Commando Fork Gaiters

Bob,

Am confident it works with those gaiters.

As for e-bay: some years ago I bought a dealers inventory in Germany, supposedly all new parts which at close inspection were often secondhand and/or of questionable quality. I put a lot of stuff on German e-bay at the time, trying to describe the state of the parts truthfully, put no reserve on any of them, minimum bid price starting at 1 Euro. I was plain amazed what people paid for many items I considered to be pretty useless. One example was a pair of Triumph T120 silencers with dents, rust, and holes drilled into the tail pipes for no apparent reason and to no obvious pattern. They were bid up to 75% of what a new, perfect pair would have cost from me (I do Triumph spares as well in Norton Motors GmbH in Germany).

I think a lot of people think e-bay and other auctions are cheap, and have no idea what the goods would cost from a reputable retailer, who will also provide a warranty. Furthermore, by the time they get interested in an item they try to get it no matter what the cost. This could be seen at the Podevyn auction recently where most items including the motorcycles were bought at sometimes ridiculously inflated prices. A Commando seat was sold at 310 Euros plus 16% auctioneers premium which is about twice what somebody would pay for a genuine, new seat of exactly the type he needs from Andover Norton or some of our dealers. The only explanation is the thrill of getting it against somebody else's (another bidder's) resistance combined with no idea what the normal market value is.

Joe

I think that there is little reason to buy Commando consumables on eBay, any more than there is to buy them from jumbles. However, in terms of saddles (for the later models at least), I've never come across post-production items that are as comfortable as the originals which seem to have had a 'Dunlopillo' insert under the rider's sitting position.

I can quite understand why moulded foam is not possible for a machine no longer in series production but if I didn't have a couple of OE seats then I might well be tempted by a period NOS example, even at â?300+

Richard,

I hate to disillusion you- I bought a new Interstate Mk3 in 1977, with the original seat, and that was totally down by the time I had done about 15k miles, in 1977. By that time I sat on the steel base because the "Dunlopillo" foam was flat as a stamp. And, yes, at the time I weighed only 72kg unlike today.......

Also, at the Podevyn auction the seat in question was a seat produced in the last few years (as could be seen from its packing), so whatever the buyer expected it was identical to what one buys today. Not that I consider today's product any worse than the original, see above.

Previously wrote:

I think that there is little reason to buy Commando consumables on eBay, any more than there is to buy them from jumbles. However, in terms of saddles (for the later models at least), I've never come across post-production items that are as comfortable as the originals which seem to have had a 'Dunlopillo' insert under the rider's sitting position.

I can quite understand why moulded foam is not possible for a machine no longer in series production but if I didn't have a couple of OE seats then I might well be tempted by a period NOS example, even at â?300+

Joe, I had overlooked commenting here but your reply to the rude poster on the 'Heavy Twins' forum reminded me...

You prefixed your comment there: "In the classic bike scene people often fondly imagine that certain original parts are better than today's offerings."

I should mention that my ownership of Commandos goes back before they were classics. Dammit. It was the newest bike that I could afford ! I've had two original Mk111 seats in use over the last thirty years that have alternated as they've needed recovering. They've covered probably 100,000 plus miles (is this the place to complain about Smiths SSM instruments which have never managed to keep going that long ? )

Both these Roadster seats still have an intact insert and remain extremely comfortable. In between times, I have fitted panniers for holidays and due to the difficulty of opening the hinged Mk111 seat, bought a later 'drop on ' Mk11 seat. It came from a dealer who has always concientiously sold me Andover spares but it was some years ago now. This replacement seat has me pressing on the seat base with the most sensitive part of my anatomy within an hour of departing. After a days riding, I was walking like a cowboy (and one from 'Brokeback Mountain' at that !)

I have absolutely no axe to grind regarding the quality of Andover parts but the seat of the pants thing is not some misplaced nostalgia because I'm not above updating things if I can sense an improvement.

Rich.

Previously wrote:

Richard,

I hate to disillusion you- I bought a new Interstate Mk3 in 1977, with the original seat, and that was totally down by the time I had done about 15k miles, in 1977. By that time I sat on the steel base because the "Dunlopillo" foam was flat as a stamp. And, yes, at the time I weighed only 72kg unlike today.......

Also, at the Podevyn auction the seat in question was a seat produced in the last few years (as could be seen from its packing), so whatever the buyer expected it was identical to what one buys today. Not that I consider today's product any worse than the original, see above.

Richard,

Sorry to hear that seat let you down. No idea when you bought it, but I think it may have been before I bought Andover Norton (i.e. before April 2007).

When I bought Andover Norton they had but one or two seats in stock which they in turn had bought from one of their dealers. Andover Norton's then chief buyer thought seats were a waste of time and money. This stock was, in my opinion, cheap and nasty and looked suspiciously like something that came from the Far East. I therefore then introduced (or should I say re-introduced?) the original manufacturer as a supplier together with the whole range of Commando seats, which are now all in stock.

That said, my experience with the original seat in 1977 was still somewhat frustrating, and sounds similar to your experience with your new seat. However, the new seat on my son's Roadster has kept up well so far, so there is still hope. Next year I, too, will have the Roadster on the road that I currently restore, and form my own opinion of our seats. My Fastback was restored over a decade ago with a re-covered seat, and my "3-cylinder" Commando prototype hasn't done- and won't ever do- serious mileage, so I know not how that Roadster seat will keep up!

Joe, Yes indeed it was ages before you bought Andover. In fact I think that it was probably before the move to Southampton which just goes to show how long a bad impression can last. I still have the seat because it's been so little used.

It's good to hear that seats are now being sourced from a quality manufacturer. I'd rather have quality over low price (within bounds of course). I'll try a new seat when I fit the panniers again.

Rich

Previously wrote:

Richard,

Sorry to hear that seat let you down. No idea when you bought it, but I think it may have been before I bought Andover Norton (i.e. before April 2007).

When I bought Andover Norton they had but one or two seats in stock which they in turn had bought from one of their dealers. Andover Norton's then chief buyer thought seats were a waste of time and money. This stock was, in my opinion, cheap and nasty and looked suspiciously like something that came from the Far East. I therefore then introduced (or should I say re-introduced?) the original manufacturer as a supplier together with the whole range of Commando seats, which are now all in stock.

That said, my experience with the original seat in 1977 was still somewhat frustrating, and sounds similar to your experience with your new seat. However, the new seat on my son's Roadster has kept up well so far, so there is still hope. Next year I, too, will have the Roadster on the road that I currently restore, and form my own opinion of our seats. My Fastback was restored over a decade ago with a re-covered seat, and my "3-cylinder" Commando prototype hasn't done- and won't ever do- serious mileage, so I know not how that Roadster seat will keep up!