Greetings, new owner of 72 Commando 750

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Hello Access Norton, new member here with my first Norton. I've owned many bikes through the years but this is my first Norton, I've always wanted one but somehow never made the effort to attain one until last weekend when I found a 1972 Commando 750 through my local Craigslist. I'm a lifelong mechanic and engineer, eager to get this bike sorted for some nice fall riding here in Los Angeles. I don't know much about Nortons but I am learning fast. My bike came with a nice stack of reference material including several parts catalogs and service manuals. I just ordered the Clymer Norton/Triumph/BSA service manual too.

About the bike, here is what I know. She's a matching numbers 1972 Commando, Engine #20M3S149338. I was told it is a pre-combat motor bike. She is running at the moment but was sold to me as a project due to the fact it still needs some sorting. It is relatively leak-free and is running on a single Mikuni T34 carburetor. Has a Boyer ignition box zip tied under the gas tank, and a dual output coil. Bike has a very tired original exhaust system but luckily came with a brand new full exhaust system. Bike came with a Corbin seat which I will be replacing with a standard bench since I want to be able to take my lady with me.

Here is my to do list in no particular order:

1. Rebuild forks, desperately needs to be done since forks leak badly and there is zero damping. Continuous bottoming upon hitting any bump.
2. Replace rear coilovers, same story.
3. Sort electrical, possibly re-wire whole bike, too many crappy repairs through the years.
4. Identify and learn more about my ignition system.
5. Replace all control cables, they are all too long for the current handle bars.
6. Add an original ignition key switch, bike is currently running an on/off switch on headlamp.
7. Get handle bar switches working, they are currently disabled
8. Rebuild swingarm, bushings are wasted
9. My dream Norton would have aluminum rims, so I'll be getting some Akronts/Suns/Borranis built soon for it.


Well just wanted to introduce myself and my new bike. This is one of the most beautiful bikes ever made, I really hope to sort and ride my bike a lot. I trucked my bike over to Steadfast Cycle today and spent nearly $1000 on parts, I'll waste no time getting this bike sorted.

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vespam5 said:
She's a matching numbers 1972 Commando, Engine #20M3S149338.

The VIN indicates a 1971 model. Which build date was punched into the respective field next to the VIN? I'd guess that it would be July 1971 just a few weeks before the 1971 summer holiday. After the break they skipped roughly 50000 nos. and started with 200001.

Bike has a very tired original exhaust system but luckily came with a brand new full exhaust system.

IME the sound of the bike is very sensitive to the correct internal baffling so don't throw away the old mufflers - you might want them for comparison at a later stage.


Tim
 
Tintin said:
I'd guess that it would be July 1971 just a few weeks before the 1971 summer holiday. After the break they skipped roughly 50000 nos. and started with 200001.


The Norton factory's year model changeover seems to have occurred around October of the preceding year, and 149338 would not make it a particularly late 1971 model-as we know from previous discussions that '1971' production numbers continued on until at least (20M3S)153xxx+ (so the official NOC end of 1971 production number of "150500" has to be wrong).

last-numbers-seen-1971-t8752.html

1972-commando-750-serial-number-t16809.html
 
Nice find and welcome, if the motor is running good then I would leave it, the old Boyars were pretty reliable and the kits came with 2 zip ties for mounting under the tank, yes sort the wiring out, pretty easy job and get the switchs working, lot of things you can do to the front end, if you have the money rebuild the frontend with a Lansdown upgrade kit and you will have a ajustable frontend for your riding style, buy a new set of rear shocks I recomend new Ikons, they look, work great and are rebuildable, they will last a life time and fix up the things that are need as you go, just enjoy it and learn how to kick it to life and lean how to ride it, lots of helpfull poeple on this site.

Have fun Ashley
 
Welcome to the forum nice looking norton. Have you visited jsmotorsports website, they have some replacement bushings for front forks that you may want to check out. Agai welcome to the forum, Cj
 
L.A.B. said:
The Norton factory's year model changeover seems to have occurred around October of the preceding year,....

Might also be, then it was probaly more related to September be the end of the third quarter and that's not unusal for a fiscal year end. I was told once that it was driven by the summer break but that would anyway only have been a few weeks earlier.


Tim
 
Tintin said:
L.A.B. said:
The Norton factory's year model changeover seems to have occurred around October of the preceding year,....

Might also be, then it was probaly more related to September be the end of the third quarter and that's not unusal for a fiscal year end. I was told once that it was driven by the summer break but that would anyway only have been a few weeks earlier.

I'd say it had more to do with getting stocks of "new year" models built and shipped to the US in readiness for the new season than to do with any 'fiscal year'. :?
 
July for sure. The breather off the cam is the give away. Quite often bikes are registered into the next year taking on that year as its model year..

However, that is a great looking bike and a fine example of a Commando to be proud of.
 
9. My dream Norton would have aluminum rims, so I'll be getting some Akronts/Suns/Borranis built soon for it.

call Buchanans in California and talk with them about this, you mail them your hubs and they build out new wheels with the right offset and send back to you, upon their advise I went with 19 front and 18 rear, bit wider than stock for Avon Road Riders
 
vespam5 said:
...running on a single Mikuni T34 carburetor.
5. Replace all control cables, they are all too long for the current handle bars.
8. Rebuild swingarm, bushings are wasted
Greetings, new owner of 72 Commando 750

Welcome!

I run a single 34mm, and, while this pretty much caps the top end to 90mph, it doesn't waste any time getting to that speed, and returns a consistent 57-58 mpg on a regular basis.

Check out the Venhill Teflon-lined clutch cable. http://www.venhill.co.uk/Hoses_&_Cables ... CABLE.html These can be had in varying lengths to suit your choice of bars: same for their throttle cables.

Consider adding the Kegler mod while you're replacing swingarm bushings. Lots of interesting upgrades/mods in this link common-improvements-t22734.html

I believe your front brake is on the "wrong" side for anything prior to the '75 MkIII. There's lots of arguments on how it affects handling and which way the bike pulls. Mine's on the right-hand side, and, if I take my hands off the bars, I have to throw some "hip" into it to keep it pointed straight. Moral; don't ride with your hands off the bars! I wouldn't get too worried about moving it to the other side as long as it works fine the way it is.

Use the search option often, and you can also have good (maybe better) results with Google search. Enjoy the friendly banter!

Nathan
 
Congrats, I am in Valencia, have a lot of connections for various things if you are interested......I have 2 MK 3 interstate 850,s drop me a line sometime.....John
 
Nater_Potater said:
I believe your front brake is on the "wrong" side for anything prior to the '75 MkIII.

But then, as it's a '71 model, it would've had a drum brake, originally. :)
 
L.A.B. said:
Nater_Potater said:
I believe your front brake is on the "wrong" side for anything prior to the '75 MkIII.

But then, as it's a '71 model, it would've had a drum brake, originally. :)

I knew there was something missing in my "logic"!
 
Somebody fixed the side stand with the later one too. I'm prejudiced, but I think '71's were the best 750's if you fixed the side stand an put a front disc brake on it. A better head steady (850 or after market) and center stand (850) are other weaknesses. Adjustable ISO's when you get around to it.
+1 on Lansdowne and Ikon's after the swing arm spindle fix.
 
L.A.B. said:
Nater_Potater said:
I believe your front brake is on the "wrong" side for anything prior to the '75 MkIII.

But then, as it's a '71 model, it would've had a drum brake, originally. :)

Some owners would move the caliper to the left side in the 80s. I recall the reason was to reduce front end oscillation. I didn't do it, but others did.
 
illf8ed said:
Some owners would move the caliper to the left side in the 80s.

If that has been done, don't you have to watch that the wheel bearing arrangements can't unscrew themselves.
(And thats not a rude comment....)
Specifically, the screw-in bearing retainer can now undo itself - from the direction of wheel rotation.

What is the cure for this ?
Mk 3 parts/retainer ?
 
Rohan said:
Specifically, the screw-in bearing retainer can now undo itself - from the direction of wheel rotation.

What is the cure for this ?
Mk 3 parts/retainer ?

The MkIII hub has a circlip retainer, nothing that can potentially unscrew so can be used either way around.
 
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