Defending Norton on a Moto Guzzi forum LOL
- Thread starter montelatici
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Just for fun here are the most recent exchanges:
From the guy who hates Commandos:
Quote from: Antietam Classic Cycle on August 02, 2012, 09:33:06 PM
Interesting then, that the highly respected Norton specialist that worked on it after me pronounced it to be "in excellent condition and well-sorted" except for the carbs which he sent off to AMR-Tucson to be bored and fitted with new slides. I didn't do that because the customer wanted the bike back before AMR was doing their next batch.
But then I guess I'm just a hack mechanic that wouldn't know a good handling bike if it bit him on the arse...
From the peanut gallery:
"What's more interesting is that YOU were talking about motorcycles. The guy who responded is talking about YOU instead. That's how trouble starts; when people just HATE it if you express an opinion different from theirs, and go mad.
Lannis"
My response:
When an opinion goes counter to fact, it is trolling. It is like saying you don't like Harley's because they are too quiet. You can say that Nortons are unreliable, they leak oil their electrics are crap, the brakes suck and I would agree that those characterize the Norton fairly, but to say that Commandos do not handle or are poor performers is just nonsense. I don't know who the "highly respected" Norton Specialist is, but I doubt he knows more about Commandos than I do. I raced them, wrenched on them, rebuilt several and have owned one or more constantly for nearly half a century.
Firstly, if a Norton Commando isn't smooth and doesn't handle there is something wrong with the isolastic clearances or the head steady is flakey. Most, even very good mechanics, that don't know Commandos don't even know that there is a head steady that is part of the isolastic system.
The performance issue was, as I suspected and you confirmed, a carburetion problem.
As far as brakes, my Norton below has the Colorado Norton Works Brembo disk setup front and back, so braking is not a problem.
Then I pasted a pic of my favorite bike:
From the guy who hates Commandos:
Quote from: Antietam Classic Cycle on August 02, 2012, 09:33:06 PM
Interesting then, that the highly respected Norton specialist that worked on it after me pronounced it to be "in excellent condition and well-sorted" except for the carbs which he sent off to AMR-Tucson to be bored and fitted with new slides. I didn't do that because the customer wanted the bike back before AMR was doing their next batch.
But then I guess I'm just a hack mechanic that wouldn't know a good handling bike if it bit him on the arse...
From the peanut gallery:
"What's more interesting is that YOU were talking about motorcycles. The guy who responded is talking about YOU instead. That's how trouble starts; when people just HATE it if you express an opinion different from theirs, and go mad.
Lannis"
My response:
When an opinion goes counter to fact, it is trolling. It is like saying you don't like Harley's because they are too quiet. You can say that Nortons are unreliable, they leak oil their electrics are crap, the brakes suck and I would agree that those characterize the Norton fairly, but to say that Commandos do not handle or are poor performers is just nonsense. I don't know who the "highly respected" Norton Specialist is, but I doubt he knows more about Commandos than I do. I raced them, wrenched on them, rebuilt several and have owned one or more constantly for nearly half a century.
Firstly, if a Norton Commando isn't smooth and doesn't handle there is something wrong with the isolastic clearances or the head steady is flakey. Most, even very good mechanics, that don't know Commandos don't even know that there is a head steady that is part of the isolastic system.
The performance issue was, as I suspected and you confirmed, a carburetion problem.
As far as brakes, my Norton below has the Colorado Norton Works Brembo disk setup front and back, so braking is not a problem.
Then I pasted a pic of my favorite bike:
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Oh, on the Guzzi site the pic is real big.
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Just tell him the correct spelling is
" Moto Go Rusty"
" Moto Go Rusty"
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His latest response convinces me that years ago one of you guys ran off with his girlfriend wth her on the back of a Norton, the guy really has it in for Nortons! By the way, I am now one of the "High Priests" of the Church of Norton, so I expect to be treated with more respect here. 
"Amazing - if one expresses an opinion that is unpopular with the aficianados of a particular brand then he is "trolling". Never mind that it is just an opinion and nothing more - wasn't stated as fact, wasn't trying to convince anyone, just an OPINION. Everyone is entitled to one. The fact that you can't just accept that smacks of cyber-bullying. "You either see it my way or you are dismissed as a troll!"
I'm glad you and others enjoy Nortons, I do not and likely never will. I'm quite sure there are brands and models of bikes that I am fond of that would make you laugh. I can accept that. You "High Priests" in the "Church of Norton" (as Norton owners really do seem to have a religious fanaticism of sorts) can brand me a heretic and burn me at the stake with gasoline leaked from a worn Amal and oil leaked from the primary drive all you want, but I will continue to express my opinion whether you like it or not.
If you're my neighborhood stop by and say hello. If you break down on the road in my area, I'll do my best to get you going again - unless you're on a Norton of course..."
"Amazing - if one expresses an opinion that is unpopular with the aficianados of a particular brand then he is "trolling". Never mind that it is just an opinion and nothing more - wasn't stated as fact, wasn't trying to convince anyone, just an OPINION. Everyone is entitled to one. The fact that you can't just accept that smacks of cyber-bullying. "You either see it my way or you are dismissed as a troll!"
I'm glad you and others enjoy Nortons, I do not and likely never will. I'm quite sure there are brands and models of bikes that I am fond of that would make you laugh. I can accept that. You "High Priests" in the "Church of Norton" (as Norton owners really do seem to have a religious fanaticism of sorts) can brand me a heretic and burn me at the stake with gasoline leaked from a worn Amal and oil leaked from the primary drive all you want, but I will continue to express my opinion whether you like it or not.
If you're my neighborhood stop by and say hello. If you break down on the road in my area, I'll do my best to get you going again - unless you're on a Norton of course..."
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I was offered a 750 Guzzi racer a few years ago, at a really cheap price. It had been imported into Australia from the US. Apparently someone had been killed while riding it in a race. This raised the question about the torque reaction when given a handful out of a corner, in my mind.
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As Guzzi owner of over 35 years and a Commando fan/owner of about 40 years I find it , that , while comparing apples and oranges, the compulsion of the defensive folks produces more ignorant responses than the anti Norton Guzzi guy who started all this BS. The bikes are completely different beasts, each with its own advantages and disadvantages and also each fraught with brilliant engineering , character and unique looks. Personally, I could never choose as one being better than the other and , being this a Norton forum, would simply ignore all the scuttlebutt and concentrate on the wonderful qualities of our Commandos, and in the words of a famous King ( Rodney , RIP) , why cant we all just get along? Cheers
This is kind of a funny little thread. i don't know if it's just a negative observation, a bitch session or just hurt feeling.
Sort of like dog owners that think their breed is the best, which of course AuCaDo's are the best. That's all fine and dandy. What doesn't work is to make another breed (bike) look bad to make theirs look good.
Being dedicate is great but not to the point of being a bike racist. I watched the Cafe Racer episode where a Moto Guzzi club met. They LOVE their machines. No, that's not right, they are IN love with their machines. I relate! I am in love with my little bastardized machine.
I think the point here is lets not be so sensitive to one persons seemingly bias comment. I can almost assure you that this is not a global view Moto Guzzi owners. I love Moto guzzi's, BSA's, I even have a history and deep connection to and for Yamaha's. I would like to have an XR750 adapted for the road. That would be a gas.
Ducati's are awesome but it wasn't hard to sell to fund the aquasition of Redhot.
To each his own!
Live and let live!
But for the grace of God, there go I down the road!
Sort of like dog owners that think their breed is the best, which of course AuCaDo's are the best. That's all fine and dandy. What doesn't work is to make another breed (bike) look bad to make theirs look good.
Being dedicate is great but not to the point of being a bike racist. I watched the Cafe Racer episode where a Moto Guzzi club met. They LOVE their machines. No, that's not right, they are IN love with their machines. I relate! I am in love with my little bastardized machine.
I think the point here is lets not be so sensitive to one persons seemingly bias comment. I can almost assure you that this is not a global view Moto Guzzi owners. I love Moto guzzi's, BSA's, I even have a history and deep connection to and for Yamaha's. I would like to have an XR750 adapted for the road. That would be a gas.
Ducati's are awesome but it wasn't hard to sell to fund the aquasition of Redhot.
To each his own!
Live and let live!
But for the grace of God, there go I down the road!
Big_Jim59
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I currently own a '73 750 Norton and have owned two others besides. I have owned several Moto Guzzies and have lots of seat time on shop bikes. (I used to work at a Guzzi dealership.) I have also owned BMWs, BSAs, Ducaties, Hondas, Kawasakies, Moto Morinis, Ossas, Suzukies, Triumphs, Yamahas and Zundaps. Currently, sitting next to my Norton is a 2001 Suzuki Bandit 600 that I picked up for less than half of a BMW payment. With the notable exception of a BSA 441 Victor I have loved them all. No two were alike. All of them had their good qualities and bad. All of them were magic carpets to a world of adventure. You can compare a Norton to a Moto Guzzi but you will do both of them an injustace. They are just different bikes, both with different feel.
"Completely different"? Not really, both are classic 4T pushrod OHV old-school twins, with a long performance/touring/racing history, true - the differences are what makes the comparison interesting.
Having ridden both, [but coming from a Triumph twin, then Kaw triple background] they both feel a bit alien, yet the Norton does it in a good way, retaining that harmony of purpose, whereas the Guzzi feels locomotive like, impressive inspite of itself rather than having a keen co-interest for the rider, [I.M.O.].
Having ridden both, [but coming from a Triumph twin, then Kaw triple background] they both feel a bit alien, yet the Norton does it in a good way, retaining that harmony of purpose, whereas the Guzzi feels locomotive like, impressive inspite of itself rather than having a keen co-interest for the rider, [I.M.O.].
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FWIW I've owned both an 850 Mk3 and a T3 GoRusty that I tarted up to look like an S3.
The similarities were that when you hit the starter button , the Commando went "Click" and the Guzzi went " Wheeze". To be fair, when I had the Guzzi it lived outside in the London winter and the battery was always going flat, partly due to the cold, partly due to the useless charging system that only really got going on the open road.
With well maintained Isos the Commando handled better than the Guzzi which was long and a bit cumbersome, but wasn't too bad.
Performance wise they were so close you couldn't call it.
The similarities were that when you hit the starter button , the Commando went "Click" and the Guzzi went " Wheeze". To be fair, when I had the Guzzi it lived outside in the London winter and the battery was always going flat, partly due to the cold, partly due to the useless charging system that only really got going on the open road.
With well maintained Isos the Commando handled better than the Guzzi which was long and a bit cumbersome, but wasn't too bad.
Performance wise they were so close you couldn't call it.
And did the Guzzi, when you approached a corner fast, snapped the throttle shut, have the rear suspension suddenly bottom out before the corner :?:
The 850 Le mans I rode did just that, mind you, you had to be riding hard to suddenly turn it into a hardtail.
The 850 Le mans I rode did just that, mind you, you had to be riding hard to suddenly turn it into a hardtail.
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