Youngest and Oldest

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'Not sure why that last post by me was put there. Possible dain bramage? Whatever...

Hey, check out what my sister found the other day!

Youngest and Oldest

I originally posted this in "Pictures of Your Norton Commando", but thought this thread might be better suited. From what I can see, it looks to be behind the dealership where Dad bought it (Buzz Chaney's), when I was about 14-15. Dad already had the taller bars added, but she was still sporting the stock Interstate mufflers. This was not the turning point; I was already well on my way down the dark path of motorcycle obsession by the time this was taken. Blame it on my cousin and his brand-new '66 Honda Z50...
Buzz sold AJ's, BSAs, Triumphs, Nortons, Hodakas (?), and beautiful nickel-plated frame Rickman dirt bikes. I'm guessing the shouldered Akront rim poking in from the lower-right is one of those. Buzz was partial to running bean oil in the premix bikes, and the smell of it still takes me back to that time.

Nathan
 
53. Fell in love with a mini-bike at 7 but bought my first bike at 14 a Honda XL125 new. I've been riding ever since. I took my first student loan at 18 down to the dealer and bought a new Honda 750F then starved for a year. I can't imagine not wrenching and riding but already dread that day.
 
just turned 47. i had this Norton 850 since 2012. Best purchase i have ever made.

I love Ducatis, also have a Monster S4rs, a Cagiva Elefant and an old Vespa PX but its the Norton i love the most.
 
Just to add another number to the data pool. I am a scientist of sorts by training and love data collection, anything the increase the almighty 'n'.

I am 35 now, and have had the Norton project for probably 3 years now. Which is a little sad to say, considering how little progress seems to have been made on it, but holy moly I've spent enough in parts to buy another used bike or two already, so at least now I have a place to work on it again, it should begin to move apace.

First bike was a Kawi '78 400 which was a complete write off from the start, but a great learners project that sadly never saw the road. Sometimes, you have to learn the hard way, and figuring out from the start that some just can't be saved isn't such a bad thing. Moved from that to a running Kawi 440 LTD that just needed some love, and enjoyed that for a while until it was painfully obvious it didn't have the go fast I needed. Found a my beloved '78 KZ 650, and it's the keeper. Just a poor mans' bike sure, but it hauls when I want her to, and if should she ever get worn through I've got a 750 block and the fixings to punch it out to 810cc!

The Norton, as related elsewhere is also a labour of love, and a family piece, and I can't wait to get it running and riding. One thing at a time tho, and I have just had the opportunity to start at it again. Hope to be a part of the forum for a good long run of years, as when this project is finished this Norton isn't going anywhere....

Cheers,
Jon
 
Looking at the graph of the age of those responding to the question it looks like the majority are over 50 wish it wasn't so and that more young people would want to ride a Norton.
My neighbors son who is over 20 came by and was asking questions about bikes. He had saved up money from his job and had it burning a hole in his pocket. He asked about Nortons and what they cost. Knowing his lack of mechanical ability I steered him away from a Norton. Judging from the condition of his truck and his 3 mopeds I felt this was the best. If he did buy one I would have been the guy working on it.

John in Texas
 
Dermot here from Ireland. I am 67. First bikes were BSA s backin 60 s. Never could afford a Norton. Biking had to stop during married years with children, took it up again 17 years ago. Bought BSA Sarfire,B50ss,B25ssand a BSA440. Finally 10 years ago I got my beloved Intrerstate 1972. It has given me great service and delights me every time I take it out. My only grief now is my joints are worn(knee replacement last year) and I am getting nervous starting it for fear I may damage my other knee. I have read posts here about electric start, expensive but may be the only road for me. Thank you all who contribute to this website. It is a wealth of information and has helped immensely to keep me on the road.
Dermot
 
Howdy, Dermot.

Combine you next birthday, Christmas and father's day, and get the CNW e-start kit.

'nuff said.
 
I just noticed this thread. I'm 57, and have owned my Norton since I was 37 ... A '78 Kawasaki KZ650 was described recently (above) as a 'keeper' – I had a '79 and heartily agree, it was the last 'modern' bike I had that did everything I wanted, after putting Koni shocks on the rear, and was easy, even a joy, to work on. I loved it, and lost it in one of life's weird chicanes, back in '84. My first bike was a Bantam D10 in 1977, when I was old enough to ride on the road, then a C15, a couple of ex-army B40s (I still have one of them in bits), an A65, then, dare I admit, a 'lo-rider' that had an 850 Commando motor and box slung in a hardtail A7 frame with forks from a '70s Bonneville or maybe Trident ... Well, I was young, and accustomed to vibrating motorcycles ... Mind you, the very low seat meant that the bike always won the 'traffic light GP', just open the throttle, dump the clutch and go! Then the Z650. A bit before that time I started working as a motorcycle courier in London, using an RD250, XS250 (aka 'pile of sh*t'), an XS500 (nice bike but sadly worn out), a CB250N (another pile of sh*t), various CB400/4s (great!), various CB125s (indestructible!) while the CB400/4s were getting serviced, a few CX500s and a GS550MX that burnt its stator so often I carried a spare. I used to do around 150 miles a day just in and around London, and while getting degrees I kept it up for 10 years. Somehow I survived ... Then I finally got a proper job and bought my current Norton. I also bought a Triumph Sprint ST in 2000 for commuting, it was amazing but I still preferred the ride of the Norton. I lost the Triumph in another of life's weird chicanes around 2005. The Norton was in storage from then, I was determined to hang on to it come what may, and in April this year the stars aligned (!) so that I could get it back on the road ... I've spent a lot of time and money on it this summer, more than I ought given my current resources, but it's just such a joy. There you go, that's pretty much me!
 
I am 72... What an amazing thread - thank you everybody..

I started with bikes when 18 , car insurance was just prohibitive at that age . My first two were outfits.. Ariel Huntmaster followed by BSA Super rocket
first solo was a Norton Model 50 which eventually go an ES2 lump installed. The Commando I bought new in 1972 as a discounted previous years model. Saw my first one in 1968 and knew just had to have one. I have never bothered with car though have started cycling again. Good exercise .

With the fairing it cruises quite happily at 90mph , and it is still a contender in traffic light GPs. Has always been run on monograde oil and had one of the first boyer ignitions fitted. Its still on the original bottom end and bore.. the crankcases have never been split. Had a sleeve gear bearing fail probably due to my love of overrun but that is it. Its probably faster in traffic than my ZZR . Upto 60 I would think the Commando is quicker. It is geared to do 75 in second
and what a spine tingler it is when the revs get around 6000 and the exhaust just snarls.. They are amazing sounding bikes it will purr , snap , snarl and bellow and bark at cars.. Always used to do 100mph when I took it out , even across London in the 70s .. But its also fun to ride in the wet at 30mph.. Fantastic bikes
 
Great story Colin, and thanks to everyone who's added to this thread with their histories. It's interesting to me to see how many went through so many bikes through the years, only to end up with a Norton. One one hand, we could have saved ourselves a lot of grief, time, and money to just buy one straightaway, but, on the other hand, we probably wouldn't have appreciated just what a joy these old girls are without all of that in our past.
It's been just over a year since the heart attack, the Norton's already burned up another back tire, and, reflecting back on earlier postings, it dawned on me that I haven't bored you with a list of bikes in my life.
Here goes, starting with the first memory:
'65 Kawasaki 120 - Dad's first bike, kind of a turd, as I recall (only five years old at the time). Dad happened to be downtown by the local British bike dealer right around opening time in the morning. The owner, Buzz Chaney, had just rolled a '66 Triumph 500 Daytona out front. Without a word, Buzz fired it up, then left it idling as he walked back into the shop. He didn't have to say a word. Dad reflects how it just sat there, lopey idle, with the front wheel gently shaking fore-and-aft as it warmed up. Dad came back with that bike the same morning, his first "real" motorcycle. Blue/white, with painted and pinstriped fenders. What a beautiful machine!
'66 Honda Z50 - my cousin's, learned to ride on this at six years old
'70 Honda SL70 - my first bike. 'Almost too small for my 10-year-old frame. Taught me how to use a clutch
'71-ish Ossa Pioneer 250 - Dad's. He sold it after coming home late again from a ride with his buddies. The best part was, when Mom was chewing him out in the kitchen, she finished with "...and your Ossa shirt's on inside-out!" Sure enough, there on his chest, was the word "ASSO" showing through the fabric. Mom couldn't contain herself any longer, and busted out laughing.
'72 Honda CT90 - first street-legal bike. Once I turned 14 and could "legally" ride on the street, that little bike took me everywhere!
'72 Honda TL125 Trials bike - a lot of fun, but lacking much horsepower
'74 Ossa Trials - my dad's. I guess he was into trials bikes. Both the kickstand and kickstarter were on the wrong sides. 'Made for some interesting starting...
'74 Bultaco Alpina 350 - also my dad's. Also "backwards" like the Ossa. That bike was a lot of fun, especially for a little squirt of a kid! I don't think I broke a hundred pounds back then. The compression release was great fun to blast at someone when riding around town.
'72 BSA B50 MX - another of Dad's. Now we're talkin'! More torque than i'd ever felt before. Hill-climber extraordinaire
'74 Norton - of course...
'74 Honda XL175, bought in '76 - reliable, kind of ho-hum, but it got me around for many miles
'72 Triumph T150 Trident - crazy-fast, but lacking the torque and charm of a traditional British bike. It would go 130 mph
'76 Yamaha XS650 Special. Jap chopper, but a parallel twin, nonetheless. Stripped it bare, snagged an earlier larger tank (I worked at a motorcycle salvage yard at the time), performed some intake port work with JB Weld (see the XR750 port thread for why), fresh paint, and re-assembled it as a more traditional cafe bike. Went with a torquer cam and twin 34mm Mikuni's; I'm pretty sure it would have outrun the Triple. Traded it off to buy my wife's '84 Honda VT500 Ascot.
'84 Yamaha XZ550 Vision - Water-cooled, twin-cam, four-valve, shaft drive. A great bike, but had a nasty speed-wobble when powering out of a turn at anything much over 90 mph
'84 Honda Nighthawk S 700cc - Arguably the best of the bunch. A product of the 80's, it was limited to 700 to avoid the Harley-imposed import tariff. 16 inch wheels at both ends, twin discs up front, shaft drive in the rear, inline four, twin cam, four valve, hydraulic lash adjusters, electronic ignition. I regularly changed the oil and filters. Only. That bike took exactly NO more maintenance, and ran faster and smoother than all the others. Lots of fun in the canyons, yet you could sit it all day. The ultimate sport-tourer in my eyes.

So, we now come almost full circle with the Norton. While I really do miss the Nighthawk, my riding days are such that the Norton fills the bill quite nicely, and sounds good doing it. And, it's a sexy beast!

I'll try to get the age chart updated this week (no promise; currently housing the oldest, her husband, and my grandson).

Nathan
 
Thanks Nathan – that's an excellent tally you have there – love the 'ASSO' bit! :lol: I just got in from a blast on my dear old thing, still buzzing! <3
 
oldmikew said:
They are amazing sounding bikes it will purr , snap , snarl and bellow and bark at cars.. Always used to do 100mph when I took it out , even across London in the 70s .. But its also fun to ride in the wet at 30mph.. Fantastic bikes
Click to expand...
You got that right! So you've owned yours from new? I wish I could say the same ... The Triumph Sprint ST's the only one I bought new, was very sorry to see it go. I remember pulling 70mph on Commercial Road on one of the CB125s one time in the early '80s, WOT as fast as it would go! I bet you couldn't even begin to get away with that now!
 
it cost £535 over 10 times more than I had previously paid for a bike. Makes you want to hang on. In fact I have had to change back to standard riding position.. all the bits got lost over the years , and that cost as much as the bike did new !!. Agree about London traffic.. it wont have improved since 2002
when I moved out.
 
i'm 61.

my father died when he was 69--heart blew -- and i no longer care about serious stuff, as i have my hands full of more important things before i go belly up as well.

my first bike was a 1962 triumph trophy 500, rode it around kuala lumpur as fast as i could at the age of 16. now i have a commando, three triumphs, four BSAs, a buell, and some little japanese stuff i use to chase the cows when they get out. i still ride stuff around as fast as i can, but i only try to go real fast now on the track.

i can't ride anything competently if it doesn't shift on the right. i manage the buell only by ignoring the rear brake.

most of my stuff is broken at any given time, but when they run they go like stink.
 
Great stories. Here in the Yukon, during the 70's there was only a Yamaha and Honda dealership in Whitehorse, so they were the most common; I first built bicycle choppers as a 8 year old kid, then BMX bicycles, then at 12, into dirt bikes - first a mx100, a YZ 100, then a bunch of others; Honda 175 and a CR 250, Maico 250, YZ 465, Husqvarna 250, finally onto the street with a new 1980 XS400 when I was 16 - got my bike license on my birthday - they gave me my car license at the same time - had to go through all two traffic lights in town! Then XS 650 and 650 Bonnevile at the same time, then a '75 Kaw Z1 900 full chop with an Amen softail frame in '82 - ran that for 10 years. Got certified as a motorcycle mechanic in Alberta in 1988, and worked at British bike shop in Edmonton for a year, then back to Yukon - had a bike shop, collected a bunch of the Z900s and others, built and serviced brit and jap bikes, built myself a '77 Z1000 into a 1105 in a Santee softail frame with +18 springer - got a 1st place trophy for that one at ISCA World of Wheels show in Calgary in 1993, ran that for 10 years, then bought the '74 Norton 850 as a bit of a basket with a fresh rebuilt top end in Vancouver for $1,200 in 1998. Got it going the next year and still have it now - it was semi-chopped then, so it still is - aftermarket rigid frame, +15 girder forks, satellite hallcraft mag wheels, disc brake, high pipes, with new amals. Life changed and it has been sittin' for about 15 years, way too long, so it is great to find this site full of incredible info and interesting posters full of first-hand knowledge to get me back. Will be doing the engine/trans teardown and rebuild this winter as funds allow; it's a keeper for sure. I'm 53 years old now and I still consider that '77 KZ I had as new - my '74 Norton I consider as a new bike - I said that I will ride it until I can't kick it anymore - then will grab a kid off the street to kick it for me. I think the age of Vincents as old bikes. I never owned anything without a kickstarter or with liquid cooled. My '70 Bonneville also needs a full rebuild. You could say I am a bit of a rare breed in this part of the world. I don't see gas or diesel disappearing here too soon - we will all freeze in our homes - the majority are heated with oil furnaces with all fuel delivered from BC or Alberta. The distance between towns is far, so everyone drives - Whitehorse is the shopping center for the territory's 35,000 people. Winter snows arrived last week so spring is about 5 1/2 to 6 months away...this site will keep me going through the long cold dark days ahead. Warm thoughts to all!
 
Hey Nathan miss my nighthawk s put manynew tires on it besides oil changes. Trying to get my dads 71commando going. Hopefully carb floats and needles will do it .first road bike in years.last ride on it I was about 6.I am now47 can't wait. Cheers.
 
I'm 59 years young. Started riding at 15 with my buds who cajoled me into buying a Ducati 350 Sebring basket case. $250. None of us had insurance or licences. Exciting times. Booze drugs partys girls.Next Honda 305 $100. Junk. Next Honda 350 . Junk. Next Honda 350 four. $400. Next Yamaha TX 750. $1000. See where we are going ? Next Norton 70 750 Roadster. $1200. Next Yamaha xs1100. $1200. Loved that beast for a long time, but lack of new parts forced it's sale with another parts bike . Next Norton 75 850 $800 in poor shape. Then the money ship came in. Next BMW R1100RT $7000. Too complex and BMW is one greedy company but loved the suspension with paralever and telelever. Next Norton 72 Combat model found rusty in shed. $ 2000. Spent $4000 fixing her up to ride. Then broke leg kickstarting. Kicking days now all over , so bought my present bike , a $10,000 Show winner Norton 76 850 Silver Interstate. 2 years have passed with leg surgery so I will be spending money on it all winter for emergence sometime spring of 2018. That's my story for this thread and I'm a' stickin' to it... enjoy !
 
Hello,

I am 66 years old (that is going not to make make look youngest the average of the forum) ;)
I run in NORTON since December 1968: 88-99-650SS Rickman-750 commando squad MK2_MK4 and 850MK3 for 28 years.

(Hello Laurentdom ;))
 
I upgraded my computer a couple of months ago, and now see that some of the software is no longer compatible. Yes, that includes my version of Excel. So, I guess I need to knuckle down and upgrade that so an updated chart can be generated. Stay tuned...
 
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