1973 Norton Commando 850 Interstate [visit 20 of 31] 

So true Larry! And even more true than ever before at the moment!! Cheers, Mike

And soft cheese at that! There is something purely classic about the Roadster.

Thank you Corey! Cheers, Mike

Thanks a lot! We should have a few more coming soon! Best wishes, Mike

Our pleasure! Thanks very much Patrick. Much appreciated. Cheers, Mike

Thank you William. Oregon is such a lovely place in the late Spring and Summer months. Best wishes, Mike

Thank you Greg!

I haven’t found the capacity if the 72 fiberglass tank which I assume will be slightly smaller than the steel version due to the thickness of the fiberglass. The 73-74 tank is 7.3 US gallons and the MkIII tank is 6.6.

Thank you Jim! I appreciate it. Best wishes, Mike

Hehe, we are always surprised when these old bike's start. But it's a good surprise 😉😎

Many thanks Mike! Glad you enjoyed this. We may just have a few more Nortons in the pipeline! 😎👍

With over 7 US gallons you can almost make it across one of our western states. 😜

@@swooshdave Yes, that`s right .You almost could , but it would depend on how the Norton felt about it.. One time you might ,another day no. Sometimes half way. The sneaky thing about them was they kept you hanging on ,in hope. They were such great machines .That`s why an entire industry grew up around making them work.

BillyCaspersGhost This bike has made several 1000 mile journeys to Barber. Only the first year with a tired motor and worn primary chain did it not make it. The other times it didn’t miss a beat. Not bad for an unrestored 45 year old bike!

@@swooshdave And that`s great. I have a `69 BSA B25 ,my first bike, that never blew its engine. Many more did. I have had BSA A65`s that did not eat its cheap main bearing bush almost instantly and not vibrate to the point of splitting petrol tanks. Others not so lucky ,luck of the draw really I remember the first 850 Commando a local guy had. Did not last 6 months before he went Honda. `70s quality was lousy on the BSA/Triumph and NVT bikes. Part of the industry death rattle I expect. Some were even sent out with unhardened camshafts .Imagine that. The Police version the "Interpol" was regarded by the rozzers as a curse and was dumped as soon as it was patriotically possible to buy BMW. I`ve ridden and worked on British bikes 43 years now. Unless I had built it myself ,or knew the work, I would not go Interstating on an Interstate . Brit bikes for me are like women .."can`t live with `em ,can`t live without `em". And I know I`ll never leave them.

BillyCaspersGhost That all being said I wouldn’t hesitate to jump on this bike for another 1000 mile ride. Well, aside from needing a new rear tire...

Hi Jimbo, yes, Norton changed the gearshift over from the right to the left in 1975 with the MK3 (Mark 3) model, which also came with an electric starter. Cheers, Mike

It was mandated in 1975.

Haha, I would love to say that was planned Stephen and because they are both 1973 models from competing companies at the time.... but the truth is I messed up and released the 2 videos by mistake 🤪. Ah well!

I just finished a front brake caliper rebuild so I should have a video on my channel in a bit. But yes, lots of little jobs in my future.

Here's a link to ​@@swooshdave's front caliper rebuild video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XRbNGzi3xM4.html

Thanks for your note. I do appreciate what you're saying. It's a personal choice for sure. I see it a lot and I would suggest that having a vintage bike that starts really easily and idles effortlessly is really important. Perhaps even more important that top end performance. We see so many guys with their old Amals having thoroughly miserable time trying to start their bikes. And then the situation just gets worse and the guys ultimately stop riding their vintage bikes because they are so hard to start. I believe that anything that helps to keep these bikes starting and running is worthwhile. Without doubt, the Mikuni carbs can transform the starting and idling process and I don't believe I've ever heard anyone complain that they diminish top end performance. Perhaps we just don't ride them hard enough to notice 😉

I’ve never heard of the work light. I’ve heard of a shaver but I can’t imagine a 12v shaver being very effective. Do you have the fiberglass tank?

I seem to recall that the early Triumphs that had the instrument panel on the gas/petrol tank had a little light that you could pull out. It was attached by an electrical umbilical cord. But I haven't heard about that on a Commando before. Cheers, Mike

I don’t think so.

Thanks again Randy. I have enjoyed watching some of your videos! Best wishes,

Nothing wrong with a 69 Bonneville! There’s a lot worse things to be stuck with. 😜

It served me well until i bought a new 76 750 Bonneville

I can live with that guilt. 😜

Guilty, your honor 😜👍

I have the new isolastics but haven’t put them in yet. I probably should look to see if they were updated in the past. Layshaft bearing may have been replaced at some point. Swing arm has the welded nut mod. This was don’t before the clamps came into fashion. I’m not sure if it’s original enough to worry about not restoring it. Now Mike’s Mk2A is so original it shouldn’t be restored.

swooshdave All good mods and worthwhile. I say don’t restore because when I bought mine 30 odd years ago it was OP and one of the first things I did was to paint it. As they say they’re only original once. Good riding.

They did. My 2004 Triumph Bonneville T100 has electric start and disc brakes, among other improvements from previous generations. Made in Hinkley, England.

The Commando MkIII ended with electric start , or not, depending on how it felt. The last T160 Trident was also electric start. Too little ,much too late

One kick is all that is needed. Electric start is overkill. 😜

@@billycaspersghost7528 So did the 1980 to 83 Triumph Bonnevilles.

@@mitchburk5112 Yep ,much too late though to have any meaning. Ruined the looks and solved a problem that wasn`t the root cause of Triumphs problems. Same with the pointless 8 valve head version.

I’ve been tempted to put the upswept pipes on but I do like the uniqueness of the Interstate pipes too.