I fell off the wagon

I told myself and the Mrs. that I would not get any more Nortons until I had one back on the road. I have been having a LOT of trouble keeping progress going on the silver framed Cafe '70 I started due to work and family stuff.
I knew about it and tried to ignore it as long as I could. I even tried to get someone else to take it off the DPO's hands to no avail.
When I heard it was an original '72 I could resist no more. When I saw it's engine number 208854 telling me it very well could be combat spec I fell down the rabbit hole.

She has been picked over but it is a roller missing the tins and oil tank. Fortunately, the spark plugs and carbs are in place and hoping the water damage to the motor isn't too bad. (WHY DO THESE PEOPLE LEAVE THEM OUTSIDE? GRRR>>>)
So another project awaits. Good news is that my Norton juices are flowing again. Bad news is I've got 2 ahead of this one.

Hi, My name is Jeff and I collect Norton projects......

Jeff:

What a graceful fall ...

Congratulations and I know that itch that simply can't be scratched away, merely appeased from time to time.

Just when you think one is enough, the demons arise to tempt you.

I'm drooling over a 'barn find' that is in desperate need of fettling and the feeling is good.

I wish you many happy hours in a cold garage, elbows deep in grease, knuckles barked by ungiving metal, a beer always within reach and the biggest shit-eating grin plastered across your ugly mug!

- Nells

Greetings Jeff from Crazy Combat and 208018 numerage. The wives are much smarter than us that's why we married them bless their hearts.

You can never have to many Nortons , or sheds .

Black barrel & 32 Carbs ( or int manif Dia bore )
and shes a Combat. Checking the valves setting might confim .

WATER . Hope you CRC or simiklar all the bits repeatedly , before spannering . Can save a lot of grief.Or skinned knuckles .

Matt Spencer said:

You can never have to many Nortons , or sheds .

Black barrel & 32 Carbs ( or int manif Dia bore )
and shes a Combat. Checking the valves setting might confim .

WATER . Hope you CRC or simiklar all the bits repeatedly , before spannering . Can save a lot of grief.Or skinned knuckles .

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If the bike is original, Combats can be discerned by the following:

Disc brake on the front wheel
Amal 932 carbs
narrower gap between top fin of barrel and bottom fin of head (head shaved for higher comp.ratio)
'C' stamped on head, either on top front center or over exhaust valve cover (sometimes obscured by head steady)
Black barrel - standard engines had the silver barrel.

Here's a '72 brochure:
http://classicbike.biz/Norton/Brochures/1970/72NortonBrochure.pdf

Matt Spencer said:

You can never have to many Nortons...

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Or wives?

Not that I have, same one for over 45 years now. Not the bike though.

I'd have more Nortons if I could afford them, might afford the wives, but I'm not going there.

I'm glad some can afford them (whichever).

Dave
69S

I wish you many happy hours in a cold garage, elbows deep in grease, knuckles barked by ungiving metal, a beer always within reach and the biggest shit-eating grin plastered across your ugly mug!

- Nells

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Great line! I sometimes wonder, what would become of myself if I was to go without oil or grease under my fingernails for a length of time. Sometimes I just pull crap apart just to clean it and inspect, Only just to fit a new gasket and put it back together. :wink:

Often I tell patients that the dark hand stains won't come off on them. Sometimes I think ahead and put on medical gloves but mostly just dive in un-protected for best feeling... I bid on Trixie as just wishful thinking but occurred on T-day holiday
so no one around to bid against me then had to scramble to cover it and then mo's later retrive. I've gotten more miles and time on her now than even my beloved Ms Peel. Peel never killed a big animal but nothing special Trixie has.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OXW0K6omLc[/video]

Rolled her into the skunkworks and had a look over.

GOOD NEWS

Black cylinder paint. check
disc front brake. check
932 carbs. check
good enough for me to say it may be a Combat. TIme will tell for sure

BAD NEWS
Rear frame loop bent down a bit.
Oil tank and battery box missing. Water probably got down pump feed and return tubes
Intake and filter assembly gone. Water probably got down open carbs
Trans, primary and motor all frozen. (probably for the best. no temptation to just "get it running")

Basically I bought an assembled, incomplete, basket case.

That makes four in the building. Not really my best move but at least I uncovered XBSKT2 while spending time in the shop the last couple days.

This Combat will have to wait until it's her turn

What saggy tailed mess. Appears to have a low down rear breather which I think only Combat Bombs came with. Also I think only Combats were issued front disc brake. Start soaking rust buster stuff on the caliper cap now so by time you getaroundtoit it may work as planned. I've had loop bend then fracture. Repaired by steel spikes knocked into tubes then tacked in place via drilled holes and beveled seam welded and ground back.

I agree with hobot - looks like a Combat.

hobot said:

Appears to have a low down rear breather which I think only Combat Bombs came with.

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As I keep tellin' ya, all '72 and '73 750 models had that breather regardless of whether they were Combat models or not.. :roll:

hobot said:

Also I think only Combats were issued front disc brake.

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Maybe true before the Combat spec. model was discontinued, but not after. The crankcases are the later type without the starter motor blanking plate, as the serial is 208854 it is probably a Combat.

OK LAB i believe you, rear breather and disc brake may not be unique to just Combat '72's and anyone could of painted barrel black over last 4 decades so the real deal would be if thin fin gap at head seam for 10 CR and also 2S valve lift to measure. IIRC there were about 11,ooo Commandos issued in '72, with about 10,000 being Combats so chances are his is a Combat. I am open to all corrections w/o offense but online guessing is fun way to be set straighter.

hobot said:

OK LAB i believe you, rear breather and disc brake may not be unique to just Combat '72's and anyone could of painted barrel black over last 4 decades so the real deal would be if thin fin gap at head seam for 10 CR and also 2S valve lift to measure.

Click to expand...

Chances are it is a Combat, but I hope you agree that you have repeatedly said that the presence of the rear breather identifies a model as being a Combat which can't be true as there was no other breather used on '72 - '73 750s.

hobot said:

IIRC there were about 11,ooo Commandos issued in '72, with about 10,000 being Combats so chances are his is a Combat.

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If the figures on the NOC website are to be believed, then the actual production figure for '72 could have been as high as 16,000. Combat production may have been as high as 11,000 although (according to various sources) around 1,500 Combats were supposedly returned to the factory (Andover? Wolverhampton?) and detuned.

If you want to know if it's a Combat just remove the headsteady and look for the magic "C".

The fuel tank appears to be steel (850 Mk3 type).
One for the GOOD NEWS list?

johntickle said:

If you want to know if it's a Combat just remove the headsteady and look for the magic "C".

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Even that will only tell will you that it has a Combat head. The cam and all other related componants combined will still only suggest that it was originally a Combat.

When i saved my machine from the PO it had a "C" stamping, disc front break, and a black barrel. However, it also had 30mm Amals and upon putting a dial indicator to the cam was it confirmed to be a standard cam.

This early 200xxx set of cases were open before and had the baffle machined away on just the timing side. God only know what it was originally. I have a newer set of cases now (210xxx) and have recently offed the old set to a needy recipient. The records would suggest the my early set were too early to be a combat and my newer set too late.

I now have a stage one cam, big bore exhaust, the Combat head, and a 40mm pumper. The question is, is it a Combat? You're damn right it is! I guess the point is, a Combat can be made or unmade for that matter.

My bike is as much a bitsa as I have ever seen. Although not a show stopper, it is a head turner.

XBSKT, Is yours a Combat? YES! That is, if you want it to be.

Hello again to all,

I haven't touched this bike since I got it and am thinking about selling it off to fund one of my many already unfinished projects.
I have not confirmed that the head has the "C" yet but I will.
I got this bike as a parts rig but even that seems not so good an idea if it is i a Combat.
The main issue for me is the lack of a title.
I did not mind when I bought it thinking I was going to strip it down.
The tank will not go with the bike. It is my spare "running in" tank.
I know this is not the for sale section. I am just trying to gauge the interest in this tattered and bent old Norton.
I also live on an Island so delivery would be a matter to be dealt with. I may be willing to deliver in New England for the right deal.
I would like to get it to a home where it will be resurrected.
Much interest out there? Would the interest level be higher as parts?
Probably depends a lot on the price now that I type this.
Any input appreciated.

Jeff

xbskt said:

Rolled her into the skunkworks and had a look over.

GOOD NEWS

Black cylinder paint. check
disc front brake. check
932 carbs. check
good enough for me to say it may be a Combat. TIme will tell for sure

BAD NEWS
Rear frame loop bent down a bit.
Oil tank and battery box missing. Water probably got down pump feed and return tubes
Intake and filter assembly gone. Water probably got down open carbs
Trans, primary and motor all frozen. (probably for the best. no temptation to just "get it running")

Basically I bought an assembled, incomplete, basket case.

That makes four in the building. Not really my best move but at least I uncovered XBSKT2 while spending time in the shop the last couple days.

This Combat will have to wait until it's her turn

Click to expand...

It's good to see someone coveting a combat. I personally think it's big plus but know some would rather stay away from them. Thing is, if a combat has had the factory recall done, and unless it was mothballed and stuck in the back of a barn since a month after it's original purchase... it has... then the main problem with them is holding on as you blast by bikes 40 years newer.

Anyway... I think you know this next point but it needs to be said anyway... you really can't get too many Commando basket cases, as long as the price is right and you have the room to store them. A classic bike is an asset that increases in value with time. When looking at it from just a financial standpoint, your money is better kept in classic motorcycles than practically any other investment I can think of. Of course it's not about the money, but I have a much easier time justifying buying a toy that's going to increase in value with time. Plus, the coolness factor of having 25 classic bikes in your investment portfolio vs. triple A government bonds also enters into consideration. Your wife will never understand this but unless it starts becoming a divorce maker, it's something she'll just have to deal with.

Make sure to keep those before pictures. This one could be a shoe in for most improved.

PM sent.