new member here

[Head]

hi folks thanks for the add here, i am from Ireland, and have been offered 1972 commando 750 interstate with 10000 miles only,

just wanting to know what to ask the seller, she is in very clean condition as you can see by pictures,

so really wanting to know value and pitfalls, was after one of these for long time

 

[Head]

 

[Head]

thats her folks what ye think and what should i ask the seller ?, thanks

 

[kommando]

Ask the seller if it is a Combat, the high performance version. Being an Interstate and having a disc brake make it highly likely.

Next question will be what work has been done to correct the issues with the Combat version specifically and also other 72 only issues.

 

[Head]

this is the spec i have got, i am waiting on more soon,

(This is a very nice clean, smooth running bike with the larger " Interstate Tank", correct seat and new replica Interstate pipes that have a real bark to them , and with only 10036 miles on it , this bike has tons of life left in it.)

will post more pics now

 

[Head]

 

[Head]

will ask the questions to them soon

 

[L.A.B.]

The high handlebars, left-hand rear view mirror and lack of a number plate suggests it could've been imported (from the US?) recently?

 

[EstuaryBoy]

Very clean, very pretty, BUT....... Yes, normally a picture is worth a thousand words, except when it applies to: 'Classic' bikes
A few words will be worth a thousand pics, but 'hands on' is even better. Can you ride it? Is it your first Brit bike? If so, take someone who knows them with you, 'cos they can get noisy. Look for it getting smokey or oily, shouldn't be an excess of either... At this age it will have had spanners on it, not hard for the well meaning to do more harm than good, so any maintenance history?
Value? Without reassurance or warranty: However much you're prepared to gamble.
That's cynical SOB talking, hopefully it'll be a good one, but it is: 'Buyer Beware' out there..

 

[Head]

Very clean, very pretty, BUT....... Yes, normally a picture is worth a thousand words, except when it applies to: 'Classic' bikes
A few words will be worth a thousand pics, but 'hands on' is even better. Can you ride it? Is it your first Brit bike? If so, take someone who knows them with you, 'cos they can get noisy. Look for it getting smokey or oily, shouldn't be an excess of either... At this age it will have had spanners on it, not hard for the well meaning to do more harm than good, so any maintenance history?
Value? Without reassurance or warranty: However much you're prepared to gamble.
That's cynical SOB talking, hopefully it'll be a good one, but it is: 'Buyer Beware' out there..

i am an 80s bike nut, i rebuild old japs, never tried a brit bike, its new pastures for me if i buy it, its from a bike shop owned by to old brit bikers,who restore bikes good feedback from previous buyers, im not too bad on the spanners, so might give it a go,small miles on clock but cant go by that, will have a video of her and a friend is checking her out as we speak and has list of questions thanks for the help here,will keep ye posted

 

[Head]

will post more info soon

 

[Head]

The high handlebars, left-hand rear view mirror and lack of a number plate suggests it could've been imported (from the US?) recently?

it is a canadian import mate

 

[grandpaul]

The known issues with Combats specifically, is that at SUSTAINED HIGH SPEEDS the oil pump can starve due to the flywheel sending a large quantity of oil to the rear of the crankcase.

This is compounded by inferior crank main bearings that are failure-prone.

Many dealers effected warranty repairs by replacing the bearings with "Superblend" rollers (called "barrels" by many; although they are only slightly radiused at the edges, not actually barrel-shaped).

It certainly is a good-LOOKING bike...

 

[peter12]

It looks like a tidy machine. I guess it all depends on what money is being asked. It appears you have no information of condition of the mechanicals. I guess without any documentation that’s down to your examination.
I suggest taking someone who knows Commandos to take a look a nd a listen.
There are lots of potential pitfalls moneywise.
If it’s cheap enough it’s worth a gamble.
Things to look out for.
Blue smoke from the exhausts when the engines warm
Any knocking noises.
Excessive rear wheel sideways movement, you can see isolastic wear if the chain case moves excessively in comparison to the footrest plate.
Make sure everything electrical works.
Look at the condition of the wiring loo
If it is a recent import I doubt the seller will know much if anything and give a disclaimer.

 

[jbruney]

I like it... Hope the guts are good.

 

[Head]

The known issues with Combats specifically, is that at SUSTAINED HIGH SPEEDS the oil pump can starve due to the flywheel sending a large quantity of oil to the rear of the crankcase.

This is compounded by inferior crank main bearings that are failure-prone.

Many dealers effected warranty repairs by replacing the bearings with "Superblend" rollers (called "barrels" by many; although they are only slightly radiused at the edges, not actually barrel-shaped).

It certainly is a good-LOOKING bike...

thanks mate, i am new to Brit bikes this wont be trashed i have 7 or 8 other bikes for that. like the look of it and price is good, it will be the driving miss daisy type for me,was looking at 75 cb750, but i thought the Commando looked great and getting rare,the owners are too old british lads who restore bikes for a living so hopefully they done proper job on it

 

[grandpaul]

thanks mate, i am new to Brit bikes this wont be trashed i have 7 or 8 other bikes for that. like the look of it and price is good, it will be the driving miss daisy type for me,was looking at 75 cb750, but i thought the Commando looked great and getting rare,the owners are too old british lads who restore bikes for a living so hopefully they done proper job on it

You should get on fine...

 

[Head]

fair play to ye all folks for the input, i will try get as much info as i can today and no doubt i will be back to ye, most cases if its cheap theres a reason, so will keep digging and try find some

 

[FastFred]

I had a Mk1 850 interested with those low level pipes, they look great. It looks a good one. Ask if the gearbox layshaft has been done. You can change it in the frame though but it's a fair bit of spannering.

 

[L.A.B.]

The original Interstate petrol tank would have been made of fibreglass. Later tanks were steel.

The ethanol content in modern petrol can eat through a fibreglass tank unless it has been coated with an ethanol resistant sealer.
Even then, it isn't always 100% successful.