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24-10-2021, 10:10 PM | #1 |
Lord of the Rings
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Norwich
Bike: M900sie
Posts: 5,845
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I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle!
I sent Dacs this picture after the last "dry" build of my Commando last May. He replied with a comment along the lines of.. It looks as if it is about to pounce on something. I immediately though of Neil Morrissey's film "I Bought A Vampire Motorcycle", which does in fact star a Commando of the same year as this one. I couldn't remember if I'd seen it, so I tried to watch it on YouTube, but did a lot of fast forwarding and giggling... Some good shots of the Commando though. I bought this from Utopia about three years ago I think it was. In many many bits. It's starting to come together now after lots of work and many many stalls, so I will try and chronical the build and bring it up to date. I still get asked by club members "How is that Commando coming on?" UKMOC has collectively made a bigger contribution to the build than the Norton Owners Club as it happens.
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25-10-2021, 08:36 AM | #2 |
Bronze Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Poole
Bike: M900ie
Posts: 471
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Now I'm thinking that Neil Morrissey also had a black & gold (big tank) Commando when he played Rocky in the ill fated "Boon" series. In fact I have a vague memory of a MCN story that said it was actually his own bike. (I might just have imagined the last bit).
Anyway good to see a pic of this mythical bike, should have it finished in time for spring?
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25-10-2021, 09:06 AM | #3 | |
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: East London
Bike: Multiple Monsters
Posts: 9,714
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Quote:
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25-10-2021, 09:34 AM | #4 | |
Lord of the Rings
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Norwich
Bike: M900sie
Posts: 5,845
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Quote:
I often wondered if Neil rode off screen as he was so natural in his many "biker" roles. Always seemed to wear the same leathers? No idea if it was his bike, but wouldn't mind betting that Norton helped him out a bit if it was? Turning up to NOC meets on a Monster probably didn't help, but it didn't stop them making me chairman of the branch.. That didn't last long though! Ironically Lockheed is a hop up for a Commando. The original Norton/AP/Lockheed clod is a thing to behold, I'll show a picture later! The Brembo comes from a Hyper or Multi. I ordered it from a breaker in Kent, with the caveat that it had to come from his warehouse! I proceeded to track it down the Baltic chain, across Poland, Germany and Holland. So for all I know the original owner has probably been paid out by the insurance by now??
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25-10-2021, 10:18 AM | #5 |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Leeds, West-Yorks
Bike: S4Rs
Posts: 497
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With the thread title, i thought you’d bought a Hesketh!
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25-10-2021, 03:51 PM | #6 |
Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: stourbridge
Bike: M750
Posts: 352
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Yes me too!
Always wanted a Commando -they were still around with the T140 / 150 and 160 Trumpets when I entered the biking arena in '73 on a Fizzie. I can still remember the shock of seeing the front wheel oscillate at tickover on Cope's forecourt in the Hagley Road Birmingham. Had mates who have owned tridents and commandos but the nearest I got was a new Z750 twin in '76. And yes we used to enjoy Boon back in the 80's. Didn't Michael Elfick's character ride a BSA 650 -A65 was it? |
26-10-2021, 09:06 PM | #7 |
Lord of the Rings
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Norwich
Bike: M900sie
Posts: 5,845
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Looking back I have in fact had this for 4 years, I collected it in September '17.
The fondly remembered Alfa was laden to the gunwales with boxes and boxes of steel and iron. She got very hot up some of the hills on the way home! First thing was to have a bit of a mock up to see if looked like a motorcycle. It was originally a police bike, a Norton Interpol. The swinging arm was seized solid into the cradle, despite Jeff's valiant attempts to free it. First job was to get Carl Harrison to push the pivot pin out with his 12 ton press and that separated two of only a very few parts still attached to something else. Next I spun up a couple of false swinging arm bushes from Oak to mock up the rolling chassis again. New Speedo and rev-counter arrived from Phoenix Arizona, although about 45 years old they are in perfect nick thanks to the arid desert air. I rebuilt the forks with new stanchions and bushes, incorporating a "Covenant" conversion which crudely creates a hydraulic bump stop by shutting off the bleed valves earlier than standard, hopefully improving the damping as well. StevieL put me onto a GRP Roadster tank for fifty quid which at that stage I hoped to use to make a mould for a CF tank. Second dry build showed me where everything should go, helped no end by Jeff's meticulous notes on almost every component. Little pieces of cardboard and paper threaded onto bolts and studs or wired on, with super neat handwritten notes as to location and orientation. Some cheap reject side panels were also bought for use as moulds. and I started to pave the yard!
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26-10-2021, 09:21 PM | #8 |
Lord of the Rings
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Norwich
Bike: M900sie
Posts: 5,845
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The engine has no innards at this stage and the gearbox is as found. The crankcases have to be attached to connect the cradle to the front isolastics in order to form a rolling chassis.
There are only 3 flexible attachment points to the frame for the entire power/transmission with Norton's "wonderful" Isolastic system which attempted to control the vibes from a grossly over bored 500 twin from Neolithic times. The tyres have plenty of tread left, they are new.... about 40 years ago!!
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26-10-2021, 09:46 PM | #9 |
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Kent
Bike: M796
Posts: 510
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Gazza, if you need any Norton parts put a list up as my dad has quite a stock I think in the back of his garage.
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27-10-2021, 12:16 PM | #10 |
Lord of the Rings
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Norwich
Bike: M900sie
Posts: 5,845
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Thank you Colin, I will bear that in mind, although I'm pretty much there with parts now apart form some consumables.
Ironic once again that I have not had an offer like that from the NOC department.
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27-10-2021, 06:40 PM | #11 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: bath
Bike: M900
Posts: 46
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I had three forays into the NOC in Bristol in the eighties... the first on my '76 Commando, bought as an Interplod, changed to a roadster, the second, weeeelllll, on a Norimp I built, not popular there, the third... A Norsaab I built, with a Manx Norton frame, I thought I was going to be lynched...
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I would agree with you, but then both of us would be wrong... |
27-10-2021, 06:49 PM | #12 | |
Too much time on my hands member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Shipbourne
Bike: M900
Posts: 1,421
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Quote:
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27-10-2021, 07:17 PM | #13 |
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Stockbridge
Bike: M900
Posts: 1,984
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Was that the 3 cylinder two stroke Saab 95 engine?
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27-10-2021, 07:45 PM | #14 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: bath
Bike: M900
Posts: 46
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Yup, it was, am in Holland now, all my photos in Menorca, where I live, but if You are interested, and can wait a few days, I will dig up some photos for You then...
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I would agree with you, but then both of us would be wrong... |
27-10-2021, 07:52 PM | #15 |
Lord of the Rings
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Norwich
Bike: M900sie
Posts: 5,845
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Yes please hh.
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