swiss norton

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Hello everybody

I'm a new norton commando owner ( the commando is in a box, some prev. owner have stripped the hole bike down ) and i wan't to restore and assemble the bike. I'm working as a car mechanic in a garage and own some old car's which i have also restored and reworked. So i hope the commando doesn't make my sick :lol:

Best regards
Marco

Sorry about my bad english :cry:
 
Marco,
Welcome to the Norton World. Your English is better than mine.

I'm sure you'll find the Commando easy to work on, but it does have a few unique parts that the forum will help you through.
It might have been better if you had posted your letter in the Commando section.

Best of luck,

Cash
 
cash said:
It might have been better if you had posted your letter in the Commando section.

Yes, I agree, = Message moved.
 
Hello Marco

There are plenty of Commando Owners scattered across Europe and of course you now have the owner of Andover Norton not too far away.

Next year's Norton Owners Club International Rally is planned for Austria. - see you there ! :)
 
4onthefloor said:
Sorry for the missmatch

No problem at all, Marco, and Welcome!

Have you been able to identify which year or model (750? 850?) Commando it is yet?: http://www.nortonownersclub.org/models/ ... etail.html

I would certainly recommend that you get a copy of the factory workshop manual and parts book once you know which year it is, and we can help with the year identification if you can give the first few digits of the frame plate and/or engine numbers (which would have matched originally)?

If it is a 1971 or later model, then parts diagrams can be found on the ANIL (Andover Norton International Limited) website: http://www.nortonmotors.de/ANIL/Norton% ... s-list.php
 
Well my Pretty locks currently not so good, but i'll start the projekt this summer ( i'm out of time, in case of others project that i will finish this spring )

swiss norton


Unfortunately it isn't a matching numbers biker ( luckywise, so i can build my own one with my favorite color and intertstate look :lol: )
The numbers are VIN 850F100374 engine number is MK1a 306680 building date is 10/73, exactly one year after my birth !

I'm selling a few parts in ebay, maybe anybody will build a custom norton
like production racer or so.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Norton-Commando-Tan ... dZViewItem

I have also a fiberglass gas tank in stock.

Greetings Marco
 
4onthefloor said:
Unfortunately it isn't a matching numbers biker ( luckywise, so i can build my own one with my favorite color and intertstate look)
The numbers are VIN 850F100374 engine number is MK1a 306680 building date is 10/73, exactly one year after my birth !

Marco, does the number on the headstock plate match the engine number? If so then the frame and engine could match? As the frame 'F' number would not be expected to match the engine number.
 
Hm i have to check this number, unfortunately i see my bike next thursday, then i will report again !

Marco
 
OK, thanks,

There is always a chance they are matching, but I would not like to give you a false hope of that, as the first engine number to have the F1***** numbered frame is supposed to be eng. 307311.

The photo would appear to show your frame to be the 850 Mk2 version.
 
Last edited:
Marco,

Is that a mid-60s Mopar in the photo behind your bike frame? If so, that's got to be a very unique vehicle in Switzerland.

Good luck on your Commando. I bought mine nearly 20 years ago as a rolling basket case. After a lot of periodic spurts of activity followed by long periods of no activity the restoration is complete and I'm almost done with the final sorting of the bike. The last thing is this hot idle problem that you've seen in a post of mine. Now, after all this time and money I'm finally starting to enjoy the bike.

Good luck on your bike. You'll have a lot of fun with it when you've got it back on the road.

Mike
 
@L.A.B

i'll take some closer pictures and check the gearbox vin too!

@Mike

Thanks for motivation :lol: I start the resto during the summer, because my other projekt (yes your right, it's a 66'Plymouth Satellite 4speed ) makes me busy.
Watch this site, u will see a lot of beautifull mopars in switzerland:
http://www.moparnats.ch/seiten/gallerien.html

Marco
 
@L.A.B:
Well, i have taken the new pictures from the frame neck, engine and gear case:

swiss norton

swiss norton

swiss norton

swiss norton

swiss norton

swiss norton


Gear box + engine have the same number, but the frame won't match to the numbers, i think. I have also taken a photo from the engine support, there is also a number stamped.

Greetings Marco
 
That frame stamping on the tank/coil mount flange is not original.

The engine stamping next to the cam protrusion is also not original.

You have an EXTREME re-stamp on your hands.
 
The O64140 stamping on the tank mount is the part number for the 850 frame. This is not usually found, so I suspect that a new frame has been supplied at some point. This may have been a Verlicchi made replacement. What is the diameter of the main tube? 60mm?

Typically the frame tag would have the engine/transmission number with the month and date assembled.

As GrandPaul says, the MN1A is also strange. Did you see any evidence that the engine had been opened? Perhaps this is a mark from a previous mechanic who may have done some performance modifications? Camshaft? Lightened flywheel?
 
grandpaul said:
That frame stamping on the tank/coil mount flange is not original.

Grandpaul,

Why would you consider the part number stamp to be non-original? I can't see anybody going to the trouble of researching and stamping the part number on the frame using what looks like the correct size numbers? Although the 064140 is the Mk1/1A frame part number? The frame does appear to have the Mk2/2A inner shock mounting plates in the original photo? Maybe the inner shock plates were modified before the change to the Mk2/2A 065404 number?

I do agree with Ron L that the headstock plate would normally be stamped with the engine/gearbox number and not the frame number.
Maybe it could have been changed because the numbers did not match, and could either be misinterpreted or judged to be wrong by the Swiss police or vehicle registration department, but I have no idea what the documentation requirements would be for Switzerland?

The model type "MK1A" stamp isn't normally found on other engines, but could that have been a Swiss market requirement? Maybe the stamp would have been applied by the importer or dealer?

The engine and gearbox stamps look genuine enough.
 
The model type "MK1A" stamp isn't normally found on other engines
Les,
I believe that is an N not a K.

I still like my theory. The bike was wrecked at some time and new frame ordered. The part number was stamped on the replacement frame for inventory purposes to not confuse it with the 065404 part. A new frame plate was stamped with the frame number by the person who converted the bike and probably did not have access to the original frame plate. Logical story anyway. :lol:

I have never seen a frame with the part number stamped on it. Has any one on the forum?
 
I currently have, parked in my garage, sitting on my bike lift, sitting on my shelves, and out in my shed, no less than 6 Commando frames, and 5 engines.

NONE have either stamping on the tank/coil mount bracket of the frame or stamping on the engine as shown in the "MN1A" photo.

Also, I have bought and sold 3 other Commandos in the last 2 years, none of them had that stamping either.

Further, I have scrutinized literally dozens of Commandos in the last 20 years and have DEFINITELY never seen either of those stampings.

I'm just sayin'...
 
grandpaul said:
Further, I have scrutinized literally dozens of Commandos in the last 20 years and have DEFINITELY never seen either of those stampings.

OK...but my Mk3 frame has the stamped part number!!

And Dave Comeau must have seen a few on Mk1s, 2s and 3s? http://atlanticgreen.com/commandoframes.htm

Quote:
___________________________________________________


"Dash or No Dash in the frame part number located between the 06 and the 4140 (73), 5404 (74) and 5632 (75E-Start) on the front of the left front tank mount."

___________________________________________________


And I've seen it mentioned elsewhere too...

The frame part number can be stamped very faintly in smalldigits so faint that a coat of paint or corrosion could hide it.

Ron L,

I'd say that part number in the photo was some kind of machine stamp or block stamp? As the same number would be used again and again?
The numbers appear to be perfectly aligned, spaced and of equal depth and I really doubt that anybody would take the trouble to do that in order to replicate a number that is probably not required to be recorded anyway?
As the same amount of trouble wasn't used to stamp the (more important) plate number by the looks of it.

If I remember correctly, it was Les Emery of Norvil that told me of the part number stamp, otherwise I'd have probably missed it myself?

OK could be MN1A = *Mark Nummer (Number) 1A* possibly?
 
In this topic: http://accessnorton.com/norton_commando954.html

Member illf8ed made the following statement;

Quote:

__________________________________________

"Another point of identification for 850 frames is the part number stamped on the left gas tank mount facing forward.
064140 is 1973
065404 is 1974
Don't get excited if your '74 has a 064140. Norton probably had left over frames while producing the '74 model. My '74 JPN was like this."


________________________________________ ________________________________________


Member JimRob also said in this thread: http://accessnorton.com/norton_commando818.html

Quote:
_________________________________________

"Stamped on the frame by the gas tank mount at the left front is the number 064140."

_________________________________________
 
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