New to me. 1970 750 Roadster (2011)
- Thread starter 72westie
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Hey, just saw your post. I didn't ask him for the paint codes, I picked up a nos side cover out of NZ I think and my guy matched it. I don't have any use for that cover if you want to buy it and match off if that.
I have been doing some parts swapping with my other '70 commando. I am trying to make one real nice/stock and the other one will be a nice rider/cafe machine.
I have been doing some parts swapping with my other '70 commando. I am trying to make one real nice/stock and the other one will be a nice rider/cafe machine.
DogT
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Yeah, it looks like you've got all the correct 69/70 parts on it. Even the front fender. Is the rear fender an early one too? I'd like to find a rear one that has the mounting point between the shocks since my original one is a mess. I stuck a 71 rear fender on mine, so it's not quite correct, but most people don't know. You should slap some decals on it. Steadfast has some tank decals that have the wide gold outline and the Commando 750 Roadster for the panels are available too. Just make sure they are parallel to the ground, not the top of the panel. Get vinyl ones, the rub-on ones gather dirt and dust.
Dave
69S
Dave
69S
I have decals for the tank and sidecover, but I haven't found the correct 'Roadster' sidecover ones yet. Getting the timing set has been a real adventure right now. I plan on getting the tank ones on soon, but I may have some sidecover ones made up how I want them
DogT
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I made up some artwork for my panels and have some stencils cut, picking them up tomorrow. She really suggested just using vinyl stick-ons, but I wanted to try my hand at 2-tone stencils for the panels and tank like B+Bogus did. We'll see. I got some nice vinyl stick-ons from NZ, if you want their info, I'll get it. They probably have everything, they had all the 'S' items. The red is supposed to be gold, it was just easy to do red in photoshop. I can also get my stencil maker to make up vinyl ones too.
Dave
69S
Dave
69S
Bring this back up from the dead. I have a guy who is interested in buying it and was just wondering what you guys would think a fair value of this beast is? Here is a quick run-down of the major points on it.
1970 750 Roadster. I am the 3rd owner. 11K actual miles. Repainted back to stock color and new decals sourced.
New Amal Premier carbs, New Boyer Ignition, New tympanium, New Dunlop K70's, new std bore pistons.
All numbers match. Stock wheels. 71+ front fender. Most of the aluminum has been polished, not a show polish.
1970 750 Roadster. I am the 3rd owner. 11K actual miles. Repainted back to stock color and new decals sourced.
New Amal Premier carbs, New Boyer Ignition, New tympanium, New Dunlop K70's, new std bore pistons.
All numbers match. Stock wheels. 71+ front fender. Most of the aluminum has been polished, not a show polish.
concours
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72westie said:
As crazy a place as Fleabay is, doing a search for "Norton Commando", then choose 'motorcycles" and then "completed auctions" and see what stuff has actually SOLD for. Different, agreed, they ( a local buyer) can see/touch/hear/ride your bike, but it's a benchmark, at least. GLWS
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R Model Tony said:There's only colour better than Fire Flake Roman Purple...
Errr... wait... No there ain't....
(flame suit on) :mrgreen:
I can hardly wait to see your finished beauty/project!! Good on ya!
I don't know if it is the lighting or what, But that has to be the neatest factory paint job outside my 84 BMW R100RS. Just WOW!!!!
Marc
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Value 
COST :shock:
Replacement value'd be 7.500 , IF its strong - all chains & sprockets good - carbs arnt falling to bits . AND you could get on it and go 1000 miles , or lit it rip & snort .
:lol:
Six is good value buying rather than the inflated tripe for some down at heal ones seen advertised , if not sold . Youve got to consider what YOU could get for that loot ,
without haveing to spend weeks chasing parts , seviceing , overhauling etc . Original Condition counts in un mauled ( paint , rims , spokes , frame paint etc etc )
Haveing said that 600 is a sane sound price , rather than overinflated . - IF He' is the kind to reciprocate when you need to borrow his 65 Shelby GT350R or Bently turbo .
COST :shock: Replacement value'd be 7.500 , IF its strong - all chains & sprockets good - carbs arnt falling to bits . AND you could get on it and go 1000 miles , or lit it rip & snort .
:lol: Six is good value buying rather than the inflated tripe for some down at heal ones seen advertised , if not sold . Youve got to consider what YOU could get for that loot ,
without haveing to spend weeks chasing parts , seviceing , overhauling etc . Original Condition counts in un mauled ( paint , rims , spokes , frame paint etc etc )
Haveing said that 600 is a sane sound price , rather than overinflated . - IF He' is the kind to reciprocate when you need to borrow his 65 Shelby GT350R or Bently turbo .
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- Dec 14, 2014
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hey
i just found this.
i'm the guy that bought this motorcycle from 72westie.
i never knew that he had posted the history of this machine here. sadly his photobucket account is screwed up, like everybody else's. i would have been really interested to see what this looked like when he first got it. anyway, the machine is currently exactly as he re-created it, except that i ditched the OIF Triumph kickstand he had on it and put one on from andover norton tha actually lets me corner without dragging, and bought a front fender stay from eurotrash jambalaya (i don't know whether i have the 70 or the 71 fender, but i currently have a combination that works). i've also thrown out the dead AGM battery and replaced it with a shorei that i took out of something else. tiny thing, weightless, and works just fine once i wrapped it in foam so it wouldn't rattle around in the battery box. still casually looking for rear passenger pegs to replace the 70s chopster cleats on it now.
i've ridden mostly triumphs for decades, and this norton is an interesting change from them. first, it it starts first kick, every time, so long as i flood the concentrics (shiny-new premiers, no less) and use full choke. when it's warm, it likes tickling but no choke. when it's hot, just quarter-throttle and then one kick. i've got little experience with concentrics, as i mostly have always just taken them off and run mikunis instead, but this one has 200 mains, 106 needle jets, middle groove on the needle, and no. 3 slides. they work fine. there was some hesitation on the mains that would clear up when rolling the throttle back a fraction, so i originally thought i might try 220 mains, but after some running the hesitation went away. just crud in the jets, i guess.
it handles dead-neutral, as if the center of gravity is a ball joint in the middle of the machine. it leans with zero effort, returns with zero effort, tracks with zero effort, and i feel more comfortable at greater lean angles on it than i do with triumph stuff i've been riding for decades. brakes are no worse than anything else i ride, except for a 1997 buell that does everything better except be as much fun to ride.
it's got some quirks, though. there's a big gap between second and third, and the overall gear ratio seems a bit too high numerically. i haven't counted teeth or paced somebody else with a good speedo, but it seems like it's busier than it should be at highway speeds. but it reads 70 or 80 at speeds i'm comfortable with, and i do seem to catch up to traffic pretty quick, so clearly i need to do some calibrating to see where i really am. there's also something loose inside the left peashooter, so it ring-a-dings like a two stroke on the overrun from that pipe. i may or may not do anything about it.
anyway, the take-home lesson is that whatever 72westie started with, what he sold me was a resoundingly good machine. the only thing i would change would be to swap to clip ons and rear sets, as the seating position is the classic take-a-shit-in-the-woods squat, but i'm in no hurry. it has huge tiller handlebars. i don't know whether that's what it originally came with or not.
i just found this.
i'm the guy that bought this motorcycle from 72westie.
i never knew that he had posted the history of this machine here. sadly his photobucket account is screwed up, like everybody else's. i would have been really interested to see what this looked like when he first got it. anyway, the machine is currently exactly as he re-created it, except that i ditched the OIF Triumph kickstand he had on it and put one on from andover norton tha actually lets me corner without dragging, and bought a front fender stay from eurotrash jambalaya (i don't know whether i have the 70 or the 71 fender, but i currently have a combination that works). i've also thrown out the dead AGM battery and replaced it with a shorei that i took out of something else. tiny thing, weightless, and works just fine once i wrapped it in foam so it wouldn't rattle around in the battery box. still casually looking for rear passenger pegs to replace the 70s chopster cleats on it now.
i've ridden mostly triumphs for decades, and this norton is an interesting change from them. first, it it starts first kick, every time, so long as i flood the concentrics (shiny-new premiers, no less) and use full choke. when it's warm, it likes tickling but no choke. when it's hot, just quarter-throttle and then one kick. i've got little experience with concentrics, as i mostly have always just taken them off and run mikunis instead, but this one has 200 mains, 106 needle jets, middle groove on the needle, and no. 3 slides. they work fine. there was some hesitation on the mains that would clear up when rolling the throttle back a fraction, so i originally thought i might try 220 mains, but after some running the hesitation went away. just crud in the jets, i guess.
it handles dead-neutral, as if the center of gravity is a ball joint in the middle of the machine. it leans with zero effort, returns with zero effort, tracks with zero effort, and i feel more comfortable at greater lean angles on it than i do with triumph stuff i've been riding for decades. brakes are no worse than anything else i ride, except for a 1997 buell that does everything better except be as much fun to ride.
it's got some quirks, though. there's a big gap between second and third, and the overall gear ratio seems a bit too high numerically. i haven't counted teeth or paced somebody else with a good speedo, but it seems like it's busier than it should be at highway speeds. but it reads 70 or 80 at speeds i'm comfortable with, and i do seem to catch up to traffic pretty quick, so clearly i need to do some calibrating to see where i really am. there's also something loose inside the left peashooter, so it ring-a-dings like a two stroke on the overrun from that pipe. i may or may not do anything about it.
anyway, the take-home lesson is that whatever 72westie started with, what he sold me was a resoundingly good machine. the only thing i would change would be to swap to clip ons and rear sets, as the seating position is the classic take-a-shit-in-the-woods squat, but i'm in no hurry. it has huge tiller handlebars. i don't know whether that's what it originally came with or not.
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