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acotrel said:
I think the C'do is a better chest hair grower than my Duc. But, sometimes it makes me want to pull my hair out...or it makes it greyer...
Commando strengths & weaknesses
- Thread starter Old Scratcher
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I think the C'do is a better chest hair grower than my Duc. But, sometimes it makes me want to pull my hair out...or it makes it greyer...
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Old Scratcher writes: In fact it's such a well designed package, with a laser-guided focus of purpose throughout the design, I think the Commando is a great argument for keeping it as original as possible."
I couldn't disagree more. The Commando was a bodge, thrown together in a hurry, to give the company something to sell while they tried to design a truly innovative motorcycle. (Which never materialized.)
The Commando hit the market loaded with flaws, which we have been trying to remediate ever since.
Let's see, which original flaws should we preserve: the widow maker frame, the early center stand that breaks, the missing cush drive, the soft cams, the pistons that split in half, the rear axle that breaks, the crank that whips, the rear loop that droops, the coil mounts that fracture, the non vernier vernier isolastics, the horn that doesn't, etc, etc, etc.
Don't get me wrong. I love Commandos. Despite their faults. But I'll pass on this round of Kool-Aid.
Stephen Hill
I couldn't disagree more. The Commando was a bodge, thrown together in a hurry, to give the company something to sell while they tried to design a truly innovative motorcycle. (Which never materialized.)
The Commando hit the market loaded with flaws, which we have been trying to remediate ever since.
Let's see, which original flaws should we preserve: the widow maker frame, the early center stand that breaks, the missing cush drive, the soft cams, the pistons that split in half, the rear axle that breaks, the crank that whips, the rear loop that droops, the coil mounts that fracture, the non vernier vernier isolastics, the horn that doesn't, etc, etc, etc.
Don't get me wrong. I love Commandos. Despite their faults. But I'll pass on this round of Kool-Aid.
Stephen Hill
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not to mention:
porous heads
unscrewing exhaust nuts
poorly designed rear speedo drive assemblies
oil leaks everywhere
not only the longest but one of the worst side stands
slipping, fouling clutch plates inside an oil primary
Don't get me wrong. I love Commandos
And, to put this in perspective, for other bikes the list of faults is not that dissimilar. (?).
Even so called reliable jap bikes had a fair list of problems.
Someone I know had a collection dead H*nda 4 top ends, victims of silastic (silicone) blocking the oilway jets,
it only took one tiny little blob.
Also, suppliers of alternator windings did a thriving business.
And I still remember the description in one magazine of the new 5 speed gearboxes in BMs at one stage
"gearbox failures are rarer than snowstorms in the sahara desert" - after which BM was deluged with 5 sp failed gearboxes !
There were a lot of comments about snowstorms in the sahara after that
BM dealers probably wished someone had never said that....
And we won't even mention iron Harley sportsters.
They didn't redesign them, a while later, from the ground up for nothings.
Even so called reliable jap bikes had a fair list of problems.
Someone I know had a collection dead H*nda 4 top ends, victims of silastic (silicone) blocking the oilway jets,
it only took one tiny little blob.
Also, suppliers of alternator windings did a thriving business.
And I still remember the description in one magazine of the new 5 speed gearboxes in BMs at one stage
"gearbox failures are rarer than snowstorms in the sahara desert" - after which BM was deluged with 5 sp failed gearboxes !
There were a lot of comments about snowstorms in the sahara after that
BM dealers probably wished someone had never said that....
And we won't even mention iron Harley sportsters.
They didn't redesign them, a while later, from the ground up for nothings.
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" Get them crated"and through the door! That was Nortons policy ..."We will sort the problems as they come in" Rode steady and looked after they would last the 6 months ..but who bought one for steady riding? My old workmate managed a few months be for the rods made an escape . Problem was its didn't like the missed gears... But Norton sent him a replacement bottom end FOC. The bike was/still is? a c 1970 750 ..it got stripped and after a Loooooooog period in bits was sold for £150 .. He put the money into a car to go "a courting" "leg over" was first and foremost when you where 20. Now things have gone full circle. LOL!
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Nice to see not everyone's got rose tinged memories, & I appreciate your honesty. However I never said the Commando was faultless. Indeed I started this thread to catalogue it's faults, as well as it's strengths. & I know the bike was supposed to be a bridge to a totally new bike that never materialised. But It's far from a parts bin special, & some very smart minds put some serious thought into building the best bike they could, with what the Bean Counters would allow them to work with. & I think they did an excellent job. I've ridden an Atlas, the bike the Commando evolved from. & it feels much more revolutionary than evolutionary when one compares the two rides. The Atlas rattled my tooth fillings loose! & the handling was nowhere near as precise as the Commando. The fact that the Commando survived for so long against the Japanese onslaught is testament to what an excellent job the designers did, on a shoestring budget. In fact most of the problems you list can be blamed more on cost cutting in production rather than design faults, which is again the Bean Counters fault. & most of the design faults were rectified by the time of the Mk III. So I'll stand by statement that the design was focus driven to produce the best bike they could, with the resources they had, at a price the public would buy. & they hit that design brief right on the head IMOStephen Hill said:
Bernhard said:
Still cannot fid the post I was looking for, but this might be of intrest;
parts-you-regret-buying-t20038.html?hilit=2014 posts
What confuses me is why the administrators allow this insignificant dribble to exsist in the first place. At least send it to the pub where it belongs.worntorn said:
No need to get bent, just an opinion.
On a side note, neither a strength or wealness, but I, as the rider, feel denied the pleasure of hearing my own bike roar off into the distance. I feel envy of the people behind me being able to hear that sweet sweet tone around 5000rpm well into where the cam is doing its thing.
See, insignificant dribble!
It's all in good fun. Nothing to serious or dangerous if taken wrong.hobot said:
I guess sometimes I feel like I am in Namibia over here. Sure, there is a few Commandos on the other side of the state, but frankly, that's like another country. I guess I'm just lonely. :cry: :cry: :cry:
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They're not accurate coordinates anyway, as the latitude doesn't specify north or south. Though it's probably North, as without googling it & just looking at the globe on my desk, I'd say that puts him around the Ohio Illinois area. If it's South he's on a boat in the Sth Pacific, around 150 nautical miles west of central Chile!tomspro said:
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fair enough pete.v. Fun fun fun then till we die happy. Wes took me to my first motorcycle rally INOA in Ohio and it was the sound aura that impressed me most, sensation wise. Wes looked over the wide scope of people then summed it up - Its All About the Commando. Sometimes Wes and I think if they were not so cute there would be a bounty on them. The comments and elation Commandos invite by strangers is on going wonder to me. Alone and with Wes we have many uplifting tales of encounters on our down time of travels. I think a Commando has potential be be the most comfortable cycle and with a few mods the best handling one by some margin in chances. Deadly level contests with as insane risk taking squids as youtube or movie chase scenes. I worry a bit after word of Peel prowess gets out the price of Commando could spike with a whole lot younger pilots than we are. My factory Trixie is delightful quaint ride with all the warts intack but its only took 2 seasons for word to spread there was a Norton Nut in Kington to fast draw against. So to me the strongest strength is the superior power planting hook up even a novice like me could shine with.
Yoose guys may not have road orgasms like Peel delivered but we also had road sex with strange women, similar to tunnel of Love or Cars cartoon movie racing around switching places trusting each other close enough to touch. Some of it was like angry sex resisted and harsh but some was so smooth fast flowing zoomy even race trained woman with their boy friend right next to them at stops would wave their tight leather covered rear end at me so boyfriend jerk up in shock. Nothing satisfies the whole scope of cycling life as a Commando can.
Yoose guys may not have road orgasms like Peel delivered but we also had road sex with strange women, similar to tunnel of Love or Cars cartoon movie racing around switching places trusting each other close enough to touch. Some of it was like angry sex resisted and harsh but some was so smooth fast flowing zoomy even race trained woman with their boy friend right next to them at stops would wave their tight leather covered rear end at me so boyfriend jerk up in shock. Nothing satisfies the whole scope of cycling life as a Commando can.
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Thank you so much everyone. This is just the kind of discussion I was hoping to encourage. I'd still like to know more about keeping Lucas electrics in tip top condition, & I'm sure there are other subjects that deserves deeper delving too. Like the soft cams. Does everyone agree that this is a fault that was never fixed? If so, what are the after market options? & how necessary is the modification?
Ok, if that can of worms isn't enough to elicit a few pages of disagreeing opinions, & Hobot's indecipherable literary masterpieces. How about we discuss the Commando's most distinguishing feature? It's isolastics! I know they're brilliant, when they're working properly. But what are the visual signs of wear? How does one asses used units? & is it worth upgrading to a more modern composite? If so, which one?
Beyond that I'd like to discuss the merits of the Amals over the single Mikuni vs a flat slide set up. & that leads us into the whole world of what are the best mods, for both hp & reliability? & what are the things that should never be done to a Commando? The Sacriligious List!
Ok! Let's hear it?
Ok, if that can of worms isn't enough to elicit a few pages of disagreeing opinions, & Hobot's indecipherable literary masterpieces. How about we discuss the Commando's most distinguishing feature? It's isolastics! I know they're brilliant, when they're working properly. But what are the visual signs of wear? How does one asses used units? & is it worth upgrading to a more modern composite? If so, which one?
Beyond that I'd like to discuss the merits of the Amals over the single Mikuni vs a flat slide set up. & that leads us into the whole world of what are the best mods, for both hp & reliability? & what are the things that should never be done to a Commando? The Sacriligious List!
Ok! Let's hear it?
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