Another Great job by Andover Norton!

There are 2 essential sources of information on parts vital to anyone owning and working on a Commando.

1. The factory manual is an excellent source of material and dimensional information for almost all parts in the original OEM specification. I use this as the "Bible" when checking new or used parts for a potential installation. Always have good vernier or micrometer on hand.

2. The factory parts book. Specific identificaiton of the model, year and part number as well as diagrammatic views of assembly sequences are fundamental to ordering the right parts and understanding how they fit in the assembly.

I see too many time on this forum members who are starting off or mid way in rebuild with little prior experience and obviously none of the above documentation. OK the forum is here to help, but it makes it a whole lot easier for everyone when the question is posed with appropriate model, year and parts description.

So when you go shopping, you can at least tell the vendor exactly what you want with less risk of the wrong part or an inferior part.

Mick

OK, I have reread this entire thread and also, two days after the fact, I realize that I was too harsh. I stated in my initial post: "I have yet to buy one single replacement AN part that fit/worked without some sort of sanding/filing/cutting/etc."

I will admit to being highly POd at the time and dramatically overstated my experiences with AN. My statement that none of them fit is totally inaccurate. Like many things, I remember when I had a problem, not when I didn't. I can come up with 6 specific AN items that didn't fit initially where I modified them or tossed them and used something else. But I have purchased 48 AN items, 42 of which worked fine. I keep a log of everything I do on the bike since I bought it in '06 so today I went through it and that's what I found.

I wanted to post this in the interest of accuracy as opposed to emotion.

Very cool Mike, I think were all glad that guy's like Joe want to keep making parts for these bikes. It is in his best interest to make quality parts for us, Just like Jim Comstock and all the other guys out there. It's nice to have so many of these guys here on the forum.

I think what I've had the most trouble with are fasteners. Frequently the threads are poorly formed and the bolt/screw will not fit, usually from excessive plating buildup in the threads. Sometimes I can clean them up with a die, sometimes not. I bought some head bolts that were so bad I ended up reusing the old ones. I really should have sent those back.

My perception is that the quality has been sliding in recent years. Maybe I've just had bad luck, I don't know.

Here's an idea, now that Joe is monitoring the board: maybe we could have a sticky thread about AN quality issues that we have encountered. Specific instances, not vague whining. AN could use the input to improve the product quality. Improvements in quality would be a win-win for all of us.

Debby

debby said:

Here's an idea, now that Joe is monitoring the board: maybe we could have a sticky thread about AN quality issues that we have encountered. Specific instances, not vague whining. AN could use the input to improve the product quality. Improvements in quality would be a win-win for all of us.

Debby

Click to expand...

Great idea, the chief purpose of any QA is "continous improvement". I'd be happy to report my findings irrespective of satifactory or otherwise of AN and any other vendor item. I'm sure Joe Siefert would be positive about end-user feedback, and more so if it had accurate technical facts if there was any uncertainty.
If we can shut down the cheap and nasty imitation stuff that plagues the market it wil be worthwhile.

Mick

RoadScholar - that is an eloquent post indeed!

I have to cast my vote for AN. In my limited experience I've had overwhelmingly positive results with their parts, especially compared to what I've received from some of the other sources out there... AN's approach to serving a difficult product is impressive, I think. As with any business there is always room for improvement, and we are all lucky that the folks at AN are taking an interest.

ML said:

debby said:

Here's an idea, now that Joe is monitoring the board: maybe we could have a sticky thread about AN quality issues that we have encountered. Specific instances, not vague whining. AN could use the input to improve the product quality. Improvements in quality would be a win-win for all of us.

Debby

Click to expand...

Great idea, the chief purpose of any QA is "continous improvement". I'd be happy to report my findings irrespective of satifactory or otherwise of AN and any other vendor item. I'm sure Joe Siefert would be positive about end-user feedback, and more so if it had accurate technical facts if there was any uncertainty.
If we can shut down the cheap and nasty imitation stuff that plagues the market it wil be worthwhile.

Mick

Click to expand...

Hi Lads,

I also think this is a good idea but I have a few suggestions:

1. It's important that the positive & the negative comments are recorded, an entire thread of just issues might give the wrong impression of AN parts. As others have said people tend to be quicker at complaining than praising. Especially if you have spent days bashing something with a big hammer trying to make it fit :lol: :lol:

2. Would it be possible for AN to gather a few lads from this forum to work as an outsourced QA team? A sample of new parts could be sent to them to check against parts they already have or fitted to their own bikes? The payoff would be the actual part? This might not make any financial sense but maybe something like this would work?

I know AN is a business & we are their customers but we might be able to be involved in helping AN and maybe other suppliers keep their QA as high as possible?

The collective knowledge on this forum is formidable and it would be difficult for any one company to employ a person with anything close to the knowledge base this forum has.

Some of this stuff might be a bit naive :roll: & difficult if not impossible to make into a workable solution but I think working together can only improve the situation for everybody :mrgreen:

I'll now put on my bullet proof pants & wait for replies :lol:

Kevin

I have been buying from AN for about 6 years now and been satisfied with their staff & parts I recieved. Not to say that some other customers have recieved a bad one or two. That happens to any parts supplier in business who sells. They can't check every part. I may have some myself as I stock up on spare parts when I order from AN.

What I do like about AN is their customer service. All my e-mail's have been replied to and recieved parts in a timely matter. Joe, the only input I'd like to see that AN to use a better quality cardboard box for shipment. Had a couple boxes roughed up and the boxes AN use are not that durable.

So I guess my AN comment is a positive one.

Travelerjerry,

Yes, I noticed our packers are sometimes optimistic as far as overseas shipments and the stability of our boxes go. I tend to get two big parcels per week on average, weights between 20 and 30 kgs, and sometimes the sides have split open though, so far, nothing got lost.

Thanks for the good report on the rest of Andover Norton's response and service. Being the company owner as well as one of their major distributors- actually their second-biggest dealer outside England- I have first-hand experience of the order procurement, picking and packing performance. I have congratulated our pickers/packers on their accuracy several times.

I also esteem the product knowlege of Nick- it is more often I ask him about some fine point than he asks me- and Phil as the man who does everything by the book and, if no book exists, writes it, thus calling Nick and myself to order when our enthusiasm has led us astray as tends to happen. Probably not the best idea if two out of four in the management team are arch Norton enthusiasts of long standing, with one private collection of the beasts each. Our chief buyer Peter and Company Secretary Phil have a hard time getting us back to mother earth when we think we want to spend lots of company time and money on parts that we take a private, unproportunate interest in ("But I need this part for my current rebuild!")

Coming back to your critizism, yes, we will see if we can phase out our somewhat soft big boxes and replace them with something more durable.

Joe Seifert

I have to applaud Andover Norton for what they do. The mere fact that they are still supplying parts for a a long out of production motorcycle is great. As a builder of parts for these old things myself I can appreciate the dificulty in making everything fit. Many things changed just a little bit without a change in spec. I have always figured the hole placement on a lot of the parts was done with a hand drill in one hand and a bottle in the other. Even the placement of the holes in the top of the cylinder head can vary by 1/16 inch on heads from the same year and model. They get a big shiny star from me. Jim

Jim
Very well said.
CNN

Likewise from me. Other than a recent problem with a new valve adjuster losing it's tip I have had no issues with any spares before or after the buyout, over 13 years of using their parts. Thanks to AN we can build a brand new Commando if we wanted to although the only downside is that the availability of 90% of parts is that Commando values are not as high as a 60'/early 70's Bonnie. Keep it up AN and thanks.

If you want it to fit straight out of the box buy a Japanese bike.....but they didn't build Norton's or anything like them
wait till you retire and have time on you hands in the long dark winter days you'll be glad of a bit of fettling..... :lol: