Right hand to left hand shift change time frame

Q

quawk

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Did Norton (and other bikes for that matter) change from the right shift/left brake to what I assume became the standardized control placement of right brake/left shift in 1975? There is a bike that's listed as a 1975 Norton 850 for sale in this area and has many pics, but they show this bike as having the right side shift. Could that be correct for this bike? It says matching numbers and the asking price is $20,000. That seems way out of the ball park. Is any Norton worth that?
 
Back in the day, a lot of bikes were titled in the year when they sold. I own a 74 MKIIA that is titled 1975. For 20K, it better be perfect or better! I'm selling a real nice 72 Combat Interstate for half that.
 
It was the beginning of "Nanny state". For example handlebar switches also had to be labelled with their individual function, which is why the MkIII has different switches. They had to have a neutral light, etc, etc...

I suspect Harley Davidson had a lot to do with it, as at the time they were successfully lobbying the US government to impose high import taxes and any other way to make it as difficult as humanly possible for motorcycle importers in order to protect their home market. It wasn't only the Japanese that killed the British Bike industry.
 
cliffa said:
It was the beginning of "Nanny state". For example handlebar switches also had to be labelled with their individual function, which is why the MkIII has different switches. They had to have a neutral light, etc, etc...

I suspect Harley Davidson had a lot to do with it, as at the time they were successfully lobbying the US government to impose high import taxes and any other way to make it as difficult as humanly possible for motorcycle importers in order to protect their home market. It wasn't only the Japanese that killed the British Bike industry.
Click to expand...
Banning right foot gear change in the US couldn't have come at a much worse time for NVT
The cost of changing over must have been astronomical
And what did it gain?
 
In reference to my question about the moving of the shifter from right side to left, I researched by reading the Wikipedia page about Norton Villers Triumph, and their ultimate demise. Kind of a confusing history those last years, for someone from the States anyway. Since I've never seen any refernce made about or seen any '76 or newer Norton for sale, I assume the '75 850 Mk3 was the last year of the Norton bikes. I do see that according to some internet news stories that "Norton is back" as they put it, and the rights to the Norton brand in now owned by Indian mega-motorcyle-maker TVS, and is or will be producing and selling Norton badged bikes, but the more I read about the "new Norton" the more confusing and conflicting it seems. I believe I read a response or post of a member here having a new Norton 961. Anyway, was 1975 the last year of original Norton production?
 
baz said:
Banning right foot gear change in the US couldn't have come at a much worse time for NVT
The cost of changing over must have been astronomical
And what did it gain?
Click to expand...
"Banning right foot gear change in the US couldn't have come at a much worse time for NVT" That and the sit in at Meriden.

"And what did it gain?" The ability to sell to the U.S. but they were being highly taxed an undercut by things like the XS650.
 
It was the beginning of US government mandating standards and features (airbags) on vehicles. Prior to that, motorcycles had transmission shifters and rear brakes on either left or right foot controls and shifters with different patterns. It probably made sense to lawmakers who thought that they were saving idiots from themselves who wanted to blame anybody else that they were too lazy to learn the motorcycle controls. So 1975 was the year for any motorcycle sold/ imported had to have left side shift, down for 1st up for all the other gears. Right side rear brake. I prefer up for first, down for all the rest. Converted my Duc for that pattern, makes it easier on my brain. Because we have been riding Nortons forever, we know it's a better pattern and you'll never miss a shift or stress your big toe upshifting all the time.

What year you see advertised doesn't really matter, always fiction if not what you know it should actually be. I recently viewed a "Dreer" Commando at the INOA rally in NH titled as a 1967 model. Owner convinced the NH motor vehicle dept. that was year of mfg. and got away with it. Ridiculous.
(Edit: I believe it was titled in CT now that I think about it)
I think we need a moratorium on all these posts where people question validity of year of title/ registration of Commandos that are obviously not correct.
Commandos were manufactured for only less than 10 years, 750 or 850. I can use any combination of parts from all years and advertise one as any year model. If you want Concours, then pursue that with the wealth of documentation, otherwise buy it for what it is.
 
Last edited:
cliffa said:
It was the beginning of "Nanny state". For example handlebar switches also had to be labelled with their individual function, which is why the MkIII has different switches. They had to have a neutral light, etc, etc...

I suspect Harley Davidson had a lot to do with it, as at the time they were successfully lobbying the US government to impose high import taxes and any other way to make it as difficult as humanly possible for motorcycle importers in order to protect their home market. It wasn't only the Japanese that killed the British Bike industry.
Click to expand...
That is inaccurate.
The US tariff import was in 1983.
 
concours said:
That is inaccurate.
The US tariff import was in 1983.
Click to expand...
Maybe I’m getting my dates wrong, but I was sure I remember reading that NVT found it increasingly difficult to keep competitive pricing due to the high import duties imposed. I remember the U.S. imposed a quota system at some time as well.
 
not relevant to Nortons but I owned a 1982 Laverda Mirage years ago that had a right foot change albeit one down four up, were these imported into the USA ?.
 
cliffa said:
Maybe I’m getting my dates wrong, but I was sure I remember reading that NVT found it increasingly difficult to keep competitive pricing due to the high import duties imposed. I remember the U.S. imposed a quota system at some time as well.
Click to expand...
I find history fascinating. Please provide some link where I can read more about that.
 
Don't think everyone who posts a '75 Norton with right-foot change has got it wrong...

(look close, that's a '75 e-start lump)

Right hand to left hand shift change time frame
 

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