What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?

well, technically it was yesterday, but took the fastback SS out
 

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  • What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
    IMG-20250811-WA0007.jpg
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Café au Lait said:
Grounds for disqualification surely 🤣 🤣 🤣
Click to expand...

Whilst the brackets are a simple mistake the routing of the rear brake cable has nearly thrown riders off the bike and there's one good account here in a thread some time ago when the brake locked on but I have been unable to locate it so you can laugh but that can be a serious matter.
Here's a thread although not the one I was looking for.
998cc

Thread ''74 Commando rear brakes feel unsafe.'

I am working a the bugs out of the Commando and while riding today, I noticed the rear brake actually applies when traveling over short rises in the road surface. It's a bit alarming and does not feel safe. Also, when slightly riding the brake, the pedal pushes back as the road surface varies.

The seller said he had "replaced the hub, brakes and rubber shock absorbers". I can't observe the wheel while riding.

Any thoughts?
Thanks.
998cc

And another.
FastFred

Thread 'Rear wheel locking...'

Have noticed that the rear wheel seems to try to lock like the chain is tight when i go over bumps yet the chain adjustment is ok? Any ideas?

Here's the thread I was looking for.
B

Thread 'Holy*^#&$'

Just got back from a run on my 850 Commando. My buddy was up from Calgary and was on my Bonneville and we were having a bit of a road test. We crossed over a little bridge when on the far side my rear wheel locked up solid. Absolutely terrifying 30 seconds with the bike fishtailing left and right, no doubt due to my inexperienced imputs along with incoherent screaming. After getting to the side of the road it was noted that the chain was really tight and the brake cable was dislodged from the rear where the cable exits the outer cover and fitting and jammed tight.
I have not rode the...
What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
 
Last edited:
L.A.B. said:
Whilst the brackets are a simple mistake the routing of the rear brake cable has nearly thrown riders off the bike and there's one good account here in a thread some time ago when the brake locked on but I have been unable to locate it so you can laugh but that can be a serious matter.
Here's a thread although not the one I was looking for.
998cc

Thread ''74 Commando rear brakes feel unsafe.'

I am working a the bugs out of the Commando and while riding today, I noticed the rear brake actually applies when traveling over short rises in the road surface. It's a bit alarming and does not feel safe. Also, when slightly riding the brake, the pedal pushes back as the road surface varies.

The seller said he had "replaced the hub, brakes and rubber shock absorbers". I can't observe the wheel while riding.

Any thoughts?
Thanks.
998cc

And another.
FastFred

Thread 'Rear wheel locking...'

Have noticed that the rear wheel seems to try to lock like the chain is tight when i go over bumps yet the chain adjustment is ok? Any ideas?

Here's the thread I was looking for.
B

Thread 'Holy*^#&$'

Just got back from a run on my 850 Commando. My buddy was up from Calgary and was on my Bonneville and we were having a bit of a road test. We crossed over a little bridge when on the far side my rear wheel locked up solid. Absolutely terrifying 30 seconds with the bike fishtailing left and right, no doubt due to my inexperienced imputs along with incoherent screaming. After getting to the side of the road it was noted that the chain was really tight and the brake cable was dislodged from the rear where the cable exits the outer cover and fitting and jammed tight.
I have not rode the...
What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
Click to expand...
A good point well made and fully understood. Mine is dressed that way too but it’s good to know exactly why so thank you.
 
L.A.B. said:
Whilst the brackets are a simple mistake the routing of the rear brake cable has nearly thrown riders off the bike and there's one good account here in a thread some time ago when the brake locked on but I have been unable to locate it so you can laugh but that can be a serious matter.
Here's a thread although not the one I was looking for.
998cc

Thread ''74 Commando rear brakes feel unsafe.'

I am working a the bugs out of the Commando and while riding today, I noticed the rear brake actually applies when traveling over short rises in the road surface. It's a bit alarming and does not feel safe. Also, when slightly riding the brake, the pedal pushes back as the road surface varies.

The seller said he had "replaced the hub, brakes and rubber shock absorbers". I can't observe the wheel while riding.

Any thoughts?
Thanks.
998cc

And another.
FastFred

Thread 'Rear wheel locking...'

Have noticed that the rear wheel seems to try to lock like the chain is tight when i go over bumps yet the chain adjustment is ok? Any ideas?

Here's the thread I was looking for.
[EMBED content="thread-27.com/NortonCommando/holy.2784/[/EMBED]
What Did You Do With Your Commando Today?
Click to expand...
Les,
Is that picture the correct route?Mine goes over the Z-plate then through the exhaust-foot peg brackets
Thanks,Mike.
I somehow deleted the site you showed
 
YING said:
Is that picture the correct route?Mine goes over the Z-plate then through the exhaust-foot peg brackets
Click to expand...

You can do it that way (and there was a release that showed it but the brackets were not for peashooters) although the factory seems to have routed the cable behind the inner bracket.
 
L.A.B. said:
You can do it that way (and there was a release that showed it but the brackets were not for peashooters) although the factory seems to have routed the cable behind the inner bracket.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I have been running it that way for years but am going to put it behind the inner bracket today.
Mike
 
L.A.B. said:
You can do it that way (and there was a release that showed it but the brackets were not for peashooters) although the factory seems to have routed the cable behind the inner bracket.
Click to expand...
When I rebuilt my bike after almost 30 years of inattention, I originally ran the rear brake cable under the Z-plate. It seemed like a logical route. The first test ride quickly showed me the error. Any bump that caused the rear suspension to move resulted in the brake being applied. I couldn’t figure out what was going on initially, but it was not a very comfortable feeling and I can see how it could be dangerous. The route of the cable was changed immediately after that first ride. This might seem like a trivial issue but i can see how it can become very serious, very quickly.
 
Hallelujah! Saturday I carefully added liquid gasket around the kickstart seal in the gearbox. Sunday I rode the bike 20 miles. In 48 hours, - no gearbox leak!
 
Cable duly re routed as advised, though not behind the inner bracket. Doesn’t seem to line up properly like that but thanks all for the heads up.
The headlamp brackets…….meh, they can stay like they are.
 

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