What is your Commando becoming ?

My road bikes were often different motors in different frames, and some were better because of that. But an original Commando is probably pretty good without much modification. My feeling is that a nut and bolt perfect original motorcycle, is usually more desirable than any other.

acotrel said:

My road bikes were often different motors in different frames, and some were better because of that. But an original Commando is probably pretty good without much modification. My feeling is that a nut and bolt perfect original motorcycle, is usually more desirable than any other.

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A money pit?!?!

Al you already have a bike that you haven't ridden much, could easily be made into a cafe racer for the road, but then we all know you don't ride on the road, a few have Seeley frame road bikes, if you set up your bike for the road then you get to ride it anytime you want, be better than letting it sit in the shed doing nothing.

Hi all,
watched the video with interest although deep down I’ve got to say it was ‘a lot to do about nothing’.
I think whether a bike is a cafe (caff racer) or not is a bit like pornography as once described by an American Judge, ‘I don’t know what it is but I know it when I see it’. I agree that the vast majority of cafe bikes in the sixties would have been cheap and cheerful with only a small proportion being what we would consider exotic art works. The average pommie working class lad of the time barely had two bob to rub together. A twin seat would have been a must to get his girlfriend around or give his mate a lift to the pub when old one lunger put a leg out of bed.
Bit I do have a question, what is the truth regarding the really large balloon tyres you see on a lot of modified bikes?
Apart from appearance do they perform any function? I imagine they would totally change the handling of a bike and presumably for the worse.
alan

acotrel said:

My road bikes were often different motors in different frames, and some were better because of that. But an original Commando is probably pretty good without much modification. My feeling is that a nut and bolt perfect original motorcycle, is usually more desirable than any other.

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concours said:

A money pit?!?!

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Hurt me baby! Make me write bad checks!

What is a cafe racer, in the old days it was buying a cheap British bike and making it your own, building it for your own needs and to hoon around on with your mates having fast runs between cafes or race the record, the lighter the bike the faster it goes and handle a bit better, and a lot of young ones did lose their lives doing so.
These days it seems to be more a build it for show spend a lot of money on it and has lost what it was all about for days gone by, when everything was done cheaply without throwing a lot of money into it and if it broke you had to fix it, these days people have more money to throw around and how many of these new so call cafe racers where built by the owner, seem a lot just give a bike builder a bucket full money and go for it, its lost what it was all about.
When I built my hot 850 Featherbed, back in 1980 when my new Commando was only 4 years old to me from new, I wasn't working at the time and money was tight so I used what I had and things that need machining was cheap at the time, crank balance $48, my stock cam built up and grind to 2S profile $42, 70% of the build was using my Commando parts and the rest was what came with the Featherbed frame and what I made so was all hand built by my own hands, it worked out well for me and I got a and I was only in my early 20s and was my first bike I ever built with very few funds to build it.
It turned out to be a very light weight, very fast and a great handling bike and stayed that way for over 30 years being an everyday rider, the last 13/14 years I had the money to do improvements by spending money on better front brakes, the JH maggie for better spark, a round alloy oil tank and a few other little bits and pieces, the bike is still a light weight, still handles like it's on rails and it now stops, it's still running what I did to the motor back in the 80s and its showing its age but it still goes as good but a bit better with the lastest upgrades, its what it's all about making it better with what you have and as cheap as you can by your own hands, my Norton is no show pony, it's a one off build to the way I wanted to be, it's my hotrod built by me for me and I still love riding it and I always ride it hard, why else would I have built it and where ever I park up it draws a crowd or get lots of thumbs up when out riding it, I have nothing to prove when out on it but it surprises a lot of modern bikes and riders as it still get up there pretty quick for a old bike and I know every nut and bolt on it and if something breaks I fix it, but lucky that is very rare it's been a very reliable bike and has done me well and I still get a big smile on my dial every time I take it out, its gets to the ton very quickly and that is all I ever ask of it these days, I am still a hoon on it but I do it smarter these days.

And this is my modern day cafe racer, 2016 Thruxton 1200S brought new in 2018 at a good discounted price and the only thing I have done to it is a Meerkat x-pipe, opened up stock mufflers and Ikon shocks, and better tyres as well a duel seat for the wife to enjoy when she is allowed out on it and for my saddle bags when traveling, this is a pic the first day I brought it home with about 30km on the clock.
With the 1200 and lighten crank it's very smooth to ride and with the stock clip on's is a very comfortable bike for traveling on.
The stock solo seat and lower clipons was not very comfortable to ride long distant on and was changed 3 weeks later after buying, the same time the Meerkat was done and the mufflers opened up by Meerkat, the mufflers now have the old stye Conti baffles fitted and made one hell of a difference to the sound and performance a lot throatier sound to it but still under the legal DB noise limit.
Coming up to 6 years old now and haven't touched it motor wise with over 30k on it, would have a lot more on it but covid stopped a lot of my traveling, its always set in sports mode when out, it gets up there pretty quick, have had it to 200kph a few time with a lot more in it but that's fast enough for me, but it handles it pretty good and it feels like my Featherbed on the road, sticks like glue with good tyres on it and surprised in how light it feels when on it.
Triumph got it right with the WC Thruxtons and the HP motors.

If I attempted to ride my Seeley 850 in public roads, I would probably almost immediatrely crash it. It is a bike which inspires idiocy. When it fires-up, it makes you really want to go. I could not bear to rode it slowly - it takes full concentration art all times.
When I was a kid, we used pounds, not dollars. A Manx cost about 600 pounds and a 650 Bonneville about 200 pounds. I was offered a 1200cc Indian with sidecar for 12 pounds and did not buy it. My first Triumph Tiger 110 650 cost me 30 pounds.
My best road bike was a BSA A10 frame with a full race 650 Triumph motor. One of my mates had similar. but with a Bonneville motor. He did not have the 63 model Triumph fork yokes, so when he rode it, it tried to kill him. He sold it, and it ended up as a speedway sidecar.
That Tribsa I had would have been a better racer than my Seeley. And much better then my 500cc Triton.
Building bitsas in the 1960s was cheap. New motorcycles were way out of my reach. As a kid, only one of my mates ever bought a new bike - it was a Norton Manxman.
When I was very young, I was given two bikes - a 250cc Triunph which had been raced and a 500cc Indian Scout. I got my licence on the Indian, then found 650cc Triumphs and went speed-crazy.
I think all-up in 1979, my Seeley 850 cost about $1500 to build. In the 1960s,a house cost one of my mates $15000 pounds and my mother said 'he will never pay for that'. These days that house would cost about $2 million.

In the early 1960, some of my friends were racing Manx Nortons - the costs were frightening. A piston cost about a week's
wages. Those guys were working as truck drivers and mechanics while I was studying and working in laboratories. Money-wise, I think they ended-up doing better then me, but I had more interesting jobs.

I am 81. Last year one of my friends died from lung cancer. He was an ex-pat Pom who had raced a Manx in England. Before he died, I told him 'I think we have lived in the best time ever'. When I was a kid, we had no money - but we could actually do things.

Everything still depends on mindset. When I build a bike, I first build it in my mind.

acotrel said:

If I attempted to ride my Seeley 850 in public roads, I would probably almost immediatrely crash it. It is a bike which inspires idiocy. When it fires-up, it makes you really want to go. I could not bear to rode it slowly - it takes full concentration art all times.
When I was a kid, we used pounds, not dollars. A Manx cost about 600 pounds and a 650 Bonneville about 200 pounds. I was offered a 1200cc Indian with sidecar for 12 pounds and did not buy it. My first Triumph Tiger 110 650 cost me 30 pounds.
My best road bike was a BSA A10 frame with a full race 650 Triumph motor. One of my mates had similar. but with a Bonneville motor. He did not have the 63 model Triumph fork yokes, so when he rode it, it tried to kill him. He sold it, and it ended up as a speedway sidecar.
That Tribsa I had would have been a better racer than my Seeley. And much better then my 500cc Triton.
Building bitsas in the 1960s was cheap. New motorcycles were way out of my reach. As a kid, only one of my mates ever bought a new bike - it was a Norton Manxman.
When I was very young, I was given two bikes - a 250cc Triunph which had been raced and a 500cc Indian Scout. I got my licence on the Indian, then found 650cc Triumphs and went speed-crazy.
I think all-up in 1979, my Seeley 850 cost about $1500 to build. In the 1960s,a house cost one of my mates $15000 pounds and my mother said 'he will never pay for that'. These days that house would cost about $2 million.

In the early 1960, some of my friends were racing Manx Nortons - the costs were frightening. A piston cost about a week's
wages. Those guys were working as truck drivers and mechanics while I was studying and working in laboratories. Money-wise, I think they ended-up doing better then me, but I had more interesting jobs.

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ashman said:

And this is my modern day cafe racer, 2016 Thruxton 1200S brought new in 2018 at a good discounted price and the only thing I have done to it is a Meerkat x-pipe, opened up stock mufflers and Ikon shocks, and better tyres as well a duel seat for the wife to enjoy when she is allowed out on it and for my saddle bags when traveling, this is a pic the first day I brought it home with about 30km on the clock.
With the 1200 and lighten crank it's very smooth to ride and with the stock clip on's is a very comfortable bike for traveling on.
The stock solo seat and lower clipons was not very comfortable to ride long distant on and was changed 3 weeks later after buying, the same time the Meerkat was done and the mufflers opened up by Meerkat, the mufflers now have the old stye Conti baffles fitted and made one hell of a difference to the sound and performance a lot throatier sound to it but still under the legal DB noise limit.
Coming up to 6 years old now and haven't touched it motor wise with over 30k on it, would have a lot more on it but covid stopped a lot of my traveling, its always set in sports mode when out, it gets up there pretty quick, have had it to 200kph a few time with a lot more in it but that's fast enough for me, but it handles it pretty good and it feels like my Featherbed on the road, sticks like glue with good tyres on it and surprised in how light it feels when on it.
Triumph got it right with the WC Thruxtons and the HP motors.
View attachment 109516

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hi,
im not really a retro bike person but I’ve got to say your thruxton looks great
Alan

Alan L said:

hi,
im not really a retro bike person but I’ve got to say your thruxton looks great
Alan

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Alan after working all my life from leaving school at 15, I worked hard and saved 1/2 the money for my new 74 Norton Commando, and a loan for the rest ($1999 on the road), bikes and British bikes more so were my life also had a few older Triumphs but I always had a love for the Triumph Thruxtons from when they first came out and in 2013 I brought a new Thruxton 865 with TOR mufflers and a few other things from new, I spent some money on full front and rear suspension upgrades to make it handle great and at the end of 2013 redundances were offered from my GOV job (working for TAFE) and I was happy with it done a lot of travels on it and long distant rides but in 2016 the new 1200 Thruxtons came out and every time I went to the dealer to get oil filters for the 2013 Thruxton I had to walk past this beautiful 1200 Thruxton and come 2018 I brought its, old stock but still new, it was reduced from $22,400 au to $17,900 with the fairing kit added and I ask for today price and they dropped another $1,000 off the price, at the time my 2013 Truxton cost me $14,500 and an extra $700 on top with the bits I added to it, so the 1200 was a pretty good deal.
I was going to keep the old Thruxton but I just didn't ride it much after buying the new Thruxton so ended up selling it, this will be the last new bike I will buy but then I said that when I brought the first Thruxton lol, my Norton is semi-retired just like me but I still love taking it out regularly.
Now to start back on my 1960 Manxman cafe racer build, was building it for my youngest daughter but she ended up buying a 660 Triumph triple so will be another toy for me, I brought it in a few boxes for $1,000.

Pic of all my bikes together and one of my old 2013 Thruxton not long after I brought it with me on it, picked it up on Australia Day 2013 and it was raining.
I have lost a bit of weight since that pic was taken and I have lost the beard lol and the googles are somewhere on the Bruce Highway, clocked up over 50k km in 3 years on this bike and a few 15hr (1500km) straight runs on it only stopping for fuel, food, stretch and piss stops, 2 days on the piss (beer) then 15 hr Straight ride back home, did that ride 3 times on this bike and 2 times on the new Thruxton, sitting on a average speed of 140, both pics are taken in the same spot in my yard but 4 years apart. kmph.

When I was first in Benalla, I had 2 RD250 LC Yamahas. I had just remarried. I took my wife out on the back of one of the RDs. I hadn't ridden on public roads for about the preceding 30 years. I had gone racing because it is safer. I did not realise my wife was being thrown about on the back of the RD. We were only doing abot 140 KPH, but the road was undulating. Most public roads and race tracks do not have so many dips and rises. The only modern bike, I have ridden was a Honda VFR 400. It was absolutely excellent, but would not go fasterr than 180 KPH.

I think motorcycles which have separate motor and gearbox make better cafe racers, because they provide more options. I was watching a video in which it was said the 961 Commando's handling was inproved by moving the motor forward. I think a lot of guys do not know when the front of their bike is not heavy enough to stop from feeling light and scarey
When you are at full lean, going like the wind - if the bike does not feel stable, you will be slower.

"

What is your Commando becoming?"​

Mine, not having been seen or ridden for two years, is becoming "abandoned in Mexico!" I'm trying to decide whether to sell it there or disassemble/ship to TX.

Can't you ride it back to TX.

My commando is becoming better and more usable with every small modification
Yamaha forks and apprillia wheels extra ISOs stiffer swing arm better brakes electric start belt drive better carburetion Corbin seat slightly higher bars revised side stand etc etc have all made this the best commando I have ever owned or ridden
Next step will be a 5 speed gearbox and that will be it
Unless I become clever enough to fit fuel injection
And that's not likely to happen!!!!

ashman said:

Can't you ride it back to TX.

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In theory, yes. But it is not legal on the road in Mexico now so it could be immediately confiscated if I was stopped for any purpose. The original papers that allowed the bike to be shipped into Mexico in '06 were lost by the Mexican Gov ("Sorry," was the response). Also, it cannot be shipped via a mover for the same reason - no paperwork showing it was allowed in. It could only be shipped if disassembled and carried as "parts."

The bike was legal in Mexico for the period that we were there on State business but as soon as that was over, legally the bike had to be shipped back...which we couldn't because they lost the papers - Catch 22 thing...

A vehicle can only stay in Mexico for 90 days without official approval/registration...which it had but doesn't now.

For those of who have not seen my hot rod Norton - Money pit and massive time consumer! Seat still needs modified and then final paint. To nice to work in basement