Still Kickin at 70

Dave Swanson said:

70 isn't that ancient, but I feel lucky to still have a body sound enough to kick my Commando. Right hip replacement 3 years ago and a triple bypass 2 years ago. Feeling great and hope to keep kicking for awhile yet.

This picture was taken last night while I was in the act.

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Keep kickin' Dave. I'm right behind you. My Norton is relatively new to me and it's been a long time since I've had to kick start a bike of any size. Parts of the old bod complain but am trying use the mind over body approach. Further tuning to get it to start as easily as possible may help in my case, but so far, am still able to make it go.

I hit 70 last July - still kicking mine . Minor hiccup for a week or so
(Hopefully) as the good doctor dug a bit of skin cancer out of my right leg yesterday and gave me orders to use my leg for brief walking only .

I’m only 55 and have fitted an e start already !

Thus proving that the human race is in terminal decline…

Fast Eddie said:

I’m only 55 and have fitted an e start already !

Thus proving that the human race is in terminal decline…

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Maybe mention what bore size and compression for context ?
I've seen your kick-starting video
That ain't no stinking honda 50!!!!

baz said:

Maybe mention what bore size and compression for context ?
I've seen your kick-starting video
That ain't no stinking honda 50!!!!

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I've seen that video too - nearly choked on my tea!!

Yep - able to kickstart high compression motorcycles at 70 years old but somehow I’m invisible to attractive young women.
How can this be ?

Depends on how deep your pockets are that will attract attractive young women.

A CNW electric start can make you lazy.

Even ten years ago I would have been very scornful of anyone using a starter on a Commando.

But now I haven't kicked it over for 4 years. 70 last birthday with bone on bone knee joints.

I think Matt knows his market very well.

Richard Tool said:

Yep - able to kickstart high compression motorcycles at 70 years old but somehow I’m invisible to attractive young women.
How can this be ?

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Haha. Never turn 40 is my advice.

I remember the first time a young waitress in a bar mixed me up with the equally ancient 45 year old standing next to me.

That was the end.

Recently rolled sixty nine times around the sun and thankfully it’s my left knee that’s dodgy, along with left thumb and left shoulder!
WTF!!
None of the above needed to start a Commando. Keep kicking if you’re able guys, if not, push that button if it means you can ride.

Onder said:

I see from the photo you are kicking whilst on the side stand. Only do that if out and upon bad ground. Centre stand less likely to snap off. Yes, I know that one is supposed to start it off BOTH
stands but attenuated body mass and old age preclude that. :-(

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Yes, almost always on the centerstand. But once in a blue moon it just feels right to do it wrong.

Turning 62 this year, 4 pins in my right shoulder, not much cartilage left in my right knee, so this is why I got a Mark Three !

Well I decided to go down in age when I have a birthday, when I turned 40 was when I decided to go back down in age instead of going up that was 25 years ago last birthday I hit 15 again and 2 years before that I was 17 the age I brought my new lol, but the body is not doing the same thing lol, but I am still doing the same things I did in my youth, I haven't changed in mind lol, but wish the body did the same thing as be good to be a skinny young man again, the mid section is old man shape now lol.
At 17 I was 5'8, 9 stone nothing, skinny with chicken legs, didn't take long to learn the knack of kickstarting the Norton, first few months was hard but once I got the KS knack everything became easy, I still have chicken legs and still have the knack to this day, been kicking it for coming on 48 years now.
I been lucky in my motorcycling life 3 injuries to my left knee, run over by a car when I was 17 (1976) on my Honda TL250 trials bike outside my mate's place and in 84 hit the back of a car on my 81 Triumph Thunderbird and about 10+years ago a fracture left arm and broken left thumb when the Norton spat me over the handle bars, so not bad after 50 + years of riding motorcycles, the kickstart leg is still good and everything else.
My mate where I got run over by the car his mother is now in her 90s and she still remembers that day all them years ago, being carted off to hospital in the back of an ambulance, my mate and mum still live at the same place, the 3rd left knee injury was in 85 jumping off a barb wire fence post, not motorcycle related lol.
But the biggest problem these days older men who always wanted a Norton but have left it too long in life to buy one and when the finely buy one they just can't workout the knack of kicking a Norton Commando to life, Norton Commando's are just unique to any other bike for kick starting, got to have the knack, if you don't have the knack, they can bite you on your arse.

Ashley

First make sure it is properly tuned. When you kick, get the kicker at almost 90 degrees and
then kick it straight through with all you have got.

This subject has come up many times before
My advice would be carry on kicking for as long as you can
At least there are electric start options out there for us when we can't
And if you can't afford it you're outta luck

I'll be 74 end of this week and have had Alton starter for a few years. Rarely use the kickstart but did a few weeks ago just for the hell of it. Started first kick happily. I have an ES2 which is obviously kickstart only but is much easier to kick than Commando. I also have a loan of a 1928 K9 AJS which is kickstart and can be challenging to start, particularly when hot. Will keep kicking as long as I am able but pleased I have a button on the Commando.

I installed the Alton on my Commando years ago. My Commando was a one-kick starter but when that kicking was required because I stalled it at a stop light or in bumper to bumper traffic, kick starting was always a horn-honking experience I prefer not to have! One could argue that since Norton INTENDED to implement E-start much earlier than the Mark III, adding an E-start to my '73 is simply "completing" the manufacturing process!

Of course, much of this is about how the bike is used. If it was an occasional ride and seldom in traffic, I could easily just do kickstarting but for regular use that includes typical towns/traffic? Nah!

Re weight...It's hard for me to believe that there would be a detectable performance reduction caused by the added weight of an E-start kit on a street-ridden Commando...

Nortoniggy said:

I'll be 74 end of this week and have had Alton starter for a few years. Rarely use the kickstart but did a few weeks ago just for the hell of it. Started first kick happily. I have an ES2 which is obviously kickstart only but is much easier to kick than Commando. I also have a loan of a 1928 K9 AJS which is kickstart and can be challenging to start, particularly when hot. Will keep kicking as long as I am able but pleased I have a button on the Commando.

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Yep a big single with a valve lifter is much easier to kick over than a commando

MexicoMike said:

I installed the Alton on my Commando years ago. My Commando was a one-kick starter but when that kicking was required because I stalled it at a stop light or in bumper to bumper traffic, kick starting was always a horn-honking experience I prefer not to have! One could argue that since Norton INTENDED to implement E-start much earlier than the Mark III, adding an E-start to my '73 is simply "completing" the manufacturing process!

Of course, much of this is about how the bike is used. If it was an occasional ride and seldom in traffic, I could easily just do kickstarting but for regular use that includes typical towns/traffic? Nah!

Re weight...It's hard for me to believe that there would be a detectable performance reduction caused by the added weight of an E-start kit on a street-ridden Commando...

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I can't detect any difference in performance with the extra weight of a starter
But with me it's the thought of that extra weight
But if I were to lose a bit myself then I could redress the balance

MexicoMike said:

I installed the Alton on my Commando years ago. My Commando was a one-kick starter but when that kicking was required because I stalled it at a stop light or in bumper to bumper traffic, kick starting was always a horn-honking experience I prefer not to have! One could argue that since Norton INTENDED to implement E-start much earlier than the Mark III, adding an E-start to my '73 is simply "completing" the manufacturing process!

Of course, much of this is about how the bike is used. If it was an occasional ride and seldom in traffic, I could easily just do kickstarting but for regular use that includes typical towns/traffic? Nah!

Re weight...It's hard for me to believe that there would be a detectable performance reduction caused by the added weight of an E-start kit on a street-ridden Commando...

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I you fit a belt drive the clutch weight saving is considerable. I would expect removing weight off that great lump of steel/metal spinning round on the end of the gearbox main shaft will improve reliability.
I know that the sprag can run in a dry primary with a belt, but for how long, and the RGM belt can be run in oil, but so far I don't believe anyone has put both together. Too late for me to try I reckon.