Steve, I was at Steve Maney's this week and everything major has apparently gone. Crankcases, Crankshafts and barrels. I bought one of his last camshafts three weeks ago and I believe they are all gone now as well.
Sorry to be the barer of sad news.
Steve, I was at Steve Maney's this week and everything major has apparently gone. Crankcases, Crankshafts and barrels. I bought one of his last camshafts three weeks ago and I believe they are all gone now as well.
Sorry to be the barer of sad news.
Whilst it is sad news that he's winding up, its also good news that he's retiring, best to retire while still able to enjoy it
In my opinion, it goes beyond Blighty. This business, like many others before it, is an obscure nitch within an obscure declining nitch. Though Norton big twins may be the center of our lives, the market age is moving on and the Commandos and their worshipers will go the way of the board track racers and their worshipers.
My personal assessment is that Steve’s intellectual asset is considerable. In discussions with him about it, the business would not support an apprentice (future owner) and I doubt Steve wants to put in three to six years working for an immediate buyer. There’s some potential transitioning in the works so we shall see.
the support available today is unmatched & bodes well for the futureIt appears to me there’s been a resurgence of popularity of the Commando in the last 25 years or so. They are relatively cheap and there is a readily available supply of parts and upgrades. As those who created this resurgence die, so too will the Commando’s popularity die out. Most of today’s owners have some connection to Norton’s past. Either they were of age when Commandos were being manufactured or their dad, uncle or older brother bought one, in years 1969-75. And a whole lot of us are getting close to the front of the line and I don’t see many replacements.
the support available today is unmatched & bodes well for the future
My point being, great for near term consumers but who would stake capital and a 30-40 year career on something obscure? Great if somebody does!
It appears to me there’s been a resurgence of popularity of the Commando in the last 25 years or so. They are relatively cheap and there is a readily available supply of parts and upgrades. As those who created this resurgence die, so too will the Commando’s popularity die out. Most of today’s owners have some connection to Norton’s past. Either they were of age when Commandos were being manufactured or their dad, uncle or older brother bought one, in years 1969-75. And a whole lot of us are getting close to the front of the line and I don’t see many replacements.
Whilst that’s partly true Jim, if we look back further in time, we do not see interest in bikes die out when their original generation do. Veteran and pre war machines continue to generate interest and enjoy strong markets and prices.
I didn’t start riding until 1984, so I’m not one of the original generation myself, and there are younger followers than me.
I think bikes go through phases. Firstly the new phase. Then the ‘cheap old bike’ phase. Then the nostalgia driven ‘classic’ phase (this is the market driven by the original generation). Then there is the classic / collector phase where the bikes appeal to a different market, people who weren’t buying, or maybe weren’t born, when the bikes were current.
CNW started decades? ago and should be able to ride it out until retirement. Who would stake 40 years of their life starting today on a business model based on a Norton Commando? As much as I love the Norton, I would rather brew beer; just a personal preference.CNW?
if you compare the support available for nortons today, vs the competition of the era, there is no comparisonA number of suppliers of parts and upgrades have either died or retired. To validate your claim, please list the new suppliers replacing those who are no longer in business.
if you compare the support available for nortons today, vs the competition of the era, there is no comparison
last i heard, decent points were hard to get for old goldwings, someone just recently sourced new undersized babbit bearings, that were pretty much as rare as hens teeth nos up to that point,
the overall support might as well be boneyard equivalent compared to current available norton support