'maiden' out of town voyage

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i got the bike running good enough to take it out of town, so today i rode about 80 miles round trip. took some pics, here they be.

vista point at monticello dam

'maiden' out of town voyage


the dam itself, built in 1953-54

'maiden' out of town voyage


this is the 'glory hole', when the water is high enough, it drains into the huge hole.

'maiden' out of town voyage
 
iusedtolikehondas

Nice shots ~ looks like things R a tad dry over that way too ~ (The water level under the sink hole~)

Hope the Commando is instilling confidence ~ & working out your start technique will come easily ~

(Took me a long time to sort mine ~ but I have total confidence in the Commando and its reliability now! NO choke and a half mast kick over does it every time !)
8)
 
i'll tell you one thing i'm confident in....this bike has the best feel/power over most bikes i have ever ridden. one bike i had, vibrated more, had a pretty scary power band, 1969 suzuki t500. i'm definitely 'sold' on putting money into this bike after riding it.
 
is that a nice oil spot under the bike from parking it-if so a typical norton! :lol:
 
Nice photos, thanks for sharing.

I love riding my Commando. I think you will too, as you sort through its issues and continue to gain confidence in it.

I also own a 1970 T500. It's a shaker all right. Feels like an old BSA or something. :shock: Mine has a smooth, torquey powerband though. Maybe yours was ported? It's fun to ride but my Norton will run circles around it

Debby
 
I see that you are located in Napa. I am in Sacramento. Where were the photos taken? Is it around Lake Berryessa? Do you belong to the Northern California Norton Owners Club? We have a Napa ride scheduled for September and a Delta ride in October.
 
Yellow_Cad said:
I see that you are located in Napa. I am in Sacramento. Where were the photos taken? Is it around Lake Berryessa? Do you belong to the Northern California Norton Owners Club? We have a Napa ride scheduled for September and a Delta ride in October.

pics are at the monticello dam, lake berryessa. i am not in any owners clubs. are there dues/fees in the club?
 
The bigest bone shaker was my first road bike ~ an ES2 Norton ~ Scariest was a Kwaka H1 500 triple ~ :shock: :shock:
 
That's excellent. Good photo, too. Classic British Iron, right there.

If somebody says "name a classic BritBike" to 20 bike lovers, one at a time, 75 of them will say either "Triumph Bonneville" or "Norton Commando".
 
Dues for the Northern CA Norton Owner Club are $20 per year. I have only belonged for two years and never have done an event with them. They are mostly in the Bay Area between San Jose and SF but there are members your way and up this way too. I will at least be doing the Delta ride with them and hope to do lots more as time goes on. I have really only had my Commando running right for the last few months. Some of the club members have really helped me a lot with some great information. All in all, they are an active group and have quite a few rides.
 
I know you were grinning from ear to ear before,during, and after your ride. The Norton is truly a fine machine to ride. Handles beautifully and pulls like a freight train. I recently acquired a Triumph Bonnie that I lusted after for 40 years. Not a patch on the Norton in every aspect. Ride on.
 
Stuart SS said:
The bigest bone shaker was my first road bike ~ an ES2 Norton ~ Scariest was a Kwaka H1 500 triple ~ :shock: :shock:

man i love those H1 and H2 triples - their going for some serious cash nowadays too... :twisted:
 
Glad to hear it and to view the pics.

I'm in the same boat. Bought mine last spring, been working steadily, yesteday did a 250 mile RT day - by far the furthest I've taken it from home. Bike performed flawlessly and was a pleasure to ride. Corbin seat still a bit firm so my sitbones were aching by the time I got back but it only has a couple thousand miles on it and y experience is they take at least 5-6K miles - or more - to break in.

Good luck and happy motoring.
 
come on guys, last October I did a round trip from Tenn to Fla . 650 miles one way. one day down and one day back. this last Monday was another 650 down (70 MPH got 56MPG with stock amals ) and will return tomorrow. I don't think anything of a 150-200 mile ride. a well sorted Norton is still a very capable bike for road miles :D

windy
 
Yeah but I've got 15 years on my bike....these old bones think 400 miles a day is the absolute limit....
 
Bill I just made you an honorary member of my Norton 500 mile club! With our ISO we are very capable of many miles & smiles per day. I have not come across any non-Norton members so far who have qualified in our 500 mile club....Mind you I remember my very first outing in 1973, a 50 mile run was undertaken with not a lot of confidence in myself & the Norton.... However with experience there has been no limit even in 2008 to how far & fast I travel..

Don.
 
When I finally get my Norton sorted out, I hope it to be a reliable ride. I think nothing of putting 500 miles on my Speed Triple - I look forward to doing the same on the 850.

Nice pics. I noticed the territorial mark, too!
 
bill said:
come on guys, last October I did a round trip from Tenn to Fla . 650 miles one way. one day down and one day back. this last Monday was another 650 down (70 MPH got 56MPG with stock amals ) and will return tomorrow. I don't think anything of a 150-200 mile ride. a well sorted Norton is still a very capable bike for road miles :D

windy

did you do it on 34 year old tires? that's one reason i cut mine short.
 
like was stated a well sorted Norton is a very capable mount to do miles on (just back from another 650 mile run). I was not downing any one for short rides. a few good shake down runs are a must do with an unknown bike but once it is sorted don't be afraid to put the miles on it :D. i know of a few others that do more miles than me on this old stuff.

windy
 
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