- Joined
- Feb 1, 2012
- Messages
- 188
Short version: 1975 Norton I have owned since 1982 was parked in 2007. Now bringing it back to life.
Long version (if you're bored):
Rode a friends 1972 Norton circa 1973. Go the money in 1975 to buy my own. A Candy Apple Red Roadster from a dealer in Charleston SC for $1995.
Rode a fair amount in the general southeast area, Prince of Darkness crept up on me in Tennessee mountains one moonless night. Probably should have slept right there with it, but I walked out. Next morning back with a pickup, bike was gone.
Rode a Yamaha XS650, and a Honda, but in 1982 the guy who had lent me his '72 offered me two MKIII bikes for $800 each. Bought both, one for me and another for a friend in California. Road that bike around California, Oregon, Missouri, Virginia, and finally Florida. The PO had done some nasty wiring stuff and stripped out a few threaded holes. Four (yes 4) kids and no money, bike was parked when carb slides started giving me trouble coupled with the battery dying. That was in early 2007. Kicked it over from time to time just to make sure the engine didn't seize up. Don't know if that helped or hurt.
Fast forward to 2012. Now have permission from SWMBO to divert some cash into bringing the bike back to life. Been buying bits and pieces as fast as the money tree can grow leaves. Won't be a full-on resto job, but I do want it to look nice. Probably bring it back as black.
What it looked like in 2007
Long version (if you're bored):
Rode a friends 1972 Norton circa 1973. Go the money in 1975 to buy my own. A Candy Apple Red Roadster from a dealer in Charleston SC for $1995.
Rode a fair amount in the general southeast area, Prince of Darkness crept up on me in Tennessee mountains one moonless night. Probably should have slept right there with it, but I walked out. Next morning back with a pickup, bike was gone.
Rode a Yamaha XS650, and a Honda, but in 1982 the guy who had lent me his '72 offered me two MKIII bikes for $800 each. Bought both, one for me and another for a friend in California. Road that bike around California, Oregon, Missouri, Virginia, and finally Florida. The PO had done some nasty wiring stuff and stripped out a few threaded holes. Four (yes 4) kids and no money, bike was parked when carb slides started giving me trouble coupled with the battery dying. That was in early 2007. Kicked it over from time to time just to make sure the engine didn't seize up. Don't know if that helped or hurt.
Fast forward to 2012. Now have permission from SWMBO to divert some cash into bringing the bike back to life. Been buying bits and pieces as fast as the money tree can grow leaves. Won't be a full-on resto job, but I do want it to look nice. Probably bring it back as black.
What it looked like in 2007
I like the idea of making a nice looking bike rather than a show job. Just a quick question - are you going to keep the black cap silencers or do what everyone else does and put on reverse cones????
