Stock Commando Ground Clearance

Can anybody give me the ground clearance of an oem Commando with 19" wheels/oem 410 tires.

I'm in the US and today was looking at a potential new bike but ground clearance is a critical item for riding in my local area in Mexico due to the ubiquitous speed bumps ("topes" in spanish) that are quite tall by US standards. My Commando can negotiate them without touching or with just a slight "kiss" if the tires are at proper pressure BUT...I didn't think to measure the ground clearance of the bike before I came up here. That wasn't an oversight on my part, I didn't plan to look at bikes while here but a bright red 2014 Honda 800 Interceptor has caught my eye...

I realize that the ground clearance changes with rider weight so asking for this measurement may not be applicable; I weigh about 165 so anybody weighing that or more who can come up with their stock ground clearance, I'd appreciate it.

I see no replies, I don't have a number for you, but, I expect the fully faired Interceptor would be a step back in clearance. Just for a side bar, my Triumph Tiger 1050 has a deep suspension that sucks up our junky frost heave broken pavement way better that a sport bike. While not an "adventure bike" (17" wheels front/rear) it has some of the benefit, yet still somewhat athletic. Good luck!

Mike
I'm curious to know which part of the bike grounds out over the bumps. I admit I've never thought of that problem before. You are right about the rider weight and (probably) the model of the bike making a difference, but so will the suspension settings too, and how fast you attack your bumps!

I'm 170lbs, I'll try and measure clearance tomorrow, I've a mildly modified 73 Mk2.

6"

The sales brochures for 71, 72, 73 & 74 say 6 inches.

Thanks guys - I know the specs (6") for the Commando but I need the actual clearance with the rider on the bike. The Interceptor, with me on it, has about 5.25" of ground clearance.

On my Commando, I BELIEVE it is the center stand that will occasionally (but rarely) kiss the tops of the bumps going slowly over them as long as the tire pressure is at least 31/33, it will scrape them regularly if the pressure is below that.

I fully realize that a PROPER bike for me in Mexico, and the one that I figured I'd buy if I bought anything, is a Triumph Tiger 800. But I just don't like "adventure" bikes and I don't want to spend the money for a new bike that I don't really care for to start with, even if it is a better overall choice for the type of riding I do.

I have to say that if I was living/riding here in TX, I'd have paid the money right then and ridden that Interceptor home!

Following a fairly non scientific evaluation in the garage, involving a selection of wooden blocks and planks:
I'm 170lbs and probably heavier with bike gear on.
Couple of gallons of fuel in tank.
Bike has standard sized rear shocks, with springs on the softest settings.
Standard front springs, but with Lansdowne fork damper kit.
19" wheels front and rear with 90/100 and 90/90 Avon Roadriders fitted 35psi front, 32psi rear.

The lowest part of the bike I could find was the head of bolt on the sidestand bracket. With all my weight on the bike, on mine, the clearance here is a measly 4.8".

Maybe the 6" clearance quoted by Norton sounds like distance to the lower frame rails, no rider?

During all the prototype test mileage we did, neither of the bikes had stands. We had to find something to lean them against if we wanted to park. When the Commando became a production model, all engineering was transferred from Wolverhampton to Plumstead. As I understood things, the Plumstead folks modified the Atlas center and prop stands to fit the Commando bottom rails and I doubt anyone thought about clearance while riding.

This lack of clearance is a universal common issue when trying to load/unload in pu truck and some trailers by hanging on the said bolt. Racers put on one inch taller shocks for better handling but Peel deals with trail/trial bike level hang ups at good speeds so putting on almost 2" taller rear. Peel fork already lifted ~2" so can run pleasant low tire air and not worry till foot high rocks or roots to blast over to avoid hang ups beyond a bit of noise scratching. Its hobot camp stuff that makes me consider my Cdo a superior rough path cycle so best ignored to just get rid of your clunker Cdo or move to better road conditions admitting you failed to attain what possible for mere modern utilitarian appliance.

An Intercepter should have enough power to just loft the front wheel over any speed bumps (topes). Then ground clearance shouldn't be an issue

Actually that's part the reason for the old motto of "when in doubt WHIP IT OUT!" > ie: snap throttle in many handling upset situations to save and on encountering axle high stuff too close to slow or dodge. A factory Combat snap can lighten front enough to ease over stuff that otherwise would foul or take down or just stop short standing on its own. BTW skid plates for ordinary raw off road use only blocks front tire grit/grime thrown back but in my case, lifts over head side boulders in creek beds, hidden stumps and wall like roots in tall grass plus occasionally deflecting big animals getting rolled up in that area. Most the jarring of Cdo comes from limited fork travel compliance and there are a pleased bunch with Roadholders like me looking for speed bumps for the uncanny delights of leveling them out w/o need of police attracting extra noise blast. I got best test of my mods by watching the MX and Trials guys having to stand on pegs to take up the shocks while I was very comfy relaxed seating on low CoG Peel so could over power out run em through the raw brushy fields only needing to stand on pegs as catching air speeds attained then appreciating the fork handling of seated groin spike slowing 'hard' before a fence or tree fall blockage.

I'd had so little time on a Commando before redoing into Ms Peel I took factory Trixie into Peel ordinary to her creek bed fling but took half hour to go distance Peel did in seconds and got out on her own while I had to have wife in PU pull Trixie up to pasture to get on to work in time. Extra time mainly d/t hi centering, shut down, lift and more bike to even get kicker clearance, repeated half dozen times getting off with bike quite stable on frame, before reaching a pull out place.

Alas Norton must of shortened Commando Roadholders travel to use up a bin of springs from a supplier that supply them after shorting paying about everyone else so Geoffrey Ernest Duke came up with a tri-rate progressive factory length spring, which Peel got the last set of - on top the very wide progressive range of my valve spring spacer. We know the standard off the shelf progressive springs are almost universally complained of bottoming on bumps and brakes, so I asked Geoff for the rates he'd ordered made but told too hard-long an earned racer secret to reveal. With enough market would be straight forward to have Peels reproduced in spring steel or even Ti of standard length and another batch 2" longer for those with over 2" extended damper rods mod. I especially like the big speed bumps with a steel bar in the top to avoid all lower vehicles frame catching wear. Just never ever brake hard on them or may stoppie on helmet.

It's a difficult question because there are so many variables. I once helped build a three cylinder two stroke roadracer and the concern was ground clearance for those fat expansion chambers, so we fabricated them with the bike upside down and with the springs removed from the shocks and the forks. We leaned 4x8 sheets of plywood up against the tires to check the ground clearance at - worst case - full compression.