Man, this video takes me back. I was a young buck sergeant in the Army in 1972 and saved up to buy a Norton 750 Commando. I bought one cash money in Denver, Colorado, ran one tank of gas through it to break it in, and rode it from Denver to Los Angeles, where I stored it for a year. In the summer of 1973 I loaded up an army sleeping bag on a sissy bar and hit the road to my new assignment in South Carolina. I rode this fabulous bike from LA to Columbia, SC that summer. It took me nine days on the road. I'll never forget that ride. Or this bike. Wonderful. Best bike I ever owned.
I also bought a 750 Commando in 72. Later got married and had a kid and decided to sell it as I thought that what you did when you had a kid. Watching this video and the close up of the bike brought so many memories of working and cleaning on it. Just seeing those spokes on the wheels brought back memories I hadn't thought of in years. It was indeed fast but being a light bike it definitely felt each mile on a long trip. Wonderful to see again.
I had one just like this, bought it at Krumms Motorcycle, San Antonio, Tx. Oct 1971. (Long gone out of business). I never got beat by anyone, car or motorcycle. Took it to the Drags, turned an 11.45 in the 1/4 mile, 132 Mph. Topped it out at 160 on the Highway...Simply amazing to ride. I left it parked at a business, went to lunch with some buddies, came back and it was gone. I was totally and still am bummed out! Engine # was 201534 in case anyone see's it... Odd story, I was at a light on San Pedro, a Silver 442 pulled up, revving his engine, of course that meant 'Let's GO', so when the light turned green I took off, saw him in my rear view mirror getting smaller, he didn't have a chance...Fast forward to 1983, met a hot woman, Blonde...as we talked I found out she loved cars so we got to talking...that street race came up. Guess what, she was in that 442, it was her boyfriend at the time. When I told her I was the on the bike she couldn't believe it until I showed her some pictures of the Norton...that was pretty weird...we got married in 1985, still married today...
Love my 1972 Norton Commando 750 cc, with 5 gallon Interstate Gas Tank. Disc brakes in front too . Wife wants me to sell it to make space in the garage ! I have so many great memories from my past on it, it hurts to think of selling it ! Money is nothing compared to a classic like mine !
I've had 3 Commandos, all '73 750's. My current one is in Yellow and has a Combat engine, with new Amal Premier carbs and Pazon ignition its fast as hell and a 1st kick starter! Looks as good as it runs! I guess I was hooked when i was 19, got my first one new in April '73 at Rupp's on W25th St in Cleveland, O. It was black with a combat engine, never got beat and I raced lots of bikes like Sportsers, Honda fours, Rocket 3's and Tridents, H1's, and even a Suzuki 850 Water Buffalo!
Had one back a while after the 72's came out, bought mine new in Feb. '73. It was an Interstate oriiginally but the dealer swapped just the tank and seat from a red Roadster for someone but, for some reason left the larger red sidecovers. So I had a Roadster with larger sidecovers and the straight pipes instead of the angled. Best bike I ever owned. Handled like it wa a monorail. The big Avons mine had were gummier and held the road better than the Dunlops and even with the 19" wheels, it sat lower than any other comparable bike of the day, even the BMW 750, if my memory serves me right, and lighter. I made a mistake when II changed to clubman bars though, it felt better with the originals. The bike pictured must be a '71 since it has a front drum brake and the crankcase breather tube just below and front of the LH cylinder on the crankcase boss. It would be a '72 if it has the 10:1 compression ratio, oversize valves, and the two 32mm Amals, the '71's had dual 30mm Amals - the Combat motor, in other words. But I don't think so, the guy says his has a single carb,, a Mikuni, and so it must've been modified for a single carb and the intake manifold is probabaly aftermarket, not stock Norton. But the front brake and crankcase breather tube mark it as a 1971. Not sure, but the 72's didn't have the crossover but this one's got one. I don't know if the '71 had the crossover, but the 72's didn't. Riding it, the engine at speed had a flat, loafing sound, differing from the crack of the 650 Triumphs and BSA's. But it was far more faster than they were. It wasn't as fast as a Trident, but it was still realy fast. I don't know how the Trident compared at top end though, the Norton was geared high and the accelleration really came on above 80mph. Mine also blew its head gaskey at 50 miles. They fixed it pretty quick but the oil stain stayed. The biggest problem was the loosening of the finned exhaust clamps which threaded into the heads to attach the exhaust headers. I finally found out the fix was to make a drill hole in each of the clamps and head fins and saftey wire them together so they wouldn't rotate and loosen due to vibration. The big advantage of the Nortons was the Isolastic System which really did the job of reducing the engine and swingarm vibration from the frame and especially, the bars. Someone really did his homework and it was executed perfectly. A great performing motorcycle; fast, handled, stopped predictably with the disc, comfortable, and was just plain fun to ride, fast or slow.
Oh wow... the memories... :) Had one similar to this way-back in the late 1970's. And absolutely loved it. Mine had twin carbs... and awful engine mounts that vibrated badly... But I loved my Norton.. Did many laps of the awesome Isle-of-man TT course on it.. not racing but on open days.. Did I say I loved my 750 Norton Roadster?? :)
Could have been a broken head steady. Mine (1970) was sheared right in half from too many wheelees. Welded back together (by me) and never broke since. Still own the bike today.
Fue mi tercera motocicleta en los años 70, una maravilla potente y veloz , nunca me dejaron atras las kawasaki ni las hondas jajaja, saludos afortunados poseedores de esta maravilla.
They were very quick bikes. Back in 1970, a Commando was actually the fastest accelerating bike you could buy, faster than a Honda CB750 or a Triumph Triple.
Norton was at least 100 pounds lighter than a Honda 750. A lot more low end torque to get moving quickly ! My 1980 Honda was 525 pounds. My 1970 Norton is nowhere near that heavy ! !
Beautiful motorcycle I had a 1972 Norton Commando Combat and loved it. It cost $1,850 new and the standard 750 commando was $1,650, I paid the extra $200. for the combat engine.
I have a 1972 Norton Commando with the Combat and have had it for 45 years, and I love mine too! Still stone stock except for an electronic ignition, and still runs, rides, and sounds like only a Norton can.
@@davidburrows4801 Hi David, Yes, I most emphatically put the superblends (must have with a combat)in because every once in a while, I would get a little the urge to throw some gas to him, and they have done very well. What beautiful machines! He's about 15 feet from me right now, and wants me to take him out. I think I will...
@@ndt270 yeah give bike an airing , I've read about combat engines collapsing on very low milage from new with the original mains .but yeah I Imagine its a great bike to ride and also great looks.
They don't. This is a Mikuni. Amal idle circuit plugs and is very difficult to clean. Main reason people change the carb to single. A much easier carb to maintain as the idle jet is removeable and NO SMELLY FINGERS.
@@donatchinson8438 I regret that I didn't toss my Amals for that single large Mikuni carb kit - it solved a lot of annoying problems with leakage, starting and low-end driveability. Fortunately I did come across the factory disc brake upgrade-in-a-box, for about USD 200 as I recall, the best thing that ever happened to that bike. As much as I tried to tweak that dual-leading-shoe drum, it never did much. As a poor student in the mid 1980s, I restored it to its original splendor and sold it for $1500 (which seemed like a lot to me at the time) to a moron who, within 6 months, wrecked it trying to evade a police pursuit for a petty traffic violation. Now retired and still kicking myself....
@@stancoleshill8925Leaving gas in the idle circuit in an Amal is no problem if it's ethanol free. In the '70's there was no ethanol so plugging was rare except BP Premium had a terrible red dye that could and would plug an Amal. Esso Extra or Shell Super gave zero problems to Amal carbs. Corn syrup in the gas is the new enemy now. And Mikuni carbs do have a much coarser idle circuit which probably helps with ethanol gas and single Mikuni owners must be willing to ignore the performance losses. I have Commandos that have never seen ethanol gas and they still have their fibreglass tanks and their dual carbs.
Made me sad when you say "Extremely rare" because I love these. Not only these, but most 70's bikes. So so sad that they are so rare. I'm really trying to get one
-Vance- Dun I don't think they are extremely rare, usually there is 20 ish on eBay for sale, I guess those who have these tend not to sell them. I'm waiting for my dad's commando to be handed down cos I love riding it.
Beautiful looking and sounding bike , even better with Dunstall pipes , combat engine does not like too many revs in the low gears though as a guy i knew who bought one new found out and was always having new main bearings , dealer put upgraded superblend bearings in but he still run them out after a thousand miles and was promptly banned from the Norton dealers ! LOL.
Some (all?) 1972s had defective main bearings from the factory. A mechanic friend (who fortunately worked at a Norton dealership) had a Combat with that problem; he had to heliarc and machine a ruptured crankcase as a result. He rebuilt it with the standard cam and pistons, and AFAIK it ran fine for years.
I had one of these. I put Akront alloy wire wheels on it, a Boyer-Brandson electronic ignition and a single Mikuni carb. First off, I could not believe how much I felt the difference with those alloy rims. Great positive impact on handling. Looked trick, too. The electronic ignition was hassle free and improved starting and had a much better timing advance curve. And the single Mikuni made starting easier and improved low end torque and tractability in traffic, at the cost of some top end. (Still did the ton, though.) I miss the old Norton. It was stolen in 1989.
Hi Bill, great to hear about the value of the alloy wheels vs originals! I had a second hand 750 commando and traded it on a new CB honda 750. Even though the nortons clutch slipped, it was a beast compared to the ultra civilised honda. When I left the shop on that shiny new honda 750 I recall looking back at the norton being wheeled inside sensing I had made a mistake.
My old Norton always needed fiddling. And the isolastic suspension could be adjusted to tune out vibration at a given speed, which for me was about 60 MPH. But even so, I did not like that bike on the Interstate it was too twitchy. I preferred twisty country roads at about 45 MPH, or riding in the small-ish city I lived in which did not have much traffic. The bike always got comments. SIDE NOTE: It's nice to see some Triumphs back on the road that look like motorcycles, instead of all these machines that look like spaceships.
The single Mikuni does not improve low end torque. Low end torque is reduced but it's less noticeable until rpm's increase and fuel/air mixture with the single Mikuni is so starved performance losses can't be ignored. Believing the Mikuni improves torque is fiction. You will never see a Mikuni supplier back up their erroneous advertising with a Dyno test.
Wrong - the single IS PERFECTION the factory should have offered single carb. Single carb motors last twice as long as dual. d.s.50 yrs. cont. pro vintage British bike mechanic
Having owned my 750 for over 30 years with various carb set-ups over the years I'd say you can't beat a single Mikuni for performance, starting and economy, smooth tick-over and no messing around with balance issues. The average bike admirer wouldn't even be aware.
Yep. The bike came out with Amals. They still made them, and they are better these days right out of the box. Mikuni is just a cheap, but effective way out for those who just cant be fucked doing it right.
@@bretttrafford9239 I have a 72 Norton Roadster with the Combat motor and have had it for 44 years. It came off the line in June of 72 and was stock with front disc brake and twin 932 Amal carbs. My front fork gaiters and my seat are different than the bike in this video so I suspect there were variants coming out of the factory. That said, I did a top to bottom restoration on my bike a few years ago, and other than new electronic ignition, it is stock. Rare? Yes, in fact only a few old timers even know what a Norton is. It is still as fun to ride as ever, and the sight and sound turns heads. "Norton - The Unapproachable"!
@@bretttrafford9239 That only applies to the Hi-Rider "chopper" model; that model had front drum brakes until about September of '72 (also "standard" - not-Combat engine). The beginning of the "option" for disc front brakes began during the first week of January, 1972, a few '72 Roadsters, Interstates, and Fastbacks were built in the first couple of weeks of January, 1972 but after that all of these models had disc front brakes as standard. The motorcycle in the video was manufactured in 1971 (unless it has been greatly altered by rebuilds in its life). There are many '71 parts on this motorcycle.
@@brucebear1 sorry, a typo. I fitted 32mm Amals and gas flowed the head. I then experimented with different cams; standard, 2S, combat and 4S. Also tried varying the cam timing. The fastest was standard, but took longer to get to top speed. 4S gave best acceleration, but was gasping at 100mph. Would need to open the head more and maybe fit 34mm carbs. A friend of mine did this with his 850, but he opened his up with a big bore conversion to 920cc.
Hi, Keith. The 33 mm Amals were what the John Player Norton team fitted to most of the Norton Production Racers in the '70s; in fact, there were quite a few Formula 750 Nortons with them -- the ultimate power seemed to come with the smoothbore Amal GPs with the remote float chambers but they were often a b*****d to get set up right. I should mention that the Concentrics that they used were specially bored out an extra mm which takes great care. It must be done *absolutely* square and centered on the bore. If anything is off, they won't tune right and it's easy to break through the metal in the case. As you know, the 34mm Concentrics have a larger casting body. I ran a set from a flat tracker on my 850 Production Racer for a while. I used the special manifolds -- metal pipes on flanges with big **s radiator hose as a shock/vibration isolator -- that the flat trackers used and I never felt that I was getting good, pure, un-aerated fuel. Finally, I went back to bored 32s with the stock rigid mounts and I just felt better about the way the bike ran then. Jim Schmidt has some big Keihin smoothbore carburetors that he says are the ultimate but I haven't worked up the energy to take that on.
Man, this video takes me back. I was a young buck sergeant in the Army in 1972 and saved up to buy a Norton 750 Commando. I bought one cash money in Denver, Colorado, ran one tank of gas through it to break it in, and rode it from Denver to Los Angeles, where I stored it for a year. In the summer of 1973 I loaded up an army sleeping bag on a sissy bar and hit the road to my new assignment in South Carolina. I rode this fabulous bike from LA to Columbia, SC that summer. It took me nine days on the road. I'll never forget that ride. Or this bike. Wonderful. Best bike I ever owned.
I also bought a 750 Commando in 72. Later got married and had a kid and decided to sell it as I thought that what you did when you had a kid. Watching this video and the close up of the bike brought so many memories of working and cleaning on it. Just seeing those spokes on the wheels brought back memories I hadn't thought of in years. It was indeed fast but being a light bike it definitely felt each mile on a long trip. Wonderful to see again.
One of the most beautiful motorcycles of all time!!
Not only good to look at, great fun ride..
Two motorcycles i love
Harlydavidson
Norton
I had one just like this, bought it at Krumms Motorcycle, San Antonio, Tx. Oct 1971. (Long gone out of business). I never got beat by anyone, car or motorcycle. Took it to the Drags, turned an 11.45 in the 1/4 mile, 132 Mph. Topped it out at 160 on the Highway...Simply amazing to ride.
I left it parked at a business, went to lunch with some buddies, came back and it was gone. I was totally and still am bummed out!
Engine # was 201534 in case anyone see's it...
Odd story, I was at a light on San Pedro, a Silver 442 pulled up, revving his engine, of course that meant 'Let's GO', so when the light turned green I took off, saw him in my rear view mirror getting smaller, he didn't have a chance...Fast forward to 1983, met a hot woman, Blonde...as we talked I found out she loved cars so we got to talking...that street race came up. Guess what, she was in that 442, it was her boyfriend at the time. When I told her I was the on the bike she couldn't believe it until I showed her some pictures of the Norton...that was pretty weird...we got married in 1985, still married today...
Had a 1970 Commando while I was stationed in Germany. Wish I had it today!
Love my 1972 Norton Commando 750 cc, with 5 gallon Interstate Gas Tank. Disc brakes in front too . Wife wants me to sell it to make space in the garage ! I have so many great memories from my past on it, it hurts to think of selling it ! Money is nothing compared to a classic like mine !
If you sell it call us 860 454 7024
I had a ride of a friend's 850 commando back in the 80s impressed by how smooth it was😊
I've had 3 Commandos, all '73 750's. My current one is in Yellow and has a Combat engine, with new Amal Premier carbs and Pazon ignition its fast as hell and a 1st kick starter! Looks as good as it runs! I guess I was hooked when i was 19, got my first one new in April '73 at Rupp's on W25th St in Cleveland, O. It was black with a combat engine, never got beat and I raced lots of bikes like Sportsers, Honda fours, Rocket 3's and Tridents, H1's, and even a Suzuki 850 Water Buffalo!
Amazing machine rode 1 in the British army as a dispatch rider
Ty Borden and heartland 🎉
Had one back a while after the 72's came out, bought mine new in Feb. '73. It was an Interstate oriiginally but the dealer swapped just the tank and seat from a red Roadster for someone but, for some reason left the larger red sidecovers. So I had a Roadster with larger sidecovers and the straight pipes instead of the angled.
Best bike I ever owned. Handled like it wa a monorail. The big Avons mine had were gummier and held the road better than the Dunlops and even with the 19" wheels, it sat lower than any other comparable bike of the day, even the BMW 750, if my memory serves me right, and lighter. I made a mistake when II changed to clubman bars though, it felt better with the originals.
The bike pictured must be a '71 since it has a front drum brake and the crankcase breather tube just below and front of the LH cylinder on the crankcase boss. It would be a '72 if it has the 10:1 compression ratio, oversize valves, and the two 32mm Amals, the '71's had dual 30mm Amals - the Combat motor, in other words. But I don't think so, the guy says his has a single carb,, a Mikuni, and so it must've been modified for a single carb and the intake manifold is probabaly aftermarket, not stock Norton. But the front brake and crankcase breather tube mark it as a 1971. Not sure, but the 72's didn't have the crossover but this one's got one. I don't know if the '71 had the crossover, but the 72's didn't.
Riding it, the engine at speed had a flat, loafing sound, differing from the crack of the 650 Triumphs and BSA's. But it was far more faster than they were. It wasn't as fast as a Trident, but it was still realy fast. I don't know how the Trident compared at top end though, the Norton was geared high and the accelleration really came on above 80mph.
Mine also blew its head gaskey at 50 miles. They fixed it pretty quick but the oil stain stayed. The biggest problem was the loosening of the finned exhaust clamps which threaded into the heads to attach the exhaust headers. I finally found out the fix was to make a drill hole in each of the clamps and head fins and saftey wire them together so they wouldn't rotate and loosen due to vibration.
The big advantage of the Nortons was the Isolastic System which really did the job of reducing the engine and swingarm vibration from the frame and especially, the bars. Someone really did his homework and it was executed perfectly.
A great performing motorcycle; fast, handled, stopped predictably with the disc, comfortable, and was just plain fun to ride, fast or slow.
All accurate descriptions !
Really nice !
Love it !
Oh wow... the memories... :) Had one similar to this way-back in the late 1970's. And absolutely loved it. Mine had twin carbs... and awful engine mounts that vibrated badly... But I loved my Norton.. Did many laps of the awesome Isle-of-man TT course on it.. not racing but on open days.. Did I say I loved my 750 Norton Roadster?? :)
It looks a lot like my first bike. A cb400t 1978 .
Did you ever adjust/replace your isolastics?
Could have been a broken head steady. Mine (1970) was sheared right in half from too many wheelees. Welded back together (by me) and never broke since. Still own the bike today.
I still have my 72 Commando from my days of street racing on the streets of Houston Tx. I switched to twim Mikunis though .
Fue mi tercera motocicleta en los años 70, una maravilla potente y veloz , nunca me dejaron atras las kawasaki ni las hondas jajaja, saludos afortunados poseedores de esta maravilla.
Greatest song of all time
They were very quick bikes. Back in 1970, a Commando was actually the fastest accelerating bike you could buy, faster than a Honda CB750 or a Triumph Triple.
Norton was at least 100 pounds lighter than a Honda 750. A lot more low end torque to get moving quickly ! My 1980 Honda was 525 pounds. My 1970 Norton is nowhere near that heavy ! !
I was there to see the Norton beat the Honda. I still have it.
@@stancoleshill8925 MY 72 Norton combat weighted 420 pounds wet. Fuel and oil.
Are they reliable as Honda?
That is correct, first stock motorcycle to run in the 12s in the motorcycle magazine road tests...I had a '69 Commando 'S' in 1970.
Beautiful motorcycle I had a 1972 Norton Commando Combat and loved it. It cost $1,850 new and the standard 750 commando was $1,650, I paid the extra $200. for the combat engine.
I have a 1972 Norton Commando with the Combat and have had it for 45 years, and I love mine too! Still stone stock except for an electronic ignition, and still runs, rides, and sounds like only a Norton can.
@@ndt270 , didn't you have the superblend mains fitted ?
@@davidburrows4801 Hi David, Yes, I most emphatically put the superblends (must have with a combat)in because every once in a while, I would get a little the urge to throw some gas to him, and they have done very well. What beautiful machines! He's about 15 feet from me right now, and wants me to take him out. I think I will...
@@ndt270 yeah give bike an airing , I've read about combat engines collapsing on very low milage from new with the original mains .but yeah I Imagine its a great bike to ride and also great looks.
I had the identical bike here in Canada, $1400 CDN brand new off the showroom floor, wish I still had it. rode it across Canada in 1975.
So beauty. It's old, but so nice.
Fantastic! sounds great!
Nice van Halen intro. Oh yea...cool bike too.
Van Halen intro + Norton sound = Envy
I didn't know they came with a single carb,I had a 1968 Norton P11 and they even had twin Amal carbs.
Dennis McKeown mine had twin carbs .I never seen a single carb
They don't. This is a Mikuni. Amal idle circuit plugs and is very difficult to clean. Main reason people change the carb to single. A much easier carb to maintain as the idle jet is removeable and NO SMELLY FINGERS.
A company called Do-it Engineering in Orange , Ca. did the single carb conversions in the early 70’s. No front disc brake?
@@donatchinson8438 I regret that I didn't toss my Amals for that single large Mikuni carb kit - it solved a lot of annoying problems with leakage, starting and low-end driveability. Fortunately I did come across the factory disc brake upgrade-in-a-box, for about USD 200 as I recall, the best thing that ever happened to that bike. As much as I tried to tweak that dual-leading-shoe drum, it never did much. As a poor student in the mid 1980s, I restored it to its original splendor and sold it for $1500 (which seemed like a lot to me at the time) to a moron who, within 6 months, wrecked it trying to evade a police pursuit for a petty traffic violation. Now retired and still kicking myself....
@@stancoleshill8925Leaving gas in the idle circuit in an Amal is no problem if it's ethanol free. In the '70's there was no ethanol so plugging was rare except BP Premium had a terrible red dye that could and would plug an Amal. Esso Extra or Shell Super gave zero problems to Amal carbs. Corn syrup in the gas is the new enemy now. And Mikuni carbs do have a much coarser idle circuit which probably helps with ethanol gas and single Mikuni owners must be willing to ignore the performance losses. I have Commandos that have never seen ethanol gas and they still have their fibreglass tanks and their dual carbs.
When us Brit's built bikes 😉
Made me sad when you say "Extremely rare" because I love these. Not only these, but most 70's bikes. So so sad that they are so rare. I'm really trying to get one
-Vance- Dun I don't think they are extremely rare, usually there is 20 ish on eBay for sale, I guess those who have these tend not to sell them. I'm waiting for my dad's commando to be handed down cos I love riding it.
Vance reach out I have one in DC -carnagegrip@yahoo.com
750s are rare, as most engines got blown up by club racers in the day
This Norton is a hybrid. get the VIN check it out ..
I was wrong about the crossover, this one doesn't have one. Sorry all.
Wait this is a heavy motorcycle it doesn't has leg guard what if it falls on a person's leg?
It’s a perfect commando
Lovely bike 😀
Beautiful looking and sounding bike , even better with Dunstall pipes , combat engine does not like too many revs in the low gears though as a guy i knew who bought one new found out and was always having new main bearings , dealer put upgraded superblend bearings in but he still run them out after a thousand miles and was promptly banned from the Norton dealers ! LOL.
Yes my 1968 Norton P11 had Dunstall pipes and it was so loud my neighbors were ready to lynch me.
Nic Nak thats some expensive detailing
Some (all?) 1972s had defective main bearings from the factory. A mechanic friend (who fortunately worked at a Norton dealership) had a Combat with that problem; he had to heliarc and machine a ruptured crankcase as a result. He rebuilt it with the standard cam and pistons, and AFAIK it ran fine for years.
I had one in 1980. I listed to better music, though- even back then. Mine had the high-compression 'Combat' engine.
TumpyFunket and a stronger cam.
I had a '72 with the Combat engine for a while, too.
I bought a 72 combat new and loved it
lovely bike, but lose that Mikuni, they are way quicker with twin amals concentrics.
Exactly correct. Single Mikuni propaganda is pretty strong but nothing but a performance loss.
I had one of these. I put Akront alloy wire wheels on it, a Boyer-Brandson electronic ignition and a single Mikuni carb. First off, I could not believe how much I felt the difference with those alloy rims. Great positive impact on handling. Looked trick, too. The electronic ignition was hassle free and improved starting and had a much better timing advance curve. And the single Mikuni made starting easier and improved low end torque and tractability in traffic, at the cost of some top end. (Still did the ton, though.) I miss the old Norton. It was stolen in 1989.
Hi Bill, great to hear about the value of the alloy wheels vs originals! I had a second hand 750 commando and traded it on a new CB honda 750. Even though the nortons clutch slipped, it was a beast compared to the ultra civilised honda. When I left the shop on that shiny new honda 750 I recall looking back at the norton being wheeled inside sensing I had made a mistake.
My old Norton always needed fiddling. And the isolastic suspension could be adjusted to tune out vibration at a given speed, which for me was about 60 MPH. But even so, I did not like that bike on the Interstate it was too twitchy. I preferred twisty country roads at about 45 MPH, or riding in the small-ish city I lived in which did not have much traffic. The bike always got comments. SIDE NOTE: It's nice to see some Triumphs back on the road that look like motorcycles, instead of all these machines that look like spaceships.
The single Mikuni does not improve low end torque. Low end torque is reduced but it's less noticeable until rpm's increase and fuel/air mixture with the single Mikuni is so starved performance losses can't be ignored. Believing the Mikuni improves torque is fiction. You will never see a Mikuni supplier back up their erroneous advertising with a Dyno test.
This is a cool motorcycle
Sounds starved with that single Mikuni. Hope the new owner put the dual carbs back on so that Commando can get it's grunt factor back.
It looks and sounds Soooo SEXY!!!!
ooooohhhhhh Yea!!!!
Awesome :-)!
Keanu reeves has one of these.
The 750 is faster than the 850 for some reason. Never found out why but side by side the 750 wins each time
The 850 was de-tuned to improve reliabiliy. HP is the same.
I have a Harley. That Norton is cooler
No registration plate! No crash helmet!
No safety helmet, no gloves, no leather, no plate or insurance. A disaster waiting to happen !
Have a 71 750
1972 had a disk brake .
mid-year addition
Combat had a disk brake. Roadster had the drum brake. Seat is aftermarket, not original.
Single carb ?
Wrong - the single IS PERFECTION the factory should have offered single carb. Single carb motors last twice as long as dual. d.s.50 yrs. cont. pro vintage British bike mechanic
There is no proof a single-carbed Norton Commando lasts longer, only conjecture.
needs twin amals :)
Having owned my 750 for over 30 years with various carb set-ups over the years I'd say you can't beat a single Mikuni for performance, starting and economy, smooth tick-over and no messing around with balance issues. The average bike admirer wouldn't even be aware.
Amal carbs are stock, yes, but they are crap. No choke! Badly made! Primitive!
@@billmilosz My 72 commando had chokes the lever was on the handle bars.
YEP, YOU WON'T BEAT THE MIKUNI"!, IF THEY RODE ANY AMAL EQUIPPED BIKES, THEN THEY WOULD KNOW THE DIFFERENCE, AN ONLY THEN, TOO!
Yep. The bike came out with Amals. They still made them, and they are better these days right out of the box. Mikuni is just a cheap, but effective way out for those who just cant be fucked doing it right.
The 1971 and newer Norton commando had a front disc brake....probably a 1969 or 70....
Front disc brakes were stock from September ‘72 on
@@bretttrafford9239 my .73 has drum
@@bretttrafford9239 I have a 72 Norton Roadster with the Combat motor and have had it for 44 years. It came off the line in June of 72 and was stock with front disc brake and twin 932 Amal carbs. My front fork gaiters and my seat are different than the bike in this video so I suspect there were variants coming out of the factory. That said, I did a top to bottom restoration on my bike a few years ago, and other than new electronic ignition, it is stock. Rare? Yes, in fact only a few old timers even know what a Norton is. It is still as fun to ride as ever, and the sight and sound turns heads. "Norton - The Unapproachable"!
@@bretttrafford9239 That only applies to the Hi-Rider "chopper" model; that model had front drum brakes until about September of '72 (also "standard" - not-Combat engine). The beginning of the "option" for disc front brakes began during the first week of January, 1972, a few '72 Roadsters, Interstates, and Fastbacks were built in the first couple of weeks of January, 1972 but after that all of these models had disc front brakes as standard.
The motorcycle in the video was manufactured in 1971 (unless it has been greatly altered by rebuilds in its life). There are many '71 parts on this motorcycle.
How much did it sell for?
I'll wich, to buy it.
40 thou hits? why?
"Tuned to Perfection". Sadly, someone put a single carb on it. Not quite perfection.
Originally had 22mm Amals, I think. I put the 23mm version on mine
@@keithattwood59 The standard for 1971 production (which this motorcycle is) was a pair of 30mm Amal Concentric, Model 930, carburetors.
@@brucebear1 sorry, a typo. I fitted 32mm Amals and gas flowed the head. I then experimented with different cams; standard, 2S, combat and 4S. Also tried varying the cam timing. The fastest was standard, but took longer to get to top speed. 4S gave best acceleration, but was gasping at 100mph. Would need to open the head more and maybe fit 34mm carbs. A friend of mine did this with his 850, but he opened his up with a big bore conversion to 920cc.
Hi, Keith. The 33 mm Amals were what the John Player Norton team fitted to most of the Norton Production Racers in the '70s; in fact, there were quite a few Formula 750 Nortons with them -- the ultimate power seemed to come with the smoothbore Amal GPs with the remote float chambers but they were often a b*****d to get set up right.
I should mention that the Concentrics that they used were specially bored out an extra mm which takes great care. It must be done *absolutely* square and centered on the bore. If anything is off, they won't tune right and it's easy to break through the metal in the case.
As you know, the 34mm Concentrics have a larger casting body. I ran a set from a flat tracker on my 850 Production Racer for a while. I used the special manifolds -- metal pipes on flanges with big **s radiator hose as a shock/vibration isolator -- that the flat trackers used and I never felt that I was getting good, pure, un-aerated fuel. Finally, I went back to bored 32s with the stock rigid mounts and I just felt better about the way the bike ran then.
Jim Schmidt has some big Keihin smoothbore carburetors that he says are the ultimate but I haven't worked up the energy to take that on.
How much tho
Around $10,000 CDN dollars. But tank must be redone.
Franklin Vaquerano both were faster, but the Commando would kick their ass in the curves or quarter mile...
He will give you near to nothing for your bike and make a killing on selling it
Well , obviously Norton and Triumph were just copying Yamaha XS motorcycles. ------------------------->>> Just kidding.
K