1975 Norton Commando

J

jsedacca

Been Around the Block
Just recently acquired this beauty and plan on restoring it to showroom condition. It is a MKIII which has the electric starter. It starts up and rides fine. The previous owner replaced the dual Amals with a single Mikuni VM34, and fitted a Boyer electronic ignition. The only part that has been restored is the tank. It has been boiled out and repainted. First plan of attack is to change all the fluids, clean out the oil tank, and fit the proper mufflers. After I put some miles on the bike, I'll switch the single Mikuni to dual PWK flatslides from jsmotorsport.com

After a quick wash/polish:


Quick video of the bike running:
http://rides.webshots.com/video/3046175040089932451fzAFtM
 
i see it has some aftermarket mufflers and low flat bars which look good...they are nice running machines and the single mikuni works really good.....but the pwk's from jrc (knock off keihen) are a great carb too i have sold and used many and they seem to always work well.
good luck,
joe@ v cycle
 
You may want to keep that carb. That switch is the best thing I did to my Comando. It turned it from a tempremental weekend bike to my daily transportation
 
John Rebel said:
You may want to keep that carb. That switch is the best thing I did to my Comando. It turned it from a tempremental weekend bike to my daily transportation
Click to expand...

It is a great carb and it runs fine, but it runs out of steam past 5k. With the dual flat slides, it will pull all the way to redline.
 
joea said:
i see it has some aftermarket mufflers and low flat bars which look good...they are nice running machines and the single mikuni works really good.....but the pwk's from jrc (knock off keihen) are a great carb too i have sold and used many and they seem to always work well.
good luck,
joe@ v cycle
Click to expand...

I think the bars are the UK/euro style and the mufflers are being replaced. They are the wrong size/style and leak so a new pair will be ordered from commandospecialties.com I just upgraded the battery cables to 4awg to cope with the CNW 4 brush starter.
 
some commando's have a hard time starting using the electric starter even with the cable upgrade.....i kick and push the starter button at the same time if the starter does not spin it fast enough on the initial try...
bars actually look a little wide but you can always cut them down if you want.
joe@vcycle
 
joea said:
some commando's have a hard time starting using the electric starter even with the cable upgrade.....i kick and push the starter button at the same time if the starter does not spin it fast enough on the initial try...
bars actually look a little wide but you can always cut them down if you want.
joe@vcycle
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip Joe. I will look into shortening the bars a bit once everything is back together. Today I changed the gearbox oil, removed the oil tank and degreased the entire bike. I also used Gibbs to dress the black portion of the cylinder, and was so impressed, I used it on the remainder of the frame. This stuff is incredible. It removes all the dirt/dust/grime and leaves a nice protective sheen which doesn't wipe off or attract dust. Below is a picture showing the motor after being treated and wiped down. It removes all the chalkiness which was the main goal without repainting.
 
Not much of an update, but it is something. The top side degreasing has been completed and everything wiped down with Gibbs. In the picture, it shows the area which resides below the battery tray. It was nasty and grungy. The Gibbs took it right off and leaves the nice sheen you see, and is not greasy.


I also received the Power-Arc ignition kit from Old Britts. It should be a nice upgrade from the old Boyer and cannot wait to install it with the PWK flatslide carburetors. More updates will come later in the week when I get some time off.
 
Little bit of an update. I decided to try a new metal polish system. I bought the blackfire heavy cut and fine cut aluminum polish along with the appropriate wool pads. The system simply rocks even with the use of a random orbital. Here is the primary cover after the polishing.



New billet inspection caps are coming in to replace the gouged up originals. I hope to have the power-arc ignition wired up tomorrow along with the new PWK flatslide carburetors installed. Stay tuned for an update.
 
I was able to get the carbs mounted, throttle cables run, and primary re-installed with new gasket and allen fasteners. The electronic ignition still needs to be wired, and the fuel lines run. The oil tank is at DCC getting the bottom mount cut out, and a plate welded to prevent any further cracking. Here is a picture of the carbs mounted, and the primary installed:

 
It's finally coming to an end, and got some work done tonight. I was able to finish cleaning the inside of the oil tank, and got it primered/painted and reinstalled. I also ran the new stainless oil lines, and installed a new spin on filter.


Oil tank drying.


The power-arc ignition is wired up, and static timed. I just need to crimp the spark plug wires, refit the tank, and run the fuel lines/filters and it will be ready to fire up.
 
The bike is up and running but the carbs need some adjustment, and the ignition timing needs to be dialed in. Here is a picture of the bike in its final stage with the peashooter mufflers finally installed.

 
Looks great!

If you do plan on painting the tank with the original pinstripes check out Brent at http://vintage-vendor.com/

He does a great job and knows his Norton's. Great looking bike.
 
After riding the bike a couple hundred miles, I began to notice chunks of failing tank liner in the fuel filters. I decided to pull the tank and side covers and have them refinished. The tank will be dipped in a hot acidic bath to remove the paint and most importantly, the tank liner. I will either use Brent at vintage-vendor or another painter in the Tampa Bay area to keep it local. Stay tuned for updates when the tank comes back.
 
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