Utter, utter, barrstards...

I started the "Commando Bizarro" project with a clear end in mind so from day #1 I have tracked every nickel I have "INVESTED" in this, by the time I finish I will be at roughly the price of 2 nice, running, restored Commando's. This project can be (at times) astoundingly frustrating but I wouldn't change a thing!
At this point it looks like there will be 1 unmodified part on the bike (inner primary cover).

Vince

Uncle vinny why don't you fit a Maney outrigger bearing that way you can modify the inner primary case. It do seem a shame to leave it alone it alone what's the point of having just one standard part left?

Fast Eddie said:

Time Warp said:

What about the tyres,suspension,isolastics and swing arm pivot ?

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Tyres, Avon Roadriders. Rear suspension, Koni dial-a-rides. Vernier ISOs with PR style head steady. I'm happy with these parts.
Forks may get Lansdowne internals (they do look a bargain compared to other stuff).
I'm just learning about the swinging arm pivot 'weakness' no plans here yet, so very open to suggestions...

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Excellent,I am in no doubt most of the Commando handling drama's are based on old parts retained like original pogo shocks,forks with little to no oil and crumbling isolastics coupled with rear pivots that last saw lubrication at the factory.
Your Mk2a sounds a little like my own but I will leave the engine pretty much stock to retain its Commando ness as far as power delivery and feel.
It might get a set of Kibblewhite valves,new shells and a internal look over.
I removed the transmission today to check the layshaft bearing.
Suspension is Lansdownes inserts,Andover fork springs and rebuild kit,Ikon's along with RoadRiders.
The bike is in good condition but needed some time (mostly) and money to get it back into ship shape condition.
By ship shape I mean you should be able to fire it up any time and ride it coast to coast reliably.

mike996 said:

AND then you need to further crazy-ize yourself worrying about what oil to use, which ignition system, wet-sumping corrections, "improving" the iso system, etc, etc, etc…

You know, the stuff that nobody worried about when they actually rode these bikes all the time.

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+1

55000 Commando's are where ?

olChris said:

mike996 said:

AND then you need to further crazy-ize yourself worrying about what oil to use, which ignition system, wet-sumping corrections, "improving" the iso system, etc, etc, etc…

You know, the stuff that nobody worried about when they actually rode these bikes all the time.

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+1

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Except a good deal of British bikes ended up in the back of sheds left to languish for decades in some cases.
Engines worn out and needing rebores with well under 20000 miles from new,camshafts made of cheese,mis adjusted or perished isolastics for wonky handling and so on.
Ignorance was bliss before the Internet :wink:

Re: 55000 Commando's are where ?

Time Warp said:

olChris said:

mike996 said:

AND then you need to further crazy-ize yourself worrying about what oil to use, which ignition system, wet-sumping corrections, "improving" the iso system, etc, etc, etc…

You know, the stuff that nobody worried about when they actually rode these bikes all the time.

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+1

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Except a good deal of British bikes ended up in the back of sheds left to languish for decades in some cases.
Engines worn out and needing rebores with well under 20000 miles from new,camshafts made of cheese,mis adjusted or perished isolastics for wonky handling and so on.
Ignorance was bliss before the Internet :wink:

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+1 on that.

These (and other) old bikes used to get run into the ground... and sometimes that happened at shockingly poor mileages.
I know our bikes today are 'pampered toys' by comparison, nevertheless, when I look at what I'm spending on my engine internals... I'd be pretty stupid to not benefit from modern advances in oil technology in order to try and get the most out of my 'investment' !

It will also make me feel slightly less guilty when I'm pinning the throttle to the stop !!

Re: 55000 Commando's are where ?

Time Warp said:

olChris said:

Except a good deal of British bikes ended up in the back of sheds left to languish for decades in some cases.

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And then we realized how cool they are.

Kind of like Elvis. He was cool, then he wasn't, then he was cool again...now he's a legend.

"Excellent,I am in no doubt most of the Commando handling drama's are based on old parts retained like original pogo shocks,forks with little to no oil and crumbling isolastics coupled with rear pivots that last saw lubrication at the factory."


Time warp, I'm afraid to say they did that from new!

chasbmw wrote;

Time warp, I'm afraid to say they did that from new!

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As did most of the bikes of that era.....especially the Japanese bikes.