hello everybody

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RS, you did quite well. Two points:

1. Deals like that, one year ago, were 1% of the market

2. Deals like that will have a limited run of exposure for the next few months, maybe years, then everything should catch back up
 
Yep,

That should be excellent. I agree with GP that folks will be selling off things they don't really need and these days Nortons are luxuries.
My wife just got laid off, and I don't even want to look at our retirement savings becuse it is too depressing. I suspect we are not that far off from the normal American who is seeing a little tougher times right now.
Northern CA has many bikes because of the mild weather and I've seen quite a number of what I considered deals, most from folks with a layoff who need to move.
I also think these will go back up fairly quickly with better times as ten grand is not all that big a luxury in America.
 
i see a commando on ebay w/ buy it now for 2000. it's in poor shape, motor locked, etc.. it's about 4 hrs away so i could pick it up myself. gon't know how to post the link to ebay but if anybody would be so kind as to take a look at it and see what you think it's worth i'd sure appreciate it. it's a 1971, [theres only 4 nortons on ebay]. thanks rick
 
That would be a tough call for me. If you were going to rebuild everything anyway it is pretty much complete. I seem to recall you are a skilled mechanic and probably have friends to help do stuff such as paint.
If one is going to rebuild everything anyway there is not much difference in price from a half worn out part and a completely shot part. Most of that bike is going to be overhauled.
Personally I think I'd go for a $4,000 bike such as the one I posted as it might be actually cheaper in the long run. If I wanted to just rebuild everything with no rush that core bike might be fine.
I'd be interested in the opinions of others here in this myself.
 
rick,
The Commando you are looking at (#140292364322)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Nort...004QQitemZ140292364322QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

is listed as a '71, but the engine is a '72 serial no. and the frame also appears to be '72 or later also (late style sidestand lug).

The drum brake front end was probably added due to an accident (This should have a disc front end). This could mean some frame twist.

The 932 carbs indicate a Combat model. The only sure way is to look for the "C" on the top of the head. Combats were troublesome motors when new, so this may be why it is locked up. The seat needs re-done and the Interstate tank and side covers are fiberglass and should be cleaned and lined with a good tank sealer.

I don't see either side or center stand in the pictures. Taillight missing.

Plan on a re-bore, new pistons, new cam, new crank bearings, new rod bearings and timing chain just to get the engine running. Possibly valves, springs and guides in the head.

There is no title, so you would need to deal with the bill of sale. I don't know how difficult it is to get a title in Indiana, but there is always the Alabama and Nevada title agencies.

If you do the work yourself, you could have a reasonable (though not immaculate) runner for the $4K budget you have set.
 
That paperwork stuff can be a bear in some places. I have a ton of paperwork on my featherbed but still don't have it registered. One of the local cops just stopped by the coffee shop to talk to me as he saw my Chang out front.
He has been over to the house and seen my Norton and asked how the difficult registration was coming. I told him to give me another year.
By the way if I recall when Combats blew up you could often see the case crack and bulge just under the carbs. I saw one on the right years ago but I think a crack on the left is more common. Look quite near the seam.
 
Why is it that people don't give the entire serial number when listing bikes for sale? This eBay bike is listed as 209XXX.
 
once again guys, thanks for the feedback. i think i'll bid for awhile and see if i can sneak in on the cheap. i did speak w/ the seller who seems like an honest guy. went into all the negatives and even said he'd help w/ acvice while i rebuilt it. he has a fair amount of experience and quite a few english, german, and italian bikes.
 
batrider said:
Why is it that people don't give the entire serial number when listing bikes for sale? This eBay bike is listed as 209XXX.
Click to expand...


It is generally done for security reasons. The first three digits should give a buyer enough information with regard to the age, production date or model type.
 
yup,

That looks like a pretty good deal to me. to give you an idea of what shipping one costs it was $800 door to door from Maine to CA last summer for me.
 
JimC,
For some one that knows Commandos I agree, the '71 in Vermont is a good deal, but buying a bike in a box that you are not familiar with can be like putting a jigsaw puzzle together.

For a first time Commando there is something to be said for disassembling it yourself to know how it goes back together. Many of us on this list could put that pile together in a day or two because we are quite familiar with how it's done or have another Commando close by to check.

Also I have been bitten by the "motor done" claim, even when it supposedly was done by a "real good BriBike mechanic".

Also $500-600 shipping compared to a 4 hour drive to inspect and pick up the bike can be a consideration.
 
Ron,

The bike I was referring to is the 70 Commando "S" in AZ/NV area.

I agree with what you pointed out. That being said, I was referring to that $4000 purchase and resto budget. The other bikes pointed out in this thread need some serious (read expensive) work. As for the pile in Vermont, I really think he would be very frustrated and make some costly mistakes. Keep in mind this is a potential first time Norton owner. He really has no idea what he's getting into. Even the choice of parts suppliers can have a big difference in cost. I'm assuming he's seen some good looking Commando somewhere and that vision is stuck in his mind. To turn that vision into reality will usually put you north of ten grand.

I do hope the fellow gets his Norton, but harbors no false pretenses.
 
I bought my Commando on Ebay last January, completely disassembled except the engine case. Guy was nice enough to supply me with a complete factory parts and service manual, but I hadn't even owned a British twin since 1981, and had never been within touching distance of a Commando.

There are some things I would do differently on the next one, but it is doable to rebuild something without having taken it apart.

BTW - though it was a complete bike, I spent $5000 in parts. For example, rear wheel was complete. New stainless spokes, Dunlop tire, tube, bearings and chain were $300. That doesn't count the time I spent bead-blasting the hub, polishing the rim and hub cover, cleaning and re-using the original brakes, re-lacing, truing, balancing the wheel, re-packing the speedometer drive, and painting the drum and backing plate.
 
I guess my thought was he wanted to get into the bike and perhaps get it running for the $4,000 range. He says he has extensive mechanical background and I remember rebuilding a Norton at about age 23 in the sticks with only a manual.
We did have long winters and I made mistakes that cost me money. Like waiting so long to buy more parts (college kid budget) that my mains rusted.
It is a lot easier to tear one down to see where things go, but these are not all that complicated, and there is help available these days from the internet.
The Ebay bike scares me a bit because in the pix the parts look rusty.
The one torn all apart does not so much because it looked all there to me and I have had great luck buying a disassembled project. I'd take the engine apart to check but odds on most parts are going to be OK. It looks like somebody cared about it.
If you want a virtually finished Norton at about the price of the parts that one in Arizona sounds good, but at top price do you really know if he did the job right?
 
the last norton commando i saw in person was some 35 years ago. as i stated in a prior post i had 2 buddies ,one w/ the norton the other the bonneville. so when this motorcycle seed started germinating about 6 months ago it was natural to start w/ those bikes.

another friend and i shared an interest in old muscle cars. mine was a '64 catalina post w/transplantad 462 and 400 and a new 3.64 posi. body was good, no rust, coupla dings, interior was original and good. bought it for 4000, put another 4000 or so in it. drove it everywhere and sold it 3 years later for 15000.

my buddy has a '69 gs400 convertible. he has over 35000 in it. it's got a 16000 paimt job and body work and an 8000 engine rebuild. he farmed all that out. he found all the parts he needed at swap meets and on line. if this car isn't concourse it's close. he'll never sell it.

we just loved each others cars. i did all the work on mine and compared to his mine was rough around the edges. i'd beat him by 5 cars in the quarter. his hood was +- a 64th in clearance all around. 2 muscle cars 2 philosophies.

in this project i want something i can get up and running that is mechanically and electrically sound and safe. i'd like to accomplish this by mid summer. i don't give one whit if the fuel tank is dented as long as it's safe. wheels w/ a bit of rust i can live with. incorrect taillight, all in good time. as i get to know the motorcycle and gradually perfect it mechanically i'll start thinking about cosmetics but i won't be putting full weekends in in search of the holy grail of gas tank paint jobs.

it looks to me that being patient enough to be in the right place at the right time and 4000 [this figure isn't cast in concrete] will get me to my first objective. i'm sure there'll be plenty of headscratching along the way, but hey, that's the fun of it.
 
This sounds pretty doable to me. I'm not sure how much time you have but work and chores tend to get in my way a bit. I put a half hour on my Norton today after birdhouse mounting, fence repair, light repair, and a bit of chauffeuring.
Tomorrow I might get an hour on hobby stuff after work.
I sold my 65 GTO after I decided to get back into bikes, my wife did not think parts cars should be parked in her garden. Motorcycles take up much less room.
I just like this stuff to tinker with after work and ride on nice days. I rode my Chang for errands yesterday and today, and the Goldwing to the library yesterday. they make a short trip fun.
Only you know how much time you'll have before next summer, but if it were me I'd get a bike that did not require so much work that it will still be in the garage.
Ideally something like the one in Almeda that would require a carb rebuild, tires probably, fluids, connections cleaned, and a battery.
Light recommissioning as the British say. There is always more to it than that, and you always find other stuff to do, but cosmetics don't need to be perfect for me as I'm an oily rag finish type.
 
I've been a 1971 norton commando owner for over two years now. My bike was purchased off ebay. It looked like a newly restored bike. After riding it one small trip (about 25 miles ) I knew it had some real problems. Now i have been through every part of this bike at least once. Very costly but I would not have wanted these past two years to have been any different. What ever you spend on these bikes always seems worth it. They will make you smile!
 
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