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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:00:55 PM EDT
 parked outside the cowboy bar. I've always liked that style. Almost cafe racer ish. I want a cafe racer but I'm a 6'5" guy so most of those style bikes are out the question.
Anyone own one of these? Are they reliable? Easy to get parts? |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:06:18 PM EDT
[#1]
Quoted:
parked outside the cowboy bar. I've always liked that style. Almost cafe racer ish. I want a cafe racer but I'm a 6'5" guy so most of those style bikes are out the question.
<a href="http://s155.photobucket.com/user/bigg089/media/E8C3B073-7BFB-486B-95F6-2C2C2DB97608_zpsjjllf1pc.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s297/bigg089/E8C3B073-7BFB-486B-95F6-2C2C2DB97608_zpsjjllf1pc.jpg</a> Anyone own one of these? Are they reliable? Easy to get parts? <snort> Do you all want to tell him, or should I? 
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:08:18 PM EDT
[#2]
As reliable as Hillary is honest.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:12:19 PM EDT
[#3]
OP: How good are you at swinging a wrench and diagnosing problems, on the side of the road, with the tools you have on you, in the dark?
That's what owning an old Norton is like. |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:12:59 PM EDT
[#4]
I went over and met Kenny Dreer when he was prototyping the new Nortons. The new ones were freaking awesome looking. Love the old ones too, but would probably not buy one.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:14:19 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
As reliable as Hillary is honest.
But they are beautiful. |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:14:42 PM EDT
[#6]
Reliable??? Heh, heh, heh, they sure are cool though. Howza bout some Manx? Tis tasty.....
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:15:00 PM EDT
[#7]
I painted the exact same bike for my neighbor when he was restoring it many years ago. IDK if he still has it as he moved from the area. |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:16:27 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Reliable??? Heh, heh, heh, they sure are cool though. Howza bout some Manx? Tis tasty..... http://www.theworldofmotorcycles.com/vintagebike-images/norton_manx_500_1954.jpeg 
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:18:33 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: <snort> Do you all want to tell him, or should I? Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: parked outside the cowboy bar. I've always liked that style. Almost cafe racer ish. I want a cafe racer but I'm a 6'5" guy so most of those style bikes are out the question. <a href="http://s155.photobucket.com/user/bigg089/media/E8C3B073-7BFB-486B-95F6-2C2C2DB97608_zpsjjllf1pc.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s297/bigg089/E8C3B073-7BFB-486B-95F6-2C2C2DB97608_zpsjjllf1pc.jpg</a> Anyone own one of these? Are they reliable? Easy to get parts? <snort> Do you all want to tell him, or should I? |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:19:05 PM EDT
[#10]
You can rely on one. Rely on it to need work, parts, money, etc.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:21:25 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
They're just as reliable as that girlfriend you used to have. Always sitting there looking so tasty and good, but it took some work and money to get her motor running. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
parked outside the cowboy bar. I've always liked that style. Almost cafe racer ish. I want a cafe racer but I'm a 6'5" guy so most of those style bikes are out the question.
<a href="http://s155.photobucket.com/user/bigg089/media/E8C3B073-7BFB-486B-95F6-2C2C2DB97608_zpsjjllf1pc.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s297/bigg089/E8C3B073-7BFB-486B-95F6-2C2C2DB97608_zpsjjllf1pc.jpg</a> Anyone own one of these? Are they reliable? Easy to get parts? <snort> Do you all want to tell him, or should I? Well put. |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:23:37 PM EDT
[#12]
I had one as a kid,that thing was a fickle bitch but I loved it,Not near as nice of shape as the one in OP's pic
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:26:27 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
<snort> Do you all want to tell him, or should I? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
parked outside the cowboy bar. I've always liked that style. Almost cafe racer ish. I want a cafe racer but I'm a 6'5" guy so most of those style bikes are out the question.
<a href="http://s155.photobucket.com/user/bigg089/media/E8C3B073-7BFB-486B-95F6-2C2C2DB97608_zpsjjllf1pc.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s297/bigg089/E8C3B073-7BFB-486B-95F6-2C2C2DB97608_zpsjjllf1pc.jpg</a> Anyone own one of these? Are they reliable? Easy to get parts? <snort> Do you all want to tell him, or should I? One would think the words "English Motorcycle" would be enough, yet, here we are.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:29:31 PM EDT
[#14]
I rode one.
It had the light precise clutch, throttle, and gear selection of a 1949 M35. But so many torques...
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:31:49 PM EDT
[#15]
Well damn. That style was just gorgeous.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:33:33 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Well damn. That style was just gorgeous. Or get a triumph  |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:36:07 PM EDT
[#17]
Get a Bonnie T100: 
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:39:36 PM EDT
[#18]
I Had a 71 or 72 750 Commando, hands down the worst bike I've ever owned. The odds of it getting you from point A to point B without a problem were slim to none & slim just left. Triumph was far better.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:43:14 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryNice. But I think what I like about the Norton is how the lines run. rear fender is level or below the seat, and no big hump in the gas tank. |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 2:43:26 PM EDT
[#20]
This was one that I rebuilt. When I picked it up, it looked as though it spent a few years in a swamp. I drained a quart of muddy water from the cylinders and crankcase.
Rebuilt it as high performance. 
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Posted: 7/28/2015 3:10:08 PM EDT
[#21]
I have friends that ride Norton's and I have been riding a 1973 Commando that I restored, for almost a year now. I ride a lot of different bikes and it is as reliable as any. The main problem Norton and the rest of the English bikes have is the wiring connections are very poor)Lucas Sucks)when new and as brittle as potato chips now. I replaced all the connections(especially the main rubber block under the tank)and have not had a problem since. The 750 Commando was at the time a very quick bike, it came in right behind the two Kawasaki's in the 1973 Superbike test. I have a 1972 750 Kawasaki, a 1971 Honda CB750, and a 1973, '74 and '75 Kawasaki 900's and I still enjoy riding the Norton.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 3:12:37 PM EDT
[#22]
Owning a Norton is a labor of love.Working on them was all part of the riding experience.You worked on them alot then got to ride them a little.But you know what? I wouldn't have traded it for anything.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 3:18:06 PM EDT
[#23]
850 Commando owner checking in, fun bike when it's running.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 3:24:42 PM EDT
[#24]
Rode Brit bikes for years. Started with a '55 T-bird 650 chopper, then owned and rode '65 and '71 650 Bonney's and a '79 750 Bonneville Special. Turned my own wrenches and knew about "the father of darkness" but my bikes always got me from point A to B and back again. Can't say the same about some HD's. As I got older and settled down with a lot less time on my hands, I went and got a new HD so I could spend more time riding. Still wish I had at least one of those Brit's in my garage.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 3:36:28 PM EDT
[#25]
Maybe look into the Triumphs. Current production. Here's a factory cafe racer model called the Thruxton:
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Posted: 7/28/2015 3:42:19 PM EDT
[#26]
Had a Trident in the 70's and still miss it.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 3:43:08 PM EDT
[#27]
It's a British motorcylce company that went under in the 70's due to union problems. What the hell do you think?
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Posted: 7/28/2015 3:47:57 PM EDT
[#28]
Had a 66 Norton Atlas. Loved it but something always needed attention. Very fast when running.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 3:56:57 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
As reliable as Hillary is honest.
Oh come now. They are much better than that. A Yugo in MN would be rustproof and good for 1 million miles by that comparison. |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 3:57:38 PM EDT
[#30]
Get a brand new Royal Enfield.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 4:04:39 PM EDT
[#31]
The 1974/75 850s were the best of the Nortons for reliability but I would look at a new Thruxton for reliability.
I have a '75 Norton and I don't trust it even though I love it. |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 4:15:25 PM EDT
[#32]
I always loved the look of the Commando.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 4:17:06 PM EDT
[#33]
Cafe racer? So you like bikes with cheap plastic bubble seats and some clubmans and a bunch of other visual mods that only degrade ride quality and offer zero performance benefits?
eta: and i'm 6'3" and have ridden smaller hondas including CB175s and 350s, so I don't see how an extra two inches makes these bikes impossible to ride. |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 4:20:15 PM EDT
[#34]
Norton Commandos are the best looking classic bike in my opinion. They seem to have gone up in value a lot the past ten years though.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 4:21:05 PM EDT
[#35]
My father has a 850 Commando in black. As far as I know, he doesn't have too much trouble with it. He's about to finish restoring a BSA Thunderbolt 650.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 4:26:03 PM EDT
[#36]
I had a Mercury 650 a buttload of years ago. It was an OK scoot. I traded it off and got a panhead.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 4:31:44 PM EDT
[#37]
A lot of guys buy a Yamaha 650 and convert it to a cafe racer. A guy at work is 6'5" and has a stretched frame Yamaha. I thought it was a BSA or Norton and would never have guessed Yamaha without an up-close look.
If you want the look and the reliability, that is what I would look into. |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 4:32:45 PM EDT
[#38]
Worked with a guy that had an 850 Commando.... beautiful bike and loud as hell with straight pipes.
Always liked the sound, his was the first year with electric start, I am thinking 1974? But I don't know for sure. Never wrenched on a Norton but if it is like a friends early 70's Triumph that I did though you had better have some mechanical abilities or a friend or shop that can help you. That would have been in the early 80's. My first experiences learning about zener diodes and whitworth (BSW) tools, hint it ain't SAE and it ain't metric.... LOL Also Anal...... I mean Amel Carbs.... Insert Lucas jokes: Why do the Brits drink warm beer? Lucas Refrigerators! Why does Satan ride a British bike at night? Lucas electrics! After all he is the prince of darkness. Beautiful bikes there GUTS did you do the work on those? I still have and ride my 1980 KZ750E1 that I bought brand new. Like to see the old bikes both Brit and Jap being maintained!! |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 4:33:19 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Maybe look into the Triumphs. Current production. Here's a factory cafe racer model called the Thruxton: http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/crop/201309/2014-triumph-thruxton-5_600x0w.jpg A former coworker bought one of those. The case casting was porous and oil pissed out. I think it took three tries to get a good case. |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 4:36:01 PM EDT
[#40]
A Triton.
Google up Triton Motorcycle. 
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Posted: 7/28/2015 4:37:21 PM EDT
[#41]
You could always go the Honda route; people have been making CBs into cafes for a while. Cheap and parts are not too hard to find/make.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 4:50:42 PM EDT
[#42]
I've owned a few.....a '71 750, and a '74 with a built '70 750 engine in it.....
They are reliable as long as you follow the prescribed service requirements, and make sure all of the ground points for the electrics are good. Lucas electrics got a bad rap because of American mechanics not realizing they relied on good ground points thruout the harness, and replacing components with generic off-the-shelf discount auto parts, or running extra wiring when it wasn't necessary......if it couldn't be fixed with a pipe wrench or a stick welder, then it was labeled as shit....... Both of mine liked to leak oil around the tach drive, and modern ethanol laden gas will eat thru Norton fibreglass tanks..... Nortons are not unit-construction.....so you have to make sure your primary chain is straight, and properly tensioned....or you'll destroy your clutch and tranny input shaft bearings..... Original Lockheed-Girling front discs aren't much better than drum brakes..... The "Isolastic" mountings for the engine are better in the later bikes than the early ones.....but if you don't keep them properly adjusted, or let oil/grease degrade them, you are in for a world of shit.... If this is your first venture into Norton Commandos, may I recommend a late 750 with a single Mikuni carb conversion, a steel "roadster" gas tank, and a Boyer ignition......throw a Corbin "gunfighter" seat and some stainless peashooter mufflers on it, and you'll understand the allure...... eta: BSW (Whitworth) threads/etc weren't really used after 1969........and these bikes will never start when someone is actually watching or videoing you..... 
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Posted: 7/28/2015 5:17:54 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
A former coworker bought one of those. The case casting was porous and oil pissed out. I think it took three tries to get a good case. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Maybe look into the Triumphs. Current production. Here's a factory cafe racer model called the Thruxton: http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/crop/201309/2014-triumph-thruxton-5_600x0w.jpg A former coworker bought one of those. The case casting was porous and oil pissed out. I think it took three tries to get a good case. Nice to see that some things never change.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 5:28:03 PM EDT
[#44]
I would ride this...
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Posted: 7/28/2015 5:42:04 PM EDT
[#45]
They ran great but never ran far.
Early Commando's had a reputation for blown head gaskets, burned valves and holed pistons. But if you ride hard and fast on a Brit bike with Amal carbs (rich today, lean tomorrow), something is bound to happen. The motorcycle press are the ones that gave them the nickname "Hand Grenade". Always wanted one, but prior ownership of a BSA cured me of that desire. Get a modern Triumph. Motors were designed and engineered by Kawasaki. In other words, they are reliable and bulletproof. |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 5:49:26 PM EDT
[#46]
OP, meet Lucas, Prince of Darkness.
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Posted: 7/28/2015 5:53:54 PM EDT
[#47]
We sawed up a 70 commando to make a chopper, nice lookin bike, good enough that it had a feature article in Street Choppers magazine
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Posted: 7/28/2015 6:07:05 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
We sawed up a 70 commando to make a chopper, nice lookin bike, good enough that it had a feature article in Street Choppers magazine Thanks for increasing the value of mine.... Period Choppers are cool....but bobbers suck....period....without exception, everyone I have seen who ever owned a "bobber" has been a wannabee.... who had no capability, or ability to maintain a classic British bike....after they posted a few pics on facebook, they got all fucked up when it didn't start first-kick......and decied to buy a 750 Honda or 650 Yamaha....then cut the value in half by cuttin the fenders and/or painting it flat black..... .you should head over to the C&R forum and talk about cutting up a bringback K98....... |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 6:11:36 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote: "Beautiful bikes there GUTS did you do the work on those?
I still have and ride my 1980 KZ750E1 that I bought brand new. Like to see the old bikes both Brit and Jap being maintained!!" Yup, I quit my job two years ago to take care of my Mom(she had ALS)and I started restoring motorcycles at the same time so I wouldn't go nuts. Now she's gone and I didn't go back to work, I just restore bikes. The Norton runs beautiful and sounds fantastic with the pea-shooters on it. I think it handles real nice, like a big bicycle. |
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Posted: 7/28/2015 6:23:46 PM EDT
[#50]
This was supposed to be a quote of GUTS' pictures.
Nice collection!
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