Nostalgia gone mad?

Ok, first post, new member, hi everybody. Been hanging around here a couple of weeks and reading lots of posts. This really seems like the place to get answers to all (?) of your Norton questions and thoughts. I would like to tell my Norton story, I´ll try not to use the whole page.... In 1974 I bought a 1970 Commando Roadster, rode it a lot for 10 years, sold it in 1983. Four weeks ago I bought it back! The same bike, 32 years has passed. Now here´s the thing: This bike has never been in the shape of a Roadster since it was imported to Sweden in 1972. It was built as a Dunstall, but it was not a real Dunstall, just the tank, seat and the rear sets. When I bought it I rode it as it was the first year, but my ideas at the time (I was 20) were more in the direction of choppers. Yes, I know, that doesn´t seem to be a big thing here, but I hope you won´t throw me out... Anyway, the bike was transformed, rigid rear end and long forks and all the rest, and it was a dream to drive on the highway, believe me, it was. When I bought it back, it was a totally different bike. The only thing that was left was the engine/gearbox. So now I´m going to start a detective work on a big scale; 32 years and some 12 or 13 owners, there can be some parts in someones basement or garage, I have to believe that. I´m at least gonna try to put it together as it was when I sold it, at least as close as I can. I´m getting a bit old, don´t ride as much as I used to, but for a short ride for some coffee a couple of times a summer, it´s going to be worth the job, I´m sure! Fun fact: I don´t think there´s anything on this bike that was there when it left the factory in 1970; I blew the engine, so there´s an 850 in it, the gearbox decided to split where it´s not supposed to, so that´s replaced. And now there´s even another frame, wheels and everything else, maybe the primary cases are the original parts, but that´s probably it. Sorry for the long inlay, I promise it will not happen again!
Tommy

Pictures! We need pictures. Read technical-information-how-post-photos-t2357.html about half-way down the page for how to accomplish this.

Welcome!

Nathan

What makes you so sure it is the same bike you sold all those years ago ? if all has changed since you saw it last ... otherwise go for it ! ... and welcome to the forum ...
Craig

Give us numbers and pictures please. Many Nortons have blown up over the years due to yahoo racer types and of course trannys with the known layshaft bearing death wish. Welcome.

Craig said:

What makes you so sure it is the same bike you sold all those years ago ? if all has changed since you saw it last ... otherwise go for it ! ... and welcome to the forum ...
Craig

Click to expand...

Different engine, different frame and different gearbox but same bike?

swooshdave said:

Craig said:

What makes you so sure it is the same bike you sold all those years ago ? if all has changed since you saw it last ... otherwise go for it ! ... and welcome to the forum ...
Craig

Click to expand...

Different engine, different frame and different gearbox but same bike?

Click to expand...

Hey, be nice or I'll ask for my gearbox back. 149xxx.....you know the one , your brother got it for you? :wink: :wink:

It's my gearbox , gimmmeee back. :cry:

Whether it is physically your bike or spiritually your bike, welcome to the forum. Have fun putting a part of your youth back into your life. I suspect a large number of us enjoy our Nortons because they help us hark back to the glory days when we could ride a bike with clip-ons to the moon and back.

Have your way with the bike, it may be your last chance. Welcome, we need pictures. I'm guessing you got the bike with the same registration or what ever it's called in Swedland but it certainly doesn't sound like the same bike you had. I've had the same '70 bike since 72 but I'm now 71 so I'm not an ironbutt and never was but it's better than when I first got it.

In Sweden the license plate stays with the vehicle for life. So when you buy a car or bike, the plate is already on there. At least it used to when I lived there many moons ago

So I assume the OP got the machine back and based on the plate, he knew it was the same one

But there may be some other reason as well of course

Valkommen Tommy,

Matt / Colorado Norton Works

www.coloradonortonworks.com

fiatfan said:

Ok, first post, new member, hi everybody. Been hanging around here a couple of weeks and reading lots of posts. This really seems like the place to get answers to all (?) of your Norton questions and thoughts. I would like to tell my Norton story.......... And now there´s even another frame, wheels and everything else, maybe the primary cases are the original parts, but that´s probably it. Sorry for the long inlay,Tommy

Click to expand...

No appoligies necessary, thanks for the very interesting story and history behind your bike/bikes. Welcome to the forum, I believe you are correct about this being the place to get answers etc...I'm going to echo the others in saying ....we need pictures..... .....I look forward to you future posts and build thread.......what the heck maybe two seperate bikes can rise from the ashes of your current purchase :wink:

OK, first of all; thanks guys! For the "welcoming" and all.... I obviously need to clarify the thing about the "my old bike" issue. As Matt says, the identity of the vehicle is the frame number and the number plate, it´s there forever. That´s apparently not the case everywhere, didn´t think very far there... So I recognised the frame number, 139128, and the engine number, 305010 I think. I spoke to the guy who built it the way it looks today, and he told me he had bought the drivetrain and the papers from someone. Then he built a new version of the bike with that frame number. Here you have to do a new registration when you change the bike too much, they measure the distance between the front and rear axles, and also from the front axle and the lower yoke (tree?). Those numbers are written in to the registration papers. Since the bike has been standing still for about 10 years, I´ve done a little "checkup", had to look over the electrics, that´s fixed, also the previous owner said there was some problem with the kick start mechanism. I´ve had the gearbox inner shell off, but can´t find anything strange there, so I´ll just let it be for now. There´s sparks coming off the plugs (Boyer ign.), I´ve cleaned the 32 mm Mikuni snowmobile carbs, so now I´m fixing new cables for the throttle, clutch and front brake. Then some gasoline/petrol, and hopefully we´re off! (And new oils everywhere of course!)
And yes everyone, I´m working on the pics!
Tommy

I don't mind reading the long stories at all, that (and pictures) make it all the more interesting.

I personally would not build a chopper, but would be just as interested in seeing and hearing the rebuild / resurrection story, and especially when it starts and runs after several years. When that big smile appears, it it all worth it.

fiatfan said:

And new oils everywhere of course!

Click to expand...

Gotta say it: make sure you drain the sump prior to adding oil to the tank. What looks like an empty tank is usually the dreaded "wet-sumping" issue (try a search for an overwhelming onslaught) and you can suddenly have twice as much oil in the system as should be there.

Nathan

Nater_Potater said:

fiatfan said:

And new oils everywhere of course!

Click to expand...

Gotta say it: make sure you drain the sump prior to adding oil to the tank. What looks like an empty tank is usually the dreaded "wet-sumping" issue (try a search for an overwhelming onslaught) and you can suddenly have twice as much oil in the system as should be there.

Nathan

Click to expand...

Hi Nathan, I´ve had the drain plug out, and also the metal filter out for cleaning, so I´m sure there´s no oil left in the sump. I also had to replace the oil line from the tank to the pump. I´m also going to take off the rocker covers and pour oil in there before trying to start it. If you loosen the banjo bolts on the cyl.head, is it possible to kick the engine enough to see that you get the oil up there before starting it up? Without plugs of course! Seem to remember doing so back in the day, at least loosening the bolts when first starting it up to see oil, not sure about the kicking though...

Tommy

swooshdave said:

Craig said:

What makes you so sure it is the same bike you sold all those years ago ? if all has changed since you saw it last ... otherwise go for it ! ... and welcome to the forum ...
Craig

Click to expand...

Different engine, different frame and different gearbox but same bike?

Click to expand...

Ha Ha, sounds like my buddy's antique hammer. - This hammer's 50 years old. Gone through 2 heads and 3 handles.

Hi tommy , & welcom , love to see the pics & what are you doing with the chopper parts ?

fiatfan said:

If you loosen the banjo bolts on the cyl.head, is it possible to kick the engine enough to see that you get the oil up there before starting it up?

Click to expand...

Definitely pour some oil in the rocker boxes, but I would highly recommend doing everything you can to get the bike to fire with the least amount of kicking as possible. The cam suffers at low RPMs, so the hope is to get the engine above 1500 as quickly as possible. As long as you see oil returning to the tank, you're getting oil to the rockers.

Nathan

dero said:

Hi tommy , & welcom , love to see the pics & what are you doing with the chopper parts ?

Click to expand...

Hi Dero, and thanks! About the parts I´m hopefully not gonna use, they´ll be up for sale later. The ultimate is; I succeed in finding my old parts (really high odds on that) and put the bike back together, keep the engine and sell the rest. As this probably will not happen, I´ll just take it as it comes, I´ll have something to do in the long winter evenings that´s coming along. Calling previous owners and try to make them remember what the h-ll happened with this or that part that they removed from the bike all those years ago! Where I live you can´t ride from late October till some time in April, so there´s lots of time to spend in the garage!

Tommy

Pictures!!!
This first one is ca 1977.

This is 1981, going to a meeting somewhere, considering the load on the forks...

This is probably from 1983, the last year I drove it.

And this is how it looked when I bought it a month ago, in one sense it´s the same bike, but then again it´s only the identity and engine that´s the same as on the previous picture.


Tommy