New Guy Building a Commando from Parts

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In 2009 I did a complete ground up on a 72 Combat Commando. It had been sitting in an unheated and leaky barn for over 30 years. Due to all of the storage damage it wasn't much different than starting out with just a frame. At the time I hadn't owned a Norton for about 4 years and had zero spare parts laying around. 6 months and $12,251.72 later I had a nice looking bike that I took a lot of pride in. 2 months after completion an acquaintance needed to sell two bikes that I'd been lusting after for years. A 1980 R100S in smoke red and a 1973 850 Norton Roadster that included a complete set of Interstate goodies (tank, side covers, seat, grab rail) all newly painted. $10,000. I sold the 750 for just that amount. So a negative $2,2251.72 profit plus hundreds of hours of labor. Financially, not the best of moves on my part. Emotionally, the satisfaction of actually doing it was priceless. All said, don't dwell on the price sheet just stand back and admire what you've accomplished. I sold the BMW to buy a Buell XB9R so that I could give road racing one last shot before father time completely shut me down. I sold the Buell after one season because at 60+ years old my reflexes had diminished. Again, not being the smartest guy out there, I used that money to buy a BMW S1000RR. Lately I've been perusing the ACME catalog looking at the Wile E. Coyote signature rocket powered bike as a replacement for the S1000RR
 
New Guy Building a Commando from Parts
 
I'm still collecting parts for a lightweight special, all bought Johnny Cash style- " I got her one piece at a time"
The starting point was the purchase of three parts, matching MK3 frame and cases from an eBay wrecker.
I also found good deals on NOS Norton parts from Raber's just before they closed. That filled up the timing chest with new stuff and put a new cover on.
The bike won't be cheap when done but everything that matters will be new, so that's a consideration.
A friend bought a rusty complete 1971 750 hulk for $2500 then threw about half of it away due to rust. He then threw away or paid machine shop time on the engine and transmission internals due to wear.
Big total bill on that one and it started with a cheap complete bike. So you never know until it's done.

A frame and cases from eBay might have been a cheaper starting point for him.

I paid just $700 for those and it was the MK3 stuff I was after ( stronger)
Lucked out and got the crank and rods from the same bike in a separate auction for $180.
The crank, rods and shells look as new.
I bought a nice rh10 head on this site for $400.

So I think you can do it from bits if you are patient and exercise self control ( don't drink wine and then bid like Jerry did):)

Glen
 
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I have seen Jon's various projects on Brit Bike. He has plenty of experience for this type of build-i believe he knows what he's getting into. All good points. My '75 was very complete-including the purchase price i have about $6500 into it. It had good bones, needed a lot of cleaning and fiddling, many new parts over this winter. Still waiting to ride the beastie-19F here today-a foot+ of snow forecast...
 
I've built THREE Complete Commandos from parts, each time starting with a bigger pile due to leftovers from the previous attempts, and each time STILL costing almost the same to get to a running, street-legal bike. Since I did all the work myself, and had wholesale & volume suppliers and tradesmen available, I got all three in well under $10K.

Hope springs eternal...
 
I poked fun at Jerry and his very expensive MK3 resto, but the point should be made that there are restos and there are restos.
Some people consider a part restored if some Mother's alloy polish has been wiped on and off, others replace every worn item with high quality new Andover stuff, still others use the best of the best CNW /Comstock item.
Big gap in resto cost and quality there.
Jerry's bike is about the nicest looking MK3 Ive seen. It's on par with the CNW bikes. Most importantly, it was done right internally as well , so perhaps it was worth the cost and struggle.

So price really depends on the quality of the restoration, both cosmetically and internally.
You can build a bike that runs ok but might not be trustworthy for long haul touring and is cosmetically a bit rough up close.
That's price level 1

You could do the same bike up with everything renewed internally plus new wiring and charging components such that the bike could be trusted for touring.
That could be price level 2.

You could add nice paint and chrome to the price level 2 bike and now you are at price level 3

You could add a CNW Brembo brake or two, hydraulic clutch or some nice Madass parts and get to price level 4.

You could start adding performance items, high performance head, TTI box and so on . Sky is the limit here.

One person's idea of a restored bike can be quite different from another's.

Glen
 
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Wow, thanks for the welcomes everyone !!

I fortunately have built several bikes from scratch or rough basket cases over the years, mostly Triumphs (Pre-Unit and Unit) a BSA, with a few more in the works, a '74 Honda CB750 and a 1970 H-D Sportster, so I have developed a pretty keen sense finding parts along with patience in order to get these bikes built and road ready without getting too crazy with the $ spent.

I love beyond measure, the hunt for parts and the quest for knowledge and immersing myself into the marque ( if I haven't had that particular brand yet ) when I get the fever for what I want next.

I really look forward to the challenge of building this Commando. I will admit that these machines are pretty mysterious to me as opposed to Triumphs and BSA's which I am super used to and very comfortable with. I didn't know Honda SOHC CB750's aside from liking the looks of them but after getting into them, I found them and everything associated with them to be super user friendly and nowhere near as complicated as I imagined they would be. And, although I am pretty familiar with Harleys, they can be complicated and there really is a lot to know about them, especially in the context of building one from scratch.

Anyhow, looking forward to my upcoming visit at Classic Bike Experience in Essex, Vermont tomorrow to see what used parts they can help me with.

Cheers
 
Hi Jon, sounds like you know what you are getting in to. I bought my first Norton in November, luckily it was mostly complete, mostly original and kept in a warm, dry, dark place for 30 years.
I have since had the bike completely apart, rebuilt the gearbox and replaced everything everyone on the forum told me to replace, very helpful bunch here.
All of my experience prior to the Norton had been with vintage Hondas. I found the Norton as user friendly as my Japanese twins (in some respects) It is QUITE a bike and you will fall in love.
You are going to have a great time, but you don't need me to tell you that!
 
NPeteN said:
Hi Jon, sounds like you know what you are getting in to. I bought my first Norton in November, luckily it was mostly complete, mostly original and kept in a warm, dry, dark place for 30 years.
I have since had the bike completely apart, rebuilt the gearbox and replaced everything everyone on the forum told me to replace, very helpful bunch here.
All of my experience prior to the Norton had been with vintage Hondas. I found the Norton as user friendly as my Japanese twins (in some respects) It is QUITE a bike and you will fall in love.
You are going to have a great time, but you don't need me to tell you that!
Click to expand...

Thanks Pete ?, I appreciate very much the encouragement !
 
Hi Jon, as Pete said, it looks like you’re an experi need hand at this and have a well trod method to it, you’re obviously gonna be fine.

What’s the plan for this build? Stock, custom, go-faster, chop?

Do keep us all posted, and don’t forget... we LOVE photos, especially build thread photos.
 
Fast Eddie said:
Hi Jon, as Pete said, it looks like you’re an experi need hand at this and have a well trod method to it, you’re obviously gonna be fine.

What’s the plan for this build? Stock, custom, go-faster, chop?

Do keep us all posted, and don’t forget... we LOVE photos, especially build thread photos.
Click to expand...


Thanks. I plan for it to be in stock configuration and it will be painted black with the gold trim. I will be sure to take plenty of pics too.
 
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