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

I recently saw a restored 72 Honda 750. It definitely had no small amount of cachet. For me, the early Honda 750s have the same intangible that attracts me to the Commando. Of course, the Commando trumps the Honda, IMO.

I'm 38, owned my '73 850 Interstate since I was 26. It was the only bike I ever wanted, and I wanted it just because I thought it was beautiful, that the Commandos are what motorbikes should look like. All that stuff about performance, comfort and good handling was just lucky for me! I'll never sell it. My 2.5 year old son drags me out to the shed every day to ride one of "Daddies motorbikes" (I also have a '95 Trident), and he prefers the Norton. He can have it when I'm too frail to kick it over. :wink:

poindexter - the reason I have sons is so they can kickstart my old bikes for me when I get too old to do so.

They can have MY bikes when I'm DEAD!

(Actually, I already let them each pick one to start with, and have written in my will that after my wyfe takes a few, they start taking turns picking the rest)

I'm 54. Had dirt bikes in high school, college took me to a Kawasaki 900, Yikes! I seemed to only ride it one way, not a good way. Then a Triumph and then raced dirt bikes. Got kids and felt the need to leave motorized bikes for pedal bikes, then mountain bikes. My oldest bought a Honda Nighthawk in 2008, really a piece of work, we spent last winter rebuilding it (basically throwing good money after bad) and last fathers day he invited me on a ride, borrowed a friends bike. WOw. decided I needed to start riding again. Bought a 1977 BMW R100R, really enjoy riding it and started looking for something more unique...1975 Norton, basically complete but still arrived in a few boxes, engine is rebuilt and never been started, lots of little un-finished details, seller just got to a point where he needed to sell after 20 years of work on the bike. I'm looking forward to sharing as well as asking for help on this forum. I belong to the BMW forum and they have been great on helping me with a few items, like clutch replacement etc.
I'm north of Seattle, WA. and belong to the Washington Vintage Motorcycle club, they meet 2nd Sat in Mount Vernon at the Royal Fork, super bunch of guys!
THanks!
Kurt
1977 BMW
1975 Norton

75 MK III

I'm 57, just bought it. I've been wanting one since the 70's.

I'm 47, and I've owned my Mk III since I was 17.

Almost. I sold it to my father to finance my first car, and he kept it for a decade until I bought it back. Since he put around 20 miles on it while he owned it, while I replaced the battery and tires and continued to ride it... So, I'm both the 2nd and 4th owner of the bike.

Can't imagine ever selling it again unless I was in truly dire circumstances.

grandpaul said:

poindexter - the reason I have sons is so they can kickstart my old bikes for me when I get too old to do so.

Click to expand...

They can have MY bikes when I'm DEAD!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Body 59 yo.When on my mk3 an immature 18 yo

that seems to be a common amongst us grandfatherly types:

off bike: pushing (or past ) 60

ON the bike: 20 something! 8)

kfh

I remember riding my mate's 1969 green fast back, [in 1970]it had the combat motor, He decided to show the lads peering from the back van window he was tailing a demo how fast this would go...already doing 50 ish ..he cogged down and give the girl "what for".. she didn't approve ! Spiting out her dummy..well the drive side con rod!! oop's Norton sent him a New engine..refusing to take any blame. Deck'a was a thrasher....and Sids new Honda cb500 4 didn't help matters ! But the new Norton engine held it off..i can see them now..coming across the whitmore bends.. Deck in front..weaving!! Sid on his 500 4 screaming...me following up the rear smiling...Happy Days.

Next June I will be 60, I had a BSA M21 that I rode around my friend's dad's field in 1959. Had my first Commando in about 1971 a Green 750 Fastback.
Raced a 750 for a while then went on to a Davic Motique Kawasaki H1B with seeley frame.Owned my Mk3 for about 10 years now and its undergoing a bit of a birthday (rebuild) due to the ns exhaust port thread stripping just before the 2007 Manx GP Had to take my DBD34 engined featherbed special. Fitted a RGM Front disk and caliper, RGM Rear caliper on standard but drilled disk and homemade mount. Single Mikuni carb. Boyer power box and micro digital ignition. everything LEDs but headlamp bulb . fold up front footrests. homemade stainless steel front fork brace. progressive fork springs.and as much stainless as I can find to replace stock items.

CBR1100RR.
MK3 Commando.
BSA RGS Replica.
DBD34 Featherbed special (NORBSA).
Tribsa 6T pre 65 scrambler.
Honda TL125 trials.
Brockhouise Corgi (1948)
Italjet pack 2
Yamaha RD200 electric.

Hi all,
i'm 57, ive had my commando from new, it was my 21st birthday present to myself.
We have Norton owners from late 20 year olds to 70's in our branch, but mainly 50's & 60's.
Maybe its time to take up dominos or cards nowdays for me.
I even still go Scuba Diving somtimes.
Cheers Don

I'm 55 and ride the '74 Commando I restored a year ago. My first bike, in '73, was a Norton Model 7 (the twin that started it all for the Commando) that I bought because I lusted after the Commando but couldn't afford it. Finally bought the '74 3 years ago and won't let it go - ever - but am looking for another to restore.
Paul.

71basketcase said:

that seems to be a common amongst us grandfatherly types:

off bike: pushing (or past ) 60

ON the bike: 20 something! 8)

kfh

Click to expand...

My birth year is 1971; my wife was just reading over my shoulder and says I am your name a 1971 basket case :lol:

52...I've owned my '72 Fastback for 23 years with a ground-up restoration about 10 years ago...I got the british bike bug when I lived in England. I started with a couple of Bantams and Royal Enfield 250s which I restored and rode in England and France but I bought the Commando from a friend in Half Moon Bay, California after I moved back...The weather is better here. Cheers, Tom

68 - '73 850 Commando restored and riding the hell out of it! Also ride '04 Ducati Multistrada and '92 Ducati 907IE. Will keep riding until the guy above tells me not to.

I’m 70. I started my journey into the world of mechanical wonders at age 4, my mother actually installed that button. It was while we were living in Virginia on the Christmas a tad over 2 months after I turned 4. My dad was a newly minted Lieutenant in the Army Medical Core he was deployed to Korea and served in a MASH hospital, he and his team were there to deploy and further develop the artificial kidney; I saw him once, for a week, in the 2.5 years he served in Korea. That Christmas it was just me and mom; the Red Cross brought us a Christmas dinner and a small tree. Mom gave me what had been a good quality brass alarm clock and a collection of used tools; the clock, however, had been over-wound and dropped (thrown?) a number of times, to call it junk would have been kind. My mom told me that the clock needed my help and told me she was sure that I was the man for the job. I never did get that clock to run again, but I learned about gear engagement and bearing adjustment; I spent hours taking it apart and putting it back together; it was one of the best presents I ever got.


I got my first motorcycle at age 15, a 250cc Zundapp Super Saber, while at a private school in upstate New York; I bought it from one of the cooks for $40.00, but it had "T" boned a car and was, virtually, salvage. Two senior class men (called 6th former's for you Brits) helped me get the wreck into the school's maintenance shed where we repaired the damage enough to have a pretty spunky dirt/pit/rat bike.


I worked for many motorcycle dealerships while in college before joining Corporate America; from 1964 to present there were only 4 years I didn't own a motorcycle, however, during those 4 years I rode other people's bikes; I'd trade service/repair for riding time.


At my present age I have seen many people retire, the bulk wake up at some point and realize that they haven't seen a new web page in a week, that arthritis has killed their golf game, that they are drinking too much. I belong to a few chapters of different British motorcycle groups, but find it hard to attend when all I hear are stories about ailments and medical procedures, not that I'm in any way immune to such maladies, but learning to live with them is much easier than rolling the dice in the OR; bitching about infirmities doesn’t make them any better.


During my corporate America "tour” which lasted a bit over 30 years, I got laid off 6 times, was hired as a contractor, illegally, 4 times, was put between a rock and a hard place too many times and was frivolously sued twice by complete jerks; these suits went no place in court, but sure wasted a lot of time. Being ambitious and passionate about my work as a software technical recruiter wasn't helpful for career growth. Small companies hired me to solve their "Human Capital" deficits, which I could do better than most. When these companies started to grow, they implemented "process", promoted "team work", talked about "working locally, thinking globally". I always found a way to spell "team" with an "I". I learned that a corporation’s collective common sense diminished with the square of the head count. I also learned HR was at the very bottom of the corporate food chain; essentially a place to exile “loyal incompetence”. Many times, Clint Eastwood’s line from “Dirty Harry”, “Personnel, personnel is for idiots” ran through my mind. The last place I worked as an employee was quite the ride. I joined EMC corp when they were at a 700 headcount; I was hired to support Advanced Development, a group that wrote the micro-code that cut disk access latency; I, eventually, managed a group that focused on software development in a much broader sense. I was granted stock options on my hire, I also saw patterns in the stock price each quarter, which I charted. I left EMC when the headcount exceeded 127,000. The BS I had to deal with was easily balanced by what my options and day trading allowed me to leave with. I paid off the mortgage, topped off the kid’s college funds and built a rainy-day fund that I hoped would out last me. I also purchased a Mk3 Norton.

I had 3 Nortons back in the day, I always liked British iron, but Norton was/is my favorite; motorcycles with real soul. I will never retire; having Rocky Point Cycle is one of the best purchases I have ever made. I purchased an industrial condo to house RPC in and started buying 60s and 70s air cooled European twins: Nortons, Triumphs, BSAs and BMWs; I have 10 examples. RPC’s parts business pays the bills and gives me a place to spend my days. I do service work, so put RPC on your list of places to stop at if you ever ride in New England.

The pictures that follow show my “man cave”, please pardon the appearance, I owe the shop a good cleaning and squaring away.

59. 73 850 owned since 1978.

I will be 67 on jan 21 2019...that's what birth certificate says but I don't believe it...got first bike a Yamaha 80 when I was 15..had an MG or flown planes or had a bike ever since...the biggest part of me still thinks i'm 30...I am a writer by trade and keeping mind active is very important..i love learning new stuff want to learn guitar next

73.. bought my ES2 in 69 the commando in 72 , a previous years model brand new