So many new upgrades available these days

What many people do not realise is that having fun is not about enjoying the destination - it is about enjoying the journey. The destination in life, is death. You need a sense of humour - 'some things are so bad, that they are good'.
I had a mate who was a complete idiot, but as I grew older I realised that what he had said and done made perfect sense. I would never go out with him on a Saturday night because if I did we were always likely to get into a brawl. My nose has been straightened, and I now have no teeth. All he ever got was a fat face.
He and his older sister had experienced their father coming back from New Guinea after WW2 withe bullets in him, and dying. His older sister was worse than him. She was a lovely girl, but you would not want to get on the wrong side of her.
 
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Schwany said:
Bright and shiny. Sweet!!

Should be a good cruiser with a little spunk. When the old Nortons came out they were quick enough. Same is true today on the street with the population growth since the introduction of the Commando.

Comment about hotting up a motor with all kinds of performance parts: It's easy to overbuild a Norton motor with what is available today. Nuff said
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The beautiful thing about old British motorcycles is they are completely rebuildable. And if you cannot get original parts, you can always make them, or somebody else already has.
OLd Japanese motorcycles are throw-away items. Once they become depleted, rebuilding them is about finding New Old Stock parts.
You can use modified car pistons in an old Commando, but not in a Japanese two-stroke.
 
YING said:
I think that it is great that these upgrades are available and are quality products.Plus you can get replacements for just about anything.Spend the kids lunch money!Life is short.
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I was telling a Lady friend about some purchase my wife and I were contemplating, but holding off due to cost.
Her advice- " Just go ahead and buy it Glen.
Two days after you are dead there will be a skip ( dumpster) in your driveway and it will be filled with all of your brown furniture"
I hadnt thought about things that way but it's probably true.
Having said that, Commandos don't need much in the way of upgrades. You can do a little or a lot, it doesn't much matter. The front brake was essential for me. The standard power level is just fine for road use and I'm not convinced there is much more power to be had (reliably) without throwing the whole drive train away.
 
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acotrel said:
The beautiful thing about old British motorcycles is they are completely rebuildable. And if you cannot get original parts, you can always make them, or somebody else already has.
OLd Japanese motorcycles are throw-away items. Once they become depleted, rebuilding them is about finding New Old Stock parts.
You can use modified car pistons in an old Commando, but not in a Japanese two-stroke.
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Probably so. I am disconnected from reality and not a good judge. I always think I know what I am doing even if it's wrong.

I never kept a Japanese bike long enough for it to become throw away. A couple of years max. Some only a few months. Any two stroke Japanese bikes I had were off-road bikes.
 
MichaelD said:
I've done a lot of upgrades over the 47 years of ownership of my 750, but nothing since the 1980s, the bike has been sitting in the corner of my garage for 31 years, but when I was getting it ready to go back on the road I did reflect over what I really needed to do, and thought I'd just try to do the essentials to get it going then decide on what upgrades I really want. It didn't work out quite like that, because some things (particularly stainless steel things), are just too hard to resist.

Now that the bike is running, I've done some more thinking, and realised that there isn't a single thing on the bike that can't be upgraded. Every part on the bike could be replaced with something better - frame, swingarm, engine, primary drive, kickstarter, gearbox, wheels, brakes, electrics ...

Upgrade everything, and then it isn't the bike I grew up with. Spend the £25k+ that a full upgrade would cost and I could buy a "better" bike, but that wouldn't have the same connection as my old Norton. So I want my Norton to be the way it is, until something breaks, or annoys me to the point where I feel that I really want to replace parts with something better.

For me, this isn't really a financial issue, its about whether I want to take everything off my bike and throw it away, would that really make me happier? Ashley, if you had 25k suddenly turn up, would you want to scrap most of your bike?
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EXACTLY.

Bedazzled & bejeweled...🙄😴🥱
 
As I have always said simplicity is the best, I live a very simple life, no real luxuries, my Norton is built using what I had from the Commando/Featherbed with just a few old style mods done to the motor to make it breath better, my stock motor use to valve bounce at 6,500 RPMs and that was it, with the crank balanced for the Featherbed, the build up of my stock cam and 2S grind and the head ported for smooth fuel delivery and carbs jetted for what I done to the motor, and a header pipes made for my Featherbed frame tucked right in close to the frame and opened up cocktail shaker mufflers with just enough baffle to sound great when opening it up and still have that back pressure, my motor now runs freely and will keep reving till it goes bang if you let it get away, but I do know how far I can push it and so far haven't gone to far.
Built for lightness, handling (it's like riding on rails) and the torque it produces make me smile everytime I ride it and it surprises a lot of modern bikes, have won many take off at lights lol.
It was never built as a show pony, it's built for me, by my own hands for my riding style even in its 40 years of hard riding built my way it still draws a crowd when parked in the crowd of other modern as well older bikes, but it always gets mistaken for a Dommie lol, only a few know it secret and when they take a closer look they are surprised.
I love the torque of my 1200 Thruxton and it handles pretty much the same as the Featherbed, but it's not the same as when sticking it into each bike the Norton with that 360 swing and work done to it just feels so different than the smoothness of the 270 swing on the Thruxton, but the lightness of the hotrod Featherbed and handling I have more fun on the 850 Featherbed, it's my play bike and 40years of knowing how to push it and having the vibe in the right place it's a great bike to ride and will never part with it, it's aging as good as its owner/builder with just the right upgrades I have done to it in the last 13 years to be a even better bike.
The day I can't kick start my old Norton will be the day I die, I do have the kick start knack and set up for easy kick, kick starting a old bike is a dying art and will never become a soft cock kicking my Norton to life by installing a ES kit would just add extra weight on my light weight Norton.
As for AL you need to stop talking about your Seerly and get on with it, you keep telling us how good it is but it's more talk with you, if you can't ride it on the track then set it up for the road and enjoy it while you can even if you are scared of riding on the road you be able to get it out anytime, do it before its to late and stop talking about it, what you got to lose your getting old, enjoy what you got and ride it no matter what, if it's so good you will out run the cops and who's going to lock up a old man for breaking a few rules by enjoying his ride while he can, rules are made for breaking, why else do they make rules.
 
" Our universities and politicians have worked to intentionally remove opportunities for part time study and recognition of prior learning. "

I really don't think this is true.

My daughter in law just graduated Sydney University last year. She left school at 18 and her first ambition was to visit 21 countries before she was 21. She actually made 23 countries.

She worked her way up in her subject starting out of school and only went part time to uni in her mid 20s.

I know another young person at present working as a lab technician but now most of her way through a biochem degree. This is in NZ.

It's actually not that unusual in NZ and Australia at least to attend uni part time.
 
ashman said:
As I have always said simplicity is the best, I live a very simple life, no real luxuries, my Norton is built using what I had from the Commando/Featherbed with just a few old style mods done to the motor to make it breath better, my stock motor use to valve bounce at 6,500 RPMs and that was it, with the crank balanced for the Featherbed, the build up of my stock cam and 2S grind and the head ported for smooth fuel delivery and carbs jetted for what I done to the motor, and a header pipes made for my Featherbed frame tucked right in close to the frame and opened up cocktail shaker mufflers with just enough baffle to sound great when opening it up and still have that back pressure, my motor now runs freely and will keep reving till it goes bang if you let it get away, but I do know how far I can push it and so far haven't gone to far.
Built for lightness, handling (it's like riding on rails) and the torque it produces make me smile everytime I ride it and it surprises a lot of modern bikes, have won many take off at lights lol.
It was never built as a show pony, it's built for me, by my own hands for my riding style even in its 40 years of hard riding built my way it still draws a crowd when parked in the crowd of other modern as well older bikes, but it always gets mistaken for a Dommie lol, only a few know it secret and when they take a closer look they are surprised.
I love the torque of my 1200 Thruxton and it handles pretty much the same as the Featherbed, but it's not the same as when sticking it into each bike the Norton with that 360 swing and work done to it just feels so different than the smoothness of the 270 swing on the Thruxton, but the lightness of the hotrod Featherbed and handling I have more fun on the 850 Featherbed, it's my play bike and 40years of knowing how to push it and having the vibe in the right place it's a great bike to ride and will never part with it, it's aging as good as its owner/builder with just the right upgrades I have done to it in the last 13 years to be a even better bike.
The day I can't kick start my old Norton will be the day I die, I do have the kick start knack and set up for easy kick, kick starting a old bike is a dying art and will never become a soft cock kicking my Norton to life by installing a ES kit would just add extra weight on my light weight Norton.
As for AL you need to stop talking about your Seerly and get on with it, you keep telling us how good it is but it's more talk with you, if you can't ride it on the track then set it up for the road and enjoy it while you can even if you are scared of riding on the road you be able to get it out anytime, do it before its to late and stop talking about it, what you got to lose your getting old, enjoy what you got and ride it no matter what, if it's so good you will out run the cops and who's going to lock up a old man for breaking a few rules by enjoying his ride while he can, rules are made for breaking, why else do they make rules.
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Ash I can promise you if the cartilage in your knee collapses and you are bone on bone so you can not even hold your body weight on your right leg
So you can't kick with your left either or even walk more than a 100yards but you can still ride your Norton with an electric start you will consider it
That's what I did mate ,best thing ever still riding my Norton
 
It's all good Baz as not knowing what may happen down the road, I have had 3 major injuries with my left knee first one when I was 17 years old and stopped on my trials bike turning into my mate's place giving way to a car when hit behind by a speeding car was on crutches for 4 months and the left knee was never the same that was in 1976 and then in 84 a car stopped in front of me with no working brake lights on my 81 Triumph Thunderbird I flew over the handle bars where my left knee got caught up and pulled it out of its socket another 4 months on crutches and then again in 85 another injury to the left knee resulting in key hold surgery and another 4 months on crutches, the knee should have been opened right up as to this day still have things floating around in my knee, but by learning to walk and use my knee differently I haven't (touch wood) had much problems with except sometimes it swell up like a balloon if I done something silly, so far no injuries to my right knee and is a strong leg.
 
Upgrade on my Norton, it's been sitting on my lift table for just on 6 months now doing a few minor changes and going back to my old Amals, fully rebuilt but the slides are still good with no slop in them but my left carb had a major blockage in the pilot jet that took 2 x pull down and soaking in vinegar before I was able to clear it with the fine guitar string poke and high pressure air blow.
But with life getting in the way and old house renovations it had sat there on the lift table till today, it was so covered in thick dust everything looked like rust, I just been over it with a thick rage and surprise the bike came up pretty good even the front disc is still shiny and so far haven't used any cleaning spray or polished on the alloy.
I still have the tank and seat off it as going to empty the tank and put some fresh premium fuel in it, drain the crank and might even put some fesh clean oil with a mixture of STP, STP some may say but I been using STP mixed with my oil since 1982 and think is why I have had good life out of my motor, also ran STP in my old 81 Triumph Thunderbird and I clocked up 250k km on that Triumph before I did a top end rebuild (valves and rebore) so to me the STP works for me for long life.
Well I am going to have a few beers this afternoon and might do a polished up on the Norton and fire it up tomorrow and tune in the old carbs and take it out for a good run and then put the Thrxton up on the lift table for a good polish and oil change Monday when I get a new oil fitter for it as it's been neglected as well but it's has been out and about while working on my old house it's just dirty and dusty as well but not as bad as the Norton was.
The only real upgrade I done this time to the Norton is pull off those trouble some PWK carbs and put my old Amals back on and make a mount in my tool tray to run my small dirt bike battery for brighter brake light, horn and when needed bright head light, but I need to replace the light and horn switch as my old one is fu.ked.
I like to run the stock switch but the great fire of 82 destroyed the guts of them, so just a cheap aftermarket switch will do they are cheaper than the original switches but only need hi and low beam and horn.
 
baz said:
Ash I can promise you if the cartilage in your knee collapses and you are bone on bone so you can not even hold your body weight on your right leg
So you can't kick with your left either or even walk more than a 100yards but you can still ride your Norton with an electric start you will consider it
That's what I did mate ,best thing ever still riding my Norton
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Yes. My knee is bone on bone and I need an electric start. For almost 40 years I was very happy I had a Mk11 not a Mk111. Real men kick start bikes. But approaching 70 and it really hurts to kick start.
 
Some pics after a quick wipe down, still needs a good polished the front disc is still shiny looks like rust near the wheel chock but it's the shadow of the wheel chock last pic is the tank untouched you can see how much dust on a old 40 year old paint job.
So many new upgrades available these days
So many new upgrades available these days
So many new upgrades available these days
So many new upgrades available these days
So many new upgrades available these days
 
baz said:
Ash I can promise you if the cartilage in your knee collapses and you are bone on bone so you can not even hold your body weight on your right leg
So you can't kick with your left either or even walk more than a 100yards but you can still ride your Norton with an electric start you will consider it
That's what I did mate ,best thing ever still riding my Norton
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My thoughts exactly!
Mike
 
As I said it's good having all these new fan dangled upgrades and everyone is so happy with Matt and his team at CwN and their ES kits, no matter what its just way out of my price range and so there are more other upgrades I could do with the price of a ES, spending over $5k on one product is just out of my budget and probably why I still have a strong right leg all the kicking exercise it gets from kicking my Norton to life, not everyone has money or deep pockets to spend big and hopefully my kicking leg will last my time here as really I have no choice but to make it last, it's bad enough to just live these days, I have money put aside for living and need to spend when needed just to live a simple life.
Lucky my toys don't need much spent on them these days except for maintenance, t.yres and fuel
 
ashman said:
As I said it's good having all these new fan dangled upgrades and everyone is so happy with Matt and his team at CwN and their ES kits, no matter what its just way out of my price range and so there are more other upgrades I could do with the price of a ES, spending over $5k on one product is just out of my budget and probably why I still have a strong right leg all the kicking exercise it gets from kicking my Norton to life, not everyone has money or deep pockets to spend big and hopefully my kicking leg will last my time here as really I have no choice but to make it last, it's bad enough to just live these days, I have money put aside for living and need to spend when needed just to live a simple life.
Lucky my toys don't need much spent on them these days except for maintenance, t.yres and fuel
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Hope your knee never gives up Ash
The pain of owning a bike you can't ride is intense
 
As you keep saying Baz but no good if you don't have the money, but I still have the Thruxton and so far my right leg is up to the task and my Norton is set up for easy kicking, I keep a positive look on everything I do and a bad right leg is out of the equation for now, I am rich in what I have but not rich in the pockets and I can't sell the wife as she needs work from wear and tear and the kids have left home so to late for them lol.
I did sell my old Thruxton but I spent 1/2 the money on my shed awning extension and new snooker table that sits under it, I sell a toy to buy a toy it's how it works for me without digging into our stay alive money and upkeep of my 67 year old house without selling my toy collection.
 
ashman said:
As you keep saying Baz but no good if you don't have the money, but I still have the Thruxton and so far my right leg is up to the task and my Norton is set up for easy kicking, I keep a positive look on everything I do and a bad right leg is out of the equation for now, I am rich in what I have but not rich in the pockets and I can't sell the wife as she needs work from wear and tear and the kids have left home so to late for them lol.
I did sell my old Thruxton but I spent 1/2 the money on my shed awning extension and new snooker table that sits under it, I sell a toy to buy a toy it's how it works for me without digging into our stay alive money and upkeep of my 67 year old house without selling my toy collection.
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If the worst did happen (and I sincerely hope it doesn't) you can't kick your Norton over
Would you sell it or keep it as an ornament?
 
It will never happen it will be with me till I leave this world, as I say I think positive all the time I plan on making it to 105 and I am not leaveing till after that and hopefully I still be kicking my bike, thinking about not riding it from injuries is just not in my thoughts, my bikes will be handed down to my youngest daughter but by then there might be no petrol around to ride it, I just don't think about these things, I take each day as it comes and have a positive attitude with life.
 
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