Why Norton, Why Bother!

Stock gearbox works good for my slightly warm 850 right through the rev range and is smooth going through the gears, infact its just right for a road going bike whether riding around the suburbs, open roads or up in the tight twisties with stock gearing.
 
ashman said:
Stock gearbox works good for my slightly warm 850 right through the rev range and is smooth going through the gears, infact its just right for a road going bike whether riding around the suburbs, open roads or up in the tight twisties with stock gearing.
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Ash - what rpm are you pulling at 100kph (62mph) in top?
Mine has the cNw belt and 22 tooth front and pulls 3500rpm.
Perfect for me too 👍 👍
 
robs ss said:
Ash - what rpm are you pulling at 100kph (62mph) in top?
Mine has the cNw belt and 22 tooth front and pulls 3500rpm.
Perfect for me too 👍 👍
Click to expand...
Rob mine is all stock gearing 19 tooth up front and at 62 mph would be just under 4000 rpms (depends on which way the wind is blowing as well lol) but when my Norton was a stock Commando it would valve bounce max at 6500 rpms, but with the work that I have done since the conversion to the Featherbed frame my motor runs very freely with no valve bounce at all and will keep revving till it went bang, I have had it many times over 7500 but that's pushing it and my luck.
This is my play bike/hotrod and standard gearing suite me for quicker take offs and up in the tight twisties but it loves sitting on the highway/open roads at 65 to 90 mph and will do it for as long as I am up to it, but these days with the speed traps/radars/cameras and police cars and big fines, I am more careful where I open up both my bikes, so these days 65/70 on the highway is all I need to do and leave my hooning for else where.
My 1200 Thruxton sits on 120 kph at around 4000 rpms or just under depends on the wind and the fastest I have had it up too was 220 kph and to be honest I no need to go any faster than that as it was still pulling, once was enough and knowing I can still get over the ton easily on both bikes is all I need to be a happy chappie and both the Norton and Thruxton does it quickly.

Ashley

Ashley
 
Alan L said:
Last of all, I still find it amazing that Norton was voted Bike of the Year for a number of years at the very time when they were under the greatest pressure. I can only assume that the judges could look beyond the more obvious faults of the bike and understand that riding a really well fettled commando is one of the greatest riding experiences there is .
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Mind you, the voting was by "MotorCycle News", a british magazine, and thus rather biazed. To my knowledge, the Commando never won an award in the german or american periodicals.

- Knut
 
At the time it was up against the big Ducati (reputation being established for big bikes, but temperamental), BMWs (twice the price and heavy), Bonneville, BSA and most recently, the CB750. The Honda was the new competition. I also have one and the Commando is a better bike IMO. The CB750 is a great bike, but the Commando is more exciting. I think it was the Z1 that knocked it off its perch.
 
mdt-son said:
Mind you, the voting was by "MotorCycle News", a british magazine, and thus rather biazed. To my knowledge, the Commando never won an award in the german or american periodicals.

- Knut
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Did other countries magazines have voting for machine of the year at that time?
 
baz said:
Did other countries magazines have voting for machine of the year at that time?
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Voting by a readership which for the most part never rode the bike, let alone owned one, is rather ridiculous in my view. Voting by a group of motorcycle journalists, for the most part experienced riders, after days of extensive riding gets my attention.
This is the way bikes are compared in the german press (das Motorrad). I don't know if similar comparisons were made i Cycle World at the time, or in another US magazine, maybe a stateside member care to comment?

Sure, the press usually is linient towards the manufacturers within their country, for obvious reasons. However, performance, reliabilty, and riding characteristics are hard to cover up when there is a group of testers at work.

- Knut
 
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mdt-son said:
Voting by a readership which for the most part never rode the bike, let alone owned one, is rather ridiculous in my view. Voting by a group of motorcycle journalists, for the most part experienced riders, after days of extensive riding gets my attention.
This is the way bikes are compared in the german press (das Motorrad). I don't know if similar comparisons were made i Cycle World at the time, or in another US magazine, maybe a stateside member care to comment?

Sure, the press usually is linient towards the manufacturers within their country, for obvious reasons. However, performance, reliabilty, and riding characteristics are hard to cover up when there is a group of testers at work.

- Knut
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Yep it's a funny situation
I've heard it said by many of my Japanese bike riding mates that the voting only proved what the average 15 year old liked
Because that was the average MCN reader age ?
I'm doubting that many of the people that voted owned or had ridden all the different offerings every year for 5 years in a row so it clearly can not have been a balanced view!
 
mdt-son said:
Sure, the press usually is linient towards the manufacturers within their country, for obvious reasons. However, performance, reliabilty, and riding characteristics are hard to cover up when there is a group of testers at work.

- Knut
Click to expand...
It is not unheard of for a publication to cast it’s advertiser’s product in a favorable light .
Regardless of what the tester or testers have reported , it’s the editor who decides what goes to print .
 
I have made disparaging comments about Commandos, but if I wanted to rode an old motorcycle on public roads and look and sound good, I would buy a Commando - 'some things are so bad that they are good'. Commandos actually do what they were designed to do. I have never had another motor which responds as well to tuning. A road going Commando with a 6 speed close ratio box would be a real whiz.
Whenever I see a nut and bolt perfect Commando, I have a strong desire to buy one. I have only ever seen a couple like that. They are a beautiful bike.
 
baz said:
Yep it's a funny situation
I've heard it said by many of my Japanese bike riding mates that the voting only proved what the average 15 year old liked
Because that was the average MCN reader age ?
I'm doubting that many of the people that voted owned or had ridden all the different offerings every year for 5 years in a row so it clearly can not have been a balanced vi
Click to expand...

baz said:
Yep it's a funny situation
I've heard it said by many of my Japanese bike riding mates that the voting only proved what the average 15 year old liked
Because that was the average MCN reader age ?
I'm doubting that many of the people that voted owned or had ridden all the different offerings every year for 5 years in a row so it clearly can not have been a balanced view!
Click to expand...
I have albeit in later years owned and ridden the contemporaries
IE a couple of cb750s an 860gt Ducati, BSA a65 oif lightning,triumph twins from that era and a BMW r100rs that I'd guess is very similar to a r90s
I've only briefly ridden a t150v
And I would put the commando above those particular bikes as personal choice
 
Of all the Japanese motorcycvles I have seen, there is only one which I would like to own. It was a GSXR 750 L Suzuki. I would probably lose my licence almost immediately.
 
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acotrel said:
Of all the Japanese motorcycvles I have seen, there is only one which I would like to own. It was a GSXR 750 L Suzuki. I would probably lose my licence almost immediately.
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I know of someone that sadly lost his life bringing one of those home from the shop
 
ashman said:
Stock gearbox works good for my slightly warm 850 right through the rev range and is smooth going through the gears, infact its just right for a road going bike whether riding around the suburbs, open roads or up in the tight twisties with stock gearing.
Click to expand...
When I was building my Seeley 850, one of my mates said ' if you have a torquey motor, you do not need a close ratio gearbox'. He was wrong. If you replace the standard gearbox with a close one in any motorcycle, it will be faster. When you accelerate and change up through the gearbox, you lose revs. With the standard box you lose more than with a close box. It means your throttle opens wider. You end up in the situation where the taper on the needles comes into play to compensate for the loss of vacuum. With a heavy crank the effect is more pronounced than with a light one, but it is similar in both cases.
When you use petrol as fuel, the effect is greater than it is when you use methanol. Methanol is more forgiving of tuning errors.
You will notice that most modern Japanese motorcycles have 6 speed close ratio gearboxes and fuel injection and computer-controlled spark advance. Those are the reasons they are so much quicker. Four valves per cylinder only give minimasl advantage.
In fact, a Triumph 650 with a Rickman 4-valve head is no faster than a normal dual carb Triumph 650.
With my 850, I use close ratios and high overall gearing, with slow taper needles in the carbs and methanol fuel. All the fuel does is make the motor easier to tune.
It actually makes me laugh that something as horrible as my Seeley 850 can actually be competitive
 
Ashley, if you are ever in north-east Victoria, I will give you a ride on my Seeley 850 at Winton Raceway, so you can see for yourself what I am on about.
If I had a road-going Commando, I would trick the gearbox - 4 speeds is enough, and it can be done for $700 - a Manx gear cluster with a Commando first gear. - Better than all the engime mods combined. I suggest the standard 850 motor is fast enough for anyone, but slower with a standard box.
 
Young guys who ride motorcycles on public roads, usually do not know much. I used to be young myself. These days, I am appalled by what I did not know. I am lucky to be alive.
I learned to road-race by crashing. The odds are always against you, when you do that - but you learn more.
Marquez does that on MotoGP bikes - I do not like his chances.
 
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