How many 1973 Mk1 commandos were made ?

Does anyone know how many 1973 Mk1 commandos were made before the Mk1A was produced ?

Mk1 supposedly began from 300000 and Mk1A was introduced at 306591.

jsnorton said:

Does anyone know how many 1973 Mk1 commandos were made before the Mk1A was produced ?

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Is that your real question? AFAIK, Mk1 and Mk1A were produced at the same time once the "A" was introduced as were Mk2 and Mk2A.

marshg246 said:

Mk1 and Mk1A were produced at the same time once the "A" was introduced as were Mk2 and Mk2A.

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I'm not sure that was the case with the Mk1 unless you know of any (real) Mk1s with serial numbers in the Mk1A range.

L.A.B. said:

I'm not sure that was the case with the Mk1 unless you know of any (real) Mk1s with serial numbers in the Mk1A range.

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You may well be right as there were only about 720 built from the start of MK1A to the start of MK2/MK2A. However, that should mean that no bikes were shipped to the US once the MK1As started being produced until the MK2s started being produced - assuming the theory that even the early MK2As were not shipped to the US. Of course, they might have been shipping MK1As for the UK (Europe?) and MK2s for the US.

Question: Were the "A"s for Europe or the UK initially?

marshg246 said:

Were the "A"s for Europe or the UK initially?

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Europe as far as I'm aware (due to new noise regulations there).

L.A.B. said:

Mk1 supposedly began from 300000 and Mk1A was introduced at 306591.

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Thanks. So were six thousand five hundred and ninety one bikes made or did the factory just assign them random numbers from 300000 ? I have a Mk1 at 301798.

jsnorton said:

So were six thousand five hundred and ninety one bikes made or did the factory just assign them random numbers from 300000 ?

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It's likely there are a few unused numbers. Andover Norton has the records for 300000 to 305549, and I don't think the UK VMCC/NOC has much (if any) information on the 850 models so it's a question that can't be answered with any accuracy.

L.A.B. said:

It's likely there are a few unused numbers. Andover Norton has the records for 300000 to 305549, and I don't think the UK VMCC/NOC has much (if any) information on the 850 models so it's a question that can't be answered with any accuracy.

Factory Records

andover-norton.co.uk

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Here's something from my CommandoID page: "From Joe at Andover Norton (paraphrased): Numbers 300000 through 300021 (except 300014 which went to Berliner/USA) were booked to Experimental, starting Oct 25, 1972, next to some it says "No Date". The next date is Feb 4, 1973, but 300020 went to Bob Trigg on Jan 23, 1973. The regular despatches start with 300022 produced on Jan 22, 1973 which was shipped to Berliner. Real production then started on Jan 24, 1973. The bikes from the experimental Dept. were partly sold later - 300007 to NV Canada, 300009 to NV Sydney, 300010 through 300013 to NVC California, 300014 to Berliner, 300015 to NVC California, 300018 through 300020 to Berliner, 300021 to NVC California. Most of the early production went to NVC California and Berliner."

There were 235xxx 850s with Apr 73 on the certification label. I don't know if they should be considered MK1 but since they were being "built" at the same time as 300xxx MK1s it seems like they would be.

So far I have no proof of MK1s built after 306591 but it seems weird the Norton would have quit shipping the US but then, maybe they were overstocked - confusing to me. Actually, in my survey I only have 307094 that is between 306591 and 307311 and the NOC says that 306591 is a MK2A! In theory, MK2/MK2A started at 307311.

At any rate, just about all questions about Norton numbers end up the same - can't really answer.

The dispatch books that AN has could at least fill in the serial numbers and date where records exist but there's basically no hope of getting that data into a usable database. I would love to do the project for them, for free, and AN could still sell the records electronically, but they have no interest.

Thanks for your help