What to buy ?

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Speak to Murray at Cyclecraft Engineering on 08 9361 4619. He may have something or know a good bike.
 
The thing is most people with an old bike are hands on
They get as much enjoyment working on these bikes as riding them
Now with a commando there are things that can and will go wrong
But every single thing has an upgrade and a commando can be surprisingly reliable
You have to remember how old these bikes are
If you don't plan on wringing it's neck (like I do) and you carry out normal regular maintenance it'll be fine
If you have the money go for a cnw one
If you don't then go for one that has had a long term owner if possible
Even the much maligned combat can be ok with the right care
The bikes to avoid are the freshly restored ones that have done no mileage
 
baz said:
The thing is most people with an old bike are hands on
They get as much enjoyment working on these bikes as riding them
Now with a commando there are things that can and will go wrong
But every single thing has an upgrade and a commando can be surprisingly reliable
You have to remember how old these bikes are
If you don't plan on wringing it's neck (like I do) and you carry out normal regular maintenance it'll be fine
If you have the money go for a cnw one
If you don't then go for one that has had a long term owner if possible
Even the much maligned combat can be ok with the right care
The bikes to avoid are the freshly restored ones that have done no mileage
Click to expand...
Wise words Baz - that last line is a pearler!
 
Losing count of the posts where someone has bought a freshly restored bike and is wondering why the engine is acting like its a bag of nails. The restoration of theses bikes to make a living from can only be realised by a few eg CNW, most end up cutting corners to make it work, all the money gets spent on the paint, chrome and alloy polishing and none is left over for the mechanicals.

Stick to bikes well kept by a Norton enthusiast over many years and slowly upgraded repaired.
 
Thanks for the advice, how many miles will these motors last before the top end needs a rebuild. And, is there any Aussie here who might know a shop/contact in QLD who may have a bike for sale or know someone who has ?
 
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900RS said:
Ok so what kind of things can i expect to have to fix on the road with my tool kit and what maintenance is necessary to keep these bikes running without too many issues ? I seem to remember a problem with the Nortons from my early years having issues with something in the bottom end of the engine ! Can't remember what ? I am also interested in how many kms you can expect to get from one of these engines if looked after ? And, are there any models/years that I should avoid when buying ?
Click to expand...
You might be referring to the Combat models. These were 750 cc and built in 1972.
They are a bit higher in performance than earlier 750s but there were lots of engine problems.
Many people run them today in a detuned state. That seems to work.
In general, as with most bikes, as time went by models improved, weak points were found and corrected. The 72 Combat was an exception to this, and that is due to the increased performance that was a bit too much for that engine.
After that Norton went to a larger strengthened engine in a lazier state of tune. The idea was that it would give similar performance to the Combat with reliability.
The MK3 850, the last Commando built, had scores of little changes including stronger crank and cases.
But the earlier 850s and 750s work just fine with some care.
A friend is just completing a rebuild of his 73 850.
It has done 128,000 miles with one top end rebuild at 60,000 miles.

Glen
 
worntorn said:
You might be referring to the Combat models. These were 750 cc and built in 1972.
They are a bit higher in performance than earlier 750s but there were lots of engine problems.
Many people run them today in a detuned state. That seems to work.
In general, as with most bikes, as time went by models improved, weak points were found and corrected. The 72 Combat was an exception to this, and that is due to the increased performance that was a bit too much for that engine.
After that Norton went to a larger strengthened engine in a lazier state of tune. The idea was that it would give similar performance to the Combat with reliability.
The MK3 850, the last Commando built, had scores of little changes including stronger crank and cases.
But the earlier 850s and 750s work just fine with some care.
A friend is just completing a rebuild of his 73 850.
It has done 128,000 miles with one top end rebuild at 60,000 miles.

Glen
Click to expand...
Thanks Glen, I would prefer to get a MK3 if possible and I have emailed CNW to ask about a bike mentioned earlier. It's good to see that if they are looked after the engines do last. Have you got any idea what the cost would be for a top end rebuild in one of these bikes ? I assume there are no inerrant problems with the bottom end or gearbox, but please correct me if i am wrong.
 
The bottom end is plenty strong for street use with a standard engine. If one starts to tune the bike for much higher performance, then problems can show up.
Kenny Dreer found this out with his 880 version of the Commando. They did not stand up. He eventually got frustrated with this. That lead to his building of the 952, an all new design with an engine that looked outwardly similar to the original Commando. That effort ran out of money and was taken over by Stuart Garner. That eventually lead to the 961 and a whole host of problems that do not exist with the original bikes.

One other thought, before plunking down the cash you should ride a well sorted Commando if possible.
A friend has only ever owned modern bikes such as Honda Blackbird , then a 790 Triumph Bonny ( there's an adjustment to lower spec!)
He currently owns a Thruxton R.
He recently sampled my 1975 Commando MK3, a bike I thoroughly enjoy riding.
He hated it!

Glen
 
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Thanks for the history lesson, interesting. I would love to ride one if I get the chance but I used to own a 77 Bonnie so I imagine the Norton might be similar, hopefully better.
 
The Norton should be a lot smoother than the Bonnie as the Norton has isolastic rubber mounting of the engine.
It still will shake around below 3000 rpm. Above that , if the ISOs are working properly, the vibes all but disappear.



Glen
 
I'm a fellow Z900RS owner. What color scheme is yours? Mine is brown and orange. Have done a few mods to it including getting the ecu reflashed as the throttle was a bit on/off with the factory settings. Wonderful bike when you just want to push the button and go.
I still love all my Brit bikes though.
 
Find a fairly priced Commando, buy it and try it. If you don’t like it at least it will probably sell for what you paid. I prefer the performance of the 750 over 850, but a standard 850 is more reliable. That said my ‘72 combat roadster has 59,000 miles and runs great.
 
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An owner in UK has had a 850 from new, now showing 280K miles. Yes engine has been rebuilt a few times but it shows they will do the miles.
 
Madnorton said:
An owner in UK has had a 850 from new, now showing 280K miles. Yes engine has been rebuilt a few times but it shows they will do the miles.
Click to expand...
One of the local club members told me a few decades ago...strange things start to go after 100K miles.
 
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