Are Hi Riders More Valuable..?

Ok, that's it !! NOW I REALLY WANT A HI RIDER !!! (thanks alot Steve)

"Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery"

So, somebody was trying to flatter a High Rider owner somewhere-



Against my better judgement, I "hacked" it into a cafe racer...

Paul, why would you ruin such a sweet ride like that. It was OBVIOUSLY well thought out and planned. How could you? :lol:

Oh NO Paul! Can ya just imagine the attention that'd a gotten if ya sold me that before ya messed with it!
I just love the little 'piggy bank' oil tank, darn about everything else too. Ok I give up, what is holding it up?

Is that duct tape I see holding the coils on. I will have to use that idea, much lighter than what I was going to use.

I've had to tap on Ms Peels coils twice now, once when coil bracket fractured off and another when coil shorted to its case and grounded dead if touched frame. Local business supplied the tape I'd forgot to pack along in kit. The unequal length headers are known to spread the torque curve btw.

Okay, you bunch of HATERS, that's enough negative criticism.

The 7-foot-long kickstand is behind the engine in the photo, so you can't see it.

The duct tape was there just in case the heavy welds holding the "figure 8" 1/4 plate steel (heated and formed) coil mount tubes failed.

The "piggy bank" oil tank actually fetched a tidy sum on e-bay after I removed the H/A sticker and polished it out.

What appears to be unequal length headers are actually within 1/4" of each other. The biggest drawback to running these on my Production Racer is that they look a bit rough, what with one being made out of stainless and the other out of plain mild steel muffler pipe. It would have been too hard to keep them looking similar by using a wire wheel on the plain pipe every other week.

I still have the saddle bags, they're on my Interstate, a perfect fit.

I was able to swap the springer forks for the powdercoat work on this frame and chassis bits.

I've also disaasembled the shifter and use the long 3/8" ratchet extension as a pry bar now. It was pretty cool, you could put any socket on there as a shifter knob, depending on how big your hand is, to be a comfortable fit.

Don't you just love the headlights? One round, one square!

Details you really can't see in the photos:

-extensive use of hose clamps holding stuff on, like the front fender
-excessive welding, such as the sissy bar welded directly to the frame
-lots of u-bolts, like the safety backups holding the sissy bar on, in case the welds fail
-cool bondo on the headstock to make it look pretty for bike shows
-2-piece HD gas tank with 1/4" plate steel mounting adapters, partially welded here and there
-very old-school-chopper-cool HD 1" handlebars and controls (still have 'em if anyone here wants some genuine vintage old school stuff)
-gotta love the cool kickstart pedal...

Crazy as it sounds, the engine wasn't all that bad off internally, it overhauled with no serious issues.

Frame was straight, although welded on here and there...

grandpaul said:

"Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery"

So, somebody was trying to flatter a High Rider owner somewhere-

Against my better judgement, I "hacked" it into a cafe racer...

Click to expand...

i can't help but laugh while imagining the builder standing beside the bike after "finishing" it, turning to his buddies and saying with a drunken slur "don't she look sweet?!".

Yeah, one detail I overlooked was the wrong-way-'round front wheel...

I am very interested in the tangerine high rider parts. contact me at sbrolund@yahoo.com
I am the one that was at the Empire rally on the post office red '57 norton model 77!

Is a Hi Rider More Valuable..? Well value is based on desirability. You have to have a group of people that want it and are willing to compete with each other in the market place to own it. It has value because it is a Norton but I believe that it is less valuable then a Roadster or an Interstate based on people desire to own those types. It is a special interest bike with its own story but personally they are not my cup of tea. I wouldn't buy one because my desire would be to make it into something it is not and that would be destroying its historic significance. I don't own bikes because they are interesting. I own them to ride.

drones76 said:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1975-NORTON-COMMANDO-NO-RESERVE-STARTING-1-/260886948992?pt=US_motorcycles&hash=item3cbe12ec80

Click to expand...

I doubt this started life as a Hi-Rider. Large headlight and Roadster tank. Regardless it's incredible that it is up to over $1400 . :shock:

So much rust, no outer primary or left peg (but you get a set of pre-Mk3 pegs!). It's gonna take a fortune to get that running. But then again maybe the bidders are planning to part it out?

Ron L said:

drones76 said:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1975-NORTON-COMMANDO-NO-RESERVE-STARTING-1-/260886948992?pt=US_motorcycles&hash=item3cbe12ec80

Click to expand...

I doubt this started life as a Hi-Rider. Large headlight and Roadster tank. Regardless it's incredible that it is up to over $1400 . :shock:

So much rust, no outer primary or left peg (but you get a set of pre-Mk3 pegs!). It's gonna take a fortune to get that running. But then again maybe the bidders are planning to part it out?

Click to expand...

Not sure what 1400 bucks is in blighty..but i would buy it...Commando bits have been going for good money here on E Bay.

I think you could only say that that WAS a Commando . Once . In the long ago .
Beyond its salvage value , Id think at that price.
Repairing damadged parts is only a virtue through neccesity , doesnt make sense when unmutilated stuffs available .