rodsharp
Registered user
I fancy a BSA Super Rocket which I have had before so know a little about them but just found out about a local Norton Commando mk 111. Anybody have any experience?good or bad.
BSA or Norton
- Thread starter rodsharp
- Start date
I bought a lightly used '75 Commando MkIII in 1977. It wasn't a good experience. They were supposed to have 58 bhp as standard. Mine had the annular discharge silencers swapped for peashooters when I bought it. It would struggle to hit 100 mph, although it would maintain 80 - 90 mph fairly easily. The head was porous and it leaked furiously out of the head / barrel joint whenever I rode it hard. The hydraulic chain tensioner was ineffective and on average, I'd have to disassemble the primary drive once a week to stop the chain flapping around inside the primary chaincase. The electric starter struggled to turn over the engine even on standard pistons before I rebuilt it with 10.25:1 Omega ones and a 3S camshaft. I'm sure there's more that's lost in the mists of time......
I had a Mk111 until a year or so back.
The starting issue is easily sorted with an Oddysey battery and a 4 brush (from memory) conversion to the starter motor which is easy to do.
Those porous heads were, according to legend, from a bad batch which were supposed to have been scrapped, but quite a few found their way back onto the market.
It vibrated quite badly as it had been sitting for years and the isolastic rubbers had gone hard and cam shaped. I replaced them and it helped, but I took it to Norman Whyte at Thruxton and within half an hour he had transformed the bike by adjusting both the isolastics and the clutch. Both of which I couldn't for the life of me sort properly.
He reckoned the manuals were wrong on both these counts, and he should know as he was both the development engineer and the factory racer for these bikes.
They have a lot of torque and bags of character, are able to keep up with modern motorway traffic. There's loads of affordable mods and aftermarket bits an bobs that's make them a very useable classic bike.
IMHO the best of the late Brit classics, even arguably better that the T160, both of which I had at the same time.
Go for it
The starting issue is easily sorted with an Oddysey battery and a 4 brush (from memory) conversion to the starter motor which is easy to do.
Those porous heads were, according to legend, from a bad batch which were supposed to have been scrapped, but quite a few found their way back onto the market.
It vibrated quite badly as it had been sitting for years and the isolastic rubbers had gone hard and cam shaped. I replaced them and it helped, but I took it to Norman Whyte at Thruxton and within half an hour he had transformed the bike by adjusting both the isolastics and the clutch. Both of which I couldn't for the life of me sort properly.
He reckoned the manuals were wrong on both these counts, and he should know as he was both the development engineer and the factory racer for these bikes.
They have a lot of torque and bags of character, are able to keep up with modern motorway traffic. There's loads of affordable mods and aftermarket bits an bobs that's make them a very useable classic bike.
IMHO the best of the late Brit classics, even arguably better that the T160, both of which I had at the same time.
Go for it
bandit
Registered user
I believe you should only buy a classic bike with the heart, so it's what you fancy but I tend never to have the same one again
Gotta agree with you there Tim.
I love A10's & A7's so it would have to be the Super Rocket for me, I've had both A10 and a Commando, I loved both but i'd be daft if i thought about another Commando, i might be tempted by a pre electric start 850 roadster in Cherry Red and s type pipes, but other than that I think i'd enjoy the A10 more if it were 'right' IYKWIM
Gor to be right though matching numbers and as standard as possible.
Gor to be right though matching numbers and as standard as possible.
Two of my favourite bikes.
The a10 is much easier to live with, single carb means it's always in balance. The mark III 850 wouldn't be my first choice for a commando I'd prefer a late 750 roadster. A friends had one for years, slightly tweaked, that ran rings round my 1150gsa - a bit disconcerting to be giving an 1150 the beans only to have a 40 year old twin thunder past. It is well sorted though.
if I could find one I'd take a 750 Commando over the a10 and be prepared to do lots of sorting out. If you just want to ride the a10 would be my choice.
The a10 is much easier to live with, single carb means it's always in balance. The mark III 850 wouldn't be my first choice for a commando I'd prefer a late 750 roadster. A friends had one for years, slightly tweaked, that ran rings round my 1150gsa - a bit disconcerting to be giving an 1150 the beans only to have a 40 year old twin thunder past. It is well sorted though.
if I could find one I'd take a 750 Commando over the a10 and be prepared to do lots of sorting out. If you just want to ride the a10 would be my choice.
rodsharp
Registered user
Thanks for your comments. Seems the A10 is probably a better choice as I'm not interested in playing with it all the time and my previous A10 was just so reliable . I know I shouldn't have sold it but we all make mistakes. Anybody got a spare one?
and for a few quid you can add an electric start to an A10
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Norton every time. More torque,keeps up with modern traffic better and can be made to be very reliable, all be it with a good deal of effort
. Good luck and enjoy what ever you decide. 
More torque,keeps up with modern traffic better and can be made to be very reliable, all be it with a good deal of effort. Good luck and enjoy what ever you decide. 
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