50 years of Norton Commando

https://www.cycleworld.com/norton-c...1181794657&spReportId=MTE4MTc5NDY1NwS2#page-3

Scabbed together stop gap design with its worse ever model also being its best 5th in a row Cycle World winner that also took down Norton beyond reserves to recover to design a decent thought out cycle ordinary people could afford.

Excellent article. I thought Peter Egan had retired. I also thought Hobot had retired.

Stephen Hill

Hey, welcome back Hobot. Good to see that article insofar as it sparks interest but for long time owners I didn't think it added much.

Very nice. Thanks for posting it!

Nice one hobot, you usually find the gooduns.

Well, the article IS entitled "50 Years" so that's nice.

Good article and very accurate. I had a '71 back in the day and despite my fond memories of how it handled/accelerated, pretty much everything said is accurate. Norton was pretty much totally unsupported by the factory/dealers in the US, unlike Honda's (which never needed service anyway). As the article said, if you didn't know or learn how to do all the work yourself, you were pretty much S.O.L. OTOH, being your own mechanic was normal in the day so it wasn't really a "hardship," it was what bikers did; Honda changed all that.

As the article said, if you didn't know or learn how to do all the work yourself, you were pretty much S.O.L. OTOH, being your own mechanic was normal in the day so it wasn't really a "hardship," it was what bikers did; Honda changed all that.

Well said. Like the writer, I also had a stuck exhaust valve on my silver Mark 3 Interstate way out west in Sydney Nebraska, and was able to limp several hundred miles back home on mostly on one cylinder with the tools I carried with me. I think the factory standard Mark 3 cast iron guides clearances were a bit too tight?
Still got that bike 41 years now.

Thanks Steve for that great story, hope you have a great Xmas and a better year ahead of you.

Ashley

Peter Egan is simply the BEST......

I am a little younger than him, not much, and he echos my feelings and sentiments all the way.

(Strange coincidence, my first M/C was a CL 160...)

Egan is my favorite. he and I were born within 30 days of each other, in the same year, we both did military service about the same time and both started wrenching professionally about the same time; I lived in Wisconsin in my earlier years, about 60 miles east of Peter. I have a Commando (a few actually) and an R90S; I agree with his and Hoyer's assessment of the two motorcycles.

I have come to believe that the Commando is the affordable (for now) Vincent. I am quite impressed with the knowledge and talent available on this forum; I wish I could be around for the next 50 years of Norton...

Bob Z. said:

being your own mechanic was normal in the day so it wasn't really a "hardship," it was what bikers did; Honda changed all that.

Click to expand...

I disagree. In high school, my friends and I would wrench on Mustangs, Barracudas, Jeeps and Javelins. Plus the odd Chevy or Toyota. Can you wrench on any 80s car as a shade tree mechanic? No. To much going on, too technically complex for most amateurs.

It is the way of the automotive and motorcycle industries from the 70s thru now. Not Honda.

I totally agree - I was just referring to bikes but, yes, cars too. I never took a car back to a shop/dealer for service other than replacing mufflers/tailpipes or new tires/wheel alignment. I did all other work myself. My classic "case" of that was buying a new 440 Road Runner, driving it home (36 miles) from the dealer and that afternoon began work to toss the 10.5:1 pistons and install 11.5:1 pistons/different cam, manifold/carb and headers. Four days later I drove the VERY LOUD car to the nearest Midas to complete the exhaust system.

I kept a '68 340S mildly modded Barracuda for 20 years and, other than the aforementioned tires/ exhaust/alignment whenever necessary, it never saw a dealer/shop and was my daily driver during most of that time. I drove it from Memphis to Anchorage, AK via the Alaska Highway back when that road was nearly all gravel. It was as bulletproof a car as I have ever owned...maybe because I paid a lot of attention to routine maintenance. I was on a BMW bike site the other day where the owner of a new R1200RS was trying to sue BMW for a new engine because he had run it out of oil. He stated that he had had the oil changed at the dealer for its first service and, some months later, it grenaded due to lack of oil. Turned out he never checked the oil level and said it was BMW's fault that it got low on oil because the bike wasn't due for its next service. His view was that since the bike ran low on oil before the next change, it was a BMW manufacturing defect. This despite the manual states that oil should be checked at each refueling and oil added as necessary.

As you noted, looking under the hood nowadays is challenging just trying to figure out where the oil dipstick/fill cap is!

One my few remaining hob nobbed ridden with Commando buddy, Ed the Tomatoman, sends me stuff I pass on occasionally. Danno pointed out URL where article was posted well prior. Maybe d/t hobot stigma? In many ways those that lived and still alive to experience the British Iron cycles evolution arising with Beatles invasion on Ed Sulivan show putting Rock&Roll on our AM radios while gals on roller skates put trays on widows with foot long hot dog while Elvis Nothing But A Hound Dog blasting and hi test ethylead gasoline, no police radar all the while in back of mind expecting an air car in your garage soon, may have lived through the best of times since last ice age. My later younger brother Dale and same age Westly both expressed this view which I now hold too.

I suspect when I reveal Mz Peel to certain Editors then let them have their way with her, will have to make a special one in a row category of funnest cycle ever fielded on or off pavement. With basically obsolete engine / frame design and as antique vintage power adders, totally under pilot control merging as one with smoothie Commando no artificial robotic interfaces needed. Savor the flavor of Commando banter, likely the most simply complex cycle ever was.

As for which model is cream of the crop, no quirky useless turn signals, 1st 6 gal long hauler, disc brake and wheelie capable right out the box, might consider that maybe at least 15,000 750 Combats sold but likely over 20,000 Combat spec Commandos thrive today.

If the original Commando had been fitted with a strong 5 or 6 speed box, It would have been much better. I only ever saw one road-raced successfully in Australia. It was owned by the dealer S.R.Evans and ridden by Jeff Curley. It did OK, but was not spectacular. I never believed in my own 850 until I actually raced it - it is not all bad.

maybe at least 15,000 750 Combats sold but likely over 20,000 Combat spec Commandos thrive today

I kind of doubt that most of the remaining roadworthy Combat serial numbered bikes remain at original spec.
The recommended fuel for those high-compression engines is not (readily) available today. As said in another thread, a
de-tuned Combat engine running on 91 octane fuel is much more practical for today.

I think about 50k Commando produced over a decade with 1972 being a banner year for about all brands of cycles so Combats hit during a peak of buyers world wide but of course non exist usable as factory issued but can still work fine w/o detuning on 91 no lead. Still Combats seem over represented on forum mentions, not counting the factory innate 850 E start issues of course. At least Commando are all iconic cuties with cult following so should out last us all till gasoline made illegal.