Wondering how old we are (commando owners) (2009)

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yvesnorton said:
Hi Friends
There must be a man here in Belgium with a Norton 99SS, he buy it brand new and ride more as 1.000.000 km with the bike, I never meet the guy, but I suppose he must be older as 65
Cheers
yves
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Do you really mean a million kms or was that a typo? The 1961 Dominator 88 I am almost ready to fire up had 60K miles on the clock when I got it all in bits. Highest mileage I have ever seen on a Smiths clock. The engine was pretty worn out but it's ready for another 60K now!!
 
tpeever said:
yvesnorton said:
Hi Friends
There must be a man here in Belgium with a Norton 99SS, he buy it brand new and ride more as 1.000.000 km with the bike, I never meet the guy, but I suppose he must be older as 65
Cheers
yves
Click to expand...

Do you really mean a million kms or was that a typo? The 1961 Dominator 88 I am almost ready to fire up had 60K miles on the clock when I got it all in bits. Highest mileage I have ever seen on a Smiths clock. The engine was pretty worn out but it's ready for another 60K now!!
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Not a typo, a million km!
79 x 100 knows more about that guy, tell us more 79 x 100.....
yves
 
Hey Ken, What do you run on the salt? I have spent some time there and really think the place is great. Oh my birth certificate says I'm 49 but my wife thinks I act more like 20 something, LOL LOL. Chuck.
 
approaching 46 and finally running a bike I've wanted since I was 14 - made the mistake of buying a basket case when I was 18 and thinking I'd get round to sorting it :)

d
 
yvesnorton said:
Not a typo, a million km!
79 x 100 knows more about that guy, tell us more 79 x 100.....
yves
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Yes indeed, please tell us more! How many and what kinds of rebuilds during that million kms? I am assuming that the bike was stock with no oil filter and possibly no air filter? How often were the oil changes? :D

That's a great testament to the Norton brand!!!
 

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Hortons Norton said:
Hey Ken, What do you run on the salt? I have spent some time there and really think the place is great. Oh my birth certificate says I'm 49 but my wife thinks I act more like 20 something, LOL LOL. Chuck.
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I ran a Commando engined featherbed in 2001 and 2006, and set records both times. They've since been broken, but I've retired that bike and we're now running a Norton powered streamliner. This is a pic of me on the featherbed in 2006.
Wondering how old we are (commando owners) (2009)

And this is the same bike in 2001, my first experience on the salt. The bike was still in AHRMA vintage roadracing trim.
Wondering how old we are (commando owners) (2009)

This is the Commando powered streamliner this year after a mild crash. We expect to finish the rest of the bodywork for 2010.
Wondering how old we are (commando owners) (2009)
 
I turned 52 last week and I think I am one of the younger Norton owners in the San Diego Antique Motorcycle Club. There are a number of younger fellows in the Ton-Up club who ride Norton, but mostly the more common Triumph or BSA bobber/cafe style. You don't need to know jack squat about motorcycles to recognize the cool factor of the Norton. The timeless classics will live on and be re-born, Ken Dreer has nearly succeeded. Indian is on what... the 4th or 5th iteration? The Vincent is being re-made in Oz. Marilyn Monroe is still HOT!
 
I am 62. This is my first Brit bike after wanting one for many years. Bought in defiance of all those relatives that whine about how dangerous they are. Now it's my turn and my dependents can just stick it. Yes I have an attitude after all these years. These old bikes will be around for a long time ifwe keep reserecting the rough ones. The steel horse riders will always love where they came from.
 
I'm 58 and have owned my '74 850 Roadster since it was brand new. Bought it with Trans Alaska Pipeline money from The Competition Shop in Fairbanks, Alaska. Was too busy working to ever drive it much so it only has ~ 2,800 miles on it.
My 23 year old son bought a brand new Triumph Daytona 675 last spring. He and all his riding buddies think the Norton is "way cool".
I'm sure it will be "in the family" for at leat another generation.
 
Months away from 40. My 750 is the same month and year as I am. Bought it for my 30th as a present to myself. My friend is same age and turned me on to Nortons. Funny how much time his bike spends time in my garage... coincidence? A coworker owns the bike from the movie One Week. He's about the same age, so that makes three of us lurking out here.
 
32. Got my bike when I was 27.
I might hang out with you ol geezers more often, its nice to feel young.
 
yvesnorton said:
79x100 said:
yvesnorton said:
Hi Friends
There must be a man here in Belgium with a Norton 99SS, he buy it brand new and ride more as 1.000.000 km with the bike, I never meet the guy, but I suppose he must be older as 65
Cheers
yves
Click to expand...

I know exactly who you mean. :) I believe that Raymond has just turned 70. His bike was the 1958 (I think) Brussels show model.
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Yes Raymond is his name, that man must have a lot of souvenirs to tell, he is from West Flanders no?
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I know Raymond quite well even though there is a bit of a language barrier between us, even the Flemish struggle with his broad accent, I listened to his tale of the history of the bike whilst having a beer with him in Austria this year. Unfortunatley he was speaking Flemish and I was listening in Scottish but I got the gist of the bikes history. He still manages the International (European Rallies) each year. In 2002 we were in France and Raymond missed the meeting because he was very ill in hospital, we all signed a card for him, and I got a report back that he was delighted, whilst everyone had pictures of their families at the side of their beds Raymond had a picture of his Dommi! He is the Flanders branch of the NOC Technical rep but unless you speak Flemish don't get into an in depth technical discussion with him. A living legend! :D

Oh and one more thing, when we're on our Nortons we're all 18 again!!
 
27 here. I went though my sportbike phase when I first got into bikes, but between the looks of the Commando and the appeal of adjusting valves in minutes as opposed to hours (with similar results for virtually any other maintenance task), I've been converted. I like the idea having a bike mostly made of metal instead of plastic.
@Vulin: too bad I didn't get into Nortons until two or three years ago - I used to live around Allentown until late 2005. Baby Nortons unite!
 
Hi, Don,t mind telling my age. I,am 61 and have owned Nortons since I was 17. Bought my first one in 1965. A brand new 400 Electra. Still have it and it looks better than new,
thanks to a complete restoration. Everybody talks about how unreliable they were. Put almost 40,000 miles on it without any break downs or major problems. I have a 1975 roadster and a 1976 interstate. All three are show room condition and have won top honors in many shows and get this, they all are ridden not hidden! Just bought me a Victory, nice bike but can,t get any respect on it . The Nortons draw a crowd every where I go and they just make me feel good ridding one. Once it,s in your blood you just can,t get it out. I hope my sons will carry on the tradition when I,am gone. HAPPY NORTING!!
 
nortons3 said:
Hi, Don,t mind telling my age. I,am 61 and have owned Nortons since I was 17. Bought my first one in 1965. A brand new 400 Electra. Still have it and it looks better than new,
thanks to a complete restoration. Everybody talks about how unreliable they were. Put almost 40,000 miles on it without any break downs or major problems. I have a 1975 roadster and a 1976 interstate. All three are show room condition and have won top honors in many shows and get this, they all are ridden not hidden! Just bought me a Victory, nice bike but can,t get any respect on it . The Nortons draw a crowd every where I go and they just make me feel good ridding one. Once it,s in your blood you just can,t get it out. I hope my sons will carry on the tradition when I,am gone. HAPPY NORTING!!
Click to expand...
 
now 51 started on triumphs 3ta then a t/bird at 15 just about put me off brit bikes then brought a commando , my biggest claim to fame was building and racing a methanol burning supercherged speedway sidecar unit in the late 70 early 80s kept on with norton road bikes until mates with harleys started blitzin me in the late 80s ealy 90s been running harleys since then allways quick ones, got back into nortons a couple of years ago restoreing an 850 mk2a presently restoreing a 70 s type also have a 650ss next in line.
regard Al
 
I crossed the 54 year yard-line two days ago. I've been riding various motorcycles since I was 14, but didn't own a Norton until about ten years ago when I bought my Commando as a rolling basket case. I started with an Allstate 50 in 1968/69 and have since owned Honda's, BMW's, BSA's, Suzuki's, NSU's, Triumphs, and even an odd minibike or two.

Good to see some younger people choosing to maintain these magnificent machines; even better to see some of the more 'experienced' sharing their knowledge with all of us. In my opinion, the Norton Commando has more nuances to it than any other bike I've owned. I guess that's what makes it so interesting.
 
I'm 48, Grew up around nice Triumphs but the first bike I ever owned was a pieced together Norton P11 scrambler bought from Bill Getty. At 19 or 20 I bought a 750 Commando with the Dunstall treatments & had it for years. Miss it dearly! I bought a complete very nice 68 Fastback and a bunch of pieiod cafe parts for $75.00 at a garage sale about 1983 from some guys who didn't even know what a Norton was. Thoses were the days... I've owned a bunch of bikes over the years, Ducati singles, BMW K100 rs (most boring thing I ever had ) It allways ran like a top, never leaked a drop. Geez sounds like a Honda! Yuck. (no offense) I truely miss the Guzzi V-50 Monza I had for a long time and Will buy another some day. wish I bought the 77 Ducoti 750 Super Sport that a guy offered to me for less than the fairing would cost now!!! I've rescude a Cushman from a trash can and a 64 Triumph 500 from a guy who though oil was optional. I love my 68 BSA Shooting Star that got me riding after a few years off & will have it for life but now that I am putting together another Norton 850 I can't for the life of me understand how I went so long without one. For some one like me who needs a bike that is as much fun to work on/play with as it is to ride the Norton big twins rein supreme! The Brit bikes were out of vouge and past there prime by the time I was old enough to ride but they were still what interested me. I have no predjeduce against Japaniese bike but they didn't hold any interest for me as a kid or now. Just allways liked funky old things I guess, now I'm begining to be one myself!
 
Im 41. Ive owned a 72 Combat for 2 years. Technically I havent ridden a k on it. But its so nearly finished.
Odly I fell in love with the commando when I helpd a guy who had broken down on one.
 
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