Laverda Man Finally Admits to Going Commando

I wondered what had happened to the suitcase commando. Glad to hear it's still going forward, to good a story not to complete

Regards
McVic

Well its been so long, but a heart issue and a divorce later, both me and the Commando are now alone at home keeping each other company. I would never have believed she would get mentioned and cause so much stress in divorce proceedings!! Unfortunately the 1200GS had to go as part of my settlement costs, but iIt wasnt a difficult choice of what to keep really. I have every intention of moving the Commando into the living room as soon as I start the rebuild assembly proper!!
She can remain there as a slowly evolving sculpture until she is finished when I intend to ride the wheels off her.
To date I have got the frame stripped and resprayed along with most of the small painted components and the cylinder head has been bead blasted and is being rebuilt professionally.
Lots has been done, but not much to show if you understand what I mean.
Pictures to follow soon once I have figured out my photobucket account details, long since forgotten, I wish I had written them down.

Hope all is well to all you guys and will keep you briefed more regularly. Have a great summer riding. Paul how are you doing? I lost your details. It would be great to hear from you. Am back in a cple of weeks so maybe we could meet up?

Why are Motorcycles better than Women? They may take half your money, but they'll never leave you for it.

Mark, what are you doing to yourself ? Working in Africa part time and getting divorced is not smart stuff. I was married previously to my current, for 32 years. Had the stressful job, and the stressful marriage. Then finally got divorced, remarried and had a double heart bypass, and three strokes due to the high cholesterol, the prior stress had caused adrenalin to affect the liver and make it. I had the right carotid artery cleared to stop the strokes, however I am still slightly disabled on the LHS. I'm pretty much brand new now, and I can still ride the bike, however I now avoid anxiety like the plague. I just cannot do that anymore. There is life after divorce, just look at it as 'an opportunity for improvement'. For me the last 14 years have been the best of my life. I found one of my old lovers, and we enjoy each other's company without either one of us handing out a hard time to the other. At our age, sex is a bonus, however we love each other dearly, I never knew life could be so good.
I look back on my previous marriage and my three kids now middle aged, none of whom have partners but all have good lives, and I often wonder if I did the right thing by doing the hard yards. When the barn door opened 0.01mm, I burst through it and galloped off whinnying with my mane and tail streaming out behind me, over the hill into the sunrise of a new day.
Enjoy your life, and especially your Norton Commando motorcycle. They are one of the beautiful things in life.

Oath Mark, what a brilliant thread, first time I got to read it. Bladdy shame about the heart and divorce, though I can't think of a better picture than your Commando in your living room. As a few of us here may have done, acotrel I see you have, been divorced I can vouch that many a time I had sat in my garage after the divorce and look at my Matchless, which has been with me since 1976, and the Commando which I have just got on the road, after 11 years unused, last Friday, and it gave me a certain inner peace and calm.
As shrugger says, they may take your money, and time, but they sure as heck repays it when they're on the road.
The Commando, though I have done a lot of work on it, aided excellently by advice from this site, I do not know as well as my Matchless, where I know every nut bolt washer and every part of it, having dismantled it a few times over the years and taken it home to Oz and then over to the States when I lived there for a few years, but when times were a bit bad after the divorce, sitting in the garage with the 2 bikes was like sitting at a table with old friends and a few jars.
Sure will be keeping an eye on your build progress with interests, and best of luck to you! It'll be worth everything for sure!

'She can remain there as a slowly evolving sculpture until she is finished when I intend to ride the wheels off her.'

I couldn't agree more with that statement.

At least a commando will love you in return, you can only polish Japanese or Italian bikes - you can't run your fingers through their intestines.

shrugger said:

Why are Motorcycles better than Women? They may take half your money, but they'll never leave you for it.

Click to expand...

In fact they take you everywhere they go and like the same places you do.

I love women better than motorcycles. That oily soot is really difficult to remove.

Your women leave oily soot? :shock: Not hanging out with one of the Kelly's sisters are you??

Happy Christmas every one and I hope your projects continue well in 2015.
You know its absolutely great to be back to to a cold damp Wales. I definitely know I am back as in the Indian restaurant last night a drunken reveller came in for dinner with his Husky called twilight insisting a curry and rice for him and papadams for the dog. I can also log on to access norton again. Its strange that access is banned in China and Africa, (West and North), both areas where I work.

I was in Casablance and spent a very memorable evening with a bottle of wine cleaning this:





and using a toothbrush for what seemed like hours getting it to this






... this was my first job that I have now fitted back into the frame. And who said you had to start your rebuild with the horn LOL...

Well my 850 is coming along well. Frame and cycle components have all been stripped and sprayed. All are lovingly wrapped in cardboard and bubble wrap. I have decided to spray the tannk and side panels last, and I have pressure checked the tank for leaks and stripped the tank and panels bare. With a rough coat of undercoat I will leave them until all other work is completed,
On fully stripping the engine I found that the cam lobes were stepped (so am purchasing a new cam, and maybe one with a longer valve duration). This means machining the pistons and part of the crankcase I am told. So parts are in the machine shop to do this.

You can see the step on the camshaft lobes here:




The engine itself has been in surprisingly good order, although one of the crank bearings seems to have rotated in its housing. It shows scratches on the outside and so I will definitely change it.




The crank itself is fine with no signs of any damage or wear, much to my surprise seeing the conditions this bike was ridden in, and so will be used as-is as it has had a good clean up and thorough check.

I have had the damaged fins repaired by a specialist welder and the whole cylinder assembly has been stove enamelled black.The top of the cylinders have been skimmed flat by a specialist and I just need to glaze bust the bores and refit the pistons once the valve pockets are machined into them. I must say I am very pleased with the results on the engine cylinders, they really look brand new.






The crank cases have been stripped ban and bead blasted. I was so pleased as they have come up as new:





It has taken hours to clean out every bead hidden in the crevices of the cases, even though many were blocked up before bead blasting began.



I now have to polish out a deep scar on the timing cover and then bead blast this clean. That is my first job in 2015, so looks like I will be travelling back to work with my trusty polisher in my hand baggage.





The valve guides are being replaced, but fortunately the valves were fine and will be re-used.The head will then be ready for re-assembly, with new bolts.
The cylinder head has been bead blasted and again has come up like new:





Well guys that all I have managed to do for 2014 on my project....have a great Christmas and 2015...... see you soon, and more regularly so if I can upload from foreign climes....

Looks good, keep us picture/posted. Merry Christmas :mrgreen:

Hi, you will definitly have a nice bike , and/or at least , have a good entertainment , while abroad.............keep on! when I was on my ship stuck in the middle of nowhere, I was doing like you , always brought some piece to refurbish , for hours and hours , and dreaming of the results .....and one day , I was paid of all my works!

Juicy details and views make our mouths water with ya. Signficant grit can embed to release with heat so a very hot detergent bath is good but alakine dtergent eat alu so don't leave to soak long and hot water rinse well but likely fine w/o that.

The bearing spun alot in bore to show that much evidence so will next one at normal heat so two ways to go, rough up new race and bore to lock in with hi temp original JBWeld or drill mill set screw or peg or two lock.

Check crank of run out and tightness of fasteners but likely don't need sludge trap cleaned if not blown up. Would just run oil through to make sure it flows fine as solvent will not get the hard cake out but make loosen it upper crust to shed grit till washed back to stable hard cake that builds back up pretty quick to normal 1/8th thick.

No way to remove all the gouge through the cover logo w/o leaving a bigger eye sore valley so just sand as good as rest the cover and polish up leaving the remaining crevice as beauty mark like Prussian saber slashes on face. I've had to face it in a number of places to settle on this advice or just get another. No one has yet seen a nicely engraved or texture sculpted cover so might think out the box.

Best of luck with your project. You've come to the right place for help. Maybe you can do me a favor and find the Nigerian "Conselor" that keeps emailing me about the $3,000,000 Dollars that I need to claim before it goes to the Nigerian Government..... Start saving your money as Norton restorations are not cheap.....PhillySkip

Hi Mark

Delighted to hear your Commando is coming along so nicely--and rationally--what a saga.

In selecting a new camshaft bear in mind that your RH10 head with 30mm ports will have slightly different flow characteristics than standard 850's with 32mm ports.

One of my Africa buddies is completely revamping Egbe hospital--his parents founded the original in 1950 and are still here to see the resurrection.

This has been the most memorable build sequence I can remember--hope you managed to use the cradle.

Happy holidays and every good wish for the coming year



Tim Kraakevik
kraakevik@voyager.net