I'm a brand new Norton owner.

When I say new they really don't get any greener than me. At the ripe old age of 34 its been 18 Years since I was last on a bike. My father gave me his 73 750 Commando last year it had been sitting in his garage since 93. A real long story short, I got it running over the summer and took my first ride last night. I'd love some advice from some of the seasoned owner/riders here. First thing I noticed is there was oil leaking out of where the tachometer goes into the engine. It should also be noted that I have the mechanical inclination of a gold fish. I didn't do the work myself I just organized it to the best of my abilities and got the parts my guy needed(big shout out to The Classic Bike Experience). It was great to finally get on it, it was amazing. I've heard they're a bit of a bugger if you don't know what you're doing. I have no idea what I'm doing. I have my learners permit and a couple buddies to ride with. Any pro tips would be greatly appreciated. I am located in Upstate NY and we're having seasonably warm weather so I have at least a few more days of decent riding weather.
Thanks
The New Guy :wink:

Also, here she is.

Welcome to the forum.

Best suggestion is to use the Advanced Search feature, and review the existing threads on whatever topic you are interested in.

It's also helpful to indicate your location so that folks in your area can lend a hand in person.

You might want to look at the topic of crankcase breathers (at least a dozen good threads). Proper breathing eliminates most oil leaks. new O-rings, gaskets and a dab of sealer do the rest!

Hi

Looks like a nice Commando you have there.
I hope you won't be offended at my suggestion, but you would do well to invest in a full face helmet of some kind. Doesnt need to be a nine hundred dollar affair either. There is a good one available for around $200 from HJC. It gets better safety ratings than some of the really expensive ones. The one I am thinking of is a flip type with a push button retractable sun shade, kind of a nice feature.

I always rode with a helmet like the one on your seat until one day when standing at a motorcycle shop counter some fellow walked in carrying a fullface helmet, and shopping for a new one. He had been hit while crossing an intersection, came off the bike and slid across the road face down. He had been wearing the fullface and leathers. The chin area on the full face was ground right thru to the point that there was a little hole in the ground area. It was easy to imagine what would have happened to his face without that type of helmet on. He said the leathers did their job as well, were beat up but still useable.
The full face also gives your face and neck a lot more protection from rocks, big stinging bugs, and other debris that hits you when riding at highway speed all day.
Glen

Welcome! Do you have the desire/time time learn tinkrin on this old bike? Certainly a person can hire mechanical work done, but some basic skills will ease the anxiety over breakdowns/field repairs. We can help you!

TehYanx said:

First thing I noticed is there was oil leaking out of where the tachometer goes into the engine.

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tach-drive-oil-leak-t7393.html

Good luck with the Norton.
I checked out 'The Classic Bike Experience' website; nicely done. I wish I was able to be up in Vermont this time of year!

Bob Z. said:

Good luck with the Norton.
I checked out 'The Classic Bike Experience' website; nicely done. I wish I was able to be up in Vermont this time of year!

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I ended up having a friend do all the work but they supplied all the parts. They are awesome. They do terrific work as well but I had a shoe string budget. I decided to keep it as original as possible as well

L.A.B. said:

TehYanx said:

First thing I noticed is there was oil leaking out of where the tachometer goes into the engine.

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tach-drive-oil-leak-t7393.html

Click to expand...

Thanks!

concours said:

Welcome! Do you have the desire/time time learn tinkrin on this old bike? Certainly a person can hire mechanical work done, but some basic skills will ease the anxiety over breakdowns/field repairs. We can help you!

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This was exactly the idea, I would love to be self sufficient.

grandpaul said:

Welcome to the forum.

Best suggestion is to use the Advanced Search feature, and review the existing threads on whatever topic you are interested in.

It's also helpful to indicate your location so that folks in your area can lend a hand in person.

You might want to look at the topic of crankcase breathers (at least a dozen good threads). Proper breathing eliminates most oil leaks. new O-rings, gaskets and a dab of sealer do the rest!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up, I'm located in upstate NY.

Probably titled as a 1973 but might be a 1972 model.

Serial number would confirm this. If you don't want to post the whole number then the first three digits would suffice.

swooshdave said:

Probably titled as a 1973 but might be a 1972 model.

Serial number would confirm this. If you don't want to post the whole number then the first three digits would suffice.

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Or if it's 220xxx it's a '73 spec 750 MkV. If between 200xxx and 212xxx it's '72 spec 750 MkIV. From the photo it looks like '72 spec like Dave said. If '72 and a combat engine, you need to dig into issues with combats and be aware of modifications that will preserve this such as superblend main bearings. Don't run it continously in the tach's redline

Welcome to the never ending saga of Commando worshiping fettering. Do check front brake fluid on each gas stop till ya know for sure it ain't blowing away unknown. Do not adjust primary chain to what seems sensibly loose when cold. Always check oil after shut downs or wet sump may fool you or must run a bit to pump tank up to see real level. Fill everything to manual levels then ride a bit and clean up mess to see where their real levels should be.

Congrats and welcome fellow New Yorker!

Welcome.

I sent my tach drive and gearbox cover to Phil at Fair Spares in San Jose for seal mods. If you can't do it yourself, it's not real expensive. If you know someone with a basic machine shop and know what they are doing they can do it too.

Dave
69S

Your bike looks great, look after it and enjoy it. Do not buy Phil Irving's 'Tuning For Speed'.

Hey what's up, I live in Upstate NY too, in the Saratoga area. I bought my first Norton a couple of years ago at age 31. M & S cycles in Glenville have been a great wealth of knowledge for me, so look them up if need be, Ask for Steve.

Welcome TehYanx, Nice looking ride you have there, even though it's yellow . You can definitely wrench on it yourself, what with the online assistance like oldbritts, and of course this forum, you can get all of your answers without having to drive / ride anywhere. I've always worn a helmet, and currently use a full face for both the reasons worntorn mentioned. When I was in the navy, and on deployment in Okinawa, I happened to be in the hospital emergency room, when they brought in a guy who had wrecked his bike, he was laying in the bed next to me with a serious case of road rash, he'd only been wearing shorts, t-shirt and flip flops!! (he was a retired guy living there) anyway not trying to scare you but he was not a happy camper and is now my inspiration for also wearing gloves and a jacket even when it is hot outside.

jIM Noll at British Bike Connection somewhere in upstate NY.Nice guy, knowledgeable. He will help you

Welcome

I'd suggest buying the Shop and Parts manuals for the bike.
Just reading the shop one from front to back will tell you a lot and probably give you some confidence when it comes to basic service and troubleshooting when needed. OldBritts site has some excellent tutorials on the bike.
Reading back on the enormous number of threads on this board will alert you to all kinds of issues from Combat related problems and fixes to carbs, ignitions, venting, etc, etc.
Board always welcomes questions, even if dumb ones, but make sure to be as complete as possible in describing problem and if possible include pictures if relevent.

Too bad winter is around the corner.
But taking some Mother's aluminum polish to the cases can be a zen experience.

Decemberist said:

Hey what's up, I live in Upstate NY too, in the Saratoga area. I bought my first Norton a couple of years ago at age 31. M & S cycles in Glenville have been a great wealth of knowledge for me, so look them up if need be, Ask for Steve.

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Holy cow practically neighbors I'm in Queensbury. Thanks for the heads up. The guy who did all the initial work for me is from over by Argyle, he used to be a Norton Dealer back in the 70's. I'm always looking for more info and names and places to add to my growing repertoire.


Thanks for the warm welcome all. Its nice to get so much help/info so fast.

NYC and surrounds has large groups of Cdo users to gang up with, maybe more so than any where else.