History on my Commando

I sent a request for documents to the NOC. This is what I got back.

Hello Mike,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you but I have been away for a few days.
No need to send any money as the information I have is very limited.
Commando 150649 dates from 1st October 1971 and was despatched new to the Berliner Corporation of the U.S.A. on the 29th October 1971. The model is a Street Scrambler and it's colour was yellow.
That is all that is listed. It is generally thought that the continued unrest at the factory during these years is to blame for the lack of interest when it came to completing the ledgers.

Rather surprising that it started life as a Street Scrambler. Does this mean it had the high pipes on each side of the bike, or both on one side?
It is still the original yellow and it had a high rider tank like the one I see in photos. It also seems it should have a high fender? Mine is close to the tire. Anyone have a photo of one that is original so I can see what it looked like from the factory? Date wise does this mean it is a 1971?
Is this a fairly rare model and should I source the correct pipes and fender for it?

Thanks MikeM

The Street Scrambler had exhaust high on both sides and a front mudguard fixed under the lower fork triple tree.
https://andover-norton.co.uk/en/shop-drawing/275/exhausts-mufflers-mute-passenger-footpegs
(top one)

https://andover-norton.co.uk/en/shop-drawing/233/front-fenders-number-plate-and-seats
fender is lower one.

The model was built in March (No 145234)to October 1971 (No 150723) only. ( according to Roy Bacon)
The "S" type had exhaust on the left side only and was built in 1969- early 70.

IF you google norton commando SS you will get hundreds of pix. Yes it is a quite late 71 model year.
About Nov 71... Model year 72 combats came out.
small tank, high fender, small head light a pipe on each side...everything is shown in the parts book. Getting it all may be a different story,
Everyones taste is different but generally it may get the same reception as the high rider :roll: Their performance as a dirt bike is suspect.
inoa sez first SS 145234 last SS 150723 (?rivera typo?) but all the in between # are NOT SS

dynodave said:

About Nov 71... Model year 72 combats came out.

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Not terribly relevant in this context, but the Combats were announced in Jan 72.
Which is not to say production didn't start earlier...

'Norton Commando - the complete story' by Matthew Vale states that the SS was a slow seller and there were also problems with the exhaust breakage / comfort. To address this Norton recommended that dealers converted SS models to Roadsters.
Could this be the answer to your question?

This may also answer my own question on another thread (Roadster vs SS seat) as to why there are so many SS seats on non-SS Commandos. Could it be that some SS's were more completely converted than others? To do it 'properly you would need to change:
- tank
- pipes
- seat
- mudguard.
Doing the full conversion would result in a surplus of seats etc that could be sold to Roadster owners as replacements (mine is a Combat so not a converted SS). I have also seen SS's on e-bay with small tanks but Roadster pipes and mudguards. Are these conversions that have been made over time by owners or partial conversions by dealers from new?

Unfortunately we will probably never know.

Slightly off subject, but relevant. I've had people with 71 bikes tell me it was sold by the dealer as an 'S' model. I'm sure there were plenty dealers out there in the time that would convert a Roadster to S, it wouldn't be magic. I imagine this was done in more ways than one, many times to sell a bike. It makes original type ident hard.

Yup, this is the same story with my bike. My father purchased it in August 1972 (I have his original title) and it was manufactured in May, 1971. His story is that it had been sitting at the dealership for awhile because nobody like the SS model with the high pipes and the small gas tank. He recalls that he got the dealer to include a set of low pipes and a larger tank so he could convert it and the guy was just happy to get it off the showroom floor. He still knows the shop owner that sold him the bike and has continued to do business with him over the years. Unfortunately, the high pipes and smaller tank were lost in a move somewhere along the way.

I'm not sure which seat is currently on the bike - how can I tell one from the other?

Here is a bad picture of the bike just off the showroom floor -- probably taken in late summer of 1972 after my Dad road it to Ocean City, MD:

wrecks said:

I'm not sure which seat is currently on the bike - how can I tell one from the other?

Click to expand...

SS: https://andover-norton.co.uk/en/shop-details/15815

'71 Roadster: https://andover-norton.co.uk/en/shop-details/15675

wrecks said:

Yup, this is the same story with my bike. My father purchased it in August 1972 (I have his original title) and it was manufactured in May, 1971. His story is that it had been sitting at the dealership for awhile because nobody like the SS model with the high pipes and the small gas tank. He recalls that he got the dealer to include a set of low pipes and a larger tank so he could convert it and the guy was just happy to get it off the showroom floor. He still knows the shop owner that sold him the bike and has continued to do business with him over the years. Unfortunately, the high pipes and smaller tank were lost in a move somewhere along the way.

I'm not sure which seat is currently on the bike - how can I tell one from the other?

Here is a bad picture of the bike just off the showroom floor -- probably taken in late summer of 1972 after my Dad road it to Ocean City, MD:

Click to expand...

Now that I have found how mine was originally fitted, I have been doing some research. In your photo, the bike has the low mudguard, not the high one of the SS. The seat also appears to be the Roadster style. The headlamp however appears to be the correct small one. The tank also seems to be correct. Makes you wonder what the dealers were doing.

In comparing the images to the ones linked by L.A.B., I'm pretty sure the seat on the bike is an SS - same seat I have with it now. M Dad never switched that out. I wish I still had that original tank.

wrecks said:

In comparing the images to the ones linked by L.A.B., I'm pretty sure the seat on the bike is an SS - same seat I have with it now. M Dad never switched that out. I wish I still had that original tank.

Click to expand...

Does it have the braced SS handlebar? https://andover-norton.co.uk/en/shop-de ... oss-brace-



It has been reported that some SS models had 21" front wheels.

wrecks said:

In comparing the images to the ones linked by L.A.B., I'm pretty sure the seat on the bike is an SS - same seat I have with it now. M Dad never switched that out. I wish I still had that original tank.

Click to expand...

Hard to tell what they did back then. Seems like the SS had the pointy fronted seat. Hard to tell from your photo.
My bike has 19 inch tires, I assume that makes the wheels 19 as well. I am pretty sure they are original as well as the seat. They are old enough and have the right looking patina to make me think they are original to the bike. I have the original fiberglas tank but now with the new information I think I will hang onto it. The bars that were on it when I got it were bent up and did not have the cross brace. They went into the round file. The bars I have now were on my old KZ 900 Kawasaki and are aftermarket low style Superbike bars.
Had them for years and finally found a good use for them. Its quite interesting how many changes were made to some bikes before they hit the street.

My handle bars do have a cross brace. And my seat is the one with a pointy front. Both wheels are the same and have almost exactly a 20" diameter from the outer edge of the rim - is that a 19" wheel? Given these consistencies and the picture which was taken shortly after he drove it off the lot, is interesting that my fenders look wrong for an SS.

You guys got me thinking more and it has always bugged me that the tank on the bike doesn't have a Norton logo on it, but I assumed this was simply because it had been switched out or maybe it had been painted. Now I'm wondering if I even have a Norton tank. I just looked inside the cap and it says, "Ceandess Ltd, Wolverhampton". Here are a few shots - and it looks like a roadster tank to me base on comparison images I was just checking online:





Sorry if I'm hijacking your thread - but it seems like I have a similar hybrid situation.

No worries about hi jacking. Its good to compare. It does look like a Roadster tank. Your pic looks to have black side covers. Mine are yellow like the tank. I always thought mine had been a Hi Rider due to the tank but it didnt have the longer wiring or cables for the bars.
Lots of parts switching apparently back in the day.
Who knows what they were doing to market these bikes.

Rex, what is the inside colour of your tank?

Good question - the area inside the cap is also the same red, so I guess that means it is likely the original color. Can't figure out why there are no logos then.