Personal pics from yesteryear : Norton Commando (2018)

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My first Norton, picked up this 1973 750 (230615) from the Amsterdam airport under the tax-free sales for Americans visiting Europe.
I was in the US Army stationed near Stuttgart Germany, and rode the bike from Holland back to Germany.
Shipped the bike back home to the US in 1975, rode it daily until I bought a silver Mk3 Interstate in 1976, then traded the Interstate parts for Dunstall.
Still have the bike, 34,000 miles.
Still have the Mk3, 68,000 miles.
By the way I was 19 at the time and that hair met the Army standards of the day. That is the longest my hair has ever been since!
Personal pics from yesteryear : Norton Commando (2018)
 
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Bob Z. said:
My first Norton, picked up this 1973 750 (230615) from the Amsterdam airport under the tax-free sales for Americans visiting Europe.
I was in the US Army stationed near Stuttgart Germany, and rode the bike from Holland back to Germany.
Shipped the bike back home to the US in 1975, rode it daily until I bought a silver Mk3 Interstate in 1976, then traded the Interstate parts for Dunstall.
Still have the bike, 34,000 miles.
Still have the Mk3, 68,000 miles.
By the way I was 19 at the time and that hair met the Army standards of the day. That is the longest my hair has ever been since!
Personal pics from yesteryear : Norton Commando (2018)
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Great picture Bob! Love that Bell Star 1 it's such an iconic design. I had two over the years, but when the padding collapsed I dumped them. Sooo stupid, I should have done a Peter Williams and Dave Aldana paint job on each and put them in my man cave.

This may sound odd, but i love the lighting pillars in the background as well, very 50's and "War of the Worlds" looking.

(of course you and the commando are worth noting too ;))


Cheers,

cliffa.
 
cliffa said:
Great picture Bob! Love that Bell Star 1 it's such an iconic design. I had two over the years, but when the padding collapsed I dumped them. Sooo stupid, I should have done a Peter Williams and Dave Aldana paint job on each and put them in my man cave.

This may sound odd, but i love the lighting pillars in the background as well, very 50's and "War of the Worlds" looking.

(of course you and the commando are worth noting too ;))


Cheers,

cliffa.
Click to expand...

The photo was taken at a rest stop somewhere southbound on the Autobahn in central Germany.
You are correct, Bell Star helmet, along with mail-ordered Sears jump suit and oiled black boots.
The clear face visor eventually broke and I replaced it with the next generation multi-colored Bell.
 
Late 70's, maybe early 80's. I packed light then. Taking a break beside the Nenana River near Denali NP on my way home to Fairbanks. It was a cool rainy day and I had a lot of layers on. Still have this MkIII but not the old Bell. Brother doesn't have the KZ900. Was a fun ride. We passed everything.

Personal pics from yesteryear : Norton Commando (2018)
 
Just upgraded to VIP, so I thought I'd revive this thread of "personal pics from yesteryear" showing me with my 1st Commando somewhere around 1974. Also a shot with one of my riding buddies on his Honda 750. I lived at the beach, and we were just screwing around with the camera one day. Swimming trunks and bare feet were not our normal riding gear. Finally, including a shot of the (slightly modified) '74 Laverda 750 sf2 that I replaced the Norton with a couple of years later. Behind the Laverda you can just see the tail end of my '66 Austin Healey 3000. Those were the days! In my early/mid 20s. Young and crazy! Now I'm old and crazy.

I remember the Norton as being a 1972, but it's got the crankcase breather coming out the side, so it must have been a '71. Not my first ride, but my first big road bike. Bought it used in stock (Roadster) condition except for custom paint and a sissy bar of all things. Then turned it into the "cafe racer" you see in the photos. Road the shit out of it with regular 300 mi Sunday rides with the gang and several road trips up and down the western U.S.

Picked up another '72 Roadster a year and a half ago, 45 odd years after the 1st. Got it set up with the same bars, pipes, and rear sets along with a Corbin "gunfighter" seat, and it is a blast to ride. Current "modern" street bike is an '07 Aprilia Tuono 1000r, and the contrast is striking to say the least. Love the Forum and being part of the Norton community once again.
Personal pics from yesteryear : Norton Commando (2018)
Personal pics from yesteryear : Norton Commando (2018)
Personal pics from yesteryear : Norton Commando (2018)
Personal pics from yesteryear : Norton Commando (2018)
 
Ooh, Col du Galibier – around the age of 14, a few years before your pic was taken, I was camping in that area with a French family – I remember seeing a candy apple Interstate storming up a mountain road just up from the field we were camped in, glorious sound … And a green Fastback parked at Les Deux Alpes. Made me very proud to see (I was still a child!), and another part of the jigsaw that led to me owning a Commando today. Happy memories.
 
Just stumbled upon this older thread, and the pictures are telling such great stories. Gotta admire those who've hung onto 'em since the beginning. Hope this bumps this thread back up so more of you post these great images/stories.

Bought my first Norton, 750 Commando (72 prod/73 registered) a little over 2 years ago at age 37 and it sealed the deal with my love of Nortons. Hoping it'll stay with me as long as many of yours have stayed with you. Don't have any photos to validate time-spent since it hasn't been very long yet, but thought some of you might appreciate my son's enthusiasm for my Norton. ;-)

Personal pics from yesteryear : Norton Commando (2018)
 
I tied my EZ-Up between my truck and my trailer in 2010; the wind tried and failed for three days.

Actually, it's a high-end $600 10x20 with aluminum frame. I got it FREE at Grattan in 2008! The guy had JUST taken it out of the box, he and his buddies set it up and started to unload their bikes when a mighty wind blew it tumbling over the van that was in between his pit and my pit (scratched up that dude's van pretty badly), it landed right in front of my truck, upside-down, kinda bent up, and one leg doubled over. The guy was FUMING as he dragged it toward the dumpster; I asked him if it was OK for me to salvage it, and he just turned around and left it in the middle of the pit lane. I called the company as soon as the race weekend was over, and they sent me a new leg for $35. I straightened the rest of it out. I JUST retired it LAST YEAR! High quality, but I wouldn't shell out that kind of money when I can get 12 "disposable" ones for that price at Academy...
 
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1965 BSA. Taken in 1969. One of the many configurations that the bike went through in the eleven years I owned it. Different tanks, wheels, forks, carbs, seats. Finally restored it to full stock and sold it (regretfully) a year later. Note engine cases – when I rebuilt engine and had cases separated, I ground off all of the casting “nubs” and polished to a high sheen. Where did I find the time?

Personal pics from yesteryear : Norton Commando (2018)
 
Mark R1200S said:
I have a collection of personal Norton memorabilia I've somehow kept all these years. They're in boxes. I'm currently involved in a personal literary project, so I've been sorting through them. Looking them over, I think members of the forum might enjoy them.

Perhaps also, fellow members might post pics from their Commando-riding past, like from the 60's, 70's and 80's.

[If this is a redundant post topic, I apologize]

So here's the first image (of a number forthcoming):

Personal pics from yesteryear : Norton Commando (2018)


This is a newsletter cover from the Norton Owners Club. The club's members primarily resided on the San Francisco Peninsula, circa 1970's and 1980's-- when I had contact with them.

Newsletter is from June 1978. Focus was on Second Annual Norton Beer Bust. Imagine if you were a motorcycle social event-- specifically centered around Norton motorcycles and beer drinking! Cue old Archie and Edith, singing their tune "those were the days."
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