Bill Greene of Capistrano Beach, California shows us his beautifully restored 1974 Norton Commando, which is build 101 by Colorado Norton Works. Riding video shot with the GoPro Hero 3+.
When I was in high school back in the '70s, there was a bright yellow Norton Commando in the local dealer's showroom window. I used too dream about that bike and went back numerous times to look at it. It will always be my ultimate Norton. As for the restoration, it's gorgeous! Anyone that follows the car auctions knows the "resto-mods" used to be worth about half the value of a concours restoration, now they can bring much more. Not everyone that owns a classic is a mechanic.
i bought my 1975 mk3 brand new as a leftover in 1977. i love my norton. it shakes it leaks oil and it throws parts on the ground. i've eliminated most of the leaks and parts dumping through hard work and sealants but i hate spending $11 a gallon and mixing race fuel with pump gas and lead additive to get 25 mpg. i decided to send my bike to colorado norton works and will get it back this spring better than ever. i own right now hondas(3), a kawasaki,a gas gas,and a yamaha but my norton is my favorite by far and getting rid of some outdated engineering will be a blessing. mr. rambo takes a lot of time and consideration to ensure that his bikes still retain the norton soul in a reliable package and that sounds great to me. ps, anyone who says with all these mods it's just not a true norton anymore, think of all the mods and replacement parts on your so called stocker you put on to make it run right. i cannot do what this man does and usually do not allow others to work on my machines. this is my 40th birthday present to my bike from me....she has served me well for many decades and deserves this!!!!!!!
+B FRANK Love your comment about "this is my 40th birthday present to my bike from me....she has served me well for many decades and deserves this!!!!!!!" I totally agree. It's gonna be great to ride the ol' Norton on the road again.
Beautiful motorcycle. Norton, Triumph, BSA, Ariel. I loved them all in their heydays and I love now. I don't care how much this guy spent on his bike. It's his money, his bike and his desires. God bless him for having the disposable income to spend on something he loves.
This is a truly beautiful bike, and the modifications all make a lot of sense. Having said that, I will also say that I put 13,000 miles on an original 1974 Norton Commando Mk II that I bought used with 3,500 miles on it. Everything worked well, including brakes, suspension, clutch, engine and 4-speed trans. The original carburetors were so easy to adjust and synchronize that I put the idle down @ 500 rpm. It would not die at a light! I maintained it properly and drove it like a raped ape. Confidence-inspiring handling. Better than any bike I had before or since.
Nice to see a guy actually ride a true show bike. I just took delivery of my “new” Norton; fresh out of NYCNorton w a 920 kit. Looking forward to the end of COVID to our miles on her 👍
I grew up in the era when they were new I had two and rode many more as I was a expert at getting them running right, I knew when they were right when at around 4.000 rpm they would lift the front wheel in second, handling was like the bike could understand you brain, low end grunt was fun let them rev & hit the corners was pure fun.. yes they were a high maintenance motorcycle but the pleasure of riding made it worth it, I still ride, 63 .to me the Commando was a true fun work of motorcycle art..
As a biker and having built custom bikes i can appreciate the high standard of work gone into this...beautiful bike,great improvements while keeping it looking standard...stunning bike mate!
Hello, I own a 1967 Bonneville Triumph that I purchased in March or 1967. Rode it for years and nothing ever fell off and never broke down on the road.
Beautiful Commando with all the modern goodies installed. I rod the same Commando 750 in 1973-74 before and was so amazed to see all the upgrade you have made to make the ride so enjoyable. Happy riding!
I own a 1971 Commando Roadster which I purchased brand new in the spring of 1971. This Norton is my daily rider from April till November. I have upgraded most everything from carbs to the ignition system. I get most original replacement parts from Carl at Southwest Cycles in Albuquerque. I do all the work on it myself. Some aftermarket parts I have purchased from Colorado Norton Works, but I find them over priced. There is something to be said about riding and working on the same bike since it was new, 45 years ago.
Best of both worlds is the only way to go. Modernising classic bikes and cars allows people to still enjoy them whilst being a lot safer and more reliable. Thank you for sharing your beautiful looking and sounding Norton.
It’s a tribute to the original Commando that so many people still own them in one variation or another. I’ve owned about a dozen bikes in my 68 years, Guzzi Le Mans Mk. I, 500 Honda V4, BMW R100Cs, etc. but my 74’ Commando is the most fun to ride by far. Also needs the most attention but I don’t mind. A single Mik carb, Boyer ignition, 13 mm master cyl, reed pcv valve on the breather hose and longer kickstart lever make it better. I like this CNW bike but prefer the polished fenders. primary cover, and Smith instruments. At least this bike still has a kickstart.
Beautiful bike. I remember having one of these blast past me in Perth, Western Australia in 1972. You had to know your way around a bike to own one and keep it going.
Absolutely beautiful bike. Must be great to have the bugs ironed out. In the '80's I had a 750 Roadster and an Interstate (for parts). The only mods I had were a Boyer electronic ignition, Bilsteins and a large bore single Mikuni carb kit. I re-shimmed the Isolastic Suspension mounting points which was a pain, but it tightened up the handling. Overall, the best handling bike I'd ever owned. Never rode a Featherbed-framed Norton, though. I'll go to my grave wondering how much better that was.
Visit a Norton rally, and if possible attend Barber Vintage. You can wallow in the museum, and CNW and other vendors bring plenty of Nortons and everything else with two wheels.
Those Australian parts are really good, the pressure cast cylinder head, but most importantly the trispark ignitions revolutionise these old parallel twins (Beezas, Trumpeys and Nortons). Short of installing programmable ignitions, trispark are the best.
I got a 750 norton commando fastback in 1972. that was probably the best english bike at the time. Mine did not leak oil and it was so comfortable to ride...and the noise was incredible! 90 plus decibel. Would love to get one now just for fun!
Bill, What a beauty. I owned a 64 Norton Matchless, the Commando was an improvement, and your ride is a quantum leap forward. Mine was,,, frankly a pain in the butt. The power of the Atlas engine was fun, but not worth the trouble.
The only thing that's ever fell off my 600cc 1960 Norton Dominator, was the pillion passenger that was caught unawares by the mid range acceleration it had.
was hard on shoes. The bouncing speedometer and tachometer looked great and I would miss them in a build like this but I can appreciate what the package has to offer. I'd like to take that Norton for a ride. The cost isn't relevant. It's a hobby. You don't expect to get all of your investment back! Nice to see a Norton getting so many practical modifications. The dry primary conversion eliminates another oil leak. Who wouldn't appreciate a little more grip from the front disc? Great narration from a rider who knows his bike.
I agree it is Ace! Colorado Norton Bikes are so well built painted,polished and that seat looks great. I recommend looking at the website gallery Seriously Some of the most Beautiful Nortons I have ever seen
+Morgan Wasem You got that right. An electronic ignition would have been a blessing in 1969 on my commando fast back. I had to start the damned thing wearing only a T shirt, even in the winter, to prevent heat exhaustion. Oil leaks were a pain as well. But it was fast and great handling.
Bill, Love that Canary Yellow on your Norton! Nice high visibility for safety too! Too much yellow for a car, but perfect tasteful amount on a bike! Steve
I rode Nortons and Greeves, both British bikes, all through the sixties and they did not shed parts or quit working. In fact as far as I know the bikes I had are still going!
Old design but with modern materials and techniques...wonderful results. Just imagine how a Beetle would work today, manufactured with modern tooling and materials!...
Always enjoyed riding a friend's Norton; had a 69 Bonne then. One hour of maintenance for every hour on the road. You had to be prepared to fix on the roadside as I recall. Honda's CB 750 changed all of that. Remember a Honda CL 77 scrambler I rode while in Japan in the 60s in the USAF. Those were good times.
my Norton Commando is totally stock original and doesn't leak a drip of oil ticks over perfectly and I have done 75.000 miles on it cruising at 80 to 90 mph, I use it as my only motorcycle, it has amal mk 1 carburettors although they have been replaced for new ones which are still made, commandos aren't whitworth anyway, it wasn't used in the 1970's. original commandos from the 70's are very reliable and can still be used today as an everyday motorcycle. I will admit though they do sump oil if left a week or more, the way to minimise this is when you leave them make sure they are on the compression stroke.
Glad you're enjoying your bike, but one disagreement on your comments: Nortons were Whitworth - I purchased a new Commando in 1972 and still have the bike, and it definitely uses Whitworth-sized hardware. Just my two cents.
I agree with your reply, they are a mixture of Whitworth and other. Glad to hear you're enjoying your Norton. Wonderful motorcycles with loads of character.
Lovely looking bike, but a little misleading to say it is a 1974 model (everything is new).....my own 1974 Norton is in being tuned and serviced right now and I can't wait to get it back again!
British bikes didn’t fall apart They dropped a bit of oil from time to time but they’ were pretty reliable, simple and very honest Don’t know what is guys talking And I doubt if he does either But very nice bike In its day the Norton Commando could reach 0 to 60 miles an hour and 4.1 seconds
Love your video...had 4 of these beastly beauties...Cafe Racer, Street stock and 2 High riders (brought out to 850 @ 12.5/1). An absolute Love Affair. A few things though...1) The 2 side panels (triangular) also allowed you to carry some tools. They covered, as you know the oil reservoir and battery but where covered with an internal divider, for strength. 2) Whitworth tooling and usage are Greatly misconceived. The changes and acceptance of BSF (British Standard Fine)...BSC (British Standard Cycle)... and the original BSW (British Standard Whitworth)...all of this was an attempt to standardize manufacturing and serviceability. There's a lot more to it...leading to the different names for wrenches...(not wenches), and (Spanners). Check out the reasons for things like a Spanner and a socket. 3) And last...Most of a NORTON can be disassembled with Previously removed parts. I hollowed out my seat (Girlfriends) back end and fucked in parts of the Manuel. Hay...I drove, she rode...and fell asleep, many a time
Magnificent! Absolutely nothing wrong with "re-engineering" an older bike ... after all, that's basically what all the cafe racers of the 60's were trying to do! (And NO, ya DON'T "need more helmet," in spite of what one commenter below says. I damn near got killed one night because I couldn't hear an ambulance coming, thanks to the damn helmet. I've used helmets like this one, ever since.)
i remember when the police used this bike is a patrol machine . the radio was the size of a large shoe box fastened to the fuel tank . hand held phone with a speaker that worked full blast so it could be heard over the engine with a huge 5 foot aerial on the back . good old days lol ! nice bike .
excellent,i had a 1970 fastback previously owned by a series of careless owners,i was always working on it,eventually i sold it to buy a kawasaki 900,i should have kept it.....
awsome,since the commando came out engineering has come such a long way,,if only we had the engineering then that we have now the commando would have been world beating then,having said that i\m 60 and ridden dozens of british bikes,even had a yellow commando,gus kahn cafe racer...love the seat and black primary case,,now have 1954 land rover and looking for a commando,,loved triumph t150 trident i owned and 759 f2 honda,but brits are best ,, mid life crisis,,what me ..
