Restoration services

I have a 1974 850 Commando Roadster that is in need of restoration.It hasn't been run in over 35yrs, but has been garaged. I need a short list of shops any of you would recommend. Baxter Cycle is in my neighborhood[100mi],but sending it farther would be acceptable for a trustworthy shop. Any comments would be appreciated.Thanks,Mike.

Ah, it ain't worth restoring. I have $500 burning a hole in my pocket. I will take it off your hands. :mrgreen:

Get some wrenches, a manual, some cleaning supplies and have at it. We can get you through it. Seriously.

Where is your neighborhood? You don't say what state your in. If you are dead set against doing it yourself, give us some more geographical info and maybe post a pic or two. Maybe we can point you in the right direction.

Hi drones76, I'm in Lincoln,Ne. I bought this bike new in 1974,one year out of high school. Unfortunately I've drug it around from house to house all these years after an ill fated attempt at upgrading the ignition around 1976,[10,000 org mi].I'm at a point now in my life that I can spend the money,within reason, to have it restored back to a rider with some upgrades.Lucas electrics and carburation come to mind. I would really rather have some one reputable do the restoration than trust my meager skills.I'll try to get some pictures when my digital camera gets here. Thanks,Mike.

What is your budget.

To have a shop do it all the way with parts will run over $10,000.00.

What are you thinking of, a full tear down and rebuild, or just make it work?

There is $2000 to $4000 in just consumable parts (gaskets, seals, bearings, shocks, chains, bushings, tires, pistons, valves, guides, fluids, coils, rubber parts)

plus parts found to be worn or damaged.

Not to mention parts to replace or recondition, usually replace fork tubes, seat cover.

Plus there is Paint, at least $1000 for tank and sidecovers.

then there are the upgrades, new carbs $400, ignition $200, head steady $200

Then there are the niceties, Corbin seat $400, Laansdowne dampeners $350,


How far down the rabbit hole do you want to go?

bewolfie, I'm looking at about 15K max. Not in the CNW ballpark,but I want something thats safe,rideable and looks good. Just the whims of a 58yr old man trying to turn the clock back a little!----Mike.

Starting with a whole bike, you will be able to stay well under that figure.
I have done a few commandos for myself and without my labor have had about $3000 in replacement parts and consumables.
Figure another $1000 for sensible upgrades. Plus anywhere from 40 to 80 hours of labor.

I have around $3000 into my Blue Combat, including purchase price.
But there was a lot of selling parts that came with it, and careful purchasing of replacements.
It was a complete refurb with the exception of paint and wheels.

Thanks bewolfie, When my camera shows up I'll try to post some photos of what I've got to work with. If anyone has any recommendations on a shop feel free to send me a PM or a reply to this thread.Thanks again,Mike.

Baxter's certainly has the expertise. They have at least one Norton expert on staff. To clean, check, repair as needed and recommission, you can probably be riding for less than $2000 bill, provided things were kept rust free. You oiled the cylinders and gas tank every few years, right? :mrgreen:

concours, unfortunately no, that's why it needs a restoration. Parts were also added along the way,WindjammerIII,Sissy bar,Hooker pipes.Also the primary cover has a hole in it due to a caustic liquid dripping on it in storage. Not sure if it's repairable or not.I'd like to put it back more like it was when I bought it. Mike.

There are pictures of some beautiful, well sorted, upgraded Commandos on this site. Those pictures represent, in most cases, over a $10,000 investment in real money and untold hours of time. I will say, this site can save you some expenditures as for upgrades. I have replaced some of my original upgrades with better ones. Of course, if it had not been for this site I would not have known I needed (wanted would be more correct) newer, better upgrades. Regardless, owning a Norton is a hobby and should be looked upon as such.

And the upgrades now available are quite different and more performance enhancing than 20 or 30 yrs ago,
I think a combination of new manufacturing technologies, enthusiasm to make things better and an opportunity for suppliers to invest in an ever increasing market will see Commando's on the road with more performance, handling and reliability for a long time to come, I hate to use the analogy but people ride "Harleys" that have no actual Harley parts, Apart from the frame a Commando could be built using non genuine
parts, I'm not saying this is a good or bad thing. But it shows there are a lot of people out there who believe there is a market for Norton parts, Genuine or non genuine. this of course takes much business away from
AN. Fortunately for AN most people wish to buy genuine parts to keep their steed in reliable original condition.
they will still be there at the end of the day.

When I see these restoration topics I'm reminded of the guy(s) who take their newly acquired barn find "55" Chevy to the shop to have a "paint job". The shop owner tells the guy $5,000 is an estimate for paint only, barring anything unforeseen. About a year later, the Chevy is completely restored with a bill over $30,000. Same goes for our Commados, just a different scale.

Mike, check your private messages

Rich

Paint - I've had Craig McGlothlen at Precision Motorcycle Painting do a couple tanks and side covers for me. Both jobs were outstanding.
And he's a lot closer to you than me. You can see one of the sets he did for me on the bottom of page 11 of the gallery:
http://precisionmotorcyclepainting.com/ ... &by=&pg=11

Steve Barlow does very high quality restoration work, and he is from England. Kind of a long way from you but you would not be disappointed.

http://www.barlowvintage.com/

MF