How to Restore Norton Commando

I could not find any aspect of restoration that is overlooked and am impressed with the standard of writing. - Roadholder. --- we think this is a good restoration guide ... check it out. - Sump. If restoring a classic motorbike seems like a potential nightmare, this book proves that it need never be so - Iain P W Robertson - Freelance.

Chris was brought up in a mechanical family where his father was always tinkering with clocks and engines, and Chris inherited his love of all things mechanical from him. Where he gained his love of motorcycles from is anyone's guess! His first bikes were a Vespa 125 and a Lambretta SX200 at the tender age of 13, followed by a Raleigh Runabout, and then his first 'real' bike - a Casal moped (a rather cheap version of the Yamaha FS1E, made in Portugal) when he was 16. He then bought a BSA Starfire 250 when he turned 17 and this was the first bike he ever rebuilt that went again afterwards! After a short dalliance with a Suzuki Rebel 350, and having the dubious pleasure of sharing a flat with the owner of a 'tired' 1972 Norton Commando Combat 750cc that was off the road more than on, he bought the love of his life - a 1954 Matchless 350 GLS Heavyweight single that he stripped down and turned into a bobber/chopper and this remained his sole means of transport for many years. Sadly that bike was then stolen and after rebuilding a Triumph T100 for a friend he purchased a Triumph Bonneville T140 which was duly rebuilt and pressed into service, but this was soon sold to fund a house purchase (familiar story?) and for many years he remained bikeless. When his fortunes changed for the better he bought an E-Type Jaguar 4.2 FHC Series II which he completely restored form the ground up and formed the basis of his first restoration manual. The whole process took nine years, but as soon as he completed it he was forced to sell it for financial reasons. Undaunted he was then able to buy two Triumph Tridents, a 1973 T150V and a 1975 T160 which he completely restored quickly followed by the iconic Kawasaki Z900, and these form the basis of two further restoration manuals, along with the Essential Buyer's Guide to the Triumph Trident and BSA Rocket III.

Inroduction: Choosing a model to restore Chapter 1 Buying the bike and preparing for restoration Chapter 2 The ten golden rules for a successful restoration Chapter 3 Preparing to dismantle the bike Chapter 5 Beginning the strip down - seat, tank and headlamp Chapter 5 Removing the main electrical components Chapter 6 Removing the rear wheel and rear brake assembly Chapter 7 Removing the carburettors Chapter 8 Draining the oil Chapter 9 Removing the swinging arm and Timing cover Chapter 10 Dismantling the Primary Chaincase Chapter 11 Dismantling the Gearbox Chapter 12 Removing the cylinder head and barrels Chapter 13 Removing the engine from the frame Further chapters covering the rebuilding and restoration process.