New member/old owner

Hello to all. I've lurked for a long time, and have greatly enjoyed the knowledge pool as well as the unique personalities holding forth here.
I bought my "72 Roadster (combat, of course) new in September, 1972, and have kept it ever since. It has spent far more time in storage than on the road due to job-moves, kids, funds, etc.
Despite having put only about 4,000 miles on it total (about 2,000 the first two years, and the rest in the last ten - in 10 mile increments ) I still think it is the best bike one can own.

I'll try to post a pic here. If it doesn't work I'll read the instructions again and try later.



According to the preview, it worked!

I just recently pulled it out of storage again, found a local small airport that will sell me LL 100 octane, and started taking some short runs. The only thing of consequence I ever had to replace before, when un-storing, was the rear tire - about ten years ago. This time I had to replace a few other minor items, but very few (for a lady her age).

No doubt I will have a few issues in the future, and look forward to soliciting advice from this great organization.

Nice color!

Can you add your location to your profile? Even down to the nearest continent works. Thanks!

Welcome!

Welcome +1

Lovely bike

Peter

Thanks, Swoosh. Somehow I was pretty sure that at least you would like my colors.

And I am actually pretty close to you - in Richmond, VA

hello to Brad.

what a good yarn to hear. one owner . Good on ya.
This place can be very funny at times. some contributors very zealous, some very solid and some just bloody funny. Also worlds best technical advice from some very practical owners.
B.Rad
(Bradley)

Welcome Brad.

Just for safety's sake, you might consider flushing the front brake system thoroughly and maybe even replacing the rubber hose. I'm pretty surprised the original hose isn't already a one-way valve!

Thanks, Grandpaul. Prior lurking tipped me to this, and I have done so (actually, four or five times over the years). Replaced the old rubber line with a new (rubber) line about ten years ago. At the time, I "overhauled" the caliper and m/c with new seals. Didn't know about sleeving the m/c for better brakes at the time. Most recently, Fall, 2012, pulled and cleaned caliper & installed new seals again. Found some rust on the pistons for the first time, but they cleaned up OK, so I reinstalled them. Last month put new seals in m/c. Considered performing the hobot fix to the trap valve, but decided not to as I think this would make bleeding harder. Did install a new funky-looking bellows from Old Brits, even though my old one looked OK - just a little lop-sided in shape.

May get a braided S/S line for riding, though. The rubber one I installed was new/old stock. Looks good, but...? I ride like a little old lady anyway, so it may not matter. Am trying to keep the bike as stock as possible, for what reason I am not sure.

Only real improvement to braking I can remember performing is when, about two weeks after I bought the bike I semi-chromed the crap out of the m/c cap. Man, I polished that thing till I could see my teeth in it! Immediately I noticed how much better my brakes worked.

Welcome Brad, the best thing about your Norton is that you kept it all this time.

You certainly hit the nail on the head there, Jerry. I've always regretted not being able to afford a new '68 fastback at employee discount (IIRC it was less than £ 400) and then having Boeing haul the thing over here. If I'd managed that, I'd still have it!

UInfortunately, at 72 with an assortment of mobility issues, I probably wouldn't be able to kick it into action! (or maybe practice would have made perfect!).

Brad said:

Thanks, Swoosh. Somehow I was pretty sure that at least you would like my colors.

And I am actually pretty close to you - in Richmond, VA

Click to expand...

Not close to me, just the kin.

Brad,
welcome from another June '72 combat owner in the only correct color
Unfortuneately, I am the third owner.
Although I'm the 2nd owner to actually ride her.
The first owner rode her for the 1st 10 + years to approx. 8,000 miles.
The gentleman who purchased her kept her 2 years and put approx. 50 miles on her.
I have put another 2,000 miles on her in 4 years.
Where if I may ask did you originally purchase your combat?
Mine came from a little mower shop in New Jersey.
They sold Simplicity tractors and Norton Motorcycles.
I own 1 of each and both are fine machines
There is a great all British motorcycle show half way between you and I.
It is in Germantown,MD and is in May every year.
May see you there?
Again Welcome!!!
Marshal

Hi MarshalNorton,
Your bike's first owner did better than me. I only got about 3,000 miles in the first ten years - most of them in the first 18 months.

I bought mine from a dealer in Atlanta, GA. Can't remember the other brands they carried, but they did carry Ducati also. I have to admit that I was really torn at the time between the Ducati Supersport and the Roadster, but the correct color sold me. They were actually priced almost the same, give or take $50. I think I paid $1,850 for the bike. Doesn't sound like much now, does it? But at the time that was real money.

Germantown, MD is reachable for me. Will have to see if schedule (and wife) permits.

Brad said:

Hi MarshalNorton,
I have to admit that I was really torn at the time between the Ducati Supersport and the Roadster, but the correct color sold me. They were actually priced almost the same, give or take $50. I think I paid $1,850 for the bike. Doesn't sound like much now, does it? But at the time that was real money.

Click to expand...

I can tell you which one is worth more now.

Welcome Brad
Bike looks real sweet but how could you have put only 4,000 miles on it in 40 years!
It has a lot more left in it but guessing your age (about mine) at that rate it'll hardly be broken in before the next owner gets it. :shock:
Bob

Thanks, rx7171

You are certainly right. There's a lot more left in that bike than in me, I think. I just turned 70, and am getting harder to start than the combat.

A short guide to keeping mileage down:

1. Buy bike of your dreams, September, 1972
2. Ride the snot out of it for two months (evenings & weekends only, back then we all worked for a living).
3. Look at ice and snow for two months.
4. Ride weekends, evenings, eight months.
5. Job relocation: move, ride rarely due to work demands, travel, for next four years. Bike lives in basement garage.
6. 1979: kid born; motorcycle riding deemed much too dangerous (by spouse) for new dad with "responsibilities". Drain gas, remove battery, store bike. Approx. 2200 miles on clock.
7. 1986: drag out bike, buy battery, clean up, ride about monthly, 25 to 30 miles per crank-up. Do this for about 18 months.
8. Have to move again. Store bike again. This time, due to not having proper garage, bike goes to cousin's garage - thirty miles away. New job is extensive travel, kid wants to go to college, etc. A little over 3,000 miles on clock now.
9. Time passes, shit happens.
10. It is suddenly 2008. Lose job, say screw it, "retire".
11. 2008: Dig out bike, clean up, buy battery (they used to run about $25, didn't they?), fire it up. Cousin lives out in county, no traffic, no nothing, so WTF - ride it down the road a mile or five.
12. Do this about every month or so till now. Wife hates it. No registration, insurance, tags, so illegal as hell. Probably why I do it. Putting about 200 miles a year on it doing this. Have to buy LL 100 at local airport (over $6 a gallon, now) to keep booze out of tank. Remove and drain tank after each crankup anyway. PITA

That's how you do it. I'm an idiot.

After about 65 don't you just tell the wife to stuff it? :mrgreen:



btw, you can't move or change your photos in Photobucket or the links change.

Brad, your post is very interesting, to me anyway. I'll turn 69 this year. I've made the decision to quit riding on the road. I've been riding for 56 years. Enough. Can't see, can't hear. Time for me to hang it up before "it" hangs me up. Don't know if I'll sell the Norton or not. BMW is up for sale now. Looking at some cool KTMs. The ones that you need a stool to mount and have knobby tires. If only I still lived in California with desert access.

Swoosh,

Thanks for posting the pic from Photobucket; I didn't know that the images were simply links.

And as to the post-65 observation: everybody knows the wife controls half the money, and all the (well, you know what they control all of). Now, at my age I don't have a LOT of money, but I think I have all I'll need. However,...........!

Hi, JimC

Like you, I've been riding a long time, albeit kinda spotty. The last few times I renewed my driver's license they asked me "do you still want/need the motorcycle certification?". I always say yes, even when it has been forever since I really rode.

Like you, I can't see worth a crap (cataract on one eye, to be repaired in near future), can't hear (two tours of VN, one on PBR's), am somewhat of a twerp (140 lbs soaking wet with clothes on), but still like to think I can do anything.

Having said that, I've been giving serious thoughts to selling my bike too. And like you, I've thought about buying another, but not an off-road - never could get into that. I have given thoughts to buying some cheap jap bike , one that can at least keep up with traffic, and that I can leave out in the rain if I want. Get me one of those modern helmets that nobody can see your face in. Park it in the back yard under a tarp - or not. Put booze-gas in it, and not give a crap. Have those fancy new electric turn signals (what won't they think of next?). Use oil from the Zippy-mart. Forget what BTDC means.

The problem with the Norton is that I like it too much. Where I have to ride it now involves a 1/4 mile of gravel/rock drive to get it to pavement. I haven't laid it down yet, but every time I take it out it's a challenge. It's really starting to bother me.