NORTON ONE DAY DISTANCE RECORD

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gtsun said:
cuz it looked fun on the map! I could barely see due to 37 year old Luckless lighting and just when I thought we could fly down the mountain we hit a 31 mile section of super steep down hill 10 mile an hour switch backs! My clippons are a bit to low so ALL my weight was on my 50 year old wrists and they were not happy. By the time I got to my bed we had been riding for 16 hours on two lane mountain roads and I will not be doing that again soon. Glenn.
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:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
MexicoMike said:
"He even changed a primary belt en route."

He wouldn't have had to do that had he kept the original chain! :)
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Your right, If the chain broke he would have had to ship it home. :D Jim
 
Chain or belt...
Suppose one assumes the kind of spares a Commando rider takes with him on long trips would be indicative of what kind of ultimate breakdowns he thinks he may encounter.
It would be interesting to find out how many riders carry spare belts versus how many riders carry spare primary chains... :)
 
Generally before you go on a distance ride you check anything mechanical that can be checked out and replace before departing. A primary chain or belt wouldn't be on my list of must have parts to carry, but maybe plugs........
 
I just remembered a trip I did as a teenager from Orange County Ca to Palm Springs and back in one day. I had just put a new clutch in a friends bike & a few friends were going so I decided to stress test the new clutch. We got so lost that we ended up riding in a old dirt river bed asuming it had to leed us back to the civalized world at some point. My friends were both on Hondas and kept falling over & getting stuck in the sand while I glided through. I wouldn't punish an old Norton like that now but it was a ratty bike & we were 17. It got me home and I have no idea how it did. I was beat. Glenn.
 
slimslowslider said:
Chain or belt...
Suppose one assumes the kind of spares a Commando rider takes with him on long trips would be indicative of what kind of ultimate breakdowns he thinks he may encounter.
It would be interesting to find out how many riders carry spare belts versus how many riders carry spare primary chains... :)
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Last time I had a chain break it would have done no good to have a spare. I would have needed a chaincase and a machine shop. jim
 
slimslowslider said:
Chain or belt...
Suppose one assumes the kind of spares a Commando rider takes with him on long trips would be indicative of what kind of ultimate breakdowns he thinks he may encounter.
It would be interesting to find out how many riders carry spare belts versus how many riders carry spare primary chains... :)
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He had 75,000 miles up on that belt when it failed. Steve is a prolific high mileage rider, mostly on a 850 Interstate.
 
500 miles in a day isn't bad. 650 takes a little more sitting there holding the throttle open. Coming back from the rally I went from Plain, WA to Cut Bank, MT one day (~600 miles). From Cut Bank to Carrington ND the next day (~700 miles). And home the next day (~350 miles). 600 miles is only 5 gas stops. Most of the way was on US 2, a spectacular road. It was a great trip. Being stubborn (or stupid) I had to dip into my reserve gas can twice on the way.

Greg

'70 Roadster
 
During the testing of the prototypes, we got up to about 500 miles a day out on regular roads. That doesn't sound like a lot until you realise we each (two of us on two bikes) did it 5 days in a row, Monday - Friday, for several weeks.
 
My great respects on the iron ore bottoms and glowing hot upper body and vacuumed filled heads.

Steve is my icon for Commando endurance. Another is a friend Rich Stone who does restorations for Baxters in Iowa, goes to the Blue Ridge run form there yearly, sends all day on those rides, then immediately heads to Kingston Arkansas to ride our roads named for reptiles and famous crooked Presidents, then after me and Wes are worn down on our Cdo-Triumph rides, Rick may just head straight back to lower Iowa as one shot over 900 miles away. We meet Rich when he was wondering if he could get last 1000 miles out of rear 850 with a few inches of cords showing in a few places. I noticed the sound then looked out my clinic to see loaded down silver beauty - called Wes up the Mt aways and Rich stayed over there and next am Wes had switched one off his '71 and off Rich went for begining of extended leg side trips.

NORTON ONE DAY DISTANCE RECORD

NORTON ONE DAY DISTANCE RECORD

NORTON ONE DAY DISTANCE RECORD
 
In my 20s I rode a BSA twin from calif to indianna, One day was 11 hours riding I think. It was cold and I was clenching my teeth at night. The next day my upper & lower teeth didn't fit together the same. The skin on my right thumb split from the constant vibration - had to keep that hand on the throttle.

Jim
 
Rich Stone is the King. I asked him once, you do those rides alone? His responce: No one will ride with me. If they try they fall behind. Being about 160LBs helps but he has something about him too. He is a part time truck driver and will warn you never follow a truck because of the tires coming off. Good advice...
Steve Showen is the other long rider, not so often, but longer trips, with more rest stops...
His story of doing it on a 250 BSA to Brimfield is a must read.
I like 300 mile days seems just right.
 
One of our NZ club members has done the Grand Challenge on his Atlas (or 650SS? not sure which).
The GC is an annual organised 1000 miles in 24 hrs event on a set weekend rain or shine. A little different from the Iron Butt in that you are given route directions the night before the ride, including 6 check points to sign in at. Normally includes a selection of main roads and twisty back roads.
 
Last time I had a chain break it would have done no good to have a spare. I would have needed a chaincase and a machine shop. jim
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Jim,
That is bad news indeed.
In retrospect, I guess a belt is actually not that big a burden at all to carry as a spare part.
Puzzles me what may have caused your chain to break, was that under "normal" street riding conditions?
 
"The next day my upper & lower teeth didn't fit together the same. The skin on my right thumb split from the constant vibration - had to keep that hand on the throttle."

Yep, what's not to like? :)
 
Ugh Jim, mis matched jaw mating is too much teeth gritting gruel for me to take.

Wes told me yesterday Rich Stone has worn out his 850 this year. Rich vistited Wes last week, trucked in a RD350 but was such a bad runner and other functions, only did 2 hr before they came back in to watch football, then Rich took off 900+ miles home in small pu. Wes said he had fun on his '71 though.

I only rode one trip long enough to get into trace mode on Peel, someday I'd like to find out how long that can last. Is a wind screen considered cheating?

When a belt comes apart it tends to pile up in crank pulley but not bust up cases.
 
I was talking to Mike Corbin once and he mentioned he rode his Norton or maybe it was a Triumph from the East Coast to California for an engineering job and when asked what are your qualifications, he said "I rode my (inset appropriate Lucas Electrics wired bike)" and was hired immediately. :roll:
 
Saddle Sore 1000 on a 1973 Roadster. I call it the Tour de Washington.
I left at 4AM and returned at 1230AM the next day.
NORTON ONE DAY DISTANCE RECORD


And a close up of the ride

NORTON ONE DAY DISTANCE RECORD
 
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