Roadster Tank D stripe?

Richard Tool said:
Here is picture of my original tank - 750 Combat Roadster- June 1972 manufacture. I have since repainted it but I recall measuring it for someone and it was 1/4 “ . As others have noted these were done by hand so line width was affected by the person doing the painting.
View attachment 116211
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Hard to tell from a picture but it looks like the rear of the line is 1/4" and the front is a little narrower - may just be the angle. Zooming in, it looks like the person doing the striping started and ended at the bottom rear and it was definitely hand done.
 
L.A.B. said:
No, that's an error, 212278 was the beginning of '1973', 200976 should be the first Interstate.
https://www.classicbike.biz/Norton/Parts/1970s/Commando_Parts_73-74.pdf
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Right! I should have read my whole note!

"The first Combat was 200976 but all were not Combat after that. Based on service release N3/23, the last Combat was 211110. According to Steve Wilson, the first Interstate Combat was 212278 but that is surely a typo - should be a much lower serial number considering that he also says the 211110 was the first RH5 head replacing the Combat RH3 head which more or less agrees with the service bulletin. Hard to tell because he says that 211110 was Sept 72 and starting in Oct 72, all bikes got Combat engines and that makes no sense!"

So, both Interstate and Roadster started at 200976?

Shouldn't "73" start with 220000 and MK V start with 212278? I have this note: "Note: According to the 750/850 parts book (06.5034), serial number 212278 and later were built to MK V spec. However, 220000 appears to be the official beginning of MkV production so either could be considered correct. Also, the tall black instrument cases where the only ones listed."

Do you agree that only the Roadster Combats has black cylinders and 750s after 200000 had silver?

My Commando ID page is visited an average of 14.6 times a day by humans so I'm continually trying to get it as right as possible. That's in part why I started the Command Survey and Commando Colors pages so I can cross-reference what people say.
 
marshg246 said:
According to Steve Wilson, the first Interstate Combat was 212278 but that is surely a typo
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Yes, this appears to have been a mistake made by Steve Wilson (and copied by other authors).

marshg246 said:
So, both Interstate and Roadster started at 200976?
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Yes, although I think the Interstate was first.

marshg246 said:
Do you agree that only the Roadster Combats has black cylinders and 750s after 200000 had silver?
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Should be.
marshg246 said:
Shouldn't "73" start with 220000 and MK V start with 212278?
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I thought MkV started with 220000. 212278-on seems to have been built to the same spec. as 220000 so kind of fits in to '1973' but don't appear to be considered MkV.
 
The first Interstate, testbike of all the magazines at the time, had engine# EXP01 and now resides in Germany. I had loved to keep it but could not afford to do that at the time so sold it in the late 1970s to the man who still has it.
 
ZFD said:
The first Interstate, testbike of all the magazines at the time, had engine# EXP01 and now resides in Germany. I had loved to keep it but could not afford to do that at the time so sold it in the late 1970s to the man who still has it.
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Yes, you've mentioned that before so what was 200976?
 
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my 72 combat, which I believe has original paint

Roadster Tank D stripe?
 
Appreciate all the responses and info, but no one responded as to whether or not the "D" stripe is available as a vinyl stick-on/decal. Although I have done some custom painting and striping (long ago), as I mentioned earlier, I'd just as soon apply a decal. I guess if your hand painted stripe didn't turn out perfect, the originals weren't eaither.
 
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quawk said:
Appreciate all the responses and info, but no one responded as to whether or not the "D" stripe is available as a vinyl stick-on/decal. Although I have done some custom painting and striping (long ago), as I mentioned earlier, I'd just as soon apply a decal. I guess if your hand painted stripe didn't turn out perfect, the original weren't eaither.
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a sticker would be very hard to apply with being pretty thin and all the curves. It would have to be a straight vinyl stripe stretched and curved done in two pieces. Not the best.
 
quawk said:
Appreciate all the responses and info, but no one responded as to whether or not the "D" stripe is available as a vinyl stick-on/decal. Although I have done some custom painting and striping (long ago), as I mentioned earlier, I'd just as soon apply a decal. I guess if your hand painted stripe didn't turn out perfect, the original weren't eaither.
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If a decal was available the cost would probably be near the cost of having it hand striped by a professional.
As far as doing it yourself - buy some striping tape of the appropriate width and lay out the “D “ until you are satisfied with it.
Then mask on both sides and remove the initial striping tape . Now paint the line .
A trick to keep the paint from bleeding under the mask is to seal the edges with clear first .
 
When I did a Matchless tank years ago 3M made precut masking tapes for paint striping purposes. I needed a fat stripe next to a skinny stripe and found one for that. It is stretchable enough to make a curve.
A stick-on stripe would not look right on that.
 
batrider said:
When I did a Matchless tank years ago 3M made precut masking tapes for paint striping purposes. I needed a fat stripe next to a skinny stripe and found one for that. It is stretchable enough to make a curve.
A stick-on stripe would not look right on that.
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Years ago, PepBoys (and probably others), sold pin striping tape that would work. In the 70's many cars had a line or two that was put on that way. It was not for painting, it was the lines.

Here's a 1/4" gold one that Amazon sells: https://a.co/d/49FuDnU

They have lots more.
 
marshg246 said:
Years ago, PepBoys (and probably others), sold pin striping tape that would work. In the 70's many cars had a line or two that was put on that way. It was not for painting, it was the lines.

Here's a 1/4" gold one that Amazon sells: https://a.co/d/49FuDnU

They have lots more.
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Back during that time (70's), as I mentioned earlier, I did some custom painting and striping and used the pin striping tape you mentioned for some of the design and lay out work, and, I got pretty good at doing flames. Nothing to compare to some of the unbelievable work being cranked out by painters/artists today. I'm sure I've still got some in my "art" box laying around somewhere, probably too dried out to use.
 
L.A.B. said:
Yes, you've mentioned that before so what was 200976?
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The despatch records of the early 200.000s are mostly blank with only a few bikes per page against the many chronological numbers. The first Interstates recorded were all for Gus Kuhn, 200945, 200959, 200969,200982, but all crossed out and receiving dealers types corrected (Interpol, Roadster). It looks as if Gus Kuhn never got them, The first Interstate propperly recorded without corrections is 201056 for Taylor Matterson, but a very late allocation on 22.10.1973 since it was originally allocated to Strickland/Folkstone 09.01.1973. Your 200976 appears as stamped number only but without comments what it was and to what spec.
By the way all early 200.000s were down as "Interpol", only then a "Fastback Longrange" and a "Hi-Rider" creeps in.
 
ZFD said:
The despatch records of the early 200.000s are mostly blank with only a few bikes per page against the many chronological numbers. The first Interstates recorded were all for Gus Kuhn, 200945, 200959, 200969,200982, but all crossed out and receiving dealers types corrected (Interpol, Roadster). It looks as if Gus Kuhn never got them, The first Interstate propperly recorded without corrections is 201056 for Taylor Matterson, but a very late allocation on 22.10.1973 since it was originally allocated to Strickland/Folkstone 09.01.1973. Your 200976 appears as stamped number only but without comments what it was and to what spec.
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Thanks for the information, it seems crazy there are so many blanks in the factory records.

Unless there's more information in the VMCC/NOC records I can only think Roy Bacon got the first Combat number from Service Sheet N2/4 that states 200976 was the first Commando to have the Combat interim pistons with deeper valve cutouts but still with the slots behind the oil ring.

ZFD said:
By the way all early 200.000s were down as "Interpol", only then a "Fastback Longrange" and a "Hi-Rider" creeps in.
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Yes, all standard models I believe along with many Fastbacks.
 

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