Good deal for 71 Norton Commando?

Hello, this is my first post here, and would appreciate thoughts on a 71 Norton commando I'm considering.

The bike is described as follows:

Frame off restoration - Many new parts - Over $10,000 invested: new pipes, new seat, rebuilt engine: new pistons, rings, new valve guides; new forks, factory chrome fender, etc, etc, etc. Starts on the first kick.

Very good condition for a vintage motorcycle. 12,123 (roughly) miles on bike, only 3000 miles - on rebuild!

For sale at $5,500.

Link to pic:

With a clear title, that's a good deal.

That is right around what one should expect to pay for a decent running Commando with title. That is, whether you pay it up front, or whether you buy a $2,000 basket case and have to spend another $3,000 to get it to decent shape.

Welcome to the forum!

P.S. If you need to ship it, use Keyboard Motorcycle Shipping or J.C. Motors. They are the best, period.

That's about right. The primary cover and the chainguard have been replaced with earlier items ,no biggie. The speedometer looks home-fixed and the cable is just hanging. A certification certificate requires this to work. Long term ,start looking for a steel gastank,just my observations at present.

Welcome! Be sure to see DOCUMENTATION about the engine rebuild, most times the story is overblown. Plan on repairing,restoring, rebuilding everything. What is your skillset? Can you repair old stuff?

freefly, you might consider adding your geographic info in your profile. It makes it easier to include regionally significant advice.

Its also had a '72 Combat disc brake added which is a huge plus to me and worth like $500+ right there for the parts to do so.
Its got the front cam breather like '71's and the tiny HyRyder tank, but the black barrel was a Combat feature though a rattle can can fix that. If nothing hidden wrong its a bargain I'd jump to get on before someone else does. Just beware the disc brake can have a leak that blows away w/o knowing on the fly so check brake level each gas up for a while to make sure. Personally i do not think this seller or buyer or list understand how diluted inflation has caused prices to soar so really cheaper than a $3500 runner I got almost a decade ago, then had to spend way more after it blew up on slow curise 3 wks later d/t bad pistons that came apart. She came already named Trixie on the key fob. I ride with my buddy on his '71 and his is practically as potent as my Combat.

Bankster fractiona Usury has screwed with our brains to correctly evaluate stuff by fake money numbers and will eventually lead to extinction event past point of no return so live it up while we can.
Plug your own numbers into Inflation Calculators so sense of the scale of the theft
What cost $3500 in 2005 would cost $4069.83 in 2012.
Also, if you were to buy exactly the same products in 2012 and 2005,
they would cost you $3500 and $2972.11 respectively.

What cost $2000 in 1972 would cost $10826.41 in 2012.
Also, if you were to buy exactly the same products in 2012 and 1972,
they would cost you $2000 and $365.18 respectively.

hobot said:

Its also had a '72 Combat disc brake

Click to expand...

Well, it has a disc brake. The same disc brake as fitted to many other standard Commando models (inc. '73, '74, 75-on other side)

hobot said:

the black barrel was a Combat

Click to expand...

It has a black barrel, so did other "non-Combat" models.:

http://www.classicbike.biz/Norton/Broch ... chure2.pdf

Thanks all for your comments. This would be my first vintage bike. I've had quite a few different Jap, Italian and German 4's and twins over about 30 years but nothing for the last 8 years since I moved to Libya for work. Getting the bike here will be a challenge as will be arranging parts etc.

I'm reasonably handy with a wrench and screwdriver. I've had to learn to maintain vehicles over the time I've been in Libya as there are no trained and qualified mechanics here.

The bike is a Commando Interstate I think?

I'd like to replace the standard bars with flat bars or clips ons and make it more of a cafe-racer style. I'm sure I don't know what I'm getting myself in for here but reading through some posts on this forum there seems to be a wealth of information willingly shared by a bunch of knowledgeable and friendly enthusiasts.

many thanks,

Joe

...and, the GOOD DEALS go quickly, so if you're ready to buy, and this turns out to be a good one, be prepared to move swiftly. Horse-trading 101.

freefly103 said:

The bike is a Commando Interstate I think?

Click to expand...

It wouldn't have been an Interstate originally if it is a '71 model.

http://www.andover-norton.co.uk/Commando.htm

It's mutt...

Looks from the one photo to be a put-together from a number of years models.
The engine from 1970?, early primary cover, disc brake from 1972, Hi-Rider tank fiberglass? capacity is almost unusable.
The rear fender looks odd, hanging way low at the back.
The sidestand angle looks dangerous. No centerstand.

As others have said, loose or missing cables.
Those cruiser pegs are notorious for crushing the frame tubes and twisting the frame in a lay-down incident.

I don't think this one is ready to ride anywhere.
I do like the seat though.
Good luck.

I concur that it looks like it has been put together from a variety of different years. If the builder knew what they were up to that is fine so long as you know it is not original and don't mind. Just a heads up, if you are just learning about Commandos, it will be easier to do on a bike that is not a compilation of years. If the builder didn't know what they were doing, well...

Russ

Only thing I'll say is if you haven't ridden it or know someone that has, be careful. I agree with others, it looks like a mish-mash of parts of various years. Just because it starts, doesn't mean it's ride-able. If you are not where the bike is, get someone that is to look at it.

Dave
69S

Hold out for something better. This bitsa looks like a can of worms.

Snorton74 said:

Hold out for something better. This bitsa looks like a can of worms.

Click to expand...

"Restoration"

Yeah, not really. Spent too much and slapped a bunch of parts I had laying around is more like it.

The gauges have no cables or instrument lights and the right side gauge is loose from the alloy holder. Who called this a restoration?

Hi,
I agree about giving this one a miss.
Its certainley not looking like its ready to ride.
Rebuilds cost a lot of money any many many hours of your time.
Try the NOC website.
cheers Don

Buy if you wish, but DO NOT SEND THEM ANY MONEY !