cant get it outta my head

[husaberg]

The rear brake is on the right (wrong) side too.

Rear brake pedal looks on the left to me, otherwise what is that cable?

[sidecar bob]

Rear brake pedal looks on the left to me, otherwise what is that cable?

No, the actual brake, not the pedal
Have a look at a regular Norton.

[husaberg]

No, the actual brake, not the pedal
Have a look at a regular Norton.

Do you mean they have reversed the forks so the front caliper is behind the forks.

[jellywrestler]

The Norton today.
I can't figure out how to turn it the right way up

nor could robbie hence i called him rubber dean

[sidecar bob]

Do you mean they have reversed the forks so the front caliper is behind the forks.

No, the rear brake. Nortons usually have the brake back plate inside the rear sprocket.

[husaberg]

No, the actual brake, not the pedal
Have a look at a regular Norton.

QD rear wheels never noticed, a lot of BSA's have those.

So now although he has a cooler running brake,but no ability to QD
bloody poms likely had brakes on that side as it was cheaper save 2p on the rod length no need for cable and nipples plus cross over shaft etc.
I think triumph swapped over controls about late 70's for the yanks or something.
All the early suzukis like the T500 and wolf etc used to have provisons for swapping the gearchange to the other side internally

[Voltaire]

QD rear wheels never noticed, a lot of BSA's have those.

So now although he has a cooler running brake,but no ability to QD
bloody poms likely had brakes on that side as it was cheaper save 2p on the rod length no need for cable and nipples plus cross over shaft etc.
I think triumph swapped over controls about late 70's for the yanks or something.
All the early suzukis like the T500 and wolf etc used to have provisons for swapping the gearchange to the other side internally

I had a look at my Norton and by joves he's right.
Dean bike is probably modified as the rear brake on a Commando is pretty useless.
Right hand shift and Left hand brake was quite common even on Italian bikes.
I can swap between left shift and right Triumph shift easily enough as its the same pattern but you need to remember on the Norton with its 'racing change".
Get even more confused some days riding the Vespa with its twist shift.
It was all standardised to suit America.

[sidecar bob]

As a young bloke, Rob was the only mate of mine that had a Commando.
I thought this bike was normal & later I started to notice all the differences between this bike & other standard ones.
Initially I thought other ones had been modified & that this one was original. How wrong I was.

[husaberg]

As a young bloke, Rob was the only mate of mine that had a Commando.
I thought this bike was normal & later I started to notice all the differences between this bike & other standard ones.
Initially I thought other ones had been modified & that this one was original. How wrong I was.

I should have figured it Was Rob Muldoon.

[tanken2]

I remember my Kawasaki mach 3 triple had a straight through shift shaft splined on both ends to enable swapping gearshift from left to right. brake was cable operated to allow swapping of pedal .

[tanken2]

I remember watching Robbie on the Norton vs Glen Williams on an H2 and I think Vince Sharpe maybe on a Z1 doing laps at Pukekohe. Roger Freeth may have been somewhere around as well. 3 totally different bikes with not a whole lot separating them

Another Norton rider at Pukekohe , first name Ken , ginger hair owned a Motor cycle shop at the top end of Onehuga , Suzuki dealership 40 yrs ago now. Ha just remembered Ken Fletcher , used to own Onehunga motorcycles . He won Castrol at Pukekohe on a Norton Commando fastback , he went on to become Barry Sheene's mechanic.