Trying to help a recent widow sell her husband's '71 Commando.

I met a gent and his missus at the Hansen Dam meet in November and he was trying to get some electrical issues sorted. I forget the details. I pointed him to this forum because it's such a help. He had some trouble getting registered, so I put him in touch with Jerry, who helped him out.. He went quiet after that. His wife, who I met at the meeting, recently contacted me and told me that he passed away. She needs help with funeral expenses and asked about selling his '71 Commando. In our Emails, he explained he planned to finish the bike, but had to store it outside while he got his workshop in order.

I've offered to help, and given her a brief background on where to sell, what the market's like, and the best way forward - sell it in its current state or spend a little and 'market' it. I told her that paying someone to fix an old bike is usually a net loss. After seeing pics she sent, I offered to spruce it up cosmetically, give it a mechanical check, and help list it. I have sold on Facebook, BringaTrailer, and Craigslist so I know the ropes. I will do this for minimal $ and am sure I can get her a net gain.

It runs, has a new seat, and looks good (but yellow...not a fan, gimme orange or black). I'll pick it up this weekend and give it a good going over. Wish me luck!

Good on ya!

You’re a good citizen sir !

Fast Eddie said:

You’re a good citizen sir !

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It's a bit of a chore to explain to a near stranger that you will help them out. People are rightfully suspicious. What goes around, comes around is my ethic.

I recently went through a version of this with the widow of an old friend. Not having the bike in my garage meant more trips across town than I would have wished for. Fortunately it sold fairly easily, If you are sorting the bike and selling it from your place, that will be a big help. Try to get all the paperwork you can about the bike. It will help you present it with some history, which any buyer will want to know. Also try to get some agreement ahead of time from the widow about a price she will be comfortable with, and a signed transfer document from her to facilitate the sale, particularly if you are selling it from your garage.

Over the years I have heard a number of stories about old friends trying to sell a bike for the widow, only to have last minute seller's remorse, increases in the sale price after accepting an offer, and various relatives suddenly buzzing around the deal concerned that mom or auntie is getting ripped off. Some bikes/widows became famous in the community for going through multiple people who repeatedly prepped the same bike for sale, advertised it, found a buyer, then nothing ever happened.

Not to close on a down note: my "helping" experience was positive, the effort was appreciated, the bike sold for a good price, and the new owner was happy.

Stephen Hill said:

I recently went through a version of this with the widow of an old friend. Not having the bike in my garage meant more trips across town than I would have wished for. Fortunately it sold fairly easily, If you are sorting the bike and selling it from your place, that will be a big help. Try to get all the paperwork you can about the bike. It will help you present it with some history, which any buyer will want to know. Also try to get some agreement ahead of time from the widow about a price she will be comfortable with, and a signed transfer document from her to facilitate the sale, particularly if you are selling it from your garage.

Over the years I have heard a number of stories about old friends trying to sell a bike for the widow, only to have last minute seller's remorse, increases in the sale price after accepting an offer, and various relatives suddenly buzzing around the deal concerned that mom or auntie is getting ripped off. Some bikes/widows became famous in the community for going through multiple people who repeatedly prepped the same bike for sale, advertised it, found a buyer, then nothing ever happened.

Not to close on a down note: my "helping" experience was positive, the effort was appreciated, the bike sold for a good price, and the new owner was happy.

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Great advice, thanks!

gpzkat said:

I met a gent and his missus at the Hansen Dam meet in November and he was trying to get some electrical issues sorted. I forget the details. I pointed him to this forum because it's such a help. He had some trouble getting registered, so I put him in touch with Jerry, who helped him out.. He went quiet after that. His wife, who I met at the meeting, recently contacted me and told me that he passed away. She needs help with funeral expenses and asked about selling his '71 Commando. In our Emails, he explained he planned to finish the bike, but had to store it outside while he got his workshop in order.

I've offered to help, and given her a brief background on where to sell, what the market's like, and the best way forward - sell it in its current state or spend a little and 'market' it. I told her that paying someone to fix an old bike is usually a net loss. After seeing pics she sent, I offered to spruce it up cosmetically, give it a mechanical check, and help list it. I have sold on Facebook, BringaTrailer, and Craigslist so I know the ropes. I will do this for minimal $ and am sure I can get her a net gain.

It runs, has a new seat, and looks good (but yellow...not a fan, gimme orange or black). I'll pick it up this weekend and give it a good going over. Wish me luck!

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Good on ya

gpzkat said:

I met a gent and his missus at the Hansen Dam meet in November and he was trying to get some electrical issues sorted. I forget the details. I pointed him to this forum because it's such a help. He had some trouble getting registered, so I put him in touch with Jerry, who helped him out.. He went quiet after that. His wife, who I met at the meeting, recently contacted me and told me that he passed away. She needs help with funeral expenses and asked about selling his '71 Commando. In our Emails, he explained he planned to finish the bike, but had to store it outside while he got his workshop in order.

I've offered to help, and given her a brief background on where to sell, what the market's like, and the best way forward - sell it in its current state or spend a little and 'market' it. I told her that paying someone to fix an old bike is usually a net loss. After seeing pics she sent, I offered to spruce it up cosmetically, give it a mechanical check, and help list it. I have sold on Facebook, BringaTrailer, and Craigslist so I know the ropes. I will do this for minimal $ and am sure I can get her a net gain.

It runs, has a new seat, and looks good (but yellow...not a fan, gimme orange or black). I'll pick it up this weekend and give it a good going over. Wish me luck!

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That’s very good of you.

(I actually really like the yellow)

gpzkat said:

I met a gent and his missus at the Hansen Dam meet in November and he was trying to get some electrical issues sorted. I forget the details. I pointed him to this forum because it's such a help. He had some trouble getting registered, so I put him in touch with Jerry, who helped him out.. He went quiet after that. His wife, who I met at the meeting, recently contacted me and told me that he passed away. She needs help with funeral expenses and asked about selling his '71 Commando. In our Emails, he explained he planned to finish the bike, but had to store it outside while he got his workshop in order.

I've offered to help, and given her a brief background on where to sell, what the market's like, and the best way forward - sell it in its current state or spend a little and 'market' it. I told her that paying someone to fix an old bike is usually a net loss. After seeing pics she sent, I offered to spruce it up cosmetically, give it a mechanical check, and help list it. I have sold on Facebook, BringaTrailer, and Craigslist so I know the ropes. I will do this for minimal $ and am sure I can get her a net gain.

It runs, has a new seat, and looks good (but yellow...not a fan, gimme orange or black). I'll pick it up this weekend and give it a good going over. Wish me luck!

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Best of luck with it
What you you are doing is a great thing
Well done mate

Yellow Commandos Look Nice..

MichaelB said:

Yellow Commandos Look Nice..

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It does look good. I was reading that yellow wasn't a Norton standard color, but I guess it was. I think the standard roadster is the best-looking Norton and one of the top five best-looking motorcycles of the modern era.

My view is clouded by the fact that I had a yellow '71 Fiat that I wanted to be red. It looked like a lemon to me. I had a few BC Coupes - later I got one that was a heinous yellowish green color.

I will get the bike tomorrow or Saturday. My son will help. She has no local relatives, and is a bit overwhelmed, as you can imagine. She said there is some work to do just to get to the bike as her husband was building a shed that wasn't finished. I told her not to worry about that, my son is young and strong haha.

Good for you, @gpzkat Looks like the bike could fetch a fair sum without too much fuss.

I'll chip in $50 toward helping out. I've been in your shoes a time or three...

grandpaul said:

Good for you, @gpzkat Looks like the bike could fetch a fair sum without too much fuss.

I'll chip in $50 toward helping out. I've been in your shoes a time or three...

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Thanks, that's really nice of you. I will keep this thread updated with the goings-on.

The stress you'll remove from the widows shoulders will be immeasurable, good on ya !

Been there first hand ( several times ) and the amount of things needing to be dealt with makes a LONG list and can be overwhelming !!

Good luck with the sale.

Best of luck finding a buyer and helping a widow let go of a cherished memory.
The bike looks box stock, even still has the dreaded side stand intact. If you repaint the barrel and detail it you should be able to sell it easily.

In had the Fiat 124 Sport Coupe in red. It was a sweet runner. Five speed.
I religiously covered the insides of the fenders with rust preventative many times.
Despite the prevention attempts, it bubbled rust around the headlights and I could not afford
the repairs so it had to go before the bubbling got really bad. And the rocker panels bubbled with rust too

It had cruise control. A throttle knob that you pulled out and twisted to lock the throttle opening

It had an oil pressure guage with a small red low oil pressure light inside the gauge. The manual said it
was ok if the light flickered or was on when the engine was idling, as long as it went out when the engine
was reved above idle...

Great memories.

Dennis

MichaelB said:

Yellow Commandos Look Nice..
View attachment 118764

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For the purists they could note the side panels decals should be parallel with the legs of your girl friend ....

Deckard said:

Best of luck finding a buyer and helping a widow let go of a cherished memory.
The bike looks box stock, even still has the dreaded side stand intact. If you repaint the barrel and detail it you should be able to sell it easily.

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I agree, and that's the plan. Unless I fall in love with it and buy it....nah, too many bikes already. Tomorrow's pickup day, rain today. I don't think British bikes are supposed to be out in the rain

I bought some Deox-C rust remover that I saw on a brilliant & mesmerizing Honda ATC110 restoration. I think it's just Citric acid. I got in gel form and have tested it out, should be just the ticket as it is less caustic than the usual Evapo-rust (or similar) commonly used in the US, and being gel, easy to work with.

I did my N15 barrels with VHT brake caliper paint, which is a nice satin black sheen. I have used it on several restorations. It's much better than case & barrel paint, is good to 900F and withstands chemicals very well - I had a broken petcock dump fuel on the N15 with hot engine, no marks. Scary time. Anyway, it will look brilliant on the Commando.

Got it to my shop today. The ower was very happy and is a real character. Married 58 years.

The tank and side covers are either high-quality repros or beautifully refurbished originals. The (steel) tank is immaculate inside and out. The seat is a NOS item, per the seller. Side covers hand-laid thick fiberglass. The exhaust system looks new, very nice. The odometer is at 8104 miles and besides the tank/seat/exhaust, it appears 99% untouched except some wiring work. None of the various screws (cheesehead on timing cover etc) look to have been turned. There is some rust on the wheels and paint chips, corrosion, but nothing dramatic or structural.

It has a California blue plate with the original 1971 registration tag intact. It's been titled with YOM (year of manufacture) status, so there's a little metal add-on piece to put on new tags - I had similar on my '69 Airstream.

If someone said it was run for a year and put up (perhaps a Vietnam casualty?), then refreshed cosmetically, I would believe it. I am not familiar (yet) with Commandos but the small things like oil lines and crimped hose clamps look 100% original and well preserved.

I don't recognize the electric gizmo on the air filter housing. It has a red wire and a brown with green stripe. I'll find out soon. All electrics appear original - rectifier, capacitor, warning light assimilator, coils, etc.

I'm told it runs. It kicks over fine. Plugs are very sooty. Clutch is very light, one finger pull. It's my first close look at a Commando, lots to learn. I put it next to my N15, looks like McDonald's colors haha.