Originally posted on GarageBoyzMagazine.com Issue # 8
kultureblog.com
kultureblog.com
The beautiful 1974 Norton 850 Commando you see here started out in a box waiting for somebody with a strong will , heart , patience and know how to bring back to life. Luckily for the bike Darrel was just the man for the job. He credits Norton Guru Chris Greenbacker and fellow members of the Nations Capital Norton Owners Club with helping him make this basketcase into what it is today.
Darrel was always into bikes and has owned quite a few other bikes that were primarily American. He even stepped away from bikes for a while to focus on cars. But then his brother " a British Bike Nut" got him back into bikes and his love of British bikes began. There are even 2 more Norton projects in the works for Darrel, one being an Atlas and the other being a second Commando which he says "will be my masterpiece".
It is hard to envision what could top this Vintage Modern 74 Commando.This project may make some purists give him an ear full, but it also makes any bike lover want to stare at it lustfully. Not only was he able to keep the vintage look and feel of the bike, but with modern add ons like Werks Performance shocks and Brembo brakes it handles and stops as good as any bike today.
Other notable features of the bike that lend themselves to the look and feel are the drilled primary cover, chrome fork legs, chrome rims with polished hubs and sealed bearings, Napolean bar end mirror and chrome throught out the bike make the bike truly stand out.
THE COMMANDO BEFORE ITS TRANSFORMATION
The Brembo brake set up was supplied by Colorado Norton Works. The brakes not only work great but look amazing in chrome. One of the trick features of this set up is the fender brace, which nicely curves around the caliper, a small but unique touch that helps bring the bike's finish one step higher.
One of the many cool features on this Commando is the drilled primary cover. The bike was converted to a belt drive primary made by Norvil in England. Darrel say that the clutch is perfectly happy dry. The speed holes really add to the vintage racer look and feel of the bike. The cover was an old stock piece that was found on Ebay for 20 bucks. Darrel cleaned it up and then "drilled the hell out of it" . From there it went of to the chromer.
Norton stop putting fork gators on the Commando in 1971, but the addition of them on this bike really adds to the vintage look. Sharp eyed purist may have also noticed, that the stock fenders in 74 were stainless, but on this beautiful restoration they are powder coated black, which really pulls the bike together
If there is one heartbreaker to owning a vintage British motorcycle it would have to be the electrics. The original Lucas system was known to house many electrical gremlins and this reputation helped coin the phrase " Lucas the Prince of Darkness" .
Well Darrel built this bike to ride whenever and wherever he wanted so, the old system was done away with. He custom built a new wire harness and added a Sparx 3-phase alernator.
"ALL THE LUCAS HOCUS POCUS IS GONE"
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