Retiring the Norton...and a question

My Norton is alive and shall never sleep again. I ride almost daily... mostly 20-30 miles or so because back and neck can't take more, but am slowly bringing the old GL back to life for more lengthy riding. Never really liked mounting a pig, but it doesn't punish me as much physically. No fun either because once it's fixed up there's nothing to do except ride and change oil. To me that's just not a proper motorcycle.

My Norton was a everyday rider since owning it new but the last 6 years it has been semi retired when I brought my new 2013 Triumph Thruxton that took over the every day duties then 2 years ago I upgraded to a new 1200 Thruxton this is now my every day rider and the other Thruxton is hardly rode my daughter will get it once she goes for her bike licence, my Norton get ridden now when I feel like it, I love riding my hot rod Norton but I also love riding my 1200 Thruxton, it does everything my Norton does but better, my Norton handle great in the Featherbed frame, but so does the Thruxton, the Norton is great around town and out in the twisties, but so is the Thruxton, the Norton is very quick and loads of torque, but the Thruxton is quicker and has a lot more torque.
I love my Norton as I have owned it for over 44 years now, but I love my 1200 Thurxton even better, it handle as good if not better than my 850 Featherbed, its has more torque than my Norton, while riding it feels as light as my Norton, but it is a lot more smother to ride and so much better for long distant travels, so my Norton is semi retired just like me, but the 1200 Thruxton is now my everyday rider and I love it as much as I love my Norton, the Norton gets more looks when out on it but the Thruxton wins the day now for everyday use.

Ashley

Whilst I have a lot of bikes, two of which could be considered modern(ish), the bike that I love to ride & look at the most is the one I wanted from the age of twelve. My MK2a 920 is the one they, who ever they might be, will have to prise from my cold dead hands. I feel like king of the world when I ride it.

Martyn.

MexicoMike said:

I have decided to retire my Commando from normal riding. Other than some special event, like a local Gentleman' Ride or specific Britt-Bike thing, I won't be using it any more for regular rides.

<snip>

Do other Norton owners here use their Norton as their normal riding motorcycle (as I did until a few days ago) or is the Norton a "special use" bike?

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Mike. Sorry to hear the Norton is going to the back of the garage. Hoping everything is good on all fronts.

Though I am now retired and do not ride daily, the 850 Commando is my "go to" ride for most outings including runs to the store. The Vincent was the main ride from the 80's until the early 2000's when it needed clutch work and various other issues that our bikes develop over time. Though the Vincent recently emerged from a "down to the last bolt" rebuild, the Norton is still the most reasonable machine except for specific rides. At this point, I can still kick start the bikes and currently own no electric start machines. That may change as a matter of course.

Lately, I have ridden a newer Triumph 1200 triple and an early 2000's Ducati 750 Testastretta. The Triumph was a wonderful ride, while the Duc, being very uncomfortable for this guy, was a screaming experience. The Duc is much faster than I am!

Cheers!

Russ
~998cc

Sadly, I only ride my Norton "about" 2-3 times a month. (... and I ride almost daily; living in NE Florida with year round comfy riding weather.) Anyway, I DO love it, and the Norton is so cool to look at. Since 1983, Every single time I had a Norton I sold; I IMMEDIATELY had seller's regret ... and soon found another Norton to buy/fix/ and semi restore. (eight of them now) ...

However, of all my "running" bikes; six at the moment ... the one I ride the most is my 1980 KZ1000 with Windjammer III fairing.

Gosh, I’ve got too many bikes, too many cars, and too many other things I should do.

The Norton is my favorite, After that the single - KTM 525 wearing her SM wheels. But, the Norton has been parked for a while now and there are others purring for attention.

Yes Mike, I follow.

<---That hasn't been my regular ride since the 80's. Since it was, I've had an GS1100E, three big-bore Kawasakis and now the SDGT. Short stints <100 miles since then. Successive 600-mile days in weather from 23F to 100+F, trips of several thousand miles and burnin' tires in the twisties takes something a bit more modern to accomplish without wasting excessive time nursing an old bike along. I love riding it and showing it off and maintenance is more habit than task. It slept for 15 years while I poured all my time and money into family pursuits and since I got it back in running shape, I hope it never sits for long again, although it currently awaits a new battery and a de-coke. I need to stop taking on friends' projects and just concentrate on my own stuff.

Matchless said:

Whilst I have a lot of bikes, two of which could be considered modern(ish), the bike that I love to ride & look at the most is the one I wanted from the age of twelve. My MK2a 920 is the one they, who ever they might be, will have to prise from my cold dead hands. I feel like king of the world when I ride it.

Martyn.

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I am "they"
I'd like to prise your 920 off you now !
Yeah yeah I know, more chance of walking on the moon with Michelle Pfeiffer, well I can but try !

Four brits the 74 Norton 73 Trident 71 Rickman Enfield and the 69 Enfield Interceptor. I ride only in good weather and down here in the west country that limits the days you are out. The Norton is the most sorted so it gets the most calls. But I do like the Trident and am currently fighting the urge to
go to 850 with it despite the ungodly cost. The Rickman is such a surprisingly nice bike and the Interceptor a great local ride. They are all way too
polished and renewed to ride them down a muddy lane.
The truth is I should sell them all and get a R90s and just ride trouble free and as far as I wish. But I've had a R90s and I missed the handling the brit bikes give you. I suppose the grass is always greener the valley over.
...and I am not getting any younger. As the market softens the will to let these bikes go for small money doesn't appeal.

Craig said:

One thing I have discovered , is it is twins or singles for me .... have tried a couple 4’s which were great bikes , just seem to fall out with them ..... something ‘bout a simple machine just seems right , for me anyway .... have never owned a triple though ....

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I’m with you on that, I have a modern bike and three old bikes, the modern being a KTM1290 Adventure which I mainly use for Europe, my 850 Commando, a ‘69 Bonnie and a ‘72 Rickman Triumph which is waiting for me to get round to restore it. All twins. I’ve had a few triples and fours but I find them bland and get bored of them quickly so for many years I’ve stuck to twins. Two Wheels Two Cylinders

Dave

Onder said:

Four brits the 74 Norton 73 Trident 71 Rickman Enfield and the 69 Enfield Interceptor. I ride only in good weather and down here in the west country that limits the days you are out. The Norton is the most sorted so it gets the most calls. But I do like the Trident and am currently fighting the urge to
go to 850 with it despite the ungodly cost. The Rickman is such a surprisingly nice bike and the Interceptor a great local ride. They are all way too
polished and renewed to ride them down a muddy lane.
The truth is I should sell them all and get a R90s and just ride trouble free and as far as I wish. But I've had a R90s and I missed the handling the brit bikes give you. I suppose the grass is always greener the valley over.
...and I am not getting any younger. As the market softens the will to let these bikes go for small money doesn't appeal.

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To go big bore on a Trident is the way to go. An 850 is great , 1000 even better. The 850 is far more affordable than the 1000 as it's only a top end strip and no stroked crank. If you fancy it then get a class conversion from Nova ( Neil Beadling) and deal with him direct, it will save a lot of money.
You're only here once !

trident sam said:

To go big bore on a Trident is the way to go. An 850 is great , 1000 even better. The 850 is far more affordable than the 1000 as it's only a top end strip and no stroked crank. If you fancy it then get a class conversion from Nova ( Neil Beadling) and deal with him direct, it will save a lot of money.
You're only here once !

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Plus one.

The extra 100cc transforms a Trident and it’s a straight bolt on job. There are those who say 750 is best, but having ridden good 750s, 850, and a 1000, I just disagree.

Well, I would never sell my Commando but my other rides are modern bikes - in addition to the '14 9T, I ride a '17 BMW R1200RS and a '19 Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe. We are in the UK a lot and I seldom see an old Brittbike out on the road there OTHER than at specific events or on the IOM when we go for the Manx GP. Interestingly to me, last year during the week we were at the Manx, there was more general interest in old Japanese Bikes than in old Britt Bikes.

My other observation is that there were few 'young' people at the various events. The younger folks that I did see were mostly in the company of (much) older folks and were texting/whatever on their phones, not seeming to be much interested in the moto stuff. As Bob Dylan, once said, "The times, they are a-changin!"

Though I still enjoy bikes as much as I ever did, sadly I have to admit I enjoy riding the 'new' bikes now more than riding the Commando. Again, as Bob Dylan said...

Richard Tool said:

I don’t think I will ever part with the ES 2 - my heirs will have to figure that one out.

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My son has forbidden me to ever sell the Norton. He wants it when I'm gone.

My MkIII Interstate was a regular rider for a few year even though I had a mix of moderns and classics. Seems like the latest one I buy gets an inordinate share of the riding. It sat for several years more recently, I just sold it last month.

MexicoMike said:

I have decided to retire my Commando from normal riding. Other than some special event, like a local Gentleman' Ride or specific Britt-Bike thing, I won't be using it any more for regular rides.

So it will get to relax while my R9T takes on the riding duties here in Mexico. I'll take the Norton back to the US at some point though I'm not sure what I'll do with it there - same thing, I guess, special events, etc.

Frankly, I've gotten where I appreciate/prefer the capability/convenience/power of machines built in the few years...and the lack of any of those 'lovable' eccentricities.

Do other Norton owners here use their Norton as their normal riding motorcycle (as I did until a few days ago) or is the Norton a "special use" bike?

Click to expand...

I lived in Washington State all of my life and rode my different Nortons a lot. From 2010 to 2017 my home was on Whidbey Island and the Norton was my number 1 "go to" ride. If the ride was one up-The Norton. Two up and we took the Roadking. I moved full time to Gold Canyon, AZ in 2017 and the Norton got ignored. These are not the best riding conditions for the old girl. High temperatures, longer distances to get to "the good roads", and not really a Brit bike culture to hang with. Now that I'm retired I can no longer afford, both mentally and financially, to own something that I just don't use. So after months of internal deliberations I put the bike up for sale. For $10,500 the buyer got a well sorted bike with a ton of accessories. My old bike now lives on the outskirts of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Do I miss it? Sure. In a perfect world I'd have a 10 car garage/shop, thousands of miles of twisty roads at hand, and the money and health to enjoy all of it. But sometimes reality forces one into making tough choices. I'm now down to one bike, a 2016 Harley Roadking that is working out well here in AZ. Good luck.

eskasteve said:

In a perfect world I'd have a 10 car garage/shop, thousands of miles of twisty roads at hand, and the money and health to enjoy all of it. But sometimes reality forces one into making tough choices. I'm now down to one bike, a 2016 Harley Roadking that is working out well here in AZ.

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Yep, totally agree! But even if you have that shop/garage it doesn't mean you will use all the vehicles. I have friend here in Mexico that has a huge shop and 14 motorcycles, including two old triumphs, a twin and a triple, two Commandos and a couple of other older brittbikes as well as a Harley or two and some other somewhat newer but 'classic' machines. He is a past president of the INOA and rode his Commando from here in mid-Mexico to the east coast of Canada and back to attend a Norton rally a few years ago. He's a serious Norton/brittbike enthusiast/mechanic!

So what bike does he ride 90% of the time?

A 2017 Honda Africa Twin DCS!

MexicoMike said:

Yep, totally agree! But even if you have that shop/garage it doesn't mean you will use all the vehicles. I have friend here in Mexico that has a huge shop and 14 motorcycles, including two old triumphs, a twin and a triple, two Commandos and a couple of other older brittbikes as well as a Harley or two and some other somewhat newer but 'classic' machines. He is a past president of the INOA and rode his Commando from here in mid-Mexico to the east coast of Canada and back to attend a Norton rally a few years ago. He's a serious Norton/brittbike enthusiast/mechanic!

So what bike does he ride 90% of the time?

A 2017 Honda Africa Twin DCS!

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Back in 2007 I was working for BMW motorcycles. I had a 5 car garage, 11 motorcycles, and about 10 vintage outboard motors. Most of the time, like your friend, I choose one bike out of the fleet. That was my 2001 HD Roadking. I even rode that bike to work. The dealership owners hated me commuting with that bike. Number 2 was the BMW K1200S, then the BMW 1200GS, followed by a Buell XB12R, a G650X BMW, then either the 750 Combat or the 850 Roadster. The rest were either under restoration or off road bikes. I was either working, wrenching, or riding. Good times.

MexicoMike said:

I have decided to retire my Commando from normal riding. Other than some special event, like a local Gentleman' Ride or specific Britt-Bike thing, I won't be using it any more for regular rides.

So it will get to relax while my R9T takes on the riding duties here in Mexico. I'll take the Norton back to the US at some point though I'm not sure what I'll do with it there - same thing, I guess, special events, etc.

Frankly, I've gotten where I appreciate/prefer the capability/convenience/power of machines built in the few years...and the lack of any of those 'lovable' eccentricities.

Do other Norton owners here use their Norton as their normal riding motorcycle (as I did until a few days ago) or is the Norton a "special use" bike?

Click to expand...

I have 25 bikes, most classics as indicated in my signature. I like the fact it can be a couple months between rides on a particular bike. It really highlights the differences between them and I appreciate that. As a matter of fact my commando is next in the rotation for my vintage breakfast ride tomorrow and I'll get to marvel at just how wonderful that old gal goes down the road......after I drain the sump and refill the oil tank.

comnoz said:

I discovered a long time ago that I had a problem with my throttle hand. Whatever bike I rode I eventually ended up using everything it has.

That brought me to the conclusion that if I was riding a fast modern bike regularly I would end up loosing one of the big L's. The big L's being License, Liberty or Life.

So I guess I am stuck with the Norton. No Regrets.

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I got rid of my Ducati 748 last year for that reason. I always seemed to get in a race whenever I went out.
My 72 Commando is my go to bike. My "Polish me, bitch" bike is my Dommie Cafe Racer.