coming from Norway, i was very prepared with my riding gear. I stopped at a Halfords on the way to pick up some basic tools 'just in case'. Little did i know how much i could rely on this small tool kit in the coming days!

I made it to the ferry and got my head down for some well earned rest. Arrived in the netherlands in the morning and started in the long haul across the continent. After clearing the bulk of traffic around amsterdam, i started to pick up a slight miss. Whilst riding i reached down to see if the lead was properly seated on the plug and as i touched it, it fell apart! Not great. Luckily id broken down next to a small house with some chaps in side who came out to see what was going on. After rummaging around in his shed, one of the guys managed to find an old plug i could throw in to get me to a parts store. Two new plugs later and i was back on the road. But not for long.

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Swallowing up another few hundred kms i started loosing spark again, this time in the middle of the dutch countryside, i pulled over to start to find out what was going on. Within a few moments i found myself deep into the harness trying to chase the loss of spark. Turned out to be a very corroded main earth cable. Big thank you to some kind dutch guys who gave me a ride to another parts store to get hold of some cable. After some hours in a lay by, and then some more in a mcdonalds carpark, the harness was tidied up, main earth replaced, and a few other loose bits here and there sorted, i was again back on the road.

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After loosing a day in the netherlands i rode through the night in the cold and rain to make some distance towards the ferry departure in Keil, Germany. This was almost 500km of high speed but very cold (2c) countryside roads, stopping only for petrol and coffee. Having only passed my test in september and only spent a few hundred kms on a 900 honda hornet, this was really a good chance to get acquainted to the Norton. Other than some rather aggressive vibration caused by a suspected non adjusted front iso mount, it was quite the pleasant experience.
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And then, after a rather length ferry ride from Kiel to Oslo (20hours) all of the sudden she was parked up in the garage next to my 964. Next step is to take the Norton to the authorities to get it inspected and onto some Norwegian plates, and then i can get to fixing all the little bits before spring comes! Thank you for reading, sorry if it was a little long but i thought it was a story some of you might enjoy!

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Yep you are very welcome here mate
Sounds like you are going to be up for a new wiring harness
And your bike really should not be vibrating, not above 2500 rpm
Make no mistake a well set up and maintained commando would do that distance with ease
Read up all you can about these bikes and don't be afraid to ask any questions on here
Cheers
 
Well at least there is no Porsche Tax to pay on the spares :cool: , lucky you got the Interstate and not the Roadster for a 1500 kms first run. The side panels are Roadster ones so the tank and seat have been swapped at some time, not an issue.
 
Wow! A tip o the cap to you Sir!

So much could have gone South here but you got away with only piddling issues. And to hear you are a new rider to boot!

In the five yrs i've owned my Commando, best thing I've picked up on these forums, never assume something is OK if not confirmed on a new to you bike. There are so many items that can and will jump up and sting you. Some quite serious to you or the bike.
 
Welcome great story!! Ah yes youthfulness.
Has everyone noticed that is a 75 and the pipes are not blue.. Must be set up correctly!
 
Welcome Steven!
I have the same model as you and have used it on a number of long distance runs.
To date, the only issue that has given me grief on a trip is the old wiring harness. Years ago, the charging system stopped working while still 600 kms from home on the return journey. It was worrisome but I managed to get the bike home ok running dead loss, big lawn tractor battery purchased and strapped on.
At home, the bullet electrical connections were cleaned and there have been no problems since.
One day I'll disassemble the bike for frame painting and treat it to a new harness.
I've been saying that for about fifteen years now!

Glen
 
Welcome Steven. Thanks for sharing your adventure. Kudos to you for even attempting it in November.

The average age of the membership on here has just gone down a tad :)
 
Well done. You certainly have the skills to suit an old bike and I predict you will fast become a positive help on here.

Old wiring especially on a bike that's not used much is a common issue. A new loom doesn't solve everything because these days most of us have non standard components. Ignition, rectifiers/regulators etc. With your skills making your own loom is the answer. Check out the internals of the old main switch. Replacements can often be worse.

All the best. Your summer is coming.
 
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I’m in awe. The age of heroic materialism is not dead. Good one!
After a 200 mile ride I’m ready for ‘tea and medals’. The world needs more of confidence, optimism and self reliance that you have just shown.
I can’t imagine the cold, you must have had very good gear.
regards
Alan
 
Thanks for all the warm welcomes! Nice to see the forum is still active.

And re with the harness, i have ordered new complete harness from andover but will go over it and swap out anything thats not up to scratch.

One immediate question i do have (amongst many many others) but can anyone help identify the bike? It was registered in england in '76, but seems to have a mix of interstate and roaster bits. Frame is stamped with 850F130912 and engine number is 3104054691 if that helps. The side tins say "Raydyot Made in England".
 
You should have a red ID tag on the headstock, which should match the six digit 3xxxxx#. And the transmission should also have a (matching) SN on the top of the upper mounting lug.

Edit: mk3s should start with 325xxx

Tins on these bikes grt swapped around no end, and often originally by the dealer at the original point of sale.so, what left the factory means little.

But you can get the dispatch records from Andover, but they are very thin.
 
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You should have a red ID tag on the headstock, which should match the six digit 310405 #. And the transmission should also have a (matching) SN on the top of the upper mounting lug.

Tins on these bikes grt swapped around no end, and often originally by the dealer at the original point of sale.so, what left the factory means little.

But you can get the dispatch records from Andover, but they are very thin.

Yeah I saw this red plate when taking it to the Norwegian authorities, so it all matches up which is nice. But for example, I’d like very much to replace the side panels and seat, the seat I guess I have to stick to an interstate one, but I can fit any side panels ? Bonus picture outside the Oslo Opera house on a rare 6c day back in Jan
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One immediate question i do have (amongst many many others) but can anyone help identify the bike? It was registered in england in '76, but seems to have a mix of interstate and roaster bits.

Andover Norton might be able to tell you if it was originally a Roadster or Interstate (or Hi-Rider?).


You should have a red ID tag on the headstock, which should match the six digit 310405

310405 isn't an 850 Mk3 serial number. 3104054691 also isn't a Commando serial number.

Frame is stamped with 850F130912

That does sound more like a genuine 850 Mk3 frame number.

850 Mk3 frame numbers started from F125001
Engines (also frame plate and gearbox) from 325001.
 
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