What’s the deal with Norton Commando?

[swooshdave]

BUT...if I was to pull my 750 Honda into a parking space at our local hangout, and if a black, Norton Commando was to show up, the Honda is where the guys might hang their jackets while they gathered around the Norton.  Go figure.  It's just a sexy beast.

And so there it is. Usually the only bike that will upstage a Commando at a gathering is a Vincent.

[adaven]

Treat it like a single, push the kickstarter until you have it just past TDC and then kick through. Tons of flywheel to assist from there. It pains me to see people jumping on that kickstarter. That is a horrible abuse on that gearbox.

This is the ticket. And if you go too hard it will punish you. The second most painful experience of my life was a hyperextension of my knee while starting my '71.

[Dave Swanson]

Back in the day....1972, that is, I was 18, and had a Honda CB750.  A real game changer of a motorcycle.  Powerful, well-sorted out, and RELIABLE.

We have very similar experiences.   With the help of the bank I bought my Honda CB750 when I was 18 also. A brand new 1974!  I rode that thing as fast as possible everywhere I went.  I loved it!

One day I was parked and saw my first Commando in the wild.  The owner kicked it and it roared to life.  As he motored away I thought to myself that the Norton really sounds and looks like a proper motorbike!  I thought of getting a Commando ever since that day.

My mother took this photo on the first or second day of ownership.  I had been polishing the bike in the driveway.   I am still a bike polisher.  :)   It is OK to laugh at the cutoff Levis.  Many times I wished I had my jeans on for this photo, but it is what it is.  Besides we all wore cutoff back in that day.  It wasn't my riding attire though.  :)



Here is an action photo taken by my dear departed friend.  He was in a small convertible riding along side me.  The mud on the tires was from doing some dirt riding that day with a buddy on the back.  We were riding trails around his dad's 60 acres.



A post ride picture.





   

[bigbikerrick]

Great video Dave!   
Rick.

[jdgretz]

Nortons began my love of motorcycle travel, not just bombing around the local area.  There was an "old" couple (probably in their 50s or 60s) that took off on 2-up trips on their Norton Atlas.  I didn't know anybody at the time (mid-60s) that did that kind of thing on any bike, and Then Came Bronson was not yet on TV.

Yep, I blame Norton for my long distance riding affliction, and yes, I'd love to have one from the 60s or 70s.

jdg

[Dave Swanson]

Great video Dave!   
Rick.

I am going to watch it again tonight.  I figured out how to stream YouTube to my TV now.  Looking forward to watching on the big screen.  It never get's old. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82iVMONcwss

[lrutt]

Treat it like a single, push the kickstarter until you have it just past TDC and then kick through. Tons of flywheel to assist from there. It pains me to see people jumping on that kickstarter. That is a horrible abuse on that gearbox.

That's what I do, but it's not near as easy to start as my 650 Triumphs.

[Rough Edge racing]

That's what I do, but it's not near as easy to start as my 650 Triumphs.

 Yes, Triumph has a good kick starter, proper ratio and proper position...The Norton is obviously a larger engine but also not as nice to use kick starter.  Kicking a Norton with the side stand down can also cause a side stand failure if the rider doesn't balance the bike well..

[guzzista]

Had this on my last Commando. Definitely more comfortable to start the beast.
http://www.rgmmotors.co.uk/images/full/full_957.jpg

[Sheepdog]

Clear the clutch, tickle the carbs, charge the cylinders, re-tickle, turn on the ignition, find TDC, and one kick with no throttle should start a well-tuned Commando...

[nc43bsa]

I never had trouble kick-starting my Commandos once I determined it was impossible using the BSA kick method, which was to flex the knee and straighten it with authority.

The Commandos required jumping up and pushing the lever down with a straightened knee.  I got it down so I could do it on the center stand or balanced on the wheels.  A previous owner apparently bent the side stand mount on the frame trying to kick-start it.

BTW, I amused some riders of other makes by standing on the kick-starter arm and riding it down, one engine revolution at a time.

[Tusayan]

750 Commando center stands were horrible but I think the 850s had a decent stand that worked well for kick starting.  One of the few things I thought worked really well on my Commando was kick starting, assuming the original ignition advance setup is gone and the replacement electronic is timed correctly.  One kick and it goes, in a delightfully analog (analogue?  ) feeling process.

I was just copied on an email from an English guy who tours the Alps regularly on his 850 Interstate, starting in England with wife on the back.  That's great.  His has an upgraded electric starter.

[Rough Edge racing]

  Petrus Rocks on this forum bought a 75 Norton....It has a modified Sportster starter, cranks over quite nicely.....

   British riders tend to kick the engine with the side stand retracted...Triumph stands can also break or bend if a heavy rider puts too much weight to the left when kicking...
 Have trouble kicking over a Norton? It's all about properly adjusted carbs and technique..

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quEvJjIyRX0

[radguzzi]

I just finished a refresh of a '73 Norton 850 Mk I Commando for a riding friend here...  he had purshased the 850 as a passion buy, just liked it, paid a bit too much for it and then discovered just how much it needed to be really roadworthy.

The updates included the later model Iso Mounts from the Mk III and a bunch of stuff, crazy list-o-parts.   Bryan originally wanted to change the seat and tank to the Interstate items and then after finding out the condition of so many parts, the project ended up nearly a complete restoration. 

I posted a blog of sorts on the rebuild over on ADV Rider if you are so inclined.

https://advrider.com/f/threads/norton-850-commando-mk-i-refresh-roadster-to-interstate-sort-of.1368554/


Nice ride.

Best,
Rob

[Sheepdog]

Magnificent. Beautiful in Silver and I dig the fork gaiters...

[swooshdave]

  Petrus Rocks on this forum bought a 75 Norton....It has a modified Sportster starter, cranks over quite nicely.....

   British riders tend to kick the engine with the side stand retracted...Triumph stands can also break or bend if a heavy rider puts too much weight to the left when kicking...
 Have trouble kicking over a Norton? It's all about properly adjusted carbs and technique..

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quEvJjIyRX0

You don't have a well tuned Norton until you can start it with your hand. Granted the bike might be warm and my arms all spindly but I've done it.

[twowheeladdict]

But I remember great handling, light weight, brillant torque as in taking over at highway speed without changing gears. All other motorcycles from that area (that I tried) needed to go down a gear for acceleration.
Finally the style is sheer beauty.

Personally I have grown tired of "lazy" riding.  I've had a string of overpowered motorcycles that could go from a crawl to hyper speed in top gear. 

I like bikes that are engaging and demand you to do a little work to ride them.

When you drive most automatic vehicles they downshift to pass but we just don't notice.  :)

[Rough Edge racing]

You don't have a well tuned Norton until you can start it with your hand. Granted the bike might be warm and my arms all spindly but I've done it.

 Video of you doing it or it never happened.... .....

[swooshdave]

Video of you doing it or it never happened.... .....

Challenge accepted.

You may need to wait a little bit.

[Rough Edge racing]

Challenge accepted.

You may need to wait a little bit.

 Ok... Be sure to post photos of the engine build.....

[swooshdave]

Ok... Be sure to post photos of the engine build.....

Here you go. Plenty of material here to keep you more than entertained. The sad thing is this thing would probably be running if I hadn’t spent so much time filming it all. Thanks to my buddy Mike for the documenting. The videos are shared across our YouTube channels but just follow the playlist.

https://www.accessnorton.com/NortonCommando/heart-transplant.25880/

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgDzKiI-i6nbw_53Ou_FzB65IfDxYQooY

[guzzimatic]

OK,here is the deal,I am the guy who said the Norton Commando was the best bike. It involves a range of factors,number one the fact that I bought my 1974 in 1975 after it sat on the dealers floor for over a year,I was 21 at the time and they dropped the price 800.00$ as they were going out of business...I knew this was my only chance to get a new Norton,my first big street bike! At it's first service the shop overfilled the oil,which puked the excess into the air filter,eventually clogging the filter,but showing no sign from the outside. My cousin did setup for a Brit bike shop and even he couldn't figure out why it wouldn't run right.I noticed the rubber bellows that connected the carbs to the air filter were rotted so took the air filter off to get at them,bike ran like a champ so no more dealer service...fast forward to 1978, I decided not to work a hot Nuke,Lasalle county Nuclear,I was an apprentice Boilermaker so that was my only choice,or ride my Norton to Lake Tahoe and visit my best friend from college.Stayed 5 years in heaven on earth,got married,had kids... Moved back to Illinois in 1983 to raise kids closer to families. We did Norton rallies for vacation,always in nice areas of the country,except 1993 when the Chicago Norton Owners thought it would be good to come to my home town,Havana,with 400 Nortons. It worked out OK,one of the best attended rallies at that time! In 1995 I came across the last Guzzi I would never think of owning,a 1976 Convert,stuck motor,brakes rusted to rotors but under all the crud a diamond in the rough! This started my Guzzi adventure,now with Norge, LeMans III,Convert,850T,project... The one true question is which bike do you roll out first if the shed is on fire? Norton!!! Why,you ask,it is a feeling you get at full chat,rhino like torque,voted most beautiful bike of the decade by Motorcyclist magazine! You always look back and smile as you walk away...

[Dave Swanson]

Wow swooshdave!   That's amazing documentation!

Great story Guzzimatic!

[wirespokes]

After reading Swoosh's thread, I don't know about owning a Norton. Sure didn't take much to loose oil pressure and cause a heap of damage.

On the other hand, a lot of guys seem to think they're rugged and dependable - even Swoosh.

Perhaps they're worth looking into.

You know, this thread reminds me of another that started me into Guzzis - the title was something like "if you had to choose between the airhead and the goose, which would you keep?"

[LowRyter]

here are some interesting Norton photos that I've taken.

This particular Norton can only be identified by its owner/builder in Tulsa



OTOH, this  Norton was not mentioned but is recognized as one of the most famous.

[Dave Swanson]

OTOH, this  Norton was not mentioned but is recognized as one of the most famous.

The Manx Norton.  Truly the stuff dreams are made of!

[krglorioso]

When I got to age 80 and weighed a very un-Guzzisti-like 135#, I decided to sell the two Stone Touring models and go to a Suzuki enduro about 240# lighter.  The Norton is still a bit of a handful, but I will part with it only when my cold, dead hands can no longer grip the bars.

Ralph

[swooshdave]

Wow swooshdave!   That's amazing documentation!

Great story Guzzimatic!

Right now the build is accelerating with new videos dropping several times a week. Be sure to subscribe!

[swooshdave]

After reading Swoosh's thread, I don't know about owning a Norton. Sure didn't take much to loose oil pressure and cause a heap of damage.

On the other hand, a lot of guys seem to think they're rugged and dependable - even Swoosh.

Perhaps they're worth looking into.

You know, this thread reminds me of another that started me into Guzzis - the title was something like "if you had to choose between the airhead and the goose, which would you keep?"

To be fair now that I really know what cause the oil loss it wasn't the fault of the bike. I put a later timing cover on and while I put the correct oil seal on no one told me that you had to also change the spigot on the oil pump or the seal would be loose. So it fell off when I refit the timing cover.

If I had just left the original timing cover on it there never would have been a problem.

And the answer to your other question is undoubtably the good. Unless you're boring, then the BMW.

[nc43bsa]

here are some interesting Norton photos that I've taken.

This particular Norton can only be identified by its owner/builder in Tulsa

It looks like a custom ES2.