Saying Hi..

Rhythminblues

Rhythminblues

Joined
Dec 30, 2017
Messages
7
This is a little of,a double post but I wanted to get to the Atlas guys too...
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, my name is Corey, I live up in Maine and I've just aquired a few Nortons after some very unfortunate family circumstances.
I will be bringing these 2 very nice Nortons to the market sometime in February and need a little help with the valuation. I inherited these bikes, and I’ve ridden both of them but I don’t have them in my stable yet; so I don’t have “all” the stats quite yet. I would keep these but I don’t ride very much anymore and it’d be nice to see them go to an enthusiast.
The 1st bike I’ll be selling is a 67 Norton Altas, well sorted, running, riding, excellent chrome, upholstery, tank, paint etc etc. Ex Ewen Mcgregor personal bike; more details to come.
The 2nd bike is a 15 Norton 961 Commando SE, with all updates, recalls etc etc, upswept Dominator Sport pipes, recalibrated ECU, beautiful running riding bike, under 4k miles. Name plate on the tripple trees says "1 of 50". More info to come. What are these machines worth on the open market? From what I’ve read maybe 7k to 12k for the Atlas not counting and provenance if applicable and 15-20k for the 961 SE. Feel free to constructively voice your opinions; it’d help a lot. Also, is there a way to decode the vin? Thanks.
Thanks.
 
Hey Corey,
Great to see you on the forum, and I'm sorry to hear about your family situation.
I'm a featherbed Norton guy, so I'll only speak to that particular bike. Value is going to depend mostly on the condition and the set up of the machine. Some photos, when you have a chance to take some, would help to evaluate.
1967, would have had the Atlas set up with distributor ignition, versus a magneto, and I'd think that depending on how original the machine is, would greatly effect the value. Everyone has their own definition of what a proper bike should be. I will say that the market is on the softer side at the moment, and I've seen most Atlas', sell in the $5000 - $7000 range. In all honesty, I don't know if Ewen McGregor carries enough clout in the Norton world, to render any significance to the value of your bike. But I suppose if you found the right guy, it might add a bit.

I'm in Northern Massachusetts, and if I can be of any help, please feel free to contact me. I'm not a buyer at the moment, as I've got my hands full, but perhaps could help further with evaluating the machine etc. I think that in the end, you'd be best off taking some really nice photos once the weather is better, and perhaps a video of the bike being started and running, and posting it on the forum for others to potentially buy it. Just don't forget to drain the cases of oil before starting, if it sits throughout the winter, as it'll certainly sump over that time.

Best of luck, and happy new year.
Cheers
Jeff
 
wilkey113 said:
Hey Corey,
Great to see you on the forum, and I'm sorry to hear about your family situation.
I'm a featherbed Norton guy, so I'll only speak to that particular bike. Value is going to depend mostly on the condition and the set up of the machine. Some photos, when you have a chance to take some, would help to evaluate.
1967, would have had the Atlas set up with distributor ignition, versus a magneto, and I'd think that depending on how original the machine is, would greatly effect the value. Everyone has their own definition of what a proper bike should be. I will say that the market is on the softer side at the moment, and I've seen most Atlas', sell in the $5000 - $7000 range. In all honesty, I don't know if Ewen McGregor carries enough clout in the Norton world, to render any significance to the value of your bike. But I suppose if you found the right guy, it might add a bit.

I'm in Northern Massachusetts, and if I can be of any help, please feel free to contact me. I'm not a buyer at the moment, as I've got my hands full, but perhaps could help further with evaluating the machine etc. I think that in the end, you'd be best off taking some really nice photos once the weather is better, and perhaps a video of the bike being started and running, and posting it on the forum for others to potentially buy it. Just don't forget to drain the cases of oil before starting, if it sits throughout the winter, as it'll certainly sump over that time.

Best of luck, and happy new year.
Cheers
Jeff
Click to expand...
Thanks Jeff, appreciate the kind words and sound advise; I’m taking baby steps on educating myself with both bikes; just read about wet sumping yesterday and zoomed in on several of my photos. Looks like theres a black powdercoated check spliced into the oil tank hose. I also read the conflicting school of thought on that too. I’m an engineer so I find both bikes facinating and good fun to be the steward of for the time being. I have a handfull of pics but having not read the forum rules I’m assuming I need a number of posts before posting them..
 
I don't believe that you need any certain number of posted, in order to put photos on the forum. If that's a rule, than it's a stupid one.
Lots of people swear by the anti sump valve, in the oil feed line. And lots of people also will place a cut off valve in the feed line. Of course, then you need to remember to turn it on before starting. I don't personally have much of an opinion on the inline anti sump, or the shut off. I say to each it's own. My preference is to leave my bikes stock, in regards to the oil feed. I start and ride my bikes regularly, so I don't encounter dumping issues. And over the winter, I don't mind having to drain the cases. But everyone has their own method, and each bike, tends to have it's own personality. So as long as one is familiar with their set up, and they're not causing any restriction with oil flow, then I feel that it's personal preference.

Either way, the Atlas is most certainly a fine machine, and if set up properly and cared for, it'll give countless miles of pleasure. And of course, the featherbed handling is phenomenal.

Glad that you've joined the forum. There's some good advice to be found here, and plenty of people with lots of experience. I'm sure there will be plenty of help here, should you need any.
And it's always nice to see another featherbed Norton owner, in the mix.
Cheers, and stay warm.
Jeff
 
wilkey113 said:
I don't believe that you need any certain number of posted, in order to put photos on the forum. If that's a rule, than it's a stupid one.
Lots of people swear by the anti sump valve, in the oil feed line. And lots of people also will place a cut off valve in the feed line. Of course, then you need to remember to turn it on before starting. I don't personally have much of an opinion on the inline anti sump, or the shut off. I say to each it's own. My preference is to leave my bikes stock, in regards to the oil feed. I start and ride my bikes regularly, so I don't encounter dumping issues. And over the winter, I don't mind having to drain the cases. But everyone has their own method, and each bike, tends to have it's own personality. So as long as one is familiar with their set up, and they're not causing any restriction with oil flow, then I feel that it's personal preference.

Either way, the Atlas is most certainly a fine machine, and if set up properly and cared for, it'll give countless miles of pleasure. And of course, the featherbed handling is phenomenal.

Glad that you've joined the forum. There's some good advice to be found here, and plenty of people with lots of experience. I'm sure there will be plenty of help here, should you need any.
And it's always nice to see another featherbed Norton owner, in the mix.
Cheers, and stay warm.
Jeff
Click to expand...
Thanks again Jeff, pleasure to be here for the time being. Cant say for how long but I’ll be reading and possibly asking a few questions. You stay warm too! Happy New Year.
 
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