Redneck from Mississippi ( Howdy Yall)

Hello all,

I have recently began working on a 1974 Norton Commando 850 Roadster that my mother received in an inheritance. I have just recently started working on it and have a ways to go to get it running. This motorcycle was my uncles who apparently "Pickled" it and left it in the basement of a home he owned in Northern Arkansas. When my mother went to get it I cleaned it up and amazingly it kicked over with no problems. I have since rebuilt the Amal's, put new braided fuel lines and petcocks on it. I have pulled off the oil tank and cleaned it out, the bushing bolts holding the tank were pretty much gone and I am considering sending the tank to Colorado Norton Works to have it redone, any suggestions?

The fuel tank is in good shape with the original paint, the side panels are faded but I don't know that I want to do anything with them yet. Currently I am just working on getting the engine running and will work from them. I have a few more parts coming in (Spark plug wires, plugs, etc). Once I get that done I will be working on the brakes (The master cylinder is rusted together and will probably have to buy a new one), new tires and figure the iso-elastics will probably have to be replaced.

Any suggestions on where I can get points or should I jump over to electronic ignition? Any other suggestions while I have it down and getting it roadworthy?

I have added a couple of pics I took before I started taking her apart, I have cleaned up the amals, shined up the valve covers and been washing off all the old dirt and grime.

Any ways, just wanted to say hello and look forward to learning a lot from you guys.

G'day from S.A. You are a very lucky person, that's the best Pickled anything I ever saw. How long did it sit for. If the oil tank is rusty and, or, if the oil lines are suspect don't try to run the engine. You would be well advised to disconect the oil lines going to the motor to see if there is any rubbish lerking. You may have to strip the motor, just to be sure. It's all good fun and no better way to get aquainted than to strip her down. If you do, check the Forum for mods. Better safe than sorry.

Congratulations on your new acquisition Warpedscout. Your bike looks in nice condition. Rather than trying to source a new master cylinder, which will be expensive, why not send the existing one for re-sleeving down to a smaller more efficient size - this is quite a popular modification and in my experience improves brake feel and operation substantially. RGM in the UK do this mod, although I'm sure there are some US based machinists doing the same job. Good luck with it.

Yes Dave, The British bike Connection in Jim Knol's ownership will help. He is on the web.

Congrats man. That bike sure looks good like maybe it was always kept out of the weather. Some of us have had to pay 1k just to get something to spend 4k more on! :lol:

Lose the handle bars!

The bike was kept indoors for at least 15 years after being pickled. I know my uncle bought the bike from Colorado and it still had the tag from there on it, last registered in 1992. I have drained the oil from the tank and crankcase and it flowed right out, no sludge or metal shavings I have been able to see. I have looked in the maintenance plugs on the clutch and chain and it looks brand new inside, no rust or sludge at all. The Amal's did not have any plaque in them when I tore them apart and rebuilt them. I cleaned them heavily and all the ports were clear, no debris at all in them. I have put PB Blaster in the cylinders just to make sure they have some lube in them while it sits and waits to be started. The bike shows just over 10,000 miles on the odometer and I feel fairly confident that it is true due to the shape of the bike. I will be pulling the tank off to clean it, very clean inside but want to clean it out to make sure there are no debris inside of it prior to putting fuel in it. So far I have only invested just over $200.00 USD in the bike and from my parts list I feel I will have just around $1,000.00 USD in the bike once I get it running in the present condition unless I hit some really big snags. I think I will be sending the oil tank off to Colorado Norton Works next week to have the oil tank reconditioned even though the tank looks really good and no sludge in the tank when I took it off. Just a little insurance so I don't have the oil tank bust on it when I get it running and ruin the engine!! I have thrown in a few more photos of the Amal's before and after and the valve covers also. I will be taking the bike out to the driveway today to clean some more grime off the areas I could not get to prior to taking off the oil tank.
I have been working off a manual I found online that seems to be a scan of the original Norton manual. I may try and take the rear wheel off today to clean the rim and take off the rear tire, they look good but have some sidewall cracks in them. Feel it best to have new rubber on the wheels when I get her going!!

Time to go and play!!! Take care all.

bmwbob said:

Lose the handle bars!

Click to expand...

What do you suggest, original US handlebars or clip ons?

warpedscout said:

bmwbob said:

Lose the handle bars!

Click to expand...

What do you suggest, original US handlebars or clip ons?

Click to expand...

Euro style low bars, clip ons only if you are a contorsionist or young enough not to shave :mrgreen:

Jean

Wow - that bike looks in great condition. Nice!

Nice bike ! Ditto on the euro bars, Clubman racing accessories will help with the master cylinder, it's about 180 bucks but worth it , resleeved, powder coated. let me know how it goes with the oil tank at CNW 'cause I'm thinking of sending mine there too. Cj

mama mia!

That bike is in excellent condition. Your uncle must have been a fastidious individual.

Apart from a bit more modest handlebar height, I wouldn't change a thing on that bike; it appears to be quite original, and they are only original once.

Welcome to the forum.

Nice bike, lucky guy. If you want to stick with points, DomiRacer has them. Nearly everyone will tell you to go EI though. I don't mind points myself.

Dave
69S

Damn, that bike is nicer than my daily rider. Welcome and for mods or upgrades, wait until you figure out what you're comfortable with. I did get tired of points and changed a bunch of stuff over the course of years, but that is me and I'd rather ride than fiddle with the bike. Handle bars are high, but if you like em use em. The UK bars are only a couple inches high which isn't bad, but they are pretty narrow. I have a brand new set I am not going to use if you are interested. I like the higher US type bars. I think I have a pair of Honda bars which are in between the US and UK height and the pull back isn't as far.

+1 with DogT on the points for the ignition, though most here seem to like the EI setups, and I've had boyers too. Currently building a 1974 850 myself, though completely apart and no where near as nice as yours. With mine apart, I'm doing WAY MORE than I list here, but your bike is together and really close to rideable condition. So ... as a minimum, If I had your bike, what I would do :
1) install a nissin master cylinder for the front brake, $69.00 form mikesxs.net or northeneagle.ca way better IMHO. Some will disagree with me on this, but it's way cheaper and works better than a sleeved OEM Lockheed.
2) install new tires and tubes, Avon AM26s ... stay away from Dunlop TT100s ! (even though they were OEM)
3) it can be a pain, but I would change the layshaft bearing with a 6203 C3 roller bearing, caged roller ... insurance against potential gearbox catastrophe. Even though yours is low mileage, please read the many threads here on this ...
4) rebuild front caliper, period !
5) lube pivots for rear brake shoes and all cables really well.
6) make sure your charging system works, outputting at least 13.5 volts across the battery @ 3500 RPM. Be a PITA to be stranded if ya do fit an EI.
7) Ride it and enjoy !!!

Below is a pic the nissin front master cylinder on my bike, with braided stainless brake line of course :





Just my 2 cents, and WELCOME to the forum !!!

Welcome to another Southerner. Your uncle did a really fine job preserving that bike. Looks great. Keep up the postings (and the pictures)! You can find every question answered on this forum.

:roll: There is nothing wrong with dunlop tt100 tires, electronic ignition and you really can get by with the stock brake. A lot of paranoia exists in the world usually due to personal choices. You need to figure out what you want not what others want you to have. You can however spend 1000's of dollars on stuff you don't need, but is cool.

Euro style low bars, clip ons only if you are a contorsionist or young enough not to shave :mrgreen:

Jean[/quote]
You’re too much Jean but you speak the truth. :lol:
The old geezers can't crank our necks like that anymore at least not for very long.
Great find Redneck... It’s rare to find a bike that has not seen the elements of weather. You need to change out the rubber components including the tires. As you say this bike has sat for 15 years and tires should be replace every 5 years from manufacturing date. Take your oil tank rubber mounts for e.g. and bellows for the carburettors. If the bellows are hard and have cracks in them, its time to replace. Try to get the bike running with the points. There are quite a few choices for Electronic ignition as well as some heated debates as to which is best. Again research the forum. Check the filters in the fuel tank and the bottom of the carburettors. Make sure there are no cracks. Your idle circuit will be affected if there are small bits floating around in your fuel. Do a search on Amal carbs. They do have issues with worn slides but if they are resleeved then they will operate as they did when new. You have a good bike to start out with. Approach problems in a logical manner and use the forum for any research.
CNN

Very nice and nearly original!

If you want to keep it original, you can get your master resleeved for an improvement in brake effectiveness without changing the outward appearance. Changing the master to Nissin/Brembo/Magura will require finding some alternate switchgear and minor re-wiring.

Yours is so close to original, it seems a shame not to keep it that way. However, what ever you decide, it should provide years of enjoyment!