first post, wanted to say hello

hello all,

my name's alex, im 22, live in MD. ive lurked for a few weeks now and figured i should make an account to thank you all for the useful information thats been posted on this board. I had a bad motorcycle wreck (ducati) back in august '08 that had paralyzed me from about the chest down. I recovered after a stay in the hospital and lots of therapy, piecing the duc back together piece by piece then replaced it with an '01 bonneville as my parents wanted me off crotch rockets for their sanity since i couldn't NOT ride. I had decided shortly after falling in love with the bonneville, that i wanted something older and had admired my fathers indian but knowing i couldnt afford one. i had REALLY wanted a norton, but couldnt afford one of those either (its terrible to be young and poor haha) so i picked up a '72 triumph tr6r. Having the tiger really made my desire for a norton to grow. so after saving for months i got lucky and won one on ebay-a '72 combat. my dream bike. ive had her a few months now, she's almost done. thanks to all for their wisdom ive been able to use and will use in the future.

Alex, Welcome, we need pictures and more pictures, or we really don't believe you. We also need more young studs. I wouldn't call the combat a crotch rocket, but it's a brute.

Dave
69S

Hi Alex, and welcome!

Welcome to the forum, and good for you coming back from the edge.

Welcome to the world of the unique Norton, one of the few bikes with a mind of its own, it will break without even being used just to spite you. If you treat it right, I still haven't figured out what it is, it will reward you with great handling and put a smile on your face everytime you twist the throttle on the road.

Jean

PS Are you fully recovered? Starting a Norton requires a good running body.

Thanks all! No, the commando isn't a crotch rocket, my father morso wants me away from low bars and rear sets as it would "invite trouble for someone who's had enough" haha. Pics hopefully soon, otherwise I only have pictures with the gas tank and side covers off. They're back from the paint shop and turned out better than I had hoped for, it should be a beauty. Best of all, I've only ever seen one norton around these parts-I'll definitely have something different (especially for my age)

Welcome to the snorting stable, get that right leg ready for some good kicks!!

Look forward to seeing you around!

warpedscout said:

Welcome to the snorting stable, get that right leg ready for some good kicks!!

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it does kick hard (way harder than the triumph) and I'm not a big guy. Which is making the tuning part particularly difficult. When I could get it started, it wouldn't take long for the pipes to glow red-so I figured cam timing was to retarded, so I pulled the timing cover off and my father looked it over for me and said it's gotta be the carbs which had different jets in than what the Haynes manual claims when I had torn them apart for a rebuild it should have, plus it's also possible the airway for the pilot is a bit clogged-either way, new carbs from Amal are in the mail. Hopefully the problem will be resolved then and I can tinker with them more at a later date

alexhobo said:

warpedscout said:

Welcome to the snorting stable, get that right leg ready for some good kicks!!

Click to expand...

it does kick hard (way harder than the triumph) and I'm not a big guy. Which is making the tuning part particularly difficult. When I could get it started, it wouldn't take long for the pipes to glow red-so I figured cam timing was to retarded, so I pulled the timing cover off and my father looked it over for me and said it's gotta be the carbs which had different jets in than what the Haynes manual claims when I had torn them apart for a rebuild it should have, plus it's also possible the airway for the pilot is a bit clogged-either way, new carbs from Amal are in the mail. Hopefully the problem will be resolved then and I can tinker with them more at a later date

Click to expand...

Where in the world are you? You're 22, I figure you can update you profile. Some of these old guys… not so much. :mrgreen:

So you have the wrong jets and this means you replace the carbs. :shock: Hate to see what you do when you replace the air in the tires. :wink:

PS. When shit gets red is probably well past the time to shut things off.

Alrighty new blood to boil! Alex a good Combat is under 13 sec 1/4 mile ET non crotch rocket that is anciently known to give fits to fatso tire sports bike in the Canyon type runs. With a spinal injury you are best off to fit rear sets and tallish bars and loose a bit more mass to accelerate. Fortunately C'do's are not as wheelie prone as crotch rockets so can actually out scoot higher hp bikes that climb to sky to back off and slip behind a real angry Combat coming on cam's 3rd piston kick in upper 6000's. Plus them crotch rockets buzz and tingle valve train to engine annoyance, which a spinal case is especially sensitive to.
Not that I recommend it but if ya hang on WOT to top of second they can float the front in G's that may surprise you into upper 80's to 90's mph. But of course this wears them out just like racers so how deep is your pocket book?

To me Combats are cream of the crop only ones worth devoting everything too.
Fortunately they are a delight to just Potato-POtato along so you are not always temped to buzz saw blast just to get away for a while. Just today I promised myself I'd stay sane to and from work 20 miles and really did up to 70. Then had a hr break so puttered on out of village into Ozark twisties and was hitting 90's with seat fabric straining in a few seconds on the more inviting opens. If fairly loud throaty exhaust note that follows you over legal speeds annoys you then this is not the bike for you. All Brit Iron sounds bigger than they are but espeically C'do's. A good C'do is so smooth a puller you got to watch out for police notice.

Combats have many quirks to deal with - most have been if one has made it this far in time and more '72s made and sold than any other so in good company a long time.

I've got a slight mod to the factory brake that makes it as good a stopper as your tire can stand > almost lost front today practicing pull downs from 70's, have to let off some getting into upper 30's and below. There is one serious quirk that concerns ALL un-tamed isolastic C'dos, they can over power their handling going into powered sweepers accelerating fine laid over then all hell breaks loose like floppy fish, so BeWare of that. Otherwise once ya know the tire limits you can toss a C'do as hard and sharp as any sports bike and it'll just whip on around like a snow skiier on edges. Main thing any C'do is allergic too is hi rpms, even the hi end racer versions, but Combats have no let off of torque to tell ya topping out by feel till well over the ton in 4th - so keep an eye on tach zipping up to speed.

Men are visual oriented creatures so get up to speed on the photo-video sharing here. When and if you get older you may find you can look at you C'do longer than naked women. Make no mistake about all cycles are death machines.
Oh yeah keep some condoms in a Commando man's tool kit. Got two uses you may need with this steed.

G'day and welcome from Australia.
Get someone to time your bike properly.
You better explain that name, it's perilessly close to HOBOT.
We will all be guessing what colour your bike is.
AC.

the 2nd pair of amals are a birthday gift from my father. growing up in the 60s he spent a lot of time around british bikes of all sorts and can help me with most problems and questions i have. the pipes glowing hot-i dont mean im letting the thing sit there idling then go to the store for a slushi and come back, i mean a minute or two of idling, playing with the mixture and such (just trying to get it good enough for a test run up and down the road) and the pipes glow. my profile will get updated in the very near future, i created the account in the little free time i had before my shift started (its a slow night)

Huh, blood brothers in cycle related death states?

Alex death and destruction is a constant news but every life style is fatal in the end. If ya got a place to be, something to do and stuff to look forward to then its a good trip while you're here. I live in wild place so forced into wild actions nothing to lose. Pissed me off so much I actually got to point I'd try crash myself before something else got me any way. Yet I never ever ride into a scare on purpose EVER!

Take my avatar for instance, 7th day on it invited to camp out by locals that turned out to be a real drag strip and my Combat mufflers fell off while practicing what they were doing on the strip, to find it really opened up the top end, so got in line and on 5 th run it folded up tire to wheelie vertical and slam on R knee just beyond the X-mass tree, 160 mile from home. Rode it back but another tall tale.

i have two Commando's one totally by the good book, the other meant to please me no end then secondary to spank elite racer bikes in their own element at least up to 150 mph. So next decade in my 60's hobby is travel to technical tracks and have a shoot out with the local hot shots. If successful get a major cycle rag to call out their best one off specials and riders for 0-150-0 measures and then track pecking order. Bring on the Beuls and the SR1000's they are my bait fish to snap up on Ms Peel, poor load tolerance dangerous fat tired corner cripples! Ms Peel has secret weapons, a co-pilot in her yellow squid hunter submarine, really.

R click to view image then L click image..

Welcome Alex
You've joined a good bunch of folks who like to exercise their diagnostic skills on other's CDO's.
They've helped me sort out a few head scratchers that I'd have had a hard time sorting out without them.

Bob

hobot said:

destruction is a constant news but every life style is fatal in the end. If ya got a place to be, something to do and stuff to look forward to then its a good trip while you're here.

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you speak the truth, i realized a while back that anything can happen at any time. so it is most definitely best to enjoy yourself when you can, while you can. I spent a month in a chair with Drs telling me id never walk again, well they were wrong. Some people say im crazy, motorcycling is my passion though. we can die or be terribly crippled by so many things. it wouldnt make sense, or for a very fun life, to not take some calculated risks.

Hi Alex

Another member from down under, its good to hear you have made a very good recovery and even better that you have taken a liking to a Norton, I was 17 years old when I fell in love and brought my 74 850 Norton new and I'm still in love with it after all these years, its gone through a few changes over that time, convered it to a 57 Wideline Featherbed frame and lots of good things done to the motor and I ride it nealy every day, its like a woman, it will play up on you but thats all part of the fun and enjoyment of Norton ownership, you being a young one and having a Father that is supportive of your owning a British motorcycle is one of the best things to help you on your way as my dad help me to buy mine over 35 years ago now.

So welcome and enjoy every bit of time you spend on your Norton.

Ashley

Greetings and Welcome!!! May you and your Norton live forever and the last voice you hear be mine!

Hello alexhobo, ditto-welcome to the forum-glad you've recovered. Cj

Welcome up in this joint. I own five motorcycles, the Commando being the last into the stable. Now it's the only one I even look at. I'm just going to get rid of two Harleys & a Triumph. Keep one '67 Triumph and the '74 Norton. These Nortons are like having a mistress. A 38 year old mistress.

some of you asked for pictures, ive finally found the energy to post some...

this is the only 'before' picture that i have, took it on my phone after strapping her down on the trailer to send out to friends.


being young and excitable, i started the tear down immediately, tank and side covers (fiberglass) were sent off for paint, carbs pulled off for rebuild. New tubes and tires, fluid change, etc


the birthday amals are now on


i'll have more soon, almost done fiddling with the ignition timing...she wont be long now... :mrgreen: