Where did you find yours...

There are always some fascinating tales regarding the classic "barn find" or any other method for acquiring your preferred motorcycle.
I am curious as to how, when or where you came across your choice of ride.
Some are long term owners, others collectors and others wanted their preferred vintage ride and made the purchase on a road ready offering.

I had feelers out for my Commando for over a year. I know a collector/broker/seller who found what I was looking for at an estate sale in Nevada. It was in a barn, underneath a collapsed hayloft covered by a canvas tarp.
1974 850 with 1,150 miles on it. I had been tempted to make a purchase many times earlier but held out for my desired specifics in year, model and manufacturer which paid off, for me.
I know I will never recover what I have invested in my restoration it but I don't care either. I remembered seeing this specific Norton when I was still riding my old Lightning back in the mid 70's. I told myself sooner or later that's the bike.
It turned out to be a lot later but it now sits in my shop.
Share your info, it can be both interesting and helpful to those in search of.

The Commando I bought was advertised in the for sale section on a website dedicated to old shite mainly inhabited by even older men. Access Norton

Local paper in the for sale ads as basket case £350.

Exchange and Mart. Car dealer had an Interplod for sale, complete and running, £485 in 1986. The place was (literally) round the corner from where I was living.

Exchange and Mart. Blimey. I’ve gone all nostalgic !!

Nothing to tell here ..... I walked into a one man Norton dealership operating out of an old house with a garage for the repair shop, and bought it new for $1050, less my trade.

Here she is today ... 58 years later.



Slick

Caught a clue from a beer buddy of one languishing about 60 mi. away in a vacant lot, which the owner couldn't master riding, so after it fell over on his left knee 3rd time necessitating surgery he parked it out in the weather as punishment for 2 years or so... Along comes Joe with 5 C notes and a pick up truck... Loads the old girl with badly faded paint and rusted out exhaust, etc. and takes her to a good home..... That was the saddest sight I've ever had to behold gentlemen. Total neglect and no love at all.

This might take a while.

The first Norton I ever got was in 1998, in trade for a complete PC system with printer. I used to build and sell them (I started around the same time as Michael Dell, but he did a little better than I did with that gig). I set the guy up, taught him how to open and run the programs (word processor, spreadsheet, accounting and paintbrush), and how to activate AOL, Juno, And Genie on a 2400 baud dial-up. We printed stuff on the printer, everything was PERFECT.

Then, he made ME drag the bike out from under a filthy, dusty pile of lumber, it had no seat, no gas tank, both tires were flat, the wiring had all been hacked, one muffler had rotted in half and the other was badly eaten thru on the bottom, and the entire bike was caked in dirt, spider webs and grass clippings. I had to load the sucker on the truck by myself, after dragging ti over to an uneven place where I could back up to it.

It took me a week to download some text-only instructions on getting it running, and got a wiring diagram in the mail about a week later. Within 2 days I had it running with a lawnmower gas tank hanging from the rafters in my tiny shop crammed with dirt bikes and yard tools.

Then, as if he knew, the guy showed up and said the deal was off and he wanted his bike back.

Long story short, I had to give it to him.

This was it some time later, when I re-acquired it-


This was it when I got done with it-

The second Norton I ever bought was in 2004. My wyfe and I used to promote and operate a non-profit Motorcycle Show every year from 1999-2007; a guy I knew from Jr. High School showed up with it, a '75 Interstate MkIII. He said he had just paid a guy a ridiculous amount of money to get it going after he let it sit for may years, and he was wanting to sell it. Happily, my play money supply was at a very good level, and the deal was done right there at the bike show. I kept it till right about the time we move up here to the Austin area in 2019. That bike is the one I made my longest single-day ride on, 620+ miles from 7AM to 8 PM thru the Texas hill country. The only thing I ever changed on it, was the handlebars...

When my wife and I started our family, I was still on active duty in the U. S. Navy. I thought it best to sell off and get rid of all my motorcycles, so my kids wouldn't "catch the bug" like I had, listening to stories from my dad who'd raced speedway after WWII and also went touring with my Mom back in their youth. Not to mention watching and wanting to be like, Evel Knievel as I was growing up in the 60's & 70's. Fast forward ten years to 2010/2011 and we PCS'd to N. A. S. Patuxent River in Southern Maryland. We'd gotten settled in at Pax, after moving in from Guam, Hawaii & Cali's "central valley ". My kids were so into their Nintendo DS and Playstations and Wii, at the time, that they could care less about motorcycles. So I decided I'd get another bike...... What to get... Then I remembered my big brother's 1970 750 "S" with that Fireflake Blue vibrant color in the gel coat of its fiberglass tank and side panels. It had that wonderful halo ring around the headlight with some really good chrome, and lots of aluminum alloy and it sounded like a hot rod motorcycle should sound. So I thought hell yah, I'm gonna "go for it". I didn't need to break the sound barrier like I did in my younger days. So I started looking for a MKIII since it had the thicker crank cases, and left foot shift, and an 'lectric starter. I saw an ad from a guy who had a 750 & an 850 up in Buffalo NY. When I called him the first thing he said was "the 750 is sold", so I said, "that's just as well' cause I was calling about the MK3. He said Oh," that's an old ad, and everyone's wanted the 750". I called a couple more times, and since it was almost Thanksgiving we arranged to meet then. I was off from work and not on the watchbill, so it was a "no duty weekend" . I hooked up my little homemade utility trailer (converted jetski Trailer) to my 1990 Subaru Legacy Station Wagon and drove most of the night. There was snow on the ground, that morning, but not a whole lot. We met and he took me over to the side of his house and in an old shed, there it was. Rusting away. We pushed it outside, dusted it off a bit. Drug a few boxes of parts out & into the daylight and struck a deal. After the bike was loaded up and tied down, It began to snow. I'm from Houston, so I didn't grow up around the white stuff but always liked it whenever I encountered it. This was different though. It was dumping on us. I stopped at an Arby's or KFC and washed my hands and was going to get something to eat, but the snow was just building up so darned fast, I jumped back in the Subie and mashed on that motor until I was well south of the storm. After getting back to Pax and recovering a little from the purchase, I started looking on Ebay and buying parts. And so it began.

PICTURES, PLEASE!!!

Got my first in 84 off a lad at work. It was a 72 Combat Interstate in big bits. He'd blown the motor racing a Yamaha something on the IOM. It just needed a standard motor/gearbox rebuild and was ready . I couldn't believe that bike was so fast , it pissed all over the T150v I'd had before and I used to lie in wait for Japanese bikes to take em on. I was young and stupid and everytime I went out on that bike it had to do 110 at least. Stupidly I sold it on and got an 850 (which I love now ,but didn't then ) That bike and a slabside gsxr1100 are the only bikes I regret selling even now.

My next Norton purchase was quite serendipitous, but was only for Commando engine parts - 5 heads, a set of jugs, set of Roadholders with front wheel, and a set of cases and gearbox.

In 2005, I got a call from a friend who owns a local (Laredo, TX) all-brands bike shop; he asked if I was interested in buying a "parts bike" from a guy that was visiting him at his shop. I drove over to have a look, with play money in-hand. So he opens the truck of his classic Mercedes sedan and there is a basket case Triumph big twin under a pile of empty Sam's Club cooking oil plastic gallon jugs (he said it was cheaper than buying diesel).

Then he mentioned that he had several more parts bikes and a dirt bike, and would I be interested in making a lot deal? Well HECK YEAH! My first paying client had given me a healthy deposit which gave me flexibility to wheel and deal. I had to drive to San Antonio and pick up his rented U-Haul truck before his rental expired the next afternoon. I made it in just under the wire!



There was also a ready-to-ride '72 Rickman Montesa 250, and nearly a complete BSA 441 in there! Talk about a score.

I ended up using some of the engine parts in one of my scratch builds (the PR replica, I think), sold off most of the rest over the years, and actually still have a few of those parts from my FIRST lot purchase, over 15 years ago...

Acquired mine in 2014, after the Libyan Arab Spring. I was living in Tripoli at the time. I found a 70 Roadster in South Dakota. I had it airfreighted to Libya by our oil field equipment airfrieghter, where I was working since 2005, except for a few months in 2011 when we were evacuated to Canada. It had the original drum front brake, a Pazon ignition which I kicked to death more than once, a single Mikuni carb and the rocker spindles installed around the wrong way. Apart from that, it was in good condition. After a full rebuild of the top end by Jim C, its probably one of the few Nortons on Libyan highways as far as I'm aware. Anyway, a few upgrades later, it came with me to Malta in 2014 where its been since. Next move likely back to Oz. This bike taught me about DIY how to keep a Commando on the road and maintenance out of necessity.

My first Norton was a "Yellow Submarine" factory 750 Production Racer. That's the bike in my avatar picture. It was only the second motorcycle I had owned (first was a 250 Parilla). I saw an add in the LA Times classified section back in '71, listing it for $1100. I didn't know that much about Nortons then, but it sounded interesting, so I called and got the address to take a look at it. When I arrived, I discovered that the address was that of All American Racers, and the owner of the bike was Dan Gurney. He said he had special ordered it personally through Peter Williams. It had pretty low mileage, and he said he was just thinning the herd out after buying some Japanese bikes. I rode it on the street for a while, and then a friend who wanted to start road racing talked me into doing the same. We both did our first race at the old Riverside track in '72, and it's been downhill ever since. I raced that bike, in it's various configurations, for just over 20 years, but eventually sold it to a friend of mine with a bike shop, who restored it to original condition. He later sold it to a collector, and it now resides in his private museum 5 or 6 miles from my house. I get to visit it every year, when he has an open house for the local Norton club.

Ken

The first commando I bought was a mk2a
It was owned by the pub landlord across the road from me, an old Irish bloke with a great sense of humour
can't remember how old I was either 18 or 19
He left the bike at the front of the pub with a for sale sign but had no takers
And I had no money, I went to ask him anyway and we agreed a price ,he would keep the bike and I would pay him weekly until it was paid
Also I used to go over and clean polish and work on it
It always worried me that it might be stolen,he never locked it up and he always said just wheel it out of his unlocked garage and basically do what I liked with it
One weekend he said why don't you take it up the road!
This I did without being asked twice
No insurance no MOT no road tax ,he just laughed when I stalled it,the gearing was sky high he'd used it for long distance work before hanging up his helmet
Anyway I carried on paying for a few more weeks then one day he said that's enough money now you can take it away
The second one was a 750 combat that I bought in bits quite uneventful
The 3rd one I'm not sure counts because I bought a wideline Triton and put a commando engine in
The old boy that sold me the chassis had a road going Manx Norton
The commando I have now was bought out of a free paper it was in the blokes back garden, it'd been there for years and the only way out was through the house
But a new kitchen had been fitted and we couldn't get it through without dismantling one of the kitchen units
Much to his wife's anger!

found this on ebay in tennessee for $200 built my bike from it boy was i innocent! but have learned a LOT on this forum and spent a lot o dough too! about $6,500
upload online photos

My first Norton was a few years old blue slimline 99, bought at a shop half a mile from home. After a couple of years exchanged it for a JAWA speedway racer.
My second Norton is a late 650SS, which is under assembly. Plan to use it for road and trackdays.
The third is the Manx, which runs quite well now. Now mechanically sound, but I've kept the battle scars from it's racing days.
Then came the WD16H, which was restored in civilian trim by the PO.
And the last is a caféracer style ES2 fitted in a 99 wideline frame. Maybe will have time for it another year.
The other bikes.
A 250RDLC racer. Found it in my own barn. Friend of my son got married and got children. Realized he could not afford racing any more. So when he was going to sell it, I bought it.
Saw an ad for a Vincent just a few miles away. Thought it could be fun just to look at it. Fully restored. first kick starter. Now the preferred touring bike.
The CB250 racer. Paid to much for it. But is capable of winning races with my son. Guess Darwin was right about evolution.
The Venom Clubman. Sadly don't have enough time to ride it.
The Victor special. Bought one new to replace the Goldie, which I hated. It died in a barn fire in -83. Last year found a very original one. Works well so it will be fun riding one again.

alan hodge said:

found this on ebay in tennessee for $200 built my bike from it boy was i innocent! but have learned a LOT on this forum and spent a lot o dough too! about $6,500

upload online photos

Click to expand...

If you put that together for $6500 you are waaaaay ahead of the game...very nice.

And to think we've been looking the good out of it for a year now.... You should have charged by the peek Alan and the bike would've been free.