Norton Commando Alton Starter Motor Project - Part 1 of 6 - Opening the Box

[@gregbrassington2120]

Had a Alton fitted 4 months ago, very happy with it . A great product for us ageing & leg trouble . Very convenient for if you stall at lights too! Highly recommended by a very reputable company & Paul Alton is a nice guy!

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thanks very much Greg! Great news. Much appreciated. Cheers, Mike

[@rscaryrsc]

Looks like a great project for a vintage bike. The older I get the more I like electric starters. My first bike was a 62 Honda 305 Dream. It had an electric starter and a kick starter. Kick starter didn’t get much use even then. Looking forward to following this project.

[@bobwampler3387]

Ahh, master Jedi Geoff! This should be awesome! Nice piece of fabricating on the shifter👍

[@TheMightyGarage]

Hehe, he truly is my Obi-Wan Kan-garoo!! I mentioned you to Geoff and he wanted to pass along his best wishes Bob. Cheers, Mike

[@BrendanGM]

Looking forward very much to this new project - that's my Sunday evenings sorted for a few weeks! That kit looks a bit pricey, Geoff's trousers must be very nice to warrant spending so much to save them. 😝

[@TheMightyGarage]

Haha!! Yes, that's a great point ;)

[@mickducati1947]

i am going to enjoy this assembly of the starter looking forward to the next vlog 😜👍

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thank you Mick! It's been a really interesting project. Cheers, Mike

[@ChrisH930S]

Just did this on my 72, kit works great. I added some silicone on the solenoid wires to stabilize. That and the ei were key mods.

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thanks a lot Chris. Great point, Geoff did the same where the wires go into the stator. Good idea! Cheers, Mike

[@markpoland426]

Back in the early 70s my friend used to race a Norton he had

[@PeteEldridge]

Great series of videos thanks - just wanted to know whether the polished starter was an option from Alton - struggling to find that option in the UK?

[@TheMightyGarage]

Hi Pete, yes the polished finish was an option from Alton. I actually had it shipped directly from France to the US, so it might be necessary to contact them directly to see if they still do this finish. The starter has been fantastic and I envy Geoff every time he presses the button 😉 Good luck!

[@Wooley689]

I hope the AMCA club sees this, doing an electric starter conversion for older bike now series.

[@soldtobediers]

Any measure to better the heart of the LUCAS is a step up. Alton on I say! -DU69160

[@TheMightyGarage]

Hehe, totally agree! Cheers, Mike

[@TheDavey333]

Instructions in colour, you can’t go wrong! Hopefully not much head scratching 😀 Good luck 👍

[@TheMightyGarage]

Haha! We did hit a couple of snags, but the story has a very happy ending ;) Cheers, Mike

[@Jaysqualityparts]

I need that bike in my life

[@marcostevens4086]

Hi Guys great tutorial . Did you buy direct from Alton France or a distributor in the UK. I want to Do the same to my 71 Commando. Im in Sussex. Cheers

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thanks very much Marco. Geoff bought it directly from Alton France and had it shipped to the USA. But there is also a dealer network. I'm not sure but there may be a dealer / distributor in the UK. I've included Alton's information in the description. Best of luck with your project! Cheers, Mike

[@geoffhalsey2184]

A welcome addition, especially when starting in cold and/or damp conditions. Considering Norton had dabbled with an electric starter on the Electra ES400 it's baffling why they didn't fit them to their whole range from then on?

[@sf940477]

A fairly comprehensive amount of parts with the conversion . Quite surprising. Looks well made in the blog expensive ?

[@TheMightyGarage]

Thanks Stephen, looking back, it was much simpler than we expected, but we did hit a couple of snags, which will be covered! It's quite expensive, but I really like the idea of them allowing guys with bad legs, hips, etc being able to ride them longer. It's just the kicking that most of the guys have problems with, but once they are onboard they can ride them so well.Cheers, Mike

[@54macdog]

I've got a soft spot for the yellow Commando SS. Perhaps Geoff could have installed those spectacular upswept pipes.

[@54macdog]

Or just bump start it every time...

[@MrBeracah]

Hi Geoff how much are the starter motor kits for the commando please.

[@TheMightyGarage]

Hi The units are approximately the same, depending upon where you buy them. The Alton is a little less, but the CNW unit also comes with a belt drive. Here are links to the units. Both are excellent *Alton* www.alton-france.com/norton-starter/ *Colorado Norton Works* coloradonortonworks.net/cnw-elctric-start-conversion-1.html

[@jimh.5286]

I've been away for a few days, so I'm afraid that I'm too late to warn you that it's bad luck to read the directions before completion of a project.

[@TheMightyGarage]

Jim H. Oh oh. Too late Jim 😉

[@jimh.5286]

It might be ok to look at the pictures, though, I'm not sure.....