#commando 850

More pics here:

More pics here:

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I remember my brother in law Bill McQuillan, taking this photo at his mum’s house.  I had the bike for sale at the time.

I had fitted those Interstate mufflers and Glen Roche had painted it for me.  Black over a gold base.  Pinstripes etc came out well, but the colour was just horrible, best described as a dark metalflake brown.  What was I thinking, what was he thinking?

It also had the single 36mm Mk11 Amal on a manifold I built.  I think Waynebow told me he saw that manifold and Carburetor on another Commando recently.  I know I bought the carb off Eric Pemberton, but have no idea what happened to that rig after, probably I sold it.

Looking very earnest in my WW1 aviator goggles.  Photo was taken by Bruce Linnell on the road down to the North Kaipara heads from Dargaville.  I had been to the Cold Kiwi Rally in Waiouru so must have been mid August.  I had loved the ride on the Norton so much I just kept going when I hit Auckland and went up north for a few days to see Bruce.

We all wore those goggles back in the day, and Al Roche even made up some tinted lens’ for his.  Full face helmets were for sissy’s back then.

We always rode in jeans and leather jackets and denim cutoffs, mine was lined with sheepskin to try and keep a bit warm.  The leather jacket only had a thin synthetic silk lining so was not remotely warm at speed.  We have it easy these days.  I still have the remnants of the leather jacket somewhere.

The sheepskin mittens were warm, well until it rained anyway.

.....and riding with the goggles up. FFS, no wonder my eyes are about shot now.

I remember now when I was at the Cold Kiwi, we had done a run at full noise down the Desert Rd, and when I pulled into Waiouru one of my headers on that 2/1 exhaust pipe had snapped clean off and it sounded like a submarine.

And thus I learned that when you build exhaust pipes you machine new exhaust pipe flanges, you don't just cut them off an old set of pipes and weld them on, because the chrome and carbon, alloys into the weld and makes it very brittle. Talk about learning stuff the hard way.