New here

Hi folks, new to this forum and new to owning a norton, i own a few vintage kawasakis but this is my first norton.
I bought it at a yardsale of all places for 1000.00
Its missing a few parts in the picture, but all the parst and alot of spares came in a few assorted boxes.
Im already deep into stripping it down to the bare chassis so i can make it decent again.
As soon as i finnish the paint on my 74 Z2 Kawi ill be free to spend all my spare time on the Norton.
Its a 72 Commando Interstate.
As of this moment it does not run, it has good compression and the tranny moves through all its gears.
The original owner assures me it runs excellent and actually had alot of motor work done to it, he removed the stock carbs to put on something he thought more reliable, but bought a harley and lost intrest, the bike was in a storage shed for 11 years.
Ill likely have many questions over time, but i have my manuals, some decent skill, and am anxious to get moving on it.
I would love to know how to tell if hte bike has a standard motor, or a combat motor. Is it indicated in the vin, or stamped on a case or head tube?
I appriciate you time, thanks all
http://www.whitemountainarmoury.com/commando.jpg

I have logged in twice as guest, but i think i finially have it figgured out, i can be pretty thick sometimes

Todd. Looks like a nice find. Since it has black barrels and a disc brake, I'm betting it is a Combat.
The easy look, the Combat head is milled, so the spacing between the head and barrels is noticeably thinner than the rest of the fins.
The sure way is the head has C stamped in the top front center. You can see it when the tank is removed.
Good luck!!

Thanks a bunch, it sure is obvious once you know what to look for.
Oh yeah, my name is Adam, not Todd, Todds a fine name though
Also, it came with this one piece fiberglass tank/body.
It sure has a super 70's paint job.
http://www.whitemountainarmoury.com/glassbody.jpg

Sigh, logged in as guest, ill have to remeber to sign in

I don't recognize the body work, but it does look like something Craig Vetter would do, similar to the Hurricane.

I know little about it, it has no markings at all on it.
Good quality glass mat, well made.

Adam,
If my old memory serves me right I believe that one piece body was built by Tracy Designs back in the early 70's. Any one confirm or disagree?

Ron
I'm very sure you are right, looks like a Tracy Design body. I did'nt remember the name but recognized it. They sold a lot of them for CB 750 Hondas, didn't know they made one for a Commando.

Scooter

Thanks guys, although its sort of neat, i think its fairly ugly at the same time, i certainly would not prefer it over the factory tank/seat, or over a manx or similar tank

ADB,

That fiberglass body-work reminds me of a carnival ride, or maybe one of those "quarter" rides you see for children at a grocery store.

Having said that, do not throw it away; it's a rare piece that has historical significance!

Jason

i dont throw away a thing, it looks cool hanging on the wall of my shop with my fairings and odd bits