Namibia's only Commando

In 2009 or so I spotted this tired neglected 1971 fastback languishing in a dusty garage in Windhoek Namibia, where it had been for at least 15 years. I bought it in 2011 thinking no probs this will be easy and not TOOOOOOO pricey.....Only cost about 1300 US to buy, but that was far and away the cheapest part. I did not crack the heads or the gear box but pretty well everything else was restored, replaced, refurbished. There is a long list of folks here on the forum who helped out a lot. Many thanks to you all and I'm certain I will be asking for more help soon. Matt at CNW and Ella at Old Brits were STARS.

I should make this clear to those of you who live in the land of cheap two day shipping, that if a part needed to come from America it would take on average 5 weeks and would cost a butt-load to get here, marginally faster from the UK. At every step of the process as things were restored, other problems would arise necessitating another mail to Ella.....Restoring an old British Twin in a country that they essentially do not exist in, (there are couple old BSA's and a Manx) is incredibly difficult, it would have been easier in Windhoek but I live in a tiny little village at the edge of the Namib Desert.

This is more or less a starting point. I am not a big fan of Fastbacks and will change it to a roadster as money allows. the two into one will go back to peashooters, the Tomaselli's will get swapped for some drag bars, the seat will go in favor of a Corbin.....The paint choice was defensive in light of the stupid heat we have here. It does not show in the picture but there were 3 base layers of white, then 4 layers of pearl and 3 clear. It is very pretty in the sun.

When I was in high school, 1972, it was a Yamaha RD350, the cool guys who got to hang a hot chick off the back of their bikes were riding Triumphs, Nortons, BSA's even though my RD350 would eat them for breakfast Rinnnnnnndinnnnnnnngdinnnnnnngdingdingding and the blue cloud didn't do much for my pubescent love live, since then I wanted a Norton, and now I have one, and even though not one person in a hundred here knows what it is, I'm smiling......

Do note the before photos, just how badly it shit the bed on the trailer home.....Now every three or four days it will drop a tiny little drop of oil......Thanks again everybody, who was part of the team.....

I remember the almost fossilized corrosion find and wondered if you would survive the red tape, expenses and waves of crisis in Africa. Likely can pay a gal there to pose on it for even more bragging rights.

Congrats. That sounds like quite an accomplishment. I know something about the high price of getting parts to far off places, although not to Namibia!

Do you have high import taxes? What brought you to Namibia or is that where you're from?

Congrats namibchris, looks good to me as is without switching it over to a roadster tank and peashooters. Thanks for posting it up on the forum, well done & happy trails, Cj

The harder the climb the greater the satisfaction at the summit.
Looks dandy and like all of us when you park it for a coffee you probably get lots of people coming by to admire it.

elefantrider said:

Congrats. That sounds like quite an accomplishment. I know something about the high price of getting parts to far off places, although not to Namibia!

Do you have high import taxes? What brought you to Namibia or is that where you're from?

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Thank you! I've been here for just shy of 20 years, mining geologist by profession, retired from mining but still active in the industry

hobot said:

I remember the almost fossilized corrosion find and wondered if you would survive the red tape, expenses and waves of crisis in Africa. Likely can pay a gal there to pose on it for even more bragging rights.

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Thanks a lot Hobot, you too have been very helpful through this process....

There are apparently some young ladies into Tattoos and leather in Capital that would really love to have a shoot with Norton.... Will try and get it organized....Not quite the same but likley the best I can do at plump and 60.....

elefantrider said:

Congrats. That sounds like quite an accomplishment. I know something about the high price of getting parts to far off places, although not to Namibia!

Do you have high import taxes? What brought you to Namibia or is that where you're from?

Click to expand...

Grew up outside of Boston, lived 20 years in Idaho then moved here nearly 20 years ago, I am by profession a mining Geologist, although largely retired at the moment....

It was defiantely and epic struggle to get this bike this far. Thanks!

rx7171 said:

The harder the climb the greater the satisfaction at the summit.
Looks dandy and like all of us when you park it for a coffee you probably get lots of people coming by to admire it.

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They do indeed, Particularly the Black Africans, they seem very much attracted to it. thanks for your comments!

There are apparently some young ladies into Tattoos and leather in Capital that would really love to have a shoot with Norton.... Will try and get it organized....Not quite the same but likley the best I can do at plump and 60.....[/quote]

I am looking forward to see these pics, (does that make me a dirty old man ? :roll: )
You did a very good job on that bike, Chris, congrats.
The design of the Fastback was seen by many as too radical in its days, but with hindsight, it stood the test of tme very well imo.
Over here, we do not come across Fastbacks very often.
I can imagine that riding a Norton in your part of the world must be a unique experience.

Well this Cdo being around an African population its appropriate here to quote a white southerners motto -
I like my women like I like my coffee... both hot and full of booze : )

Peter R said:

There are apparently some young ladies into Tattoos and leather in Capital that would really love to have a shoot with Norton.... Will try and get it organized....Not quite the same but likley the best I can do at plump and 60.....

Click to expand...

I am looking forward to see these pics, (does that make me a dirty old man ? :roll: )
You did a very good job on that bike, Chris, congrats.
The design of the Fastback was seen by many as too radical in its days, but with hindsight, it stood the test of tme very well imo.
Over here, we do not come across Fastbacks very often.
I can imagine that riding a Norton in your part of the world must be a unique experience.[/quote]

Oddly this part of the thread received a private message warning me about posting photos of tattooed women on my bike......

Still though over the years how many of us can honestly say we didn't have a girl coefficient in the bike purchase thought process.....

I never had gals in mind on getting a cycle or Harley would be the right one. Brit Iron is welcomed to their othen restricted parties so gals notice ya but the ones that do are not sort you want to see very close. One time on THE Gravel path somewhere I saw a dozen college student of both genders looking at the surbury so stopped which interupted the class and one gal in shorts begged to get a photo on Trixie so can claim mine is a chick magnet - for a few minutes. My worry in Africa would be if I broke down or bit of a spill so had to leave the cute light weight cycle out in public, which bothers me here at times but so far left alone over night or able to roll out of sight or friend family allowed inside their gate.

namibchris said:

Peter R said:

There are apparently some young ladies into Tattoos and leather in Capital that would really love to have a shoot with Norton.... Will try and get it organized....Not quite the same but likley the best I can do at plump and 60.....

Click to expand...

I am looking forward to see these pics, (does that make me a dirty old man ? :roll: )
You did a very good job on that bike, Chris, congrats.
The design of the Fastback was seen by many as too radical in its days, but with hindsight, it stood the test of tme very well imo.
Over here, we do not come across Fastbacks very often.
I can imagine that riding a Norton in your part of the world must be a unique experience.

Click to expand...

Oddly this part of the thread received a private message warning me about posting photos of tattooed women on my bike......

Still though over the years how many of us can honestly say we didn't have a girl coefficient in the bike purchase thought process.....[/quote]

Chris, I am sorry if I have caused you any trouble, I was not aware that the Taliban reads this forum too... :shock: