New Member, Old Bike 19--?

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snortonNorton

snortonNorton

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Hello every one. I restore old bikes as a hobby. I was a motorcycle mechanic in the 80's. Usually one bike a year. just this week I purchased a 1969/70 Norton Commando. Not sure which year. I have read your posts & ser.# references for each year. And according to that my bike is a 1970. But!! There is a stamping on the frame plate in the wrong corner that seems to say D69. (Dec. 1969) I don't know if this bike is an R, S or SS. motor stamping is 20M3S/136157 & 136157 on the frame tag. I think this bike has parts from several years. I would like to put it back to original and will probably order a serial # search. It has chrome fenders, central oil tank, no headlight halo ring fastened to the triple tree., front fork gators, chrome chain guard. fiberglass tank & left side cover with ignition.
front and rear drum brakes. Is this bike a roadster, fastback or SS street scrambler? I am sure this bike has parts from many years.
I am trying to figure out how to post some pictures here. Thank you
New Member, Old Bike 19--?
 
A UK motorcycle made in Dec. 1969 would be made to the 1970 model year specification, they always planned the next years production to be started just after the Aug summer holidays so that the new model year production was hitting the dealers later in the year ready for the peak selling season the following spring. So my 74 model year has a production date of Nov 73.
 
Thank you, I figured it was probably a 1970 by the number but which model could it be? The (D69) stamping on the plate is upside down and in the wrong corner. and it is double struck, off set a bit.
New Member, Old Bike 19--?

New Member, Old Bike 19--?
 
snortonNorton said:
Thank you, I figured it was probably a 1970 by the number but which model could it be? The (D69) stamping on the plate is upside down and in the wrong corner. and it is double struck, off set a bit. I am trying to down load photos but it is difficult unless you are a paid member.
Click to expand...
Hi, welcome. You can use a free web hosting service such as photobucket.com or smugmug.com as well.
 
Welcome.

Officially, 20M3S/136157 is too late for it to have been an 'S' or an 'R' and too early to be an 'SS'.

As it has a central oil tank, then it couldn't be a Fastback (or SS), so it's very likely to have been a Roadster originally.
 
I have been searching sites high and low and I believe it is a Roadster, but someone must has put gators on the front forks.
 
Does that D69 double stamping look normal? Also did the 1970 Roadster come with the Halo around head light or did they make them in both styles?
thank you
 
snortonNorton said:
I have been searching sites high and low and I believe it is a Roadster, but someone must has put gators on the front forks.
Click to expand...

They fitted gaiters, removed the headlamp halo, changed the handlebars and mufflers, painted(!) the fuel tank and probably a few other things besides, but after 40+ years the occasional departure from standard specification is to be expected.


http://www.classicbike.biz/Norton/Broch ... Norton.pdf

snortonNorton said:
Does that D69 double stamping look normal?
thank you
Click to expand...

Not normal, however sometimes it can be difficult attempting to define normal where Nortons are concerned.
 
The seat looks like the thicker upholstered from 1971-72. Shocks and chain guard are original type to 1970. Gas tank would have been fiberglass, but changing to steel is recommended.
 
L.A.B. has everything right. I'll just add the clutch lever and perch is wrong as is the switch. I can't see if you have both speedo and tach plus the whole upper tree assembly looks wrong to me. It should look something like my 69 production date/70 model.

New Member, Old Bike 19--?


New Member, Old Bike 19--?


The levers look like this and you'll have a lot of trouble finding replacements. You might be able to piece it together from British Spares in Ohio over time.

New Member, Old Bike 19--?


New Member, Old Bike 19--?


The parts book is here, note there is a supplement in the rear for the 70 Roadster.
http://www.eurooldtimers.com/eng/manual ... 1970-.html

And yes, the seat is wrong for the year. Check out the 70 brochure.

Dave
69S
 
Who, lots of info there. I was wondering about the handle bar switch. And one lever is chrome & fluted and the other is aluminum. Just after I loaded this bike into my truck he said he had restored about 4 or 5 of them. As I drove away I began to worry that he had put all his left over pieces together to make this one.
Well than, I think I might be heading down a different road. Rat rod café/ bobber style.
 
i was looking at this bike & contacted the seller but did not get response,

it was advertised in kijiji toronto for some time but gave a quebec area location,

the ad said mixed years with a few parts missing, the engine #s didn't mach the frame and was selling with bill of sale only
 
snortonNorton said:
Who, lots of info there. I was wondering about the handle bar switch. And one lever is chrome & fluted and the other is aluminum. Just after I loaded this bike into my truck he said he had restored about 4 or 5 of them. As I drove away I began to worry that he had put all his left over pieces together to make this one.
Well than, I think I might be heading down a different road. Rat rod café/ bobber style.
Click to expand...

Now that did happen to me everything needed fixed in someway nothing was as it seems. It's bad when ebay gear was better than the bikes parts. Good fun and got a bike a bit different.

J
 
It was posted in Toronto Kijiji ads. The numbers do match though. I have already talked to MTO and Quebec and Atlantic provinces. There is no record of this bike being registered anywhere. Which is good. I will need a ministry inspector come to the house take pictures than research it and get back to me. No records were kept prior to 1975. So it may have been registered than and has never been plated since. He was asking $1,300 , got it for $1,100 . I think I can make it work. Can't wait to pull the jugs off, low compression. It doesn't look like the engine has been apart for at least a very long time.
 
snortonNorton said:
It was posted in Toronto Kijiji ads. The numbers do match though. I have already talked to MTO and Quebec and Atlantic provinces. There is no record of this bike being registered anywhere. Which is good. I will need a ministry inspector come to the house take pictures than research it and get back to me. No records were kept prior to 1975. So it may have been registered than and has never been plated since. He was asking $1,300 , got it for $1,100 . I think I can make it work. Can't wait to pull the jugs off, low compression. It doesn't look like the engine has been apart for at least a very long time.
Click to expand...

I got a feeling you've got a peach and not a Lemmon for that cash, best of luck with the build . J
 
It will be rather difficult to put it back in 70 Roadster trim, could be done though. I had all the parts for mine since I had it since 72, but some of those early parts are available, the seat is. The levers are real hard to find, but probably not impossible, but I've already said that. Oh, the front stays should be chrome and the early front mudguard was narrower than the 71 and on and difficult to get a tyre much larger than a 3.10-19 on it, mostly because the bridge was shorter and the stays narrower. There are 2 different central oil tanks and also 2 different rear mudguards for the early bikes, plus the rear mudguards were C shaped, not D shaped. If you need info, let me know. Or you could just fix it up as a mix, most people won't know and will run just as good.
 
I was thinking that exactly, there is so many after market parts available and EBAY parts from different years that I think I can make a good looking runner here. And the average Joe won't even notice the differences.
 
illf8ed said:
The seat looks like the thicker upholstered from 1971-72. Shocks and chain guard are original type to 1970. Gas tank would have been fiberglass, but changing to steel is recommended.
Click to expand...
Do the fiberglass tanks tend to leak? What are the advantages of a steel tank?
thank you,
Bruce
 
Fiberglass fuel tanks were made illegal (for continued production purposes) sometime in 72 after several horrific accidents involving sprayed gasoline after impacts. In short it shatters , whilst steel will crumple in and hold it's fuel intact. Modern fuels using ethanol will hurt fiberglass causing leakages and gellings as a slow dissolve state sets in.
 
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