Commando 850 MK III

quijote · Apr 18, 2016

Hi guys,
I have to rebuild my Commando MK III gearbox, and I am planning to outsource it.
a) Did anyone out there had a MK 3 gearbox rebuild and had a good experience? And
if so, where did you sent it.
b) I have in mind Colorado Norton Works or Old Brits. I would appreciate any comments about these 2.

I would welcome any suggestions based on a previous personal experience.

Rudy Antonelli

eskasteve · Apr 18, 2016

Either one would do a bang up job. I'm not sure if Fred at Old Britts is still doing rebuilds, but the answer to that is only a phone call away. I have done thousands of dollars worth of business with both of these shops and would rate both of them a strong 10 or an 11 if you're a Spinal Tap fan.

ashman · Apr 18, 2016

Why not rebuild it yourself, if you have a workshop manual and tools it's not such a hard job and will save you a lot of money, it's also a good way to get to know your own bike, first time I rebuilt my gear box when I was young and no experanced at all to replace the lay shaft bearing, since then I have rebuilt a few Norton gear boxes.
Trusting someone else to do the work, but not to say there are some good people around that know what they are doing, I have never had the funds to pay someone to do it and these days labour cost are so high, so if I break it I got to fix it.
After 40 years of owning my Norton I know every nut and bolt inside and out, I do work that I don't even have to look in the workshop manual and if something does fail I know where to look for it.

Ashley

Danno · Apr 18, 2016

I see this ad on Fleabay all the time. anybody ever used this guy?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Norton-Commando ... 6I&vxp=mtr

Fast Eddie · Apr 18, 2016

I think the biggest issue you will have, if you send you're box to Matt @ cNw is... When you re-install it, it'll make the rest of the bike look Like it needs a rebuild too!

pantah_good · Apr 18, 2016

I haven't used their services, but they have a good reputation here.
http://classicbikeexperience.com/

MikeM · Apr 18, 2016

Where are you located?

bill · Apr 18, 2016

I am in NE Tn and do them also.

Torontonian · Apr 18, 2016

Yes you can do it yourself if not afraid. Labour is the killer so try it yourself it can all be enjoyable and ultimately rewarding too.

gripper · Apr 19, 2016

The Norton Owners Club sell a video by Mick Hemmings on rebuilding a Norton gearbox. £17.50 worth it's weight in gold. Once you've got the knowledge, sell the video on.

Mark Savage · Apr 19, 2016

gripper said:
The Norton Owners Club sell a video by Mick Hemmings on rebuilding a Norton gearbox. £17.50 worth it's weight in gold. Once you've got the knowledge, sell the video on.

Got to agree with that. I have the engine one too. It's nice knowing that I have touched every nut and bolt on my Dommie. It makes for a bit more mechanical sympathy when riding it, especially as I am a carpenter and not an engineer.

The Buckeye Rider · Apr 19, 2016

ashman said:
Why not rebuild it yourself, if you have a workshop manual and tools it's not such a hard job and will save you a lot of money, it's also a good way to get to know your own bike, first time I rebuilt my gear box when I was young and no experanced at all to replace the lay shaft bearing, since then I have rebuilt a few Norton gear boxes.
Trusting someone else to do the work, but not to say there are some good people around that know what they are doing, I have never had the funds to pay someone to do it and these days labour cost are so high, so if I break it I got to fix it.
After 40 years of owning my Norton I know every nut and bolt inside and out, I do work that I don't even have to look in the workshop manual and if something does fail I know where to look for it.

Ashley

I have to agree with the Ashman! Removing and installing the transmission is the hardest and most labor intensive part of the job. And the MKIII gearbox comes out of the "frame" easier then the older models.
Old Brits has a great picture by picture tutorial in their technical section and this link to a pdf file of Mick Hemming's rebuild.
http://www.archives.jampot.dk/Technical ... anics_1987).pdf
You may need to buy or fabricate a few new tools for the bigger nuts and odd sized fasteners but you will still come out ahead.
One more piece of advise is to build a very simple stand to hold the gearbox steady while you work on it. PM me and I'll send you a picture of mine.
Ride On
Dave

737captain · Apr 20, 2016

bill said:
I am in NE Tn and do them also.

Bill did mine and was fantastic, he let me watch and I learned so much. I can't say enough good things about my experience.

quijote · Apr 26, 2016

Hi guys
Well you have been so eloquent that convicted me of TRYING to rebuild my transmission. You see, I was given this beautiful machine as a gift by one of my bosses; it was in a basket and I rebuilt the whole thing, EXCEPT THE TRANSMISSION, which was in one piece and in perfect shape. In was in 1990, and I was much younger, now at 74 years old, I am a little hesitant, so I ordered the Hemmings DVD from England and when I get it, I'll decide what to do.

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT.

Mark · Apr 26, 2016

Just one bit of caution........... Don't do it in the kitchen !!!

I rebuilt mine in our kitchen and it smelled like 80-90 gear lube in there for well over a month.
That was 20 years ago and my woman STILL hasn't let me forget it.

jaydee75 · Apr 26, 2016

I'm glad you're going to fix it yourself. Don't worry, the guys on here could guide you through brain surgery if necessary. There's hardly a problem that hasn't been encountered and solved. I did my gearbox and enjoyed the experience.
Jaydee

norton73 · Apr 26, 2016

You can rebuild the transmission without removing it from the bike. As others have noted, removing it is harder than rebuilding it.
If you have a lift to work it would be a breeze.

pete.v · Apr 26, 2016

If you do rebuild with the unit out, if possible drill a hole in your bench to except the mainshaft. This makes it much easier. Once you start messing with it, you'll see what I mean.

Commando 850 MK III

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