1969 Commando revitalization.

Intro and my new to me Norton. Hello all thanks for having this awesome forum . I'm jack and this is my new ride . I'm 60 years old have owned a lot of motorcycles over the years and was a mechanic at several Japanese and one HD dealerships at present I'm a truck driver closing in on retirement so having wanted a Norton Commando since I was in the 6th grade almost 50 years ago I got serious and actively started looking for a Commando about 5 years ago. found a few Commandos for sale but they were too far from my location so I passed and then just this year this one in the pic shows up only 50 miles away so I jump in and bought it for 8,000 dollars I got a a running ride able bike with title, spare parts and matching numbers engine ,tranny and frame I stoked . Any way the Commando while complete and running it does need some work and also I need to add a few things to make it my bike the way I want so that's what this thread is going to be about making this Commando my own, plans are correct the oil leaks , low bars , rear sets and kicker. an oil pressure gauge and a rebuild if needed but I am hoping the engine is solid and I don't need to rebuild but we will see once I get started. Looking forward to your ideas and opinions on this Commando.

Welcome Jack and you are in the right place, have fun with the new ride, looks good.

Ashley (from down under)

Welcome Jack ! All you need can be found here … enjoy !

Here when I turn the bars full left the fork tube contacts the tank I have to fix that .

Looks like I’m missing the chokes

Welcome; you've arrived at the best place for Norton Commando information anywhere on the web.

Merry Christmas!

Jackman said:

Looks like I’m missing the chokes

Click to expand...

Welcome, again (as you've already been posting here for a while )!

Also, wrong carb tops by the looks of it as they would normally have threaded cable adjusters (throttle and choke).

RH 930/11 carb is off a BSA.

Jackman said:

Here when I turn the bars full left the fork tube contacts the tank I have to fix that .

Click to expand...

The tank looks like an Indian repro. (as the original would have been fibreglass).

L.A.B. said:

Welcome, again (as you've already been posting here for a while )!

Also, wrong carb tops by the looks of it as they would normally have threaded cable adjusters (throttle and choke).

RH 930/11 carb is off a BSA.

Click to expand...

Yes the carb tops will need replacing. Or maybe the 2 threaded adjusters are just missing ? Don't throw out the 2 bolts in the tops to fit both choke assemblies in there. You may not like having chokes the and the 2 holes will need them terminated if so.

Welcome Jack . This is a great forum and looks like you got a good
one.

Welcome aboard.
Some preliminary observations:
1. Many owners eliminate the chokes as they tend not to be needed for cold starting (just give a good tickle prior to cold firing & keep revs up a little for first few minutes) and can lead to problems if they slide down while riding (usually from a too loose choke lifter lever or from forgetting which way to move the lever etc ;-) ).

2. The right side covers look odd, askew, not square to the upper frame rail?

3. Seems to have a non-stock kick start lever...extended length and angled, not curved like stock. Many folks replace stock with a MarkIII kicker which looks more like yours I believe. If it gets you a good kick feel and you're not after full authenticity, then your fine.

Torontonian said:

Or maybe the 2 threaded adjusters are just missing ?

Click to expand...

The throttle cable top hat ferrules don't fit in the threads so they are either the type with no throttle cable adjuster thread (below) or they've been drilled to take top hats.

Tornado said:

2. The right side covers look odd, askew, not square to the upper frame rail?

Click to expand...

I think it's probably the line of the (non original style) seat.

Tornado said:

3. Seems to have a non-stock kick start lever...extended length and angled, not curved like stock. Many folks replace stock with a MarkIII kicker which looks more like yours I believe.

Click to expand...

Yes, it is a Mk3 (or Mk1A/2A) kickstart lever.

L.A.B. said:

Welcome, again (as you've already been posting here for a while )!

Also, wrong carb tops by the looks of it as they would normally have threaded cable adjusters (throttle and choke).

RH 930/11 carb is off a BSA.



The tank looks like an Indian repro. (as the original would have been fibreglass).

Click to expand...

Yes I actually registered on site 5 -6 years ago but was only a prospect in search of a Commando but now I actually own one and went full banana with VIP so technically yes I've been around but this is the first Norton Commando I've ever owned and the first British bike too so I have a lot to learn.

Were all Commando tanks fiberglass? My tank looks old inside and out and I do have a spare it is an India tank looks awesome but I don't intend to use it .

What do you see the tells you I have a BSA carb?

The carb tops appear to have a plug threaded into where the choke cable adjuster would go , I'm planning new carbs with the single cable adapter .

Torontonian said:

Yes the carb tops will need replacing. Or maybe the 2 threaded adjusters are just missing ? Don't throw out the 2 bolts in the tops to fit both choke assemblies in there. You may not like having chokes the and the 2 holes will need them terminated if so.

Click to expand...

Is there a choke issue with Commandos? I was wondering why the previous owner would eliminate the chokes .

Richard Tool said:

Welcome Jack . This is a great forum and looks like you got a good
one.

Click to expand...

Thanks!

Tornado said:

Welcome aboard.
Some preliminary observations:
1. Many owners eliminate the chokes as they tend not to be needed for cold starting (just give a good tick prior to cold firing & keep revs up a little for first few minutes) and can lead to problems if they slide down while riding (usually from a too loose choke lifter lever or from forgetting which way to move the lever etc ;-) ).

2. The right side covers look odd, askew, not square to the upper frame rail?

3. Seems to have a non-stock kick start lever...extended length and angled, not curved like stock. Many folks replace stock with a MarkIII kicker which looks more like yours I believe. If it gets you a good kick feel and you're not after full authenticity, then your fine.

Click to expand...

I ordering a NYC kicker because eventually I will have NYC rearsets , I also don't like the look or the feel of the current kicker .

Could my bike possibly be a S model on account of the odd side cover, what do you see that looks odd?

Jackman said:

Were all Commando tanks fiberglass?

Click to expand...

Except for Interpol (police model) and Fastback LR models Commando tanks were fibreglass from the beginning until mid-'72 when steel tanks began to be introduced and fibreglass tanks were eventually phased out due to impending (UK and maybe elsewhere) legislation.

Jackman said:

What do you see the tells you I have a BSA carb?

Click to expand...

One of the pictures I hosted for you previously shows the RH carb to be a 930/11 that I believe is BSA Victor or similar.


What's the number on the LH carb?

Jackman said:

Could my bike possibly be a S model on account of the odd side cover, what do you see that looks odd?

Click to expand...

The 'S' type and 1970 Roadster had the same style side panels (see brochure link above).

Again I think it's the seat that's making the panels look odd.

Jackman said:

Is there a choke issue with Commandos?

Click to expand...

Only that the choke slides aren't strictly necessary for cold starting so owners often remove the choke parts and blank off the cable holes.

L.A.B. said:

Except for Interpol (police model) and Fastback LR models Commando tanks were fibreglass from the beginning until mid-'72 when steel tanks began to be introduced and fibreglass tanks were eventually phased out due to impending (UK and maybe elsewhere) legislation.



One of the pictures I hosted for you previously shows the RH carb to be a 930/11 that I believe is BSA Victor or similar.

Norton Prospect (2016)

50/50 may be acceptable during the honeymoon period, but after that just periodic maintenance.... Not saying that spannering isn't therapeutic, but only when you want to do it, not if you have to do it... (IMHO)

www.accessnorton.com

What's the number on the LH carb?



The 'S' type and 1970 Roadster had the same style side panels (see brochure link above).

Again I think it's the seat that's making the panels look odd.



Only that the choke slides aren't strictly necessary for cold starting so owners often remove the choke parts and blank off the cable holes.

Click to expand...

I'll check my carb numbers tomorrow its cold and dark outside . Two new carbs are in store for sure.

I need to look at more pics of Commandos cause I'm not seeing the oddness of the panels yet much to learn...

Jackman said:

I'll check my carb numbers tomorrow its cold and dark outside . Two new carbs are in store for sure.

I need to look at more pics of Commandos cause I'm not seeing the oddness of the panels yet much to learn...

Click to expand...

If you can live with the side panels the way they are then do that. Nice paint and decals on them so I would wait until the day they get scratched up or chipped or the left side falls onto the ground gravel when pulling the battery for winter or whatever. In the meantime , research photos (search) on this great forum on how to align the side cover decals level with the fuel tank horizontal Norton word decal (s) . Plenty of time.

Jackman said:

Could my bike possibly be a S model on account of the odd side cover, what do you see that looks odd?

Click to expand...

The earlier seats look like this, so the angle of the seat pan better tracks the upper edge of the side cover.