Norton Commando Premium

MK3's have a premium due to old legs and young riders never kicked a bike over, what year the MK3 is does not affect price but the later ones were built from some parts of dubious quality to get them out the door so buyer beware or price this in.

A lot of things to consider with this question. Condition of machine being one, Mileage, history, the seller... Originality etc etc. Have you a machine in mind or just after opinions? A well looked after pre Mk3 will be worth more than a scruffy Mk3  

If you are new to Nortons it will pay off to have an experienced eye look over any potential purchase as there is a very real possibility that a bitsa can be punted out to a potential buyer who doesn't know what it should be like.   

These bikes are now 40+ plus years old, the dealers that were alive back then are now very few and far between.

Where abouts are you? If you can wait until we can get about again i,m sure someone in the club would be willing to look one over for you.  

Hi Dave,

Some dealers will just tell you what you want to hear and add £2500+ onto the price they paid for the same bike you could have bought privately. I saw a Tr!@£ph advertised by a dealer that i had sold previously (not to the dealer) that was stated as having a fully rebuilt engine, it still had the same piece of gasket hanging out of the rocker box as when i had sold it!

The 77/78 built from parts bikes could well have been rebuilt by now but sound advice as stated above about getting another owner to go with you to look at anything you are considering. If you have a picture that you could put up on here, the eagle eyed members will soon be able to offer you an opinion.

Regards, Al.

If all else is equal the Mk3's do have a price premium. Your ideal bike will probably be bought directly from an owner whose garage/shed you can visit and which has been owned for a while and ridden regularly. A nut and bolt rebuild will come with plenty of invoices and a shiny exterior but with untried internals. Dealers have to make a profit so price will be higher but bikes sold with a limited guarantee. A dealer won't have tested the bike for a few thousand miles.

Many dealers don't know what they're looking at one once tried to fail my MOT for excessive play on the swinging arm, didn't know what isolastic mounts are. The way he was yanking on the back wheel looked like he was trying to break it off! He didn't get any more business.

I'm with Tim on this one, a well used, well maintained MK3 will no doubt have the nice upgrades, I would sacrifice cosmetic appearance of the original parts to get the 'correct' bike. Any MK3 must have - Correct switchgear, black airbox either fitted or supplied loose and correct side panels. These items would be negotiating price items as they are hard to come by. 

There have been few shocking MK3's go through the auctions lately, these are far from the best bikes out there and usually have missing paperwork. 

Ask about the club, MK3's often come up for sale within the club, those I have seen in the last few years I would not hesitate buying. Personally, ride one before buying, they are big, heavy but comfortable mile munchers, some don't like the weight of the interstate, and some need to fit rearsets to make their legs comfortable. 

Alan, I had exactly the same experience as you did. Arrogant tester did not want to hear about isolastics, but reluctantly passed it as he said that there wasn't enough play in the swinging arm to fail it anyway.

I think this reinforces the point made about dealers selling 40/50 year old machines. I would much rather buy from an experienced owner with a good reason for selling.