revtothelimit - motorbike forum

My local dealer that had the Nortons and a few other smaller franchises has dropped them all to become a full Yamaha dealer.

They've still got a couple of used ones.

https://via-moto.co.uk/used/1004153/nor ... ndo-961-sp

KungFooBob wrote: Tue May 06, 2025 7:05 pm My local dealer that had the Nortons and a few other smaller franchises has dropped them all to become a full Yamaha dealer.

They've still got a couple of used ones.

https://via-moto.co.uk/used/1004153/nor ... ndo-961-sp

I've never owned or ridden a Brit bike,but I've always thought those look very tidy.

The later 2003+ ones made under TVS ownership are actually put together properly too.

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Tue May 06, 2025 7:01 pm I had a look around recently cause I wanted to get one ('cause I got a payrise ). If I could find one for the crazy prices I'd just take a punt. Can't find any of those mad deals now.

KungFooBob wrote: Tue May 06, 2025 8:32 pm The later 2003+ ones made under TVS ownership are actually put together properly too.

That bloke on Youtube who got one for £20 a month has put a video up saying he's got a stop ride recall. Given the type of manufacturer and the amount of bikes they'll have to get through you'd want to make sure it's been done before you buy it else it might be sitting idle for a while.

"Norton Motorcycles is recalling all Commando 961 SP/CR/Classic models built between June 7, 2021, and February 12, 2025, due to a potential starter ring gear failure. The issue is that the starter ring gear may have been installed with a thread locker that failed to cure, potentially causing the bike to stop suddenly. Owners of these bikes are advised to stop riding until the bike has been inspected and repaired"

Ha, broken bits of ring gear coming off and locking up your engine Sounds like the authentic Brit bike experience TBF, bits falling off.

Spot the difference...
£60 delivered from classic bike racks, super quick turnaround too.

https://www.classicbikeracks.co.uk/prod ... grab-rail/

Avec seat...

Tank is back!

Cost a flippin fortune, they couldn't match the colour and no one lists it aftermarket, so they had to go to the official BSA UK paint supplier, RS Bike Paint who are very good, but also very expensive.

£260, £60 more than the original quote because of needing the RS paint.

They've gone a good job and I'm sure it's a lot deeper than the factory paint job.

Didn't they use the camera thing. ?

Dodgy69 wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 4:14 pm Didn't they use the camera thing. ?

Nope. I think they only mix to paint code or buy it off the shelf, no one knows the paint code or stocks Highland Green, except for RS bike Paints.

I dunno why it looks blue in the pics, it's very green irl.

KungFooBob wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 4:16 pm

Dodgy69 wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 4:14 pm Didn't they use the camera thing. ?

Nope. I think they only mix to paint code or buy it off the shelf, no one knows the paint code or stocks Highland Green, except for RS bike Paints.

I dunno why it looks blue in the pics, it's very green irl.

Ye but there's green and there's Green.

Yellow is yellow, orange is orange, but green can be all sorts, I should know I'm colour blind.

Dodgy69 wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 4:31 pm Yellow is yellow, orange is orange, but green can be all sorts, I should know I'm colour blind.

The computer at my local auto paint supplier contains the ratios for 1400 different silvers.

ZRX61 wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 6:45 pm

Dodgy69 wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 4:31 pm Yellow is yellow, orange is orange, but green can be all sorts, I should know I'm colour blind.

The computer at my local auto paint supplier contains the ratios for 1400 different silvers.

But does it do BSA Highland Green?

KungFooBob wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 7:01 pm

ZRX61 wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 6:45 pm

Dodgy69 wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2026 4:31 pm Yellow is yellow, orange is orange, but green can be all sorts, I should know I'm colour blind.

The computer at my local auto paint supplier contains the ratios for 1400 different silvers.

But does it do BSA Highland Green?

It will do any color you put in front of the scanner

93 miles today, almost 700 on the clock now (yeah it hardly got ridden last year).

Second trip out after it's first service (at 600 miles), imho it's run in now so I can ride it proper like (although BSA say it still needs another 600 miles) First trip out with the wife as pillion. It handles ok with a passenger, didn't turn into a cruiser and kept a line pretty well (rear shocks on max preload). The brakes feel good one up, but are a bit marginal two up. Plenty of poke to get up those Derbyshire hills if you keep the tapping through the 6 speed box.

The conditions were pretty snotty and I've heard lots of complaints about the OE Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp in the damp (IIRC they're OEM on the Royal Enfields too), but imho they're actually pretty good, quite confidence inspiring in the mixed conditions, couldn't really fault them.

I caught two fellas having a good look round it when I came out of the arcade in Matlock Bath

One said he couldn't tell the difference between it and a classic and he'd had 6 BSA's the other was very confused by my private plate, he couldn't work out if it was a new or a classic. For me it's obviously a new bike, it's got a radiator and disc brakes, but it had the two blokes very confused.

To do...

1. Get round to drilling the two rivets out that hold the baffle in.

2. Replace the mis-matched levers with some nice CNC Alloy ones (if I can justify the £50).

3. Put some more miles on it.

Lever time!
The non-matchingness of the oe silver ones was annoying me, the black matches the rest of the controls.

The only thing I don't like is that the ball end of the clutch lever touches the bar end when pulled fully in, so it clinks (I'll see if I can move the perch inwards a bit at some point).