Al a standard commando GB is all good for a road going bike as long as the layshaft bearing has been replaced, with the work done to my Norton it runs very freely and have been clocked over 120 mph, how fast do you want to go on the road, maybe in my younger days I use to ride flat out in top but these days taking it over the ton is good enough for me, I have nothing to prove and it gets over the ton pretty good.
As for first well that is just for taking off, second and third are the open it up gears and my bike will rev to the ton + in 3rd gear if I let it as my motor with the work done to it does rev very freely, its knowing how far you can rev it before it goes bang and like I say my hoon days are over and of course the fun police will catch you one day if you do keep hooning around.
Like I say the Commando GB will be ok if you look after it in 49+ years I am still running all my original gears, shafts, except for the first kickstart gear as where the KS pawl sat in the gear the slot had worn and the kicker use to slip and wore out the pawl and the pawl after replacing the pawl 4x so I replaced that and had to replace the kickstart shaft where it broke where the pawl connected, other than the layshaft bearing everything else is original and for the first 3 years of its life my Norton coped a hiding, burn outs every Friday/Saturday night, yes young and silly at 17 years old but never blew the box up till the layshaft bearing blew, but that blew when putting it into gear when I was about to leave my house.
Al you have stated many times you have never rode a road going Commando and you stop riding on the road at age 29 I think so really you are no expert on riding a road going Commando, but you seem to know all, not.
A well set up Commando can be a great street bike as well a good long distant traveler and the stock GB works quiet well, they shift very smoothly without any clunks like most newer bikes do and the stock gearing is quite good, but some do gear them up, but I like the stock gearing, suite me for my needs.
So Al stop judging a Commando till you have ridden one on the road, but of course we all know that will never happen when you don't ride on the road.
As well the right shift is the right way for a Norton to be, one up 3 down for that quick shift into the other gear.
Like you say Al, if I had a road going Commando, till then you are dreaming.
Ashley (49+ years riding my Norton on the road)
