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seaguy

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May 19, 2009
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Hello fellow enthusiests. I'm Richard Rose located in Orange Beach Al. Recently I bought a Basket case 72 Comando to resto.
I have a shop manual on the way but I'm sure I will need to pester yall from time to time. Like for most of us the Comandos, Triumphs and BSAs were the highschool dream cycles and this one was screaming for a rescue. Sold my Sporty 4 months ago and could be bikeless no longer.
I got and old title with the bike and it was listed as a 72 . Tried to confirm the year with the list of numbers. I wonder if the list is the manufacturing date and not necessarily the year sold. Mine is 149506 (Eng and frame).
The loop above the rear fender was sawn off and had a sissy bar in place. Need to get a 180 bend in some pipe and repair that. I am presently tearing it all down . Trying to deside what gets replaced and what goes to the plating shop. Nearest one is Graves in Florence,AL (350 mi) . I will post pics if there's anyone interested. Been taking plenty for ref. well , thats about it for now. Oh..forgot to mention. Figured out why it was sitting up. found the two pushrods on the right side front were not connected to the rockers. Rocckers seem ok. Looks like the head has to come off to get the pushrods out. Wish that book would get here! Ok ..Outter here now.
 
seaguy said:
Hello fellow enthusiests. I'm Richard Rose located in Orange Beach Al. Recently I bought a Basket case 72 Comando to resto.
I have a shop manual on the way but I'm sure I will need to pester yall from time to time. Like for most of us the Comandos, Triumphs and BSAs were the highschool dream cycles and this one was screaming for a rescue. Sold my Sporty 4 months ago and could be bikeless no longer.
I got and old title with the bike and it was listed as a 72 . Tried to confirm the year with the list of numbers. I wonder if the list is the manufacturing date and not necessarily the year sold. Mine is 149506 (Eng and frame).
The loop above the rear fender was sawn off and had a sissy bar in place. Need to get a 180 bend in some pipe and repair that. I am presently tearing it all down . Trying to deside what gets replaced and what goes to the plating shop. Nearest one is Graves in Florence,AL (350 mi) . I will post pics if there's anyone interested. Been taking plenty for ref. well , thats about it for now. Oh..forgot to mention. Figured out why it was sitting up. found the two pushrods on the right side front were not connected to the rockers. Rocckers seem ok. Looks like the head has to come off to get the pushrods out. Wish that book would get here! Ok ..Outter here now.
Click to expand...

Pictures always required. :D
 
DMVs are fallible institutions. I see errors all the time and I own a couple. No yellow Goldwings were 75 models (500 76s only) and DMV says I have a 75. too small an error to argue.
Two states have called my Norton a Triumph and that will be a pain to correct.
With fleet work you see DMV errors all the time. Does your bike have the red tag on the neck? Take a look at that.
 
Depending on what you decide to do with it, you might end up either putting a short rear loop or none at all back on the bike. Some of the production racers had this mod and I have done it a couple of times on cafe racers because I think that the rear loop looks too long for these models.
 
Thanks Dave. That loop looks kinda funky anyway. I thought about bending a turnup type loop that curved around the back of a smaller more modern looking seat. I could bang on a sand bag till I hade the rough shape then trim to equalize. Can't be that hard to do. That aluminum tag is on the goose neck. I could makeout the frame no. what else is on it?
Rich
 
Rich, The frame number (which should be the same as the engine and gearbox number) and the year of manufacture are on the plate. These plates are available new from e-bay and other sources but be aware that there are slight differences between some years. If you pry the old plate off with a screwdriver, this should allow you to grip the rivets with a pair of vise-grips and rotate counterclockwise, they actually have a very course spiral on them and new rivets are also available. If you break the head off one or two simply punch them through into the head stock with a pin punch. I always bend new plates through a rubber ringer for squeezing water out of towels and then use a brass drift with a small countersink drilled in the end to avoid damaging the new plate when I rerivet.
 
seaguy said:
I got and old title with the bike and it was listed as a 72 . Tried to confirm the year with the list of numbers. I wonder if the list is the manufacturing date and not necessarily the year sold. Mine is 149506 (Eng and frame).
Click to expand...


The Commando frame plate, engine and gearbox numbers would have been stamped with their serials along with a month/year date stamp also on the frame plate at the factory sometime during the manufacturing process.

And of course it could have taken a number of weeks (if not months, depending on which branch of British industry just happened to be on strike at the time!) from the time the date stamp was applied before final despatch from the factory, to the time the bike actually ended up in a dealer's showroom several thousand miles away, so a US title could very well list it as being a later year model.
The Norton factory didn't make regular yearly changes to their models, they just appeared to update the range whenever it suited them, and Commando models are more readily identified by "mark number" and body style, rather than "model year".

Serial 149506 would probably have been from the May-October 1971 production period.
 
On the aluminum tag I found what looks like HH and 1971. Maybe it's a 71 afterall. Speedo is 150 mph max noticed some are 120mph max . Probably installed what was onhand at the time.
 
seaguy said:
Speedo is 150 mph max noticed some are 120mph max . Probably installed what was onhand at the time.
Click to expand...

Commando "MPH" speedos would normally have been Smiths 150 MPH (or Veglia -1973-on) magnetic speedo/revcounter units (except for Police/military Interpol models which could have been fitted with a Smiths Chronometric speedo?).

The standard instrument types used on a '71 model would be a Smiths "Green Globe" SSM 3001/09 -1000 (turns per mile) speedo, along with a matching style Smiths RSM 4:1 3003/15 revcounter:

Another new guy
 
Looks like I'm not allowed to post pictures unless I do the BBcode thing. Seems like too much trouble and time consumming to learn.
Rich
 
Just hit the img above the txt box. You will see 2 img abbreviations in brackets...put the cursor inbetween the brackets and past the http: address
 
seaguy said:
Looks like I'm not allowed to post pictures unless I do the BBcode thing. Seems like too much trouble and time consumming to learn.
Rich
Click to expand...

Just upload your photos to Photobucket http://photobucket.com/

Then follow the photo posting instructions given here: useful-commando-photo-posting-information-t2357.html


If you follow the instructions, and copy & paste the photo's own "IMG code" line into your forum message, then all the BB tags are added for you, there's nothing else to do.

It is easy, why not give it a try?
 
seaguy said:
Looks like I'm not allowed to post pictures unless I do the BBcode thing. Seems like too much trouble and time consumming to learn.
Rich
Click to expand...

Click one button and paste. Easier that riding a bike. :D
 
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