Where were Commando's 1st started up?

Did Norton start up to test run cycles at factory or just let dealerships deal with the multitude of faults like time dial over a handful of degrees off? A caring factory might at least stamped the error factors on the covers.

Testing went downhill after the 1950s, in all the Brit Bike factories.

Ok we know wars and global banskter plots sucked down UK people and manufactures testing reserves so still wondering if Norton tried to start engines before shipping out Commandos boxed or assembled.

Plenty of magazine tests of them back then...
The engines ran fine until they had some mileage up on them. ?

Some magazine tests noted they had a well worn dog supplied to them, it must be mentioned.
Several mention being taken back for servicing and even repairs.
And others praised the fine performance and loping touring feel to a real mile eater.

At one stage when I was at NV, 1969 to 1970, I was working at Thruxton, in the competition/race department. At the time, all Commandos were being assembled at the Andover factory. As far as I can remember all bikes were ridden from the factory to Thruxton, a distance of about 10 miles. At Thruxton the rider completed a report which stated if anything needed to be done. This made three options available, 1..ok for packing (i.e. no probs); 2.. minor faults that could be corrected at the Thruxton site (i.e. minor probs); and 3..Major probs which required the bike being returned to Andover. Minor problems which could be rectified at Thruxton were completed and the bike given a run "up the road" to a roundabout, which was some miles from Thruxton, and back. If all was ok the bike was ready for packing.
Again from memory they were turning out a max of 400 bikes per week, usually 250/300, this equates to between 50 and 80 per 5 day week. I think that there were about a dozen, maybe 15 or 16 production test riders.
Some of the details may be a bit fuzzy, but the basic fact was that every Commando received at least a 10 mile run before delivery. The test riders were a pretty clued up bunch, the chief prod test rider was Tony Holland, who at the time was a very good club/national class road racer.
cheers
wakeup

Verrrry Cool.

Thanks wakeup for filling in a big blank for me on factory attention and scale of numbers/time involved.

Is there any evidence though that there were many faults at build time though. Or any faults really ?

I have a tank - that was taken off a new bike in the showroom.
It leaked when filled up.
Where it leaked from was not at all obvious.
And was replaced with a new one, out of a factory box.

Rohan said:

I have a tank - that was taken off a new bike in the showroom. It leaked when filled up. Where it leaked from was not at all obvious. And was replaced with a new one, out of a factory box.

Click to expand...

mine leaked when the tank was full, we tracked it down to a bad weld around the filler cap opening flange.

About tank leaks, I'm not sure but I seem to remember that the drawings for both fiberglass and steel tanks specified a leak test before any painting. I think the test was left up to the discretion of the manufacturer, either a pressure drop or a blowing bubbles test would seem to be at least two ways.........
cheers
wakeup

I finished this book Saturday, the Bert Hopwood book should be here this week for another perspective.
A good read, I doubt much was being checked in the later years, tick the box and have another cup of tea and bacon butty more like it.

hobot said:

Did Norton start up to test run cycles at factory or just let dealerships deal with the multitude of faults like time dial over a handful of degrees off? A caring factory might at least stamped the error factors on the covers.

Click to expand...

Hi Hobot

The good ones still run and the bad ones have expired (like Norton Villiers). Doesn't matter now if they were not tested before shipping.

hobot said:

Did Norton start up to test run cycles at factory or just let dealerships deal with the multitude of faults like time dial over a handful of degrees off? A caring factory might at least stamped the error factors on the covers.

Click to expand...

I would look at the Lucas rotor mark and broaching of the key way before the plate on the cast cover.

Ta.

Time Warp said:

I finished this book Saturday, the Bert Hopwood book should be here this week for another perspective.
A good read, I doubt much was being checked in the later years, tick the box and have another cup of tea and bacon butty more like it.

Click to expand...

That was good timing, the postie just dropped it off, a used copy for $13.10 + post from the UK.
I should imagine Mr Hopwood's summation will differ.
It might mention the timing plate and sporadic placement of marks and key ways.

Time Warp said:

Time Warp said:

I finished this book Saturday, the Bert Hopwood book should be here this week for another perspective.
A good read, I doubt much was being checked in the later years, tick the box and have another cup of tea and bacon butty more like it.

Click to expand...

That was good timing, the postie just dropped it off, a used copy for $13.10 + post from the UK.
I should imagine Mr Hopwood's summation will differ.
It might mention the timing plate and sporadic placement of marks and key ways.

Click to expand...

A painful read.
Blunders by management who thought they were making kitchen appliances, with stupid union activity to boot.

wakeup said:

At one stage when I was at NV, 1969 to 1970, I was working at Thruxton, in the competition/race department. At the time, all Commandos were being assembled at the Andover factory. As far as I can remember all bikes were ridden from the factory to Thruxton, a distance of about 10 miles. At Thruxton the rider completed a report which stated if anything needed to be done. This made three options available, 1..ok for packing (i.e. no probs); 2.. minor faults that could be corrected at the Thruxton site (i.e. minor probs); and 3..Major probs which required the bike being returned to Andover. Minor problems which could be rectified at Thruxton were completed and the bike given a run "up the road" to a roundabout, which was some miles from Thruxton, and back. If all was ok the bike was ready for packing.
Again from memory they were turning out a max of 400 bikes per week, usually 250/300, this equates to between 50 and 80 per 5 day week. I think that there were about a dozen, maybe 15 or 16 production test riders.
Some of the details may be a bit fuzzy, but the basic fact was that every Commando received at least a 10 mile run before delivery. The test riders were a pretty clued up bunch, the chief prod test rider was Tony Holland, who at the time was a very good club/national class road racer.
cheers
wakeup

Click to expand...

I remember Tony Holland, and when I met him, also his team mate riding for 'Thruxton Motorcycles' Tony Smith.

The quickest pair of Commando framed bikes around at the time (say '76/'77) racing mainly with the North Glos MCC at that time, a race club with a lot of members and racing at National standard. They won races. I ran as part of the 'co promoting club', the Royal Air Force Motor Sports Association. First on a Fastback, then on my Rickman.

Bought an old copy of a motor cycle magazine last year with a nice article about Tony's 'Production Racer' published around '73 I think.

No doubt the likes of Tony Holland knew what they were doing, but of course what he and the team were trying to do was assess basic soundness of the bike, oil leaks ignition and carb set up, serious vibrations, clutch adjustment, decent gear change etc., not if the motor was going to hang together for 10K or 100K miles.

Hi steve, could you let me know some more details of that magazine you bought please, would like to try and get my hands on a copy. cheers

Ian Smith said:

Hi steve, could you let me know some more details of that magazine you bought please, would like to try and get my hands on a copy. cheers

Click to expand...

The magazine is Motorcyle Sport....February 1972, Volume 13, Number 2, cover price 13pence....

The article starts on page 67, and is titled 'Tony Holland's Commando Racer', with the comment 'A Club Racer that "anyone" could build up for a painful rather than excrucuating expenditure'

Here is a quote from the second paragraph of the article having established in the first that this artice reports a brief racer track test at Thruxton...noting that the track has 'very stringent noise limitations'....

'Some fortunate riders use the circuit day after day, testing the ordinary production Commando machines. Special tanks and exhaust systems are kept for this purpose, and when the machine has successfully passed (at a maximum of 70mph) the new parts are then fitted. One of these testers is Tony Holland, a very successful club racer.....'

Interestingly the bike tested was based on 'A two-year old frame of the older road Commando type formed the basis, with new forks in 1971 yokes too iron out the Commando weave with greater rake.' Unappealingly to me but apparently to the the tester of 'very smart appearance', it was finished in 'brown metalflake' with 'PR Commando style glass-fibre'

So this article infers that bikes based on comments above, Commandos may have been ridden 10 miles from the factory to Thruxton, had the exhaust and tank changed, track tested at up to 70mph (not run in don't forget' and then had the exhaust and tank changed back to the new components....

Really?

Cheers steve, I will see if I can find a copy.
I will ask my dad about this, he speaks to Tony Holland practically every day ( both have too much time in retirement) and see what he says /remembers