Black Barrels

Silver to black.

Probably ran out of silver.

At a guess, without consulting the book.

I would say 1972 with the combat motor.

That is what I believe.

Just looked in Bacon’s Norton Twins restoration:

1968: black barrels

1969: Silver barrels

1971: silver barrels

1972: Combat engine, black barrels

1973: 850 models, silver barrels

1975-77 Interstate: black barrels

My '73 Interstate 750 (bought new) had silver barrels, My 850 Mk2a Interstate (bought new 1974) had black barrels as does my current Mk2a (1974)

OK Michael,

Silver changed to black for the Combat as said, but it is a mixed bag.

My 75 Mk3 has black barrels and still on std bores after 31,000 miles.

Agree with Neil a mixed bag indeed.

The club's excellent brochures book might help.

Commandos start on Page 480 https://www.nortonownersclub.org/html/archive/rh/brochure_book_v4/480/index.html

Although I understand not even the brochures can be trusted to be definitive!

Andy

They changed to black barrels for the Combat but it so quickly got a bad reputation that they went back to silver for 1973, both 750 and the new 850s to show that all was well again...only to change back to black again for 1974.

That is how I understood it, Richard.

Pre 74, black barrels were taken as a warning, though there are one or two examples of Combat engines that lasted a good bit more than the typical' 3,000' miles before the mains failed. 

My collection of records show some early Commandos exported with Black barrels. The colour did seem to change with the seasons. Certainly the Hybrid 750s exported, at the same time, had Black barrels. Checkout the attached brochures.........which are typical in that what you see is not what you generally got.

Pannick Time......I have just been reminded that any unauthorised mention of 'Norton' could result in TVS getting agitated.