Converting JPN back to stock
- Thread starter Nimbob
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It depends upon the JPN's condition, if its very nice...leave it, if its a dog...ie plastic's rough...its no loss.
The overall condition of the plastic appears to be in great shape. The reason that I am considering getting rid of JPN parts is to fund the purchase of the parts needed to put the bike back to looking like a semi-stock Commando. From what I have read, riding a JPN is not at all comfortable to ride, (I'm 62 yrs old) and I would therefore prefer to convert this bike back to something more comfortable. I have earlier owned a very nice 74 Commando with custom paint job, Corbin gunfighter seat and straight through peashooters (i.e. no baffling = LOUD) I would like to go the same route with this bike if I buy it. The seller of the JPN clone claims that I should be able to get approx. $2,000 for all the JPN parts and I am trying to determine if this is accurate or not. This is not a real JPN, but rather a "clone of a clone" so to speak so it is not one of the 200 produced. I did a lot of work on my earlier 74 and would like to get back into owning a Norton again. I'm hoping that if I can get $2,000 for the JPN parts, (assuming they are in excellent condition), but am looking for insight into the feasibility of this approach. Thanks
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50 bucks , delivered here . :x
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seems to have three of them .
What model was it originally , a Hi rider . :? chances are ???
not quite STOCK is the general opinion . Have you got a rich uncle whos keen on Nortons ?
Pipes , Tank , Mufflers , sidecovers , instrument Pods , headlamp shell - rim - & Lamp ( a Q.H. from scrap yard ? ) Seat . Cables ( clutch & throttle & Fr Brake ) . This will be more than 3 S. & 6 d.
A souped up JPN coffee racer would be good for freaking out the rice burner brigade , and touring , if youve got long arms .
oops . We forgot the Footrests & Brake Pedal , though quite a few change them for REASETS , like they have on J.P.N.s .
Got a picture of the hidious thing desquised as a GAS TANK under the cover which disquises it as a Gas Tank . apparently the Apprentice was involved there .
What model was it originally , a Hi rider . :? chances are ???
not quite STOCK is the general opinion . Have you got a rich uncle whos keen on Nortons ?
Pipes , Tank , Mufflers , sidecovers , instrument Pods , headlamp shell - rim - & Lamp ( a Q.H. from scrap yard ? ) Seat . Cables ( clutch & throttle & Fr Brake ) . This will be more than 3 S. & 6 d.
A souped up JPN coffee racer would be good for freaking out the rice burner brigade , and touring , if youve got long arms .
oops . We forgot the Footrests & Brake Pedal , though quite a few change them for REASETS , like they have on J.P.N.s .
Got a picture of the hidious thing desquised as a GAS TANK under the cover which disquises it as a Gas Tank . apparently the Apprentice was involved there .
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I would say that changing the configuration of a JPN is basically a nut and bolt operation. About the only thing that may require some additional effort is the relocation of the certification label back to the headstock. Here is a link showing the JPN parts book supplement. It should give you an idea of the differences. http://www.bigdcycle.com/book project/NORTON/COMMANDO/jpn commando parts/index.html
Basically a JPN is just a standard Mark IIA with these various different pieces.
Basically a JPN is just a standard Mark IIA with these various different pieces.
batrider
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You could look up the prices for new JPN replica pieces and figure maybe 1/2 that depending on condx. Not sure I want to be Jay Leno but I think the JPNs look great. You still have a few more years left in you. I'm 63.
Welcome to the group. It might be easier as someone suggested to just buy something closer to what you want it to be.
Welcome to the group. It might be easier as someone suggested to just buy something closer to what you want it to be.
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Why bother? Why not just buy a Roadster instead?
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Nimbob said:
footpegs
handlebars
gas tank
front fender
tail light assembly
headlight ears
headlight and shell
speedo and tach cups
possibly top bolts for forks
In addition to the above, you may have some wiring issues to deal with, since the previous owner may have done some custom stuff to accommodate the dual headlights.
You may already have a roadster gas tank, if the bike was originally a roadster when it was converted. Sidecovers for roadster and JPN were the same, although the MKIIA and JPN had a left side cover that mounted with a plastic pin, maybe directly to the airbox?
I may have some of the parts you'll need to complete a conversion, to a Roadster or Interstate model. Depending on how each of us values the parts involved, perhaps we can work out a mutually beneficial exchange.
I also have a very clean '74 850, and if you get the bike, and it's as clean as you're describing, I might trade that, too. I'm planning on building a slightly hopped up bike, and the '74 I've got is almost all stock, so it seems sacrilegious to me to use it as a donor for not-so-stock street project.
Regarding the value of the fairing parts: About four years ago there was an unused JPN fairing, windshield, JPN seat, proper headlights (I think), and mounting brackets on eBay for sale. If I remember correctly it was $3,500 and it was for sale for months before someone bought it. In hindsight I wish I had bought it, but I didn't. More recently, about six months ago, there was a JPN bike parted out on eBay. The fairing, and I believe the mounting hardware, headlights and seat from that bike sold for about $2,500. It was pretty rough, too; the fairing needed to be repainted, and had some damage that needed to be repaired.
If you decide you're selling, please e-mail some photos to me. My e-mail address is iosis.records@gmail.com
Phone is: four two five ---- four 8 6 --- six O 4 0
E-mail would be best to start, I think.
Regards,
Robert
Time Warp
.......back to the 70's.
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Robert_Norton said:
To the battery tray which is also different from the other 850 models.
Pick up a nice Roadster (not off eBay) for $6000 and ride it.
Buy a $4000 Roadster and spend $2000 on it straight away for $6000 total.
Buy a $6000 JPN and risk having all the JPN parts hanging off the rafters waiting for a buyer and spend $3000 making it into a Roadster for $9000.
Time and money is all it takes.
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Hi nimbob
Best of luck with your new project if you buy it . By the sound of what your saying with a parts book and workshop manual you'll have it done in gig time, it's only nuts and bolts on an old bike not the space shuttle!
Good luck to you, hope you get the look you want.
Best of luck with your new project if you buy it . By the sound of what your saying with a parts book and workshop manual you'll have it done in gig time, it's only nuts and bolts on an old bike not the space shuttle!
Good luck to you, hope you get the look you want.
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Nimbob,
There is a classic bike shop in Richmond, VA called Velocity. I was there in the back room a couple days ago and saw 2 or 3 Commandos in various states of repair awaiting restoration. I didn't ask about them because I have a MK3. I don't know anything about the status of these bikes or even if they are for sale. My guess is that you could contact them and probably pick one up. If it was me, I'd have them do the restoration. They do excellent work - seriously. I've known one of the mechanics, Dave, for over 20 years and his attention to detail is second to none and super clean. Letting Dave do the work, you would probably end up spending less and have a perfect bike and get to ride more. We are all big boys, I'm 61; ask yourself this: Do I want to wrench for the first 6 months I own my new Commando, or do I want to ride?
You can find Velocity on the web. If you have any difficulty , PM me and I'll hook you up.
Cheers,
Cameron
There is a classic bike shop in Richmond, VA called Velocity. I was there in the back room a couple days ago and saw 2 or 3 Commandos in various states of repair awaiting restoration. I didn't ask about them because I have a MK3. I don't know anything about the status of these bikes or even if they are for sale. My guess is that you could contact them and probably pick one up. If it was me, I'd have them do the restoration. They do excellent work - seriously. I've known one of the mechanics, Dave, for over 20 years and his attention to detail is second to none and super clean. Letting Dave do the work, you would probably end up spending less and have a perfect bike and get to ride more. We are all big boys, I'm 61; ask yourself this: Do I want to wrench for the first 6 months I own my new Commando, or do I want to ride?
You can find Velocity on the web. If you have any difficulty , PM me and I'll hook you up.
Cheers,
Cameron
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I only learned how to rebuild Norton because no one around here does and not enough money back then to pay any one else but other wise wrenching is just boring to injurious waste of time stolen from the weekends ya got left. Your time making your own living should be better paying than the grease monkey's rates. BUT one my best friends/enemies posts me on the additions and alterations, upgrades and repairs he's had to or wanted to do on his CNW Commando so having a fully fettered Commando w/o getting your own hands dirty is mythical beast as bottomless bank account.
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Well said Hobot!
My dad was/is an architect and although he knows how a building goes together, he has no clue about mechanics. Consequently, I didn't grow up working on cars or lawn mowers or anything. I went to college and earned a business degree; not exactly mechanical. But, While working my way through school in the 1970's, I noticed that female companionship was a lot easier to acquire with a cool bike. So, being ignorant about motorcycles in general, I decided the bigger, shinier, and blacker the better, as long as it wasn't Japanese. So, off I go to the local bike shop. They sold Triumph, Norton, Ducati, Moto Guzzi, and Suzuki. I showed up on my birthday with $2 grand in my pocket, saved up by skipping lunches and working overtime. They had a red and a black MK3 Commando, 2 Guzzi V-7 sports- one red, one black, a Guzzi Eldorado, Ducati 860, 2 Bonnevilles and a tiger, a white and yellow T160, a red T160, and one, lone, left over black with gold swooshes 1974 Trident T150V. In my ignorance I bought the 74 trident.
Unknowingly, with the possible exception of the Ducati 860, I had purchased the biggest mechanical pain in the ass on the whole floor. That bike is not appropriate for a novus. Like Hobot, I became a proficient "wrench" because I didn't really have a choice. I couldn't afford to pay someone else to keep it running well, and frankly, when I could afford to pay someone else I was rarely satisfied with the experience. So to stay in motorcycles I evolved both in skill and understanding and somehow survived.
I still have the Trident, and I've gotten it to the point (electronic ignition, high out put alternator ) where its is not the hassle it once was (perhaps because I can do all the basics quickly with my eyes closed ). But, I occasionally think back and wonder how things might have been different if I had chosen the Commando or the V-7 Sport. Twenty years ago, I answered that question, in part, when I bought a pristine MK3 with 5,000 miles on it. Let me tell you, the Commando is a better bike than the Trident in every respect. I have been a Triumph man for almost 40 years. I've hung out in Les Williams' shop and know him personally. I was the only American at the Triumph factory in Meridan on the day it closed. From the smallest to the largest details, the Commando is a better bike than any Triumph built during the same period, hands down in every respect.
It always boils down to every hour I spend wrenching, is one I could have been riding. I don't do anything on the bikes that doesn't require special knowledge or skill.
If you want to wrench, go ahead and wrench. If you want to ride, ride but don't confuse the two.
Cheers,
C
My dad was/is an architect and although he knows how a building goes together, he has no clue about mechanics. Consequently, I didn't grow up working on cars or lawn mowers or anything. I went to college and earned a business degree; not exactly mechanical. But, While working my way through school in the 1970's, I noticed that female companionship was a lot easier to acquire with a cool bike. So, being ignorant about motorcycles in general, I decided the bigger, shinier, and blacker the better, as long as it wasn't Japanese. So, off I go to the local bike shop. They sold Triumph, Norton, Ducati, Moto Guzzi, and Suzuki. I showed up on my birthday with $2 grand in my pocket, saved up by skipping lunches and working overtime. They had a red and a black MK3 Commando, 2 Guzzi V-7 sports- one red, one black, a Guzzi Eldorado, Ducati 860, 2 Bonnevilles and a tiger, a white and yellow T160, a red T160, and one, lone, left over black with gold swooshes 1974 Trident T150V. In my ignorance I bought the 74 trident.
Unknowingly, with the possible exception of the Ducati 860, I had purchased the biggest mechanical pain in the ass on the whole floor. That bike is not appropriate for a novus. Like Hobot, I became a proficient "wrench" because I didn't really have a choice. I couldn't afford to pay someone else to keep it running well, and frankly, when I could afford to pay someone else I was rarely satisfied with the experience. So to stay in motorcycles I evolved both in skill and understanding and somehow survived.
I still have the Trident, and I've gotten it to the point (electronic ignition, high out put alternator ) where its is not the hassle it once was (perhaps because I can do all the basics quickly with my eyes closed ). But, I occasionally think back and wonder how things might have been different if I had chosen the Commando or the V-7 Sport. Twenty years ago, I answered that question, in part, when I bought a pristine MK3 with 5,000 miles on it. Let me tell you, the Commando is a better bike than the Trident in every respect. I have been a Triumph man for almost 40 years. I've hung out in Les Williams' shop and know him personally. I was the only American at the Triumph factory in Meridan on the day it closed. From the smallest to the largest details, the Commando is a better bike than any Triumph built during the same period, hands down in every respect.
It always boils down to every hour I spend wrenching, is one I could have been riding. I don't do anything on the bikes that doesn't require special knowledge or skill.
If you want to wrench, go ahead and wrench. If you want to ride, ride but don't confuse the two.
Cheers,
C
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