1971 Norton 750 Commando Cafe Racer

Here’s a nice looking example of a first-gen Commando that has been converted to cafe-racer duty. Overall, the modifications are spot-on, but I do have one minor quibble: the rear ride height. Shocks one inch longer would really balance the bike front-to-rear, and lifting the back end up would also probably quicken the handling just a smidge.

Other than that, this is an unrestored runner that is currently not seeing much action in the auction. There is a a day and a half left in the auction, and the current price is $4,550. Reserve has not been met, but there is a Buy-It-Now price of $7,500, so we can probably assume the reserve is set somewhere around $7K. With only two bidders so far, it seems there isn’t a huge chance the bike will end up selling.

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1971 Norton 850 Commando (relist on eBay)

Here’s a relisted Norton cafe racer that I liked a lot the first time around, and I don’t like it any less now. There is no reserve on the auction, so it should sell this time. Maybe it was a non-paying bidder last time? No idea. Current price is $2,550 with over 4 days left and a few bidders. Here’s the link to the original bike, or you can click through to the new listing through the pics below…
ORIGINAL POSTING

1965 Norton Atlas 750 (Dunstall Dominator)

Wow! The auction closed at $11,601! How cool! See the comment below from a friend of the seller…

Mmmmmmmmmm…

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh…

Beautiful. Nothing much else to say. I might have missed some minor detail that’s out of place and someone will point it out. Don’t care. Here’s some specs and more pictures below. There’s more pics and the seller’s writeup if you are interested in learning more or trying to buy the bike. The auction’s at $8,200 with 2 days left and 17 bidders (reserve HAS been met)…

The engine features the work of noted tuner Leo Goff including a balanced lower end, 10.1 pistons, Norris SS cam, and gas flowed head resulting in a very fast and smooth 750 Norton motor.
Alloy Rims
Steering Damper (Manx type)
Multi Rate Valve Springs (S&W)
Special Camshaft (Norris SS hotter than 2S Combat cam)
Paired Monobloc 1 1/8″ Carbs
Competition Manual Advance Magneto
5 Gal Racing Tank
Domiracer Seat
The tach and speedo were restored by Nisongers.
The magneto was rebuilt by Doug Wood.
The only flaw is some acid stains on the left silencer from a vented battery (since replaced with a sealed unit).
The bike is very strong and smooth and is ready to ride.

1971 Norton 750 Commando – Gus Kuhn

With about 21 hours left in this eBay auction, here’s a chance to own a classic Gus Kuhn Norton that is fully kitted out. It’s definitely not a show bike, and as the seller claims it starts easily and runs great this would probably be a great bike for Sunday morning runs up to Alice’s Restaurant. That being said, I’m sure this bike would attract a lot of attention if it was parked at any classic bike show.

Here’s a list of parts fitted to the bike

Racing 850 Kit
Updated AMAL MK2
Tomaselli clip-on
Morris mag wheels
AP brake master cylinder
Frame and motor number matching

While reserve hasn’t been met yet, I’d bet that there will be a few more bids before the auction ends. The price currently stands at $3,750 with 8 bids.

1971 Norton Commando 850 Cafe Racer

First off, I would like to apologize for the poor quality of the previous bike and post. After taking a month plus off from blogging about the current crop of cafe racers, I was mostly discombobulated while writing that, given a comment or two that I received both online and in person. 😦 Be that as it may, it is time to move on to bigger and better things. Below you will see what I hope is my apology in action…

Here we have a really nice Commando 850 that has been entirely cafe’d. I am having trouble finding anything missing from this bike that would need upgrading immediately upon purchase. You could, of course, add higher-performance parts to it. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that it is basically a turnkey bike that the buyer can hop on and ride. The seller has been honest with the few issues that it has (speedo cable, oil weep, and tank dings), and it has a recently rebuilt engine. If there is anything I have missed that should be there (me not being a true Norton expert or anything like that), please let me know…

Currently, there is less than a day left in the auction, and the price is in the mid $4K range with 21 bidders. Perhaps it will break $5K before the auction ends. It isn’t perfect, but the seller is being very upfront with the issues it does have. Good luck if you bid…

1974 Norton Commando MKII Roadster 850

Here’s a beautiful, clean, and non-restored Norton Commando cafe racer. The price is currently a low $3,150 with 2 1/2 days left in the auction. The seller has it listed on craigslist for $4,100, so I suspect the reserve is no higher than the craigslist price.

I focused on the price first, because the pics tell most of the story. However, there is more to the story. The seller is honest about the flaws on this bike, which include a small amount of road rash from a low speed dump and a couple of instances of cracked glass (speedo and headlight). It also has some nice upgrades other than the cafe racer aesthetics including electronic ignition, new headers, and an RGM brake system.

What’s especially nice about this bike is that it is very representative of a true British cafe racer. And honestly, the only aesthetic thing that has been done to this bike is the conversion to clubman bars. Damn, I wish I could afford this bike!

1974 Norton Commando 850 Cafe Racer

I thought I had posted this bike already, but apparently I hadn’t. There’s only a little over a day left in the auction, so I’m sorry for the late notice. It is a beautiful bike, though, so I’m glad I caught it…

This Commando 850 cafe racer appears to be a pretty clean bike. The paint appears to be in good condition, and the “engine has fresh service and valve adjustment, all new fluids, runs perfectly…………. easy start hot or cold” to quote the seller. No idea if that’s true or not. It’s got a bunch of new parts and upgrades including 18″ wheels and an electronic ignition. Overall, a really nice Norton.

Interesting Norton on eBay Right Now

I found this Norton on eBay this afternoon, and it is quite an interesting bike (or amalgamation of parts to be more accurate). The listing says that it is a 1971 Norton Dunstall 810cc, which, I am assuming, means it started life as a 1971 Norton Commando 750, and morphed into the bike shown below. I find the integrated brakes/forks quite fascinating.

There is a bunch of detail (and more photos) in the listing if you want to check it out. Currently, it is at $6K with zero bids…

1973 Norton Commando 750 Cafe Racer – Very Clean!

UPDATE: The auction closed at $8,201. Wow. Seems like it should have gone for more given the clean looks and recent rebuild of the mechanicals.
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Up for auction on eBay right now is this super clean 1973 Norton Commando 750 that has been done up as a super clean cafe racer. The whole motor/transmission appears to have been rebuilt (photos of the motor internals), and lots of new parts have been installed. However, I think it is the aesthetics that make this bike stand out. This is just a flat out beautiful motorcycle. It has already moved above reserve, so someone will be buying this bike. Cool stuff!