Introduction

Hello All,
I've used this forum as a resource more than once but never joined. I finally got around to registering, so here I am. I have been the owner of a 1974 Commando Roadster and a 1967 BSA A65L since I was eight years old. My father passed young and he willed the bikes to me. I always liked the Norton best, but the BSA had it's own charm. Anyway, at 40 years of age, time has taken it's toll on the Norton and I'm in the early stages of restoring it. I never kept it on the road for long because of distractions and the like. It has just over 9k on the odometer. The BSA is also being restored. I never rode it more than 100 miles, and somewhere along the way, a mouse crawled up the exhaust and wedged his head between the valve and seat. Mouse moisture locked her up tight. Fortunately, I live in south-central Ohio and hillclimb legend Earl Bowlby helped me out with the rebuild. I gave this bike to friend who is living on borrowed time to finish so we could go through the process in parallel and, hopefully, enjoy the finished bikes together. I am a former Marine, tool and die maker and now, an archaeologist. Most of my knowledge about Nortons is first hand from maintaining my beast and pouring through manuals and the like. I'm sure you can all teach me a lot and hopefully I can repay the favor in some way. It's good to find so many folks dedicated to these bikes.

Welcome to the group. Better late than never with the resto work. Parts availability and services have never been better. Wonderful story too - looking forward to hearing the progress on both projects. You'll love the Norton!

Russ

Good'day Mate', most are home away from work stations over wkends. Good to know you like digging into old bike bone yards but dead peoples trash piles, sheeze. I'm in Ozarks Dixieland where some the locals needing cash sell me 4000-ish yr old stone points. Them old school farts sure took their time on em with very fine serrated edges at tips, medium at mid area and large for last 1/3rd to base plus one side even blood fluted. Old enough for flint to start to become one again with the limestone ground. These sore come about 20 ft deep in front of bluff faces not walking along kicking rocks. The young'ns just chipped points enough to work ok. I have a few recently made road graded chipped points I pulled out of my tires. BSA did a lot of research in going fast that they don't get credit in recent times but is respected here for their light wt valve liters upgrade that can take more rpm than the cranks.

Am sceptical to "archeology" type humanoids digging up burial sites and occasionally selling finds. Oh no you say. Look closely at the history of the British and their pilfer museum.

WELCOME, ENJOY

Sorry, but I've seen a bit too much in travels, yes ,wecome and enjoy ,how can we be of service ?

Yes, enjoy your time here, there's plenty of good help.

Dave
69S

Thanks for the welcome guys. She's all torn down as of today. Frame, swingarm and cradle ready for blasting and Imron (I hate powdercoat). May need a tank (Ouch).

Toronto, archaeology has evolved over the years from looting into a science. I have excavated only to learn and to protect endangered sites. Anyone that does otherwise isn't an archaeologist.

Hobot,

That fluted point you have is probably about 12000 years old. I'd love to see a pic.

Hm, ok would like to know something about it. So tooth missing locals have professor level knowledge d/t selling them. Will photo it and the hand full I have, which is rather poor small examples of what others have. What I'm calling a blood groove I was told more likely use impact knocked in off but don't seem to even dulled the tip. I thought ice age was still on down here till 11K yr ago but not my area of expertise. There is a run down looking tin shed warehouse looking place in Golden MO with museum signs showing tractors and sewing machines and glass ware. Me and buddy rode by and finally stopped. OMG 1000's of square feet of wall to ceiling and cabinets and 4x8 ft displays of stone weapons and stone art. Whole land scapes and portraits done in one people and period style, dozens of local and world wide examples! Very delicate knapping I couldn't believe could be done in stone.
Helped some digs in Fla but its mainly lime stone so couch shells were material of choise. Steve The Meteorite Guy is a local in my farm area but set up shop in Eurkea Springs and has a medicine ball size iron meteorite that was used as hardest thing around by eons of Africans pounding on it with stones to point its mushroomed over and rolled its lips under and around. Picture a anvil beat on that long and hard. Amazing scope of time conveyed by that sight.

Oh yeah I've a few that are spiral screw shaped and narrowed to like a finger width. I'm told the results of retouching edges by a right or left hander.
I've a few pet names for what the THE Gravel paths are like, one is Marbles and Arrowheads. Others are pure swear words combined.

Hobot,
So far as anyone can figure at the moment, people have been in the Americas since just before the glaciers melted away. There is growing evidence that's it's been even longer than that. Some are suggesting up to 17k years. Retouch on points can give them a spiral-esque sort of geometry and the general idea is that it can indicate handedness of the maker. I think it more likely shows handedness of the owner. Knapping appears to have been a specialized skill and not everyone did it. A few made points for everyone in the group most likely. I do think folks sharpened their own. I view like knives today- most people buy them, but they don't go back to the manufacturer to get it sharpened.

Welcome bustedsuby.
Yes, we all need at some point.
You seem to have an insite to hoboteze. You are worth your weight already. But take heed, he will exhaust you.
I am looking forward to you incoming issues.

hehe rider Pete early man and even animals developed division of labor and language skills, so I try not to write over mine and others heads : ) Tool use and language used to be a dividing line between man and dumb animals but not no more, take me for example. My curmudgeon ride buddy Wesley has a archeological site he showed me behind his house a university dug into. A 'V' area in bluff faces with small water fall with over hangs to shelter under and pretty limited access to defend off cave bears and women stealing invaders. If you ever get to see the instructional videos of Norton factory late Mr. Hudson, you may get sense of how a cave man handles and repairs technology around camp fires.

A mouse decomposing to sieze engine is something I have to think about and fend off to avoid. Loosing your father too soon also affects me sadly. My dad was set against motorcycles, for good reason. Tired to make me sell off my P!! dragster but showing its ability to Triumph triple owners scared them off he said, which did help mellow his opinion of what I had and could handle.

Boosted how close are you to having an roadworthy Commando?

It depends on how picky I get. Doubtful this year, but for sure next summer it will be roadworthy. Aside from maintenance and a pinhole in the tank, it was really roadworthy as it was, but I just want to do it justice and to not regret not going that last little step to make it truly nice. Still, the lazy thump of the engine plodding down those southern Ohio country roads and the easy torque out of the corners make me want to hurry. Last time I rode it was in ~2004 and I truly giggled to myself with joy cruising those roads. Soon though.

Ohio is as far as I've been taken on my Commando to INOA rally, so sort of know the area's narrow back roads with blind crests at intersections and feeling almost Amish trotting along w/o breaking a sweat or distrubing the peace like other big twins. Hope ordinary modern life don't get in your way to keep you off your dream machine. Sometimes when just curising along hearing and feeling the Norton throbs I flash back as 20 yr old breaking my dad's rules *and* getting away with it.

Forks springs tend to rust inside stanchions to bind up. Rust can eat up the hydrualic fitting of master cylinder and calipers too so might not be as simple to get going and whao-ing good. Carbs develop zn oxide deposits and clog pilot jets that need poking clear as no organic solvents touch it, though mild acid or base boiling a bit does.

Maybe off subject to most but a big part of man's development of culture and technology is attributed to the use of plants to trip and trace out to gain insights plus break the tedium boredoom when it only took maybe 10% of peoples time to make a decent living off the land and others. Of course when they couldn't chew food or hides they'd be left behind or go off on their own to die, hopefully stoned to high heavens into happy hunting grounds. I think maybe I'd be a medicine man, slipping a mickey in wombmen's herbal teas...

Cave art and scared places is not meant for those in ordinary states...

Boost,
Welcome to the site. If not for this site, I would have given up on my MKIII as soon as I got it. A great site with a lot of great people willing to offer suggestions and lend a hand if close by. I am retired Army, but have executed some great opes with the Marines.

Welcome and Good Luck.

Chuck
Saber 13

Ok here's some ancient craftsmanship to show off around camp fires to woo the wombmen and awe the men.

Welcome! I'm impressed by just how often we see new members in this forum. When I started looking into what it would take to get my old girl back on the road, I was very relieved to see just how much interest was still out there.
It's probably just my inability to search properly, but I actually have better luck searching for topics in this forum by using Google, so you might try that for specific information. Let the nasty retorts commence, boys and girls! :mrgreen:
Nathan

Thanks for the welcome everyone. Those points are interesting. The first one is probably late paleo or early archaic, though I'm not super familiar with the typology for your neck of the woods. Still, Im pretty confident is near 10k years old.

'Boost' you better watch your language, my wife can see this screen!
Sorry I'm a bit brain scramble and can't wrap it around spelling or pronouncing your handle. Saw article on new findings of a people down here long before Clovis. Some times my Nortons break down miles deep in unpopulated woods so dark can't see the ground only the stars in gap of trees above so going by feel and wondering how the cavemen and indians dealt with anxiety hearing coyotes and cougars then crunching of brush just off the trail... Also get to see some awsome meteors fireballs leaving colors and sparkles the a flash of white light gone... Can't wait how young and frisky your antique will eventually make you feel too.