First ride on a Commando

worntorn said:
His experience could be improved upon by adding a Madass or Brembo front brake, the one finger clutch fix and twin carbs at some point.
Nonetheless he was very impressed.
Makes me want to get the 850 out on the road soon.



Glen
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Interesting that he said he could never afford a Commando. I Remember that by the mid eighties Commandos were unloved and virtually unknown by the young riding fraternity. I foolishly remember not buying an immaculate Mk2 from a bike shop for $1200 or a slightly tatty Mk3 for $1400. For whatever reason people didn’t buy Norton’s in the past it was not because they were completely unaffordable
alan
 
Back then my 70 750 was $1200 Cdn . , off the showroom floor , slightly used . Surrounded by other makes , mostly newer Japanese . Knew what I wanted . 16 years old I was .
Along came a Combat . $2000 .
Then a MK111 for $800 , rough .
10 years back now my big MK 111 ride for $ 10 ,000 . Another $ 20 ,000 into her to today's state and still $pending .
Ottawa had them .
 
May 1973, a friend told me there was a combat 750 that was traded in at the local Yamaha dealer for an SX650. It had 300 miles and I bought it for $1200. Honestly I continued buying used Commandos because they were cheap and fast. Fifty plus years later they are not so cheap.
 
The clutch pull was a rite of passage when I was young. My brother is 8 years older and he'd challenge me to either pull the clutch in 10x or take the plastic ring thingie off a six-pack and fold it all into one ring and pull it till it broke. Neither was easy but by the time I could do it, I was able to steal his bike for illegal rides while he was off at college. I was about 14. Hey, he asked for it!
 
Value and price are often not one and the same. Older people see value in things where often younger people do not. There are plenty of high performance motorcycles from later than 1980 which would make good investments, if bought right now. One of my friends has 1000cc Suzuki V-twin and I think Honda made similar - sports bikes, not cruisers. I think that particular Suzuki had a reputation for scaring people. It was designed to compete with Ducatis in superbike races.
 
I bought my 72 in the later 80s for 800 USD. It had 6k on it and lived in the basement
next to the washer dryer and was covered in dust. A cleanup and it was fine. Sold it after
a few years when I needed money to return to uni. The price was about average if you
bought off season from a private seller.
 
gpzkat said:
The clutch pull was a rite of passage when I was young. My brother is 8 years older and he'd challenge me to either pull the clutch in 10x or take the plastic ring thingie off a six-pack and fold it all into one ring and pull it till it broke. Neither was easy but by the time I could do it, I was able to steal his bike for illegal rides while he was off at college. I was about 14. Hey, he asked for it!
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The OEM Commando clutch -IF properly set up/adjusted - is not at all difficult to operate.
 
What is different in the leverage mechanism which operates the clutch in a Commando to any other old Norton ? When I last raced, it was after a stroke had made me become weak in my left hand. In fact, I only use the clutch on down-changes and I never use the rear brake. My front brake is one-finger operation, and throttle is twin cable, quick-action.
 
MexicoMike said:
The OEM Commando clutch -IF properly set up/adjusted - is not at all difficult to operate.
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That's the diaphragm type, right? I have an N15CS with three springs, and it is pretty stiff. It may have to do with the lever, I don't have the original one on it, but may have it in a box somewhere and can look and see if the pivot point to the cable end distance differs.
 
My 850 clutch has always been light ever since new, I can pull it with one finger if I want to, I am still running the original bronze plates and in the 47+ years have only replaced the centre hub and bearing to a sealed bearing and the outer pressure plate, as well I run with the stock levers, in my younger days I use to go through a few clutch cables they always broke up at the nipple at the lever until I started to put grease around that area where the nipple and cable runs through the adjuster and running a Venhill cable, haven't broken a cable for over 35 years now, I have never adjusted the stack height all plates are original from the factory and since running ATM oil for over 35 years in my primary have never had sticking plates or slipping clutch.
I see here all the time folks having stack height and other problems with the stock Commando clutch yet I have never had any problems with mine even when running with a RGM belt drive for about 3 years dry till I went back to chain and being an everyday rider for most of it's life averaging between 6K to 10k miles a year.
As I have always said I think I have a freak Norton or just been lucky and is very rare I even open up my primary except for any major servicing.

Ashley
 
acotrel said:
What is different in the leverage mechanism which operates the clutch in a Commando to any other old Norton ? When I last raced, it was after a stroke had made me become weak in my left hand. In fact, I only use the clutch on down-changes and I never use the rear brake. My front brake is one-finger operation, and throttle is twin cable, quick-action.
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The commando clutch push rod actuating ramp has a different profile to the earlier 3 spring clutch
 
I watched that video a few time ages ago and now, the desire to have a Norton but never go through with it but always a dream, jumping from a 2 stroke and on the Norton you can tell he don't have the kick start knack, he also talked about the handling but really he backed off through the corners, but that's normal for someone on a bike for the first time, it would have handled a bit better if he kept the power up, to use to his 2 stroker lol, but it's good to see the smile on his dial and the joy it gave him on his first experience of riding a Norton.
In 1976 when I brought my new 74 Commando the price on the road new in Aus was $1999, I think the Honda 4s were about $1800 round abouts at the time, all my mates went Honda 4s but I didn't like the top heavy side of them or the super smoothness of the bike without that great sound and thump of a twin Norton even with standard mufflers, I love my Honda dirt bikes but the older Honda road bikes just didn't do it for me.
My dream was to own a Norton from day one and got my first loan to buy it new $1100 loan at 17 with a weekly wage of less then $60 to buy it new, I paid it off in less than a year, not bad for a skinny 17 year old.
I still own my old Norton but it's not the way it was from new and went through a major change in 1980.

Ashley
 
Just watched it again, first time a few months back. Glad he enjoyed the experience of riding a lusty four stroke Brit twin. As a yoof I admired a buddies Commando while thinking how basic and brutish it was as I rode my leccy start, oil tight XS2 after having traded in a disappointing Triumph 650 that turned me away from Brit bikes. The admiration and curiosity never left me so when circumstances presented me the opportunity I went for it and totally get the attraction now, the bike demands max concentration to get max enjoyment. Such character and so different to the current Yam, the Triumph and the Matchy. I love riding each of them, revel in their individual traits and that I have to change my approach every time I fire one up.
 
You talk about prices of Commandos. When I built my Seeley 850 in about about 1979, I bought the rolling chassis for about $200. The 850 motor cost $1300, and the gearbox cost $300. I made the engine plates with a hand-held jig saw, and a linisher and the rest was mainly nuts and bolts. The front brake cost less than $100. I bought a couple of Suzuki steel discs which fit the Honda hub. The other Lockheed calliper was a trade for a GP carb. The fuel tank was badly corroded but reclaimable, and my mate had the oil tank in the roof of his shed. If you want to build a classic race bike, you need to remember where you see things. I usually build the bike in my head before I start.
 
Al this threat is about Commando road going bikes, not a built up of bits and pieces for a race bike, the thrill of riding a Commando for the first time and the dream of owning one, read the thread subject, first ride on a Commando.
 
ashman said:
Al this threat is about Commando road going bikes, not a built up of bits and pieces for a race bike, the thrill of riding a Commando for the first time and the dream of owning one, read the thread subject, first ride on a Commando.
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I think you are wasting your time there Ash 🤣🤣🤣
 
I know but I like reminding AL its not all about racing but then the only thing he has come close to a Commando is his motor, never owned one and not even sure if he has ever ridden one on the road, if he did take a Commando for ride on the road he might enjoy it as much as the fellow in the video.
 
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