Andover Norton News

We have the correct style engine and gearbox screws for your Commando.
Early Commando had domed head slotted screws for the timing cover. After 1971 they became flat cheese head, and then in 1975 pozidrive for the Mk3:

After re-manufacturing the later gusseted swinging arm (see February news below)
for the first time in many years, we have now re-manufactured the earlier version
for those who want to restore an early Commando back to original.

Both swinging arm versions have not been available for at least a decade.

Makes one wonder how some people manage to build bikes "from new parts!"

This early version is part# 06-0441.

Now available from stock for £399.80 +VAT.

We also now have a steel version of the contact breaker cover for late Dommis/early Commandos (see picture) @£24.95 +VAT.

Alongside we continue to offer our plastic version c/w grommet for £16.35+VAT

06-1978BL We were asked by a dealer to have some silencers made in black chrome for a special project. Seeing the finished item we decided to offer them to those of our customers who want to make it a styling feature of their "special".	Our crusade to have all the parts all the time continues. Probably for the first time in many (30?) years we have all oil junction bloc variants in stock.
03-3063 Instrument Mounting Plate, P11	06-7743 Long Roadholder Cover under bottom fork yoke

NM16249 Pillion Footrest Rubbers, Dominator/Singles	99-1207L. 99-1208/L, 99-1209/L: Genuine Warning Lights with Bulb Holders & Bulbs

The end of this month sees the retirement of our Managing Director, Nick Hopkins.

Nick started with Andover Norton when it was founded in June, 1977, and has worked for the company from Day1.
An impressive stretch with the same employer that few, if any of us, can equal.
We wish Nick a happy and healthy retirement and hope we can rely on him and his knowledge, at least part-time, in the future.
Nick says:
"After almost 5 decades in the motorcycle industry (I started with BSA in the Service Department at Armoury Road in 1966) I have finally reached the point at which “I want to spend more time with my bikes”. To say that it has been an interesting journey is an understatement, and at times the ride has been a rather bumpy one but while the mainstream motorcycle business is going through difficult times at the moment the classic side of things is keeping us very busy indeed. It is a privilege to have been a part of the scene for so long, and I will miss my daily contact with customers worldwide but I will be thinking of you as I fettle (and maybe even ride?) my Commando and other Nortons."

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Our stores are now fully sorted, and the inevitable hickups in purchasing and shipping are now a thing of the past.
Andover Norton is now safely back on the road, and ready to serve you, the Norton customers!

Most parts are now back on the shelves, and the backlog of orders we hope to have completed and shipped by mid-February.

Working conditions are much improved for all members of the team with more space, more light, and one big, spacious store instead of the two cramped ones we occupied in Hungerford.

When we rented the premises in Hungerford in September 2007, the stock was about half what it is now.
The Andover Norton team was also smaller.

Our range of Commando and Dominator spares has increased with a lot of parts that the company did not have since original stocks, taken over from Norton Villiers Triumph in 1978, ran out.
Some of these newly introduced items can be found further down on this page as well as on the "New Items Just In" Page.

In the meantime we acquired J.R.Technical Publications with its range of Triumph/BSA parts lists, riders handbooks, and workshop manuals.

We also took over the Norton Rotary spares stock from our sister company Norton Motors Ltd.

Andover Norton has moved into the new premises and, snow permitting, starts to ship spares out to the Genuine Norton Factory Spare Parts starved world on Wednesday, 23rd January 2013.
No longer do Norton owners have to make do with inferior pattern parts sometimes bearing copycat trademarks.

Norton owners can now buy the real deal again, Andover Norton's Genuine Norton Factory Spare Parts-
made on original tooling, to original drawings, in original materials, finished to the original tolerances by the original methods as laid down in the Norton factory drawings.

Our team has another new member. Simon Amos, who has joined us from Honda UK, to strengthen our purchasing team.

Before our move back to Andover in January we continue to re-introduce products, that were unavailable for many years:

We were asked for levers for early Commandos many times in recent years and did not have the perfect answer. But now we have.

These levers have the Correct 7/8” cable barrel/lever pivot distance to keep the clutch action light and have original style clamps that have the screws vertically positioned. They also have the air lever on the brake lever assembly side, and come complete with the improved later style cable adjusters.

06.0690/1 CLUTCH/BRAKE LEVERS PAIR (INCLUDES AIR LEVER) £66 (E)

06.0690 BRAKE LEVER/AIR LEVER ASSEMBLY £45 (E)

06.0691 CLUTCH LEVER £23 (E)

Are you one of the many young motorcycle fans who fell for the model on the right
when they first saw it?

I am talking about the sexy exhaust system that gives the Commando "S"
the extra "Je ne sais quoi"- and it will in fact fit any Commando model.

The complete system with all brackets, heat shields, special screws etc is now available from Andover Norton
.
We have taken the trouble to buy a Commando as a sample bike to fit our new products to, and that Commando has now served to ensure our "S"-pipes- unlike other systems currently on the market- fit!

See our "New Items Just In" page, part ##s 06-1304 to 06-1323,
or look at http://www.andover-norton.co.uk/SIexhS.htm for detailed information.

Service Release N3/12
Parts List and Installation Instructions for 750 Racer and Formula Racer

£5.00

Roy Bacon's Restoration Titles, AJS/Matchless, BSA Singles, BSA Twins, Triumph Twins and Norton Twins have now all been reprinted and are now available again from the publishers, Andover Norton International Ltd.

All books @ £22.50 each

Andover Norton Bronze Valve Guides for Dominators & Commandos

Our engine tuner Rudi Kolano prefers to use bronze valve guides in aluminium cylinder heads for their better heat transfer capacity as well as their fail-safe virtues in case of lubrication failure.
Our race engines, therefore, all run on bronze valve guides, and some of our road bikes, too.

Until recently we used the valve guides made by Rowe, the Californian manufacturers. Since Ed Rowe closed his business we researched alternatives, none of which were deemed satisfactory.
We therefore decided to commission bronze valve guide manufacture to works drawings, using the same bronze alloy BMW use for their air-cooled flat twins.
Valve guides on the left suit 500cc through 750cc Norton Twins, those on the right the 850s.

500-750 IN	500-750 EX	850 IN	850 EX
06-7300 STD	06-7296 STD	06-7292 STD	06-7288 STD
06-7301 +.002"	06-7297 +.002"	06-7293 +.002"	06-7289 +.002"
06-7302 +.004"	06-7298 +.004"	06-7294 +.004"	06-7290 +.004"
06-7303 +.006"	06-7299 +.006"	06-7295 +.006"	06-7291 +.006"

Note: Rudi Kolano also insists on using our Genuine Andover Norton valves because, he finds, they are the best quality valves he has encountered, including the black Melonite Rowe valves.

Andover Norton has new stock of British-made Commando Roadster side panels, in etch-primed steel ready for painting.

The left-hand panel has the original specification tool pocket inside it and the mounting bracket is pre-fitted with the Dzus fastener clip.
The right-hand panel has the spacer mounts inside to correctly align the panel to the oil tank.

The etch-primed finish is compatible with all current painting methods, and once painted these panels will give the finishing touch to any Commando Roadster restoration.

06.3503 SIDE COVER L/H (ROADSTER - IN PRIMER) £58 + VAT
06.3504 SIDE COVER R/H OIL TANK (ROADSTER - IN PRIMER) £39.80 + VAT
06.3503/4 SIDE COVERS PAIR (ROADSTER - IN PRIMER) £92 + VAT

Picture above shows the toolpocket in the left hand panel.
We have just been made aware the picture above was stolen by an Indian supplier and shown in his e-bay auction to sell his sorry copies of the above. We see this as a compliment!

Since Andover Norton has taken on the Rotary Spares stock of Norton Motors Ltd
we have gradually re-stocked normal consumables resp. re-introduced popular items that had not been available since the original stock dried up.
This month's latest:

At last: Rear mudguards for Fastbacks!

Another long-term project has now been put into production, our Fastback rear mudguards. These are very different to the normal rear mudguards of the other Commando models. Not only are they shorter, but they have a flared edge.

Fitting one of the Roadster/Interstate/"S"/"SS" rear mudguards to a Fastback results in a very odd-looking rear end that simply is not right. And, yes, we have seen it done many times!

We now offer four variants of these mudguards: the early (1968-70) Fastback mudguard with one mounting point at the front (part# 06-0507, right), and the post-1970 mudguard with two holes at the front (part# 06-2171, left).

These come under the original part numbers painted black.

Adding a /1 to the part number (i.e. ordering 06-0507/1 resp. 06-2171/1) gets you a polished version of the same stainless steel item, and thus a replica of the chromium-plated guards used on the Production Racers.

You may think these kits are not available though us if you followed the recent press coverage. The reason is that we insisted on checking the kits first. We have fitted and operated a couple of kits to our satisfaction before we decided to distribute them.
The Alton electric start kit is relatively simple to fit. One advantage is that, should one decide to convert their Commando back to original, this is easily possible. In the meantime the electric start kit makes life with the Commando much easier, especially for those who have knee or hip problems, and now find it hard to kickstart their Commando.
The Starter Kit contains a new alternator and all other parts (except the battery) that is needed to convert the motorcycle. It is suitable for 750 and 850 (pre-Mk3) Commandos with triplex chain (standard production) primary drives. Installation instructions are included in the kit.

Well, that was the idea, anyway. Reads more like a CV of its owner- apologies, we'd have liked to read- and see!- more about the company itself.

And further to our new headlamps:

We have just taken delivery of

99-1155- HEADLAMP SHELL & RIM (3 W/LIGHT+1 SWITCH) 60279 (99.7039)

99-7098- HEADLAMP SHELL & RIM (PLAIN TOP) 850 Mk3 60868A
99.1219- HEADLAMP SHELL & RIM (3 W/LAMP+ 1 SWITCH)
HI-RIDER 6"

Coming soon:
06.7285- HEADLAMP SHELL & RIM (AMM+SWITCH+1xLIGHT) '68-'70 (54523999)

All at £87.48 +VAT

To the best of our knowledge this model has never been offered by Andover Norton before.

This headlamp is made for us in England.

No offering from the Far East of dubious dimensions and/or headlamp rims that will not fit.

This is the real article.

Part #06.7283 HEADLAMP SHELL (54522377)
CHROME RIM/BLACK SHELL (Dommi/Atlas with ammeter + 1 lamp)

Price £87.48 +VAT

Andover Norton International Ltd are proud to announce the re-manufacture of the legendary CP2195 caliper.

We have commissioned a batch of these CP2195 calipers, as used by virtually all motorcycle racers in the 1970s and 1980s and by manufacturers such as Norton (on the Production Racers), Ducati, Rickman, Egli and many others.

These AP (formerly AP Lockheed) calipers have not been available- bar a small batch a while ago, made to restore the bikes damaged in the fire at the National Motorcycle Museum- for many a year. We have asked AP to re-manufacture them exclusively for us. They will, therefore, be available only from Andover Norton, with deliveries commencing in July, 2012, and will retail at £249.95 +VAT.

For those who want a cheaper alternative we offer the CP2696 series caliper, which looks similar at first glance but can be easily identified by its four square ribs per side, thus looking more angular and "modern".

For the discerning restorer who will only go for the real deal the CP2195 is without a doubt the one to get.

Commando Gearboxes (pre-850Mk3)

In our quest to offer more and more assemblies in addition to the individual parts, these are our complete Commando750/850 gearboxes.
Though I have been involved in Norton spares since the late 1970s, I can not remember these being available as a spare part after production ended.

Part# 06-0543, Commando 750/850 up to #306590 (i.e. standard 2nd Gear)
Price 1690.00 + VAT

Part# 06-5103, #306591-on (i.e. higher 2nd gear)
Price £1690.00 + VAT

Part# 06-5206, 850Mk3 gearbox
Price £1690.00 + VAT

Complete Clutch, Norton pre-Commando

This was a very time consuming project, but at long last it has come to fruition. Drawings were missing, manufacturing hickups occurred, but now at last we can offer all the individual parts as well as complete clutches again after about 40 years of non-availability.

Part# 04-0478, Price £690.00 + VAT

Cylinder barrels from our own dies, machined to 750 and 850 condition. The advantage of our new 750 barrels over the original 750 barrel is the increased stability of the bottom flange that had a tendency to fracture on tuned engines as well as on engines that were bored oversize. Our barrels are virtually indestructible.

Our barrels are marked "ANIL" at the bottom flange so you are sure what you are getting.

Part# 06-1705 for 750cc barrel

Part# 06-5074 for 850cc barrel

Price £595.00 + VAT

We have also introduced the Production Racer fork sliders in cooperation with Mick Hemmings Motorcycles.

These fork sliders are machined to the original drawings in our posession for the correct disc diameter (11 1/2" or 292mm).
Easy to identify by the casting number inside the caliper extension "TX0032"

Part# 06-3547/R for r.h. fork leg with caliper at front,
Part# 06-3547/L for l.h. fork leg with caliper at front
Fork legs can also be used with calipers at back.
Originally these fork legs were used with our CP2195 calipers.
The CP2696 caliper, also available from us, can be used instead.

Price £189.95 + VAT

Casting number

Front wheel of our 100% genuine
Proddy Racer

25th November
We now have all parts to build a Dominator clutch assembly, including all clutch centre parts (See "New items just in"). This was a project that has been in the pipeline for many a month, but we finally got there. All parts Made in England for Andover Norton bar the clutch plates. No parts are the same as the "alternative" offers you get elsewhere!

Andover Norton now have stock of newly manufactured Commando con-rod bearing shells which offer improved wear characteristics over the original equipment items.

They still have have the high quality Lead-Bronze bearing substrate of the original shells, but offer a more advanced bearing surface than the original Lead-Indium overlay treatment. They now have a superior Lead-Tin-Copper finish overlay for a longer service life and greater wear resistance.

Sometimes original is best, but if improved technology is available it is wise to make use of it for this type of demanding application!

· Std. size part no. 06.4285, -0.010” part no. 06.4286 , -0.020” part no. 06.4287. All at £34.80 + VAT.

And you thought Andover Norton cares solely about Commandos?

Many Norton owners are not aware that we manufacture featherbed frames and other featherbed Norton parts, and are often led to believe these are made by others.
Even some Norton dealers are have not yet realized we now manufacture and supply many parts that are needed to complete a featherbed frame chassis.

As of late we now have:
Swinging arms with all the parts needed to fit them to the frame, the crosstube for the frame,
and (not pictured) taper roller bearings for the steering head, part #03-0205.

Other auxiliary parts we can supply that are not pictured:
Rear Chainguard 06-7789,
Head Steady for Norton twins 06-7858,
Wideline Dualseat NM 20123 (resp. Slimline 06-7862),
Suspension Units (shrouded) 06-7865,
etc, etc
Remember- the company owner has two featherbed models he rides besides his Commandos, so is not immune to the attraction of the featherbed concept

Now available: Twin Leading Shoe front brake plate assembly 06-3281.
These were original equipment on Commandos, but will greatly improve the front brake of your SLS brake plate equipped Dominator/ES2.

Brake plate comes complete with stiffening kit and brake shoes for £349.80 + VAT.

Our castings are marked "06-0002 ANIL", so this assembly made to original specifications and dimensions can easily be distinguished from other offerings in the market.

And we have produced another brake component that has not been available for many years:

The rear master cylinder of the 850Mk3 Commandos!

Part# 06-5776, £235.00 + VAT with bore as original;

Part# 06-5776/13 with a smaller, 13mm bore for better braking £285.00 + VAT.

Another item that has not been available for decades has now been added to our Commando parts programme- the heatshields for "SS" exhaust pipes. Faithful copies of a set of original heat shields we were able to locate:

06.2389 EXHAUST HEAT SHIELD R/H (750 SS) £46.28 + VAT

06.2386 EXHAUST HEAT SHIELD L/H (750 SS) £46.28 + VAT

The narrow front mudguard of early Commandos
now available again! Part# 06-0583

It was not produced after 1972- only the wider mudguard of the late 750s and all 850s was available for decades- but we have now made the narrow type again which looks far nicer with the narrow front tire of the earlier Commandos (3.25x19 resp. 3.60x19, today 90/90x19).

On the photograph, however, it covers the "wide" tire 3.50x19 resp.4.10x19, today 100/90x19.
This requires slight widening of the mudguard stays 06-0619, but the boss thinks it still looks nicer on his personal 1971 signal orange Roadster which had it fitted when new.

Andover Norton launches the gearbox rebuild kits, consisting exclusively of Genuine Spare Parts,

Production Racer Type Headsteady

For many years of racing and riding on the road I have preferred the production racer headsteady to the standard arrangenment. In my opinion, the increase in stability, though marred by a slight increase in vibration, is worth the expense.

Headsteadies from different manufacturers are in the market.
Some of them are as original, i.e. will not fit under production petrol tanks.
Others we bought were very badly made.

Company owner's son Tim Seifert, also a Commando rider, wanted one so, using the original drawing in Andover Norton's posession, he modified the structure. He slimmed it down so it now fits even under the narrowest standard production petrol tank, the Roadster tank.
Furthermore, adjustment is now possible in height and sideways through the integration of shims and oval holes in strategically important positions.

This headsteady is now available from us.

Headsteady comes with Assembly Instructions.

Part number 06-7263, price UK£145.00 +VAT

We were asked for a luggage system for Commandos again and again over the years.
We never found a system took modern, waterproof panniers, panniers that can be attached, locked, unlocked and detached easily.

We also did not find a system that was fixed to the stable, reinforced parts of the frame. All systems in the market overload the rear frame loop which was never meant to take vertical loads and bends down very easily.

We therefore asked Hepco & Becker, one of the most respected names in the motorcycle luggage industry, to develop a system that loads those parts of the frame that can take the load, whilst using the rear frame loop only to stabilize the system laterally, something that the loop is fit to do.

Prices for panniers: Part# 06-7272 for 30 litre pair @UK£252.00+VAT, 06-7273 for 40 litre pair @UK£282.00+VAT. Top box, Part#06-7274 @UK£93.09+VAT.

The pictures show the prototype system, production systems are now available black, Part#06-7270 @UK198.00+VAT (special price),
or chromed, now fits Mk3 models, too, Part#06-7271 @UK£249.00 +VAT.

Andover Norton has reprinted Paul Dunstall's "Norton Tuning", available from us under part# PD001. A faithful reproduction of the original with a new foreword kindly written by Paul Dunstall for us.

We have also aquired the publishing rights and all remaining stock of Roy Bacon's "Restoration" series of books- AJS/Matchless Restoration, BSA Singles Restoration, BSA Twin Restoration, Norton Twin Restoration and Triumph Twin Restoration.

Earlier in the month we aquired an "elephant's grave" of NOS parts left over from production times. Richard Negus kindly sorted them for us and as of today we should have a fair idea what is there. Watch the "New Items Just In" page to see what we found that has not been available before.

Norton Motors Ltd holds a sale of secondhand and shop soiled rotary parts at their premises at Unit 3 Arcadia Park, Towers Business Park,
Rugeley, Staffs. WS15 1UZ, which they vacate towards the end of the month.
The new office of Norton Motors Ltd is no longer open to the public. All rotary spares orders are being processed by Andover Norton International Ltd.

All rotary spares are now in Hungerford. The rotary spares will be integrated in our price list on the net shortly. All rotary spares orders will be shipped out of Hungerford from now on, but we will not decline combined shipments of rotary spares with a spares orders for the piston-engined models!

Filtered oil is very important for the life of a Norton engine. This important job should not be left to any common filter purchased from the local accessory store- or would you have a heart transplant done by your local butchers?. A real Norton enthusiast knows what is good for his motorcycle and demonstrates it by using this high-quality oil filter, now available from Andover Norton under part# 06-3371!
And should he need vital liquids himself, he goes "partner look" with his coffee mug (part# 13-9950).

The International Norton Owners Club Rallye- sponsored by the Norton Motors Group- started its International Rallye at the Oldtimer Grand Prix on the Salzburgring in Austria.
This was THE meeting to attend for all Norton enthusiasts, with more Nortons of historical importance than at any other gathering that year, with over 25 Norton Manxes starting together (more than ever seen on one starting grid since the 1960s), genuine racers from pre-war to Rotary, Norton works bikes and prototypes from the Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Andover and Shenstone Norton factories.

Andover Norton was there with a marquee, showing our products, and the "Norton Motors Works Team" parading bikes from the works collection- a genuine 1960 30M Manx, ex-Rudi Glaeser (German 500cc Champion 1960); a genuine Commando production racer (vulgo: "Norvil"- beware of imitations!), bought new from Gus Kuhn and since a legend in the Munich area, and our Rotary Racer, P55 frame#1, campaigned in the German Battle of Twins championship in the early nineties.

Richard Negus, Managing Director of Norton Motors Ltd, retires. Norton Motors Ltd therefore no longer continues to provide a full-time service backup. Spares for Norton Rotaries can now be ordered from Andover Norton International Ltd, where the spares stock has been relocated.

Andover Norton has reprinted three lists from the JRTechnical Publications portfolio that had not been available for quite a while:
99-0823 Triumph Parts List all 650cc/1966, 99-0901 Triumph Parts List 650cc T120/TR6 Home & General Export, 99-0902 Triumph Parts List 500cc Twins Home & General Export Edition.

Andover Norton now stock all Norton Commando seats for the various Roadster and Interstate, as well as for Fastback and "S" models. we have had these seats made to the original drawings, with the correct chrome band at the bottom, the correct golden "Norton" logos at the rear, and with pillion straps where these were original fitment. As Fastback seats never fitted in the last 30 years, we have taken the seat of our "works" Fastback and supplied it as a pattern. See "Service Information-Seats"
On the book front, further original parts lists are being reprinted, as well as some good books on Norton and Triumph restocked- see "Technical Publications"

29.04.2008
Ever wondered, why Norton never offered a tool for the primary chaincase inspection caps? They did it on purpose, so all Norton owners make a massacre with unsuitable screwdrivers, then buy new inspection caps. Andover Norton, totally selflessly, now had a first batch of tools made in stainless steel, part# 06-7245, for only 10.90 Pounds plus VAT:

15.04.2008
Andover Norton stocks King Dick Quality British Made Tools for General Workshop Use- see Service Information on Tools.

01.04.2008
Andover Norton aquires the stock, files, tooling and goodwill of J.R.Publications Ltd, Warwick.

JR Publications, founded by John Nelson, Triumph and later Norton Service Manager as well as, at one time, Managing Director of the Meriden Cooperative, in 1982, and later sold to L.P.Williams Ltd, the Warwick Triumph Parts Specialist, stocked and reproduced in original format the post-war Triumph technical literature, i.e. Workshop Manuals, Parts Lists, Riders Handbooks, Tuning Notes and Technical Wall Charts. Andover Norton will continue to produce and distribute these alongside the Norton technical literature we produce and sell already.

29.02.2008
Bob Reynolds retires. The ties to the old Norton factory are getting scarcer......

22.02.2008
Open Day, Dealers & Press only. Robert M. Reynolds farewell ceremony.

Some of the dealers present, including the "farest travelled" Mark Appleton from Canada.

18.12.2007
All individual Parts for AMAL Mk1 Concentrics are back in stock after an absence of many years- see "New Items Just In" page.

06.12.2007
The "Accessories" page goes online, offering accessories and technical improvements for Nortons.

01.11.2007
Robert M. Reynolds moves his office from east of Birmingham to Rugeley, where he now operates the buying office out of Norton Motors Ltd. All tooling, raw materials, and work in progress are stored there.

15.10.2007
Genuine Norton Factory Parts are being shipped out of Hungerford by Andover Norton again to a Genuine Parts starved world!

18.09.2007
The last shipments of parts to customers leave the old premises in Southampton. The next day the move to Hungerford begins.

10.09.2007
The new address is published, and the move to the new premises imminent.

13.08.2007
The aquisition of Andover Norton International made public. For a number of reasons it was not possible to announce this change of ownership until now. Nick Hopkins, who has been with Andover Norton since it was founded in 1977, becomes the Managing Director, with Phil Albutt as Company Secretary and Robert M. Reynolds as Chief Buyer.

02.04.2007
Andover Nortons stock and business including tooling and technical drawings is sold to Norton Motors Ltd. The business continues to trade from BSA Regals premises in Southampton, trading as Andover Norton International Ltd, until new premises are found and the company moves.