Where did you find yours...

Steve , a little surprised .... you have had the affliction quite some time ! , suspect it won’t be long before less Triumph more Norton , haha!
 
When I was about 10 years old, my uncle had an orange ’72 750 Combat, along with about 7 other bikes in various states, a Willy’s and a Lotus Europa. We used to drive down country roads in Minnesota doing about 125 mph in the Lotus, much fun. He and my dad would race each other in his 240Z, and I would swap back and forth between them. I got used to speed and some dangerous behavior… I used to sit on his Combat in the garage and pretend I was going 125, hanging off the seat and dragging my knee, and when he saw me he would bark at me to get off his bike.

I got my first bike at 17, a Honda 400, a month before getting out of HS. I didn't tell my parents until HS finished, and a month later my dad kicked me out (but not just cuz of the bik). Had a couple of bikes through university, and never had a car. In my last year at the UW, in 1984, I had a flat-mate who liked Nortons, and we would go up the road a bit to Poke’s Cycles in Seattle to perv at them. Poke was an old guy who opened the shop after WWII and his sons were running it, and at that time one of the sons had a blue strip, but there wasn't much that was real nice for sale, but a lot that were in for service or there to chat.

One day my friend comes home, and tells me there is a shiny black 850 in there that just came in for sale. So, I went up on my Honda Sabre and drew some weird looks from one of the sons, I think his name was Russ. But the other brother, Mark, and I got on well. Turns out it was a mint Mk3 Roadster that had only a few thousand miles on it. I paid the asking price of $1150 right there on the spot. The owner had lost a lot of money on poker the night before and needed to square up, and Pokes had just done a bronze clutch and some other work on it for $850. So they gave the guy that back and flipped it to me. I rode it for a few years, and sold it to finance a move to New Orleans and some time on the road. Dumb move.

Fast forward a few years, and I am itching for a bike again and saw an ad for a 74 “Roadster” for sale, good shape with lots of extras – extra seats, a bunch of Norton tools, parts, luggage rack – three boxes of stuff. I go up with a girlfriend to check it out, and it isn't a roadster. It had a Hi-rider tank, Euro bars and a solo saddle. It wasn't in bad shape but not great, and the tires were likely original and were shot. But, I am itching and there was a lot of stuff in with it, so I paid too much for it at $1600.

It got a rear flat on the way home. The next week or so, I see that the exhaust nuts are loose so I pull out the wrench to tighten them and one of them is stripped out and the guy had wrapped wire around the nut and used some kind of sealant to keep in in place for the sale. FFS. After I kludged it for a temporary fix, I got new tires. The handling didn’t get better so I looked further, and the frame’s chain stay was cracked.

So, the bike came apart somewhat and I had the frame welded, got new headers and put a lot of elbow grease into it. My friend was an aircraft tool maker, so he bore out the header cups and made some custom helicoil inserts from aircraft aluminium he had and the guys at Dewey’s Cycle welded them in. Very nicely done. Also had them put in new valves, springs and seats while it was there. But, didn’t think about the guides, and they didn’t remind me. Doh!

Where did you find yours...


For a while I had a motorcycle export business, sending 70s era superbikes to the UK, since the exchange rate and the tariffs made it a good business then. I think I sent more than 200 or over and so I spent a lot of time riding bikes that I would put in a 40’ box. And a lot of Police 1000s for some strange reason. It sure was fun to ride them down the freeway in a four-box formation with my friends, flashers on. The traffic parted like for Moses.

Along the way I also found a dented Interstate tank, and had it fixed and sprayed by a guy who ran a very nice restoration shop I was acquainted with. He had old 50’s Jag’s and old Maserati’s – nice stuff. He did a bang up job on the tank for a cheap cash deal that he had one of his apprentices do.

So, the Norton got more than the occasional use it had been getting and smoked a bit on one side for a few years. Well, more than a few years. And many VME rallies. I finally had another good friend who has BSAs and who was doing some work down at MSI replace the guides for me since he owed me. While he was at it he did the rings and gave it a hone. It went like a stuck pig, but it looked far better.

16 years ago I moved from Seattle to New Zealand. Divorced. Hip surgery. Work. Kids. New wife and new kids. And all the while the Norton in the shed under a cover.

Where did you find yours...


And then I discovered Access Norton...

Where did you find yours...


Where did you find yours...


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I was a Trident guy and frequented triplesonline.com. A regular poster on there (Alan) posted some pics of his ‘74 850 Roadster that he hardly used, I posted some comment suggesting he sell it to me, and he did.
It was a very nice bike that really didn’t appear to need much work. After riding it around for a summer I thought I’d take the head off to check things out. Ha! Big mistake! I think the only thing I’ve not done to it since is paint the tank!

Then:
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Now:
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I Inherited mine, unfortunately..... and far, far too soon too

My dad Bought a 1972 Commando 750 when I was 8-10ish, I am 32 now - Cause Mum had enough of the "boney F*ckin BSA" he had at the time

He doted over it (jokingly saying if there was a house fire, he would wake up mum so she could get us while he grabbed the bike) took it to shows, won a couple of awards, and went on rallies with Mum until 2006 when a shoulder injury pretty much stopped him from riding it ever again, registration went on hold, for the last time, and it went under the covers in a corner of the shed

It came out into daylight for a single day when we went to move it to their new house a few years ago, but it just went back into storage, I would poke him every now and then to see if he wanted to fire it up, give it a run, and I would help him, but that did not get far, he said we would, when he felt better, well, he never did get better I am afraid to say, And passed away about a year ago

His shed and cave basically became a dormant area, it was too hard to go there let alone do anything there, but this year Mum and Myself started to tidy up the place, get the genuine rubbish out, and organize the tools and equipment of his to make some space and make it a nice place to remember him still


And In the corner was that pair of handlebars under a bed sheet, I asked mum if she could give me a hand to move it and clean under it, and she cheekily said "nah stuff that, that's your bike now, he put it in the will for you, you realize?"

I had not even considered that, I had always known it as "his bike" "dads bike" - and that blew me away to tears on the spot, but at the same time, I knew right then and there, I had to get that bike going again, and do it for him! It was partially in pieces, mainly to make it easy to store

So I dragged it out into the fresh garage space we had, spend this entire last weekend wrenching on it, putting everything back on it again, until it was just the seat and side covers left to go on, pumped up the tyres that actually look pretty OK for the age, not perished at all and the tubes still held air!

He had drained all the fluids, fuel, oils, etc., and battery was long gone, so I figured out all I needed for that, plus a pair of Sparkplugs, topped everything off, turned on the fuel taps, made sure the carbs had fuel, ignition on, and gave it a kick.....

And the bloody thing fired up! it kicked and lurched and backfired with a puff of smoke out the pipes for half a second and roared into life! Mum heard the thing fire up too, and could just hear me cackling like a madman over it as I gave it a few revs and checked the oil tank was circulating


A few more tears were shed then for sure, such an emotional feeling hearing that engine make noise again, still gets me to this day :D

Today was a return where I gave it a bit of a sponge bath, of course It had leaked *around* the drip tray I put down :p

So now it is sitting under fresh and clean covers, and waiting for a few weeks until I can get it in for a warrant of Fitness check, and get a few things sorted on it at the same time, and then when its road legal again, I'll take it to go visit the old man and show him his bike running again :D


Where did you find yours...


Where did you find yours...
Sweet story, Mac.

Have you joined NZ Norton Owners Club? Quite a few local rides, and each year a national rally that alternates N or S Island. This year is down South Canterbury. Get a WOF next week and come up next weekend!

 
Steve , a little surprised .... you have had the affliction quite some time ! , suspect it won’t be long before less Triumph more Norton , haha!
I don't doubt it... I sold my 3 Bsas and a truck load of parts last summer. I was running outa room :)
 
When I was a kid, I had an uncle who was like a brother to me. He had a 1953 Triumph Thunderbird which I helped him rebuild wjhen I was about 12 years old. When I was 14, he took me to the roasd races at Fishermans' Bend, where I watched Geoff Duke race the Gileras against all our top guys. After that, I was hooked. My first two bikes were given to me - a 500cc Indian Scout and a 350cc side valve Triumph.. I have had bikes since I was 15. That was in about 1955. They have shaped everything I have ever done. The subjects I liked best at school were the technology related ones. I was very lucky, I have only ever studied or worked at things which genuinely interested me. My best job was in the Government Aircraft Factory at Fishermans' Bend. Most of my jobs have been in engineering factories. But motorcycles have always been my first interest. I have come to realise I do not think like most other people. - Too bad, Eh ?
 
Sweet story, Mac.

Have you joined NZ Norton Owners Club? Quite a few local rides, and each year a national rally that alternates N or S Island. This year is down South Canterbury. Get a WOF next week and come up next weekend!


I should join for sure! thanks for letting me know, ill have a look! :D

I can only but try and see if I can maybe make this one, The only guy I trust with classic bikes and can issue them warrants is quite busy at the moment, but I have already asked if I could sneak it in for a check and see if it will pass or if not what we can do to get it legal hehe, otherwise if I cant pull that off, I can prep and plan to take time off and go to the North island one next year :D
 
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