Parts cost

Fullauto · May 24, 2017

I caught up with a mate today while out for a ride in our fabulous Autumn weather. He's into old Indians. He has a pretty good selection. He just picked up a fairly new one from a mate of his. The owner had stuffed it into a patch of bush. The bike was written off on panel damage alone. He beat all the dents out and did a bit of respraying and for minimal cost has got a pretty good ride. If you like that sort of thing.

Now this is in Australia mind and he quoted parts prices in Aussie dollars. Get this. How much for a new front guard? Would you believe three grand? How about five thousand dollars for a rear guard? And the cherry on top. For a new fuel tank,

SEVEN AND A HALF GRAND!!!!!!!

And people complain about spares for our fantastic Nortons.

BritTwit · May 24, 2017

Wow.
Sounds like he was scalped.

Couldn't resist. :lol:

cliffa · May 24, 2017

And possibly made by Indians too !!

toppy · May 24, 2017

The price of many Japanese parts for both modern and classic bikes can also be insane. Plus for many both modern and classic bikes there are many parts where you simply can't get replacement parts either genuine pattern or secondhand (including other Nortons) so really we are very fortunate.

acotrel · May 24, 2017

When I was a kid, the second bike I got was and Indian 500 Scout. It was given to me. I also obtained a second one, for which I paid two pounds and I thought that I'd been swindled. During the next few years, I looked at one 1200 Indian with sidecar for which the owner wanted 12 pounds. I decided that was too much. I also knocked back another beautifully restored one for 35 pounds in about 1960. These days any one often would cost more than $35000 in Australia. They've got the performance of a Lambretta motor scooter.

cjandme · May 24, 2017

toppy said:
The price of many Japanese parts for both modern and classic bikes can also be insane. Plus for many both modern and classic bikes there are many parts where you simply can't get replacement parts either genuine pattern or secondhand (including other Nortons) so really we are very fortunate.

I thinks so too, very fortunate indeed. I believe that there has never been a better time to own and ride a Norton.

GavinJuice · May 27, 2017

When I got this bike from my dad I had no idea that parts would be so readily available. I call Klempf's and I can have every nut, bolt, and rubber bit my heart desires the next day.

Try that with a japanese bike...scrounging through forums trying to find manuals, searching the internet trying to find parts, it can be a challenge.

My dad told me the other week, "Why not sell the Norton and get a Harley like your friends?" I looked at him like he was nuts and said NEVER will i sell this bike!

Harley parts are ungodly expensive, although readily available, but I've put countless hours, sweat, blood, and cursing into this bike to sell it now. I downright love it. I also appreciate everyone on this forum more than you know. I've learned a tremendous amount from reading on here about Norton's, bikes, and engines in general. The knowledge here is VAST.

In the end, nothing beats tinkering on my Norton and as long as I can get parts I WILL NEVER SELL IT!!!

N0rt0nelectr@ · May 27, 2017

I used to work for the City of Phoenix in the parts department, I have since retired. But, while I was working there I purchased the parts for the KZ1000 police bikes we had. The cost of what I will call equivalent items such as rotors, stators, cables and the like were always more expensive than parts for my Commando. So, I think we as a whole are getting a pretty good deal on parts for our Nortons, not that it will stop us from complaining, that is human nature.
As a side note. Kawasaki quit making the KZ1000's in about 2005 or so. Before they did the city bought every new one they had and stored them with the understanding that when we put them into service then and only then would the warranty start. Just before I retired we started getting ST Hondas and Harleys. Every one of the Harleys had to have their clutches upgraded to their Screaming Eagle ones as the cops were blowing them out. Never had an issue with the KZ1000 clutches, some progress!

John in Texas

RoadScholar · May 27, 2017

A few months back I found and purchased a NOS 750 crankshaft form a breaker in New Orleans; it was boxed in 1973 by Berliner Corp, sold to a guy on Pennsylvania named Ed LaBell, the box was marked $154 USD, I paid $800 USD. I went to the web and scaled up the 1973 dollars and found out that $154 1973 dollars were now worth $810, so I got a bit of a "deal"; such wonders.

When the plastic tank on a former '08 Ducati 1100 HyperMotard I owned swelled up (alcohol, would you believe---1n 2008) and split the left side plastic panel, I got a replacement (plastic) tank under warrantee, but had to fight Ducati for the replacement plastic side panel, had I not been successful I'd have had to pay $1300, WOW! The nose piece on the same bike retails for $2100 DOUBLE WOW!! No wonder that modern motorcycles are totaled when they fall over in a parking lot

I worked for Honda when I was in college up until about 1973, ever new model came from a complete new set of drawings, less than 3% parts interchangeability. My colleagues found that a CB450 dynamo cover would fit a CB 750, but when you did that, the name HONDA was at a 45 degree angle; how much sense does that make??

I'd much rather source parts for a Norton, much easier to find than for an equivalent year Japanese motorcycle...

Last year I flirted with a 1948 Indian Chief and found that most parts are available in the after market for very reasonable prices, and, in some cases are a better fit than OE.

acotrel · May 28, 2017

The beauty of old British bikes lies in the fact that they are totally re-buildable and in the worst case scenario - if you are really stuck you can actually make the parts yourself. - Difficult to do with Japanese bikes.

peter12 · May 31, 2017

We are very fortunate that the Commando was such a good machine in the first place (with obvious quality control issues!) enabling companies like Norvil, Hemmings, CNW, Norman White, Madass, Fullauto, Comstock etc to stay in business to service and manufacture parts, both new replacement and modified for reliability and performance where necessary.

Without research I am assuming that there are more serviceable Commandos on the road than any other classic machine.

However I still think parts are expensive and that the cost of rarer machines and therefore their spares has jumped out of all proportion.

I flinch when I see that in the UK a machine advertised as for full restoration is priced at £7500. I would like to think it doesn't fetch anyway near that!

Don't get me wrong I am not having a go at the price of parts as they still have to be made, sourced, marketed etc.

Fullauto · May 31, 2017

I'm definitely not ashamed of the fact that my cylinder heads are the single most expensive part available for a Norton.

When people comment how expensive they are, I just smile.

peter12 · May 31, 2017

You have a good product that works, that no one else makes, I suppose in a similar way to the Maney parts.
Still cannot afford one!

Bernhard · May 31, 2017

Quality always cost money as opposed to cheap tat-which one would you rather have :?:

Danno · May 31, 2017

Indian fuel tanks are made of multiple small peices silver-soldered together and smoothed over with lead body filler. Repops are made tthe same way to make restoratiuons correct. All that specialized hand labor is what makes them cost so much. If anyone could make them cheaper they'd be doing so.

Fullauto · May 31, 2017

peter12 said:
You have a good product that works, that no one else makes, I suppose in a similar way to the Maney parts.
Still cannot afford one!

That's alright. I make them and I cant afford one either!

Madnorton · May 31, 2017

In comparison the Fullauto head is cheap, the casting is a mare and thankfully Fullauto has persevered and had them made. The only thing that will advance the casting is 3D sand pattern printing, still in its infancy, but still the cores will need to be made and placed which would most probably use more than one core box to do so which costs.

Strangely, many owners have a varied stable, but only suggest that Norton parts are expensive, but the corresponding part for their old BMW, Ducati etc is twice the price despite being made in the same place or country, they are happy to pay for.

In the UK there was a lot of comparison of prices against the imported part prices, strangely, with dearer production and rapidly growing economies in the far east it seems that the parts are not so prevalent now as I doubt the margins and risk are no longer worth it. Many cases are of the 'take it cheap and weep' if the item fails - the manufacturer does not take the hit!

Thankfully parts are available for the classics, usually due to the determination of those with an active interest in supporting in keeping them on the road, unlike some of the modern manufacturers, who struggle to supply replacement parts for their new and newish models, maybe it is the time to buy a few written off Panigale's me thinks - they will be worth a fortune for the good spares in 4 or 5 years as they are, despite being very nice, the typical throw away bike.

As for projects in the UK going for daft money, the law of availability dictates, in the US there are far more Commando's so the price is less - seems that no one in the US ships them here and sells them, but Brits do. It only takes a US citizen with a UK contact and there is money to be made for very little effort.

Fullauto · May 31, 2017

Madnorton said:
In comparison the Fullauto head is cheap, the casting is a mare and thankfully Fullauto has persevered and had them made. The only thing that will advance the casting is 3D sand pattern printing, still in its infancy, but still the cores will need to be made and placed which would most probably use more than one core box to do so which costs.

Strangely, many owners have a varied stable, but only suggest that Norton parts are expensive, but the corresponding part for their old BMW, Ducati etc is twice the price despite being made in the same place or country, they are happy to pay for.

In the UK there was a lot of comparison of prices against the imported part prices, strangely, with dearer production and rapidly growing economies in the far east it seems that the parts are not so prevalent now as I doubt the margins and risk are no longer worth it. Many cases are of the 'take it cheap and weep' if the item fails - the manufacturer does not take the hit!

Thankfully parts are available for the classics, usually due to the determination of those with an active interest in supporting in keeping them on the road, unlike some of the modern manufacturers, who struggle to supply replacement parts for their new and newish models, maybe it is the time to buy a few written off Panigale's me thinks - they will be worth a fortune for the good spares in 4 or 5 years as they are, despite being very nice, the typical throw away bike.

As for projects in the UK going for daft money, the law of availability dictates, in the US there are far more Commando's so the price is less - seems that no one in the US ships them here and sells them, but Brits do. It only takes a US citizen with a UK contact and there is money to be made for very little effort.

Agreed. I figured out a long time ago that the way forward was to use my Norton as everyday transport. Beautiful to ride, 100% parts availability, rebuildable till the end of the world, crashable, with parts being cheap. To me, it was a no brainer. The Japanese, followed by every other manufacturer, went down the path of planned obsolescence with new models every year, with no parts interchangeability with previous models, vast warehouses to house the myriad of parts required, then, when a model reaches a certain age, taking all the parts, smashing them, then down to the tip they go!

Certain bikes became icons, spares were rare or non existent , and just became too expensive to ride. Hence, you get Ducati syndrome, with the bike in a glass case. Great to look at, but too expensive to ride on the road. Save yourself some money and just stick a poster of it on the wall.

acotrel · May 31, 2017

A friend of mine was in business fixing Ducatis. He said no bill was ever under $5000 and most of the problems came because guys tried to fix the bike themselves. Before he did repairs, he used to pull the motors apart in front of the owners, so they could see the damage. So be happy with your Commandos.

auldblue · May 31, 2017

I used to buy gear from the states but with pound low and the big interest in commando( and all other ) imports prices have risen on used parts and postage a fair old bit and the price gap to new has closed considerably . Considering how important the head is to bike performance Kens heads are not raving mental price wise. The way it was back in the day as told by commando men of old ,parts were dirt cheap and plentiful cos nobody wanted them. As they say in the bike mags "welcome to the real world".

Jg

Parts cost

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