Preaching to the converted

baz · Mar 11, 2020

Ok I know you lot are already smitten
But I've just got recently got my commando back on the road after taking it off the road just before Christmas
I had actually forgotten just how good this bike is
It has a few modifications/upgrades but the engine is standard and the carburettors are standard etc
It's smooth the gearbox is slick the clutch is brilliant etc etc
I will never part with this bike
Cheers

ELLIS · Mar 11, 2020

Ditto

ELLIS

jbruney · Mar 11, 2020

Now.... Try to imagine how I felt after 38 years and had the awakening. You savor every moment.

ninja · Mar 11, 2020

baz said:
Ok I know you lot are already smitten
But I've just got recently got my commando back on the road after taking it off the road just before Christmas
I had actually forgotten just how good this bike is
It has a few modifications/upgrades but the engine is standard and the carburettors are standard etc
It's smooth the gearbox is slick the clutch is brilliant etc etc
I will never part with this bike
Cheers

Roger that.

Richard Tool · Mar 11, 2020

You betcha ! Hopefully mine will be back on the road in another month or two - haven’t ridden it in 10yrs.

ashman · Mar 11, 2020

Well I have been riding mine for 44 years now although I convered it to the Featherbed frame and souped the motor it has never let me down and its been a everyday rider most of it life.

Ashley

EstuaryBoy · Mar 11, 2020

I've always likened owning an old Brit to having a pet. No two are ever the same, and will only reward if time and effort are applied (okay, money too!). It might let you down or wet the floor once in a while, but chances are that'll only be because of neglect on your part

jbruney · Mar 11, 2020

If they wet the floor it's because you didn't take them out and keep them groomed. An owner issue as I see it.
I would really like to look over my oil pump and timing chain, but those screws have been in there forever and could be an at risk item.

lazyeye6 · Mar 11, 2020

I have had a number of Brit bikes. They were all fun. But the Commando was always special.
It is always a mechanical challenge and has a myriad number of ways to leak oil. But when
running well on a cold crisp day, it just snaps! And there is nothing like it.!
My FZ09 can run circles around it and can scare me half to death. I like it a lot. But it
and nothing else has the torque and character of a Commando.

The Buckeye Rider · Mar 11, 2020

baz said:
Ok I know you lot are already smitten
But I've just got recently got my commando back on the road after taking it off the road just before Christmas
I had actually forgotten just how good this bike is
It has a few modifications/upgrades but the engine is standard and the carburettors are standard etc
It's smooth the gearbox is slick the clutch is brilliant etc etc
I will never part with this bike
Cheers

Ride On baz, ride on.

maylar · Mar 12, 2020

jbruney said:
I would really like to look over my oil pump and timing chain, but those screws have been in there forever and could be an at risk item.

The cheesehead screws are actually pretty robust. They have a deep slot and with a properly sized driver you can apply quite a bit of torque to them. I'd suggest a 1/4" impact driver, those things are great for stuck screws.

Fast Eddie · Mar 12, 2020

Your Norton was made in the days when screws were made properly, plated properly, and threads were cut properly.

Moreover, Norton’s “external corrosion prevention system” was, and is still, surprisingly effective, and is something the Japanese have been unable to copy...

baz · Mar 12, 2020

I'm afraid my Norton is back to its leak free self after i re fitted a reed valve on the timing cover
And fixing a troublesome rocker feed pipe

Fast Eddie · Mar 12, 2020

You mean it’s back in “External corrosion prevention delete mode”...?

baz · Mar 12, 2020

Fast Eddie said:
You mean it’s back in “External corrosion prevention delete mode”...?

Erm I think so!!!

jbruney · Mar 12, 2020

50-ish years and still not rusted to scrap so it must be effective. Ideally all leaks should be forward on the machine to where riding carries the protective coating over the remainder. I'm certain that info was lost in the fire which took a lot of the other paperwork, but make no mistake by referring to this highly engineered system as 'leaks'. Other English bikes were also equipped with this system, and HD even copied it which I'm sure infringed upon the patent laws and wasn't pursued out of pity for the former colonials.

NPeteN · Mar 12, 2020

Fast Eddie said:
Your Norton was made in the days when screws were made properly, plated properly, and threads were cut properly.

Moreover, Norton’s “external corrosion prevention system” was, and is still, surprisingly effective, and is something the Japanese have been unable to copy...

It's true. I know as a fact that mine hadnt been removed in at least 40 years.
All but one came out smooth and the one that didn't had the head partially stripped in the 70s. Keep em good and greasy.

jbruney · Mar 12, 2020

Guess what northern boys?... I got a nice little ride in earlier.

Richard Tool · Mar 12, 2020

jbruney said:
Guess what northern boys?... I got a nice little ride in earlier.

Oh so cruel ...

acotrel · Mar 12, 2020

Thanks for posting. - I only access this forum in the hope that I might get some inspiration and motivation. The hardest thing as you get older is to keep the urge when you have grief. I really like your post.

Preaching to the converted

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