Commando in Red

Just some obligatory pics of the Commando. New shoes and clean carbs [for the third time, thank you very little EPA and your infernal, detrimental and destructive to motorcycles ethanol (and say that again out loud with a little curl of your lip like Billy Idol used to do)] Still, she’s a joy to ride and a great source of pride for one lucky dude.

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See why they call it a "slimline" frame? Even though this is the later isolastic mounted motor, it has deep roots in the featherbed frame.

See why they call it a “slimline” frame? Even though this is the later isolastic mounted motor, it has deep roots in the featherbed frame.

The sky brightened to make a beautiful back drop for this shot.

The sky brightened to make a beautiful back drop for this shot.

Round hole, Rectangular peg.

Well, sorta. The rear wheel/sprocket dampers were AWOL in this 1974 Norton Commando 850. There were no signs of wear or tear on the interlocking parts as the bike has been in moth balls for quite some time, but is now getting exercised on a weekly basis. After mounting new tires and truing the spoke rims, I installed the new dampers in hopes they stick around for a while and keep this old ride smooth and happy!

Kinda looks like a sad clown face...

Kinda looks like a sad clown face…

The sprocket side.

The sprocket side.

And last but not least, the little and large damper buffers.

And last but not least, the little and large damper buffers.