Reputable suppliers

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I could do without all the drama, and insistance of original and superior parts all the time, but I still do occasionally buy directly from A-N, or distributors in the US who source from them. Also dislike that I now need to scroll down through 10 different Triumph models before I get to the first Norton part pages. I don't care about Triumphs. Pricing and shipping is getting high also. I am going to need to compare their pricing with RGM from now on.
 
B+Bogus said:
I actually buy Commando parts from all of the UK suppliers, but for standard engine parts it's always A-N or RGM only, as per previous correspondents.


Absolutely the case - A bunch of amateurs with zero understanding of copyright. It's also questionable whether the drawings were legally obtained from the factory in the first instance.
As an NOC member it was my money too...
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Even more baffling for me is WHY they even wanted to prevent AN getting copies in the first place ? Surely there can be no ‘honest’ reason for this?
 
I've purchased from RGM and Andover Norton and both have been first class. Roger at RGM offers a very personable service and seems to work huge hours, as I've sent an email in the afternoon (Aussie time) and he's answered it immediately, which would put him at work in the wee small hours.
 
elefantrider said:
I could do without all the drama, and insistance of original and superior parts all the time, but I still do occasionally buy directly from A-N, or distributors in the US who source from them. Also dislike that I now need to scroll down through 10 different Triumph models before I get to the first Norton part pages. I don't care about Triumphs. Pricing and shipping is getting high also. I am going to need to compare their pricing with RGM from now on.
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I asked @ZFD to address that. I wish the Triumph stuff was separated better. Not many people shop for both Triumph and Norton parts at the same time.
 
Fast Eddie said:
Even more baffling for me is WHY they even wanted to prevent AN getting copies in the first place ? Surely there can be no ‘honest’ reason for this?
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The simple answer is that they wanted Les to have first crack at making the parts. At least that's my thought.
 
RGM does seem to have slightly less expensive parts cost than AN and has a wider offering of "other" parts one might want. They do ship astonishingly quickly not that AN is that far behind. How both of them are able to stay in business is, to me, amazing.
 
Good point about RGMs ‘other‘ parts Onder. Their web site is far easier to navigate when looking for none standard items IMHO.

Also agree their shipping is the speediest.

I‘ve got mates with other more obscure old bikes and the efforts they have to go through to source parts is a real eye opener for me. We are SO lucky in the Norton world to have such great support.
 
AN’s part drawings make it very easy to find parts, but they do seem ‘stuck’ on originality, whereas RGM offer a good range of SS bits.
I have had an experience of ordering a chromed part from both of them and the plating on the AN part was a good deal better.
 
I think it's great we have AN focused on the "original" parts. Personally I prefer to go the stainless route, at which RGM excel, but I'm sure others want original. Horses for courses and as Fast Eddie said, we are very lucky with parts supply for Commandos. I can get parts from RGM/AN faster than I can for any other vehicle I own, old or new.
 
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The only stainless parts I use on my bike are brake fittings. I think stainless bits make a classic bike look false. What I am more interested in are the engine parts which can break - con-rods, valves, pistons. crankshaft bolts which are ground to size.
 
Fast Eddie said:
Such purse swinging is precisely why I am not in the NOC and have no intention of joining.
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I was member back in the '70s, it was useful to an extent. But, I got fed up with it, mainly due to the comments and attitudes of, guess who? (and his wife!)
 
Stainless is nice, but not original. Neither is zinc plating.
Most Commando fasteners were cadmium plated from the factory.
 
elefantrider said:
Stainless is nice, but not original. Neither is zinc plating.
Most Commando fasteners were cadmium plated from the factory.
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Cad plating quite literally a 'dying art' these days!
Beadblasted stainless actually looks quite close to cad plate but without the lingering toxicity.
 
Thanks for the above, many of the dealers all talk to each other, there are good relationships amongst them.

When you have a customer who owns a modern Ducati dealership and rides a Commando then I think that says it all about parts supply. I queried him and was surprised that he had two customers bikes in, one was 5 years the other 6, he was still waiting to see if he could get the parts from Ducati to repair the bikes.

I suspect that the level of spares support for the Commando would embarrass the like of Honda and Yamaha and some of their 5 year old bikes.

Long may it continue.
 
Madnorton said:
I suspect that the level of spares support for the Commando would embarrass the like of Honda and Yamaha and some of their 5 year old bikes.
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I think you'd be amazed at how hard Honda/Suzuki/Kawasaki/Yamaha parts from the 70s are to find. I worked at a Honda dealership while at university from '71 to '73 and was surprised, until recently, to see that, virtually, all new models had a number of unique parts. Not-to-say the parts can't be found, but Commando parts are much easier to find; not as easy to fit in many cases.

Best.
 
I think we are super lucky with the amazing support we have for Norton spares from all the companies never known anything like it. Before I was in a position to get into the Nortons. I restored a couple of RD350LC's RD250LC in my early 20s an more recently a RD250C that I let go a few months back as the bits were becoming a nightmare to get an I wanted to fund a bike for my Norway trip.

I'm obsessed with the British bikes now more than the Japanese stuff all my Brit bikes are life time keepers. The part prices is absolute nuts now on the elsies an I reckon the rd250lc I'm building outta new old stock engine parts that took 10 years to get will be my last Japanese restoration an I doubt it'd be a repeatable one. I've been looking at letting my elsies and gsx750et go to fund a Harley J or WLA an I can see them being far more trickier than our Norton twins to get parts for so yeah I reckon we have it really good.

Yep things go wrong with all suppliers from time to time. I remember once when I was in print one of our new million quid Printing Presses came and a major fault was there from new which had to be remedied by the Marque an that was arguably one of the largest suppliers in the world things happen just gotta check stuff through :)
 
RGM, Burtons British Bikes, Joe Hunt, Lowbrows, have never dealt with AN but everyone has good feed back about them, I had ordered a new seat as well a seat cover from BBB on a Thursday night and have them at my front door Tuesday morning all the way to Aussie land and Roger and Anna at RGM and Danny from BBB are great to deal with and quick to respond to any emails from the other side of the world, just wish there were more like them and they keep in business because they are good at what they do and I know I will keep going back to them when needed, US parts seem to take a lot longer but Joe Hunt and Lowbrows are about 9 working days for delivery to Aussie land, so not bad really.

Ashley
 
Guess I’m getting old!
what is an “elsie? Thought this forum was about Nortons
 
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