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

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I think I am 58 and bought my first Commando by accident in 1971 when I was still 19. I had ordered (and paid a deposit) on a 1971 Triumph Bonneville from Elite Motors in Tooting (London). I had a 1967 Bonneville at the time and liked Triumphs. Elite wrote me a letter me about two weeks before I left for the UK and told me they had run out of 71 Bonnevilles but could sell me a new 1970 Norton at the same price. 71 Nortons were going for about 200 dollars (which for you youngsters was like $1000 or so today) more than 71 Bonnevilles at the time so I agreed to the leftover 1970.
 
Congratulations jnstrong! I think you may be the youngest owner on the forum (or did you forget to add a "0" to your age)?

Great having you here. Got any pics of your bike?
 
Hello, my name is NTST8, i'm 48 and i'm a Nortonholic.
I have been obsessed with my Commando for 25+yrs and recently, in an effort to cure the obsession, added a 1944 16H to the garage.
I can report that happily there is no cure, the obsession has doubled. :mrgreen:
 
Being 60 years old I was delighted to find a movie made in Canada called "One Week" about a young man who rides his 850 Commando across the counrty. Not a bad story with lots of gorgeous scenery and plenty of footage of the bike and rider. I would'nt be surprised if it hooked some new blood!

Cheers,
Steve
 
Hi Steve, welcome to the forum! We're in the same neighborhood! Are you near Victoria?

There was a thread on this forum when the movie came out. It's one of the few movies I've seen in a theater.
 
I'll be 60 next month, I bought my Roadster in London, from Gus Khun if I remember rightly in 1971 and still have it over here in France.
My youngest daughter will probably take it over when I pop off.
 
I'm 44,
My first "proper" bike was a 1973 850 Commando that I bought for myself when I turned 18 (1983) , I rode it for 9 years
(4 or 5 of those it was all I had).
I was 18 and dumb so I kept burning up gearboxes, I went through 7 gearbox rebuilds in 9 years (spun 3 Layshaft
bearings, twisted a Mainshaft in half, oddly enough normally the front wheel was in the air when the GB let go,
imagine that!?).
I didn't learn until years later that I had pulled the box out of square and I was just lightening my wallet
rebuilding it.

Since then I've gone through a lot of British bikes:
Several BSA 441's, a BSA A65, a BSA B50, a 1995 Triumph Speed Triple, there's more but I've lost them in the
mists of time.

Through everything I've owned or ridden I've never encountered a bike like the Norton, at "full chat" it feels right,
sounds right and pulls like a frieght train.
Plus, properly set up a "Bendy" (Commando) will outhandle MOST of the bikes out there.

So I'm back to the Commando.

Unclviny
 
i.m 54, bought my first one brand new for aus$1,974.00 in late '74, and just finished restoring one which cost me approx aus$35,000.
 
Welcome aboard nsiddall! We want to see this bike! Can you post some photos in a new thread soon?
 
I'm 37 and have owned my Commando for just over a year and being my first "classic" it has been a steep learning curve. It has made me realize how little I knew about all the other bikes I have owned ! :D
 
Just turned 51, I cut my teeth on Japanese bikes from 76 and built my first brit bike in 79( Triton with a T120 engine fitted with an 8 Valve Weslake head) The JPN was a basket case bought by my wife for our first wedding anniversary in 82 and after a few years and 2 children later finally got it on the road only for it to spit out the oil return pipe from the block on the crankcase and run a big end journal. So here we are in 2009 and it's in build again hopefully 2010 will see it on the road.
 
HI friends,
I wish to thanks all of you that replay on this topic, It is very intresting to know that some young guys are still intrested in the Nortons, so we can be sure that this exeptional bike will survive at least for one hunderd and one years
Cheers
Yves
 
I just turned 57........

ON the bike I feel like I'm about 25. though my butt and knees remind me of my age after a 50 miler 8)

in my 20's I had a 68 lightning and then a triumph daytona which I traveled all over SoCal when I was in the Navy:

fast forward to 2002: I wore my wife down and she gave in for me to buy the basketcase. much to her dismay it now runs great! (many thanks to this group) My grandkids think it's cool!!!!!

I have another lightning 'on deck' when I can find the right time to sneak it into the shed....

Karl
 
I'll be 25 in two days. Just got my first Norton a couple weeks ago and will be here for a while.

Ben
 
Here at the Port Melbourne Commando Club...err place of work actually, we have respectively age 58 + 850 Interstate, age 53 + 850 Roadster, age 41 + 750 Fastback, age 37 + 750 Roadster. Just to show were not narrow minded, prejuidiced and biased we picked up a basket case '72 K2 Honda 750 as a resto project. Then we thought once too much about it and swapped it for a guitar amp.

Mick
 
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