My new Commando 850 had a dark secret

I hope the seller sticks true to his word.

I do wonder if he realises the size of the bill coming his way!

The cases themselves don’t look too bad at £1250… but you’ve many more hundreds involved in a rebuild… plus shipping, tariffs, handling fees, etc

I’d suggest you’re looking at $3k min… assuming you don’t find anything else big / serious…

Yeah, looks like some stone age techniques to remove primary chain sprocket. Seller stepping up to rectify the sins puts him in the Hall of Fame!

There are always good used parts on Ebay and if you take your time some nice parts will turn up at a decent price, You can always make a lower offer to the seller or get more info or pictures . And the prices seem to be getting less as the demand is dropping just like how complete Brit bikes are priced cheaply now and don't seem to sell. The world of classics bikes and cars is changing price wise.

I think we know why this bike was sat in somebodies living room as furniture for so long.

Deckard said:

Seller stepping up to rectify the sins puts him in the Hall of Fame!

Click to expand...

Absolutely! When you buy at an auction, it's "buyer be aware". It doesn't sound to me like it was misrepresented so that he's willing to make it "right" is very nice.

batrider said:

When you buy a Norton, be prepared to work on it.

Click to expand...

It is written in the anals (oops annals) of time.

Where about in NZ are you?

I have phoned around and have a few names of people in NZ who may I repeat may have parts. Also the name of a guy in Wellington who could perhaps do the motor.

I have got second hand bits from the USA and UK in the past which worked fine. Unfortunately courier and transport from the USA is an absolute shambles at present but you might get lucky.

I was going to send you this sellers E bay name, but you are in NZ HE is the "crankshaft king" and has cases too
Flashback Enterprises Inc Feed back =(45948)

But I would look for a "matching" ( my Term) lower end complete with cases , crank, timing side complete Etc. IT pays, the parts are used to being together ( my term) Factory assembled and lots of the parts have "matching" crayon or paint or pencil numbers on the inside to show they were fitted. ( like a timing cover and engine case.) It's really cool!

A whole bottom end Not taken apart is the ticket.

And if you have a bad cylinder or head too, A whole engine or even a whole "basket case bike" ( meaning a whole bike that was just left in a garage unused for years). That is what I built my race bikes from, and I used 850 bottom ends, with cylinders sleeved down for 750 pistons to run USCRA and AHRMA vintage classes. Simple and effective and they took the stress of high RPM required.
You have a good-looking bike so your over 1/2 way there, Also look at the transmission carefully , parts for them are costly. I spent lots in the gearbox and good transmission are scarce as in my younger days we were always destroying them. Luckily I had a source for whole gearboxes that kept me in parts.

I have bought lots from Flashback over the years. They are probably the biggest "breakers" on eBay so very often has what you need.

EBVC is probably the second biggest "breaker" and customer service wise is the best (100% positive feedback with over 38k items listed). Returns are always free and he is more knowledgable than most on the parts.

Sorry to see what you've found. Had the same last year. I bought a mk1 850 which I thought had a leaking crank seal. when I removed the primary, the case had cracked.
It was going to cost around £500 to repair and £1200 for new, I went new. I came to the conclusion that if its cracked it'll probably do it again so I might as well stump up, pay and enjoy the bike!
Good Luck with yours, I feel your pain!!

johnm said:

Where about in NZ are you?

I have phoned around and have a few names of people in NZ who may I repeat may have parts. Also the name of a guy in Wellington who could perhaps do the motor.

I have got second hand bits from the USA and UK in the past which worked fine. Unfortunately courier and transport from the USA is an absolute shambles at present but you might get lucky.

Click to expand...

I am in the Far North. I know what you mean about sourcing parts from the USA...cost of postage has gone through the roof. I am thinking of just going with a set of Molnar cases, will be undertaking the mechanical side of things myself.

Dedubyah said:

I am in the Far North. I know what you mean about sourcing parts from the USA...cost of postage has gone through the roof. I am thinking of just going with a set of Molnar cases, will be undertaking the mechanical side of things myself.

Click to expand...

Fair enough. Good luck with the work. Might be worth while checking the cost and availability of Andover cases vs Molnar. Molnar are upgraded for racing which maybe more than you need.

Edit. OK just checked. Looks like the road cases are the same price.

Not sure of the process these days to change the engine noes. Be sure and keep the old cases for proof of ownership until all the paperwork is done.

johnm said:

Fair enough. Good luck with the work. Might be worth while checking the cost and availability of Andover cases vs Molnar. Molnar are upgraded for racing which maybe more than you need.

Edit. OK just checked. Looks like the road cases are the same price.

Not sure of the process these days to change the engine noes. Be sure and keep the old cases for proof of ownership until all the paperwork is done.

Click to expand...

New cases are supplied unstamped precisely because you’re supposed to transfer the original number to the new cases. In the U.K. you are obliged by law to scrap the old cases as part of this process (to avoid duplicate numbers being in existence).

I’d go Molnar personally. But it depends what you want, the Molnar cases have MPL milled into them so will never look 100% original. AN cases would be better if original appearance is important.

Fast Eddie said:

New cases are supplied unstamped precisely because you’re supposed to transfer the original number to the new cases. In the U.K. you are obliged by law to scrap the old cases as part of this process (to avoid duplicate numbers being in existence).

Click to expand...

The law in the UK is not the same as New Zealand.

My advice to the OP is to find out what the regulations are in his own country first.

The issue that concerns me for registration is that he said the bike has been a display bike. If it has not been continuously registered for the road or formally put on hold, (which must be renewed every year) then reregistering with new cases may be a bit of a mission.

johnm said:

The law in the UK is not the same as New Zealand.

My advice to the OP is to find out what the regulations are in his own country first.

The issue that concerns me for registration is that he said the bike has been a display bike. If it has not been continuously registered for the road or formally put on hold, (which must be renewed every year) then reregistering with new cases may be a bit of a mission.

Click to expand...

It hasn't always been a display bike, last WOF inspection was 2020, and been ridden a little between 2017 and 2020 but not since.

Fast Eddie said:

New cases are supplied unstamped precisely because you’re supposed to transfer the original number to the new cases. In the U.K. you are obliged by law to scrap the old cases as part of this process (to avoid duplicate numbers being in existence).

Click to expand...

Right you are FE, you old bloke. Have an unstamped set under the workbench. Have a 73 or 74 frame with the vin tag. Still need a 850 crank for that project, I'm in no hurry, too much other shite going on.

Dedubyah said:

It hasn't always been a display bike, last WOF inspection was 2020, and been ridden a little between 2017 and 2020 but not since.

Click to expand...

NZ went to a fully computerised system in the late 1990s I think. And every time a WOF is issued the numbers are checked in real time online by the guy doing the inspection. So they will look at the noes.


As I read the regs because you are replacing like for like you do not need it approved. But if the guy doing the WOF knows what a Norton number looks like then he may question it.

In this day and age most inspectors do not but it's been my experience when I take a Commando in they often call an old guy from out the back to do it because he knows old bikes. Most times that's a good thing because he knows what he is looking at. But if the noes don't look right they might ask questions.

And if the bike hasn't been registered continuously they may ask you to go to a Small Volume inspector who is definitely more likely to know what he is looking at.

All I'm saying is keep all the parts and all documents because you may need them.

I had a friend with a Commando with mixed components that hadn't been registered for years and it took ages for him to sort it.

On the plus side we don't have the issue they seem to have in the States where if you don't have a title you may well be totally screwed.

"On the plus side we don't have the issue they seem to have in the States where if you don't have a title you may well be totally screwed."


Very far from the truth.

Posting here on this forum about struggling to register & title an old vehicles are a small percentage of those who actually get it done.

concours said:

"On the plus side we don't have the issue they seem to have in the States where if you don't have a title you may well be totally screwed."


Very far from the truth.

Posting here on this forum about struggling to register & title an old vehicles are a small percentage of those who actually get it done.

Click to expand...

I certainly have no personal experience. Just going by the number of posts I have read which say if it doesn't have a title then I'm not buying it.

But your absolutely right. I shouldn't be commenting on processes in other counties where I have no personal knowledge. Sorry about that.