GOING COMMANDO

Martin Peacock’s superb articles about rebuilding the Norton brought back many memories of running two 850 Commandos back in the day. One was an ex-Welsh police bike with a full fairing and Craven panniers; still fitted with two-tone horns and with a stock of statement forms and HORT1 forms in its panniers.

The gearbox casing on the second Commando split; a common fault, I was informed. A modified and strengthened one was available from Pete Quaife whose factory was in Tonbridge, my home town. Off I go to his factory, clutching pound notes in hand and hoping for a deal… only to be told by the man himself ‘No mate, I don’t do deals, you’ll have to go through a retailer like Mick Hemmings’. An admirable business sentiment but it didn’t help me.

I sent the gearbox to Mick Hemmings for new casings and anything else it required. Got it back about three weeks later; fitted it to the bike and the gearchange was like a knife through butter. I phoned Mick up to congratulate him and enquired when the gearbox oil should be changed, expecting him to say every two to three thousand miles. His immediate reply was to change it every 500 miles!

He must have heard me say ‘What?!’ He then explained that as I’d just spent all that money I would want it to perform as new – hence oil changes every 500 miles. I thanked him again and put the phone down, suitably chastened.