Chrome versus Stainless Mudguards

72's came with the stainless guards, mine is original and stainless, in good condition and going on 49 years old. They lack the lustre of Chrome but a lot of work with polishing will get closer than as supplied.

Think I prefer the look of stainless TBH, just looks more "Classy" IMO.

72 interstate were stainless

72 other,  painted or chrome (obviously steel)

same shape... so stainless is often substituted

Dave 20220X roadster original chrome, now stainless

I just bought a new stainless rear guard to replace a sound but dull original that needs a session on the buffing wheel that I couldn`t be bothered to do right now, intending to consign that one to another project further down the queue but the new one is no better. It has manufacturing marks around the edges and is dull itself, so that`s going back. I fitted a new old stock one that I managed to pick up to the previous project and that one was perfect, no marks and proper shiny. Seems like a lot of things ain`t what they used to be!

Are you sure the cut out is incorrect? On my 1963 Dommie there is an inset portion at front left of the rear guard that runs very close to the tyre. The slightly later bikes have the same pressing but the inset piece is cut away...on all the ones I have looked at it looks like it was cut away rather crudely with tin snips from the same component. Is it the same on Commando? Did they take the tin snips to it before assembly?

Mine is July 72 750 Combat Roadster- SS rear and chrome front .

That is close to year model change so not surprising. Remember UK model years ran differently to the US. Can be a pain, especially with repatriated bikes. 

My repatriated Roadster is chrome front an rear. About to be replaced with stainless steel. 

"Submitted by Ashley Cutler on Fri, 22/10/2021

That is close to year model…

That is close to year model change so not surprising. Remember UK model years ran differently to the US. Can be a pain, especially with repatriated bikes."

Please declare  ONE commando model that production is by MY?  Model Year British or American?

Normal, compiled  and accepted commando production dates shown below (Roy Bacon???)

750cc
Original Commando 4/68-3/69
750 R 3/69-9/69
750S 3/69-6/70
Fastback 3/69-8/70
Fastback II 9/70-12/70
Fastback III 1/71-12/71
Fastback IV 1/72-3/73
Fastback LR (Long Range) 4/71-12/71
Fastback LR MkIV 1/72-2/73
Roadster 3/70-12/70
Roadster II 1/71-12/71
(no MkIII Roadster, apparently!)
Roadster IV 1/72-2/73
Roadster V 3/73-10/73
SS (Street Scrambler) 3/71-10/71
PR (Production Racer) 4/71-10/73
Hi-Rider 5/71-12/71
Hi-Rider IV 1/72-2/73
Hi-Rider V 3/73-10/73
Interstate 1/72-2/73
Interstate V 3/73-10/73
850cc
Roadster 1 3/73-12/73
Roadster 1A 9/73-2/74
Roadster 2/2A 1/74-2/75
Roadster 3 2/75-9/77
Interstate 1 3/73-12/73
Interstate 1A 9/73-2/74
Interstate 2/2A 1/74-2/75
Interstate 3 2/75-9/77
Hi-Rider 1 3/73-12/73
Hi-Rider 2 1/74-2/75
Hi-Rider 3 3/75-?
John Player Replica 11/73-2/75
 

Suggests bacon's updates it's records, MK3 ES is wrong for a start. 

Somewhere amongst all the historic correspondence we have is Berliners complaining they can't take any more bikes as they could not sell them until Jan 1st.

Irrespective of model type it is manufacture year that is the issue often experienced. Repatriated bikes usually have a manufacture year declared usually this is from its foreign date of first use filled in on the import paperwork, which we know can be wrong. When a factory record is issued it may have been made in the previous calendar year and this often gets queried.

The dates above seem to be dates bikes were shipped, not made. MK3 were actually made in Jan 75, around a thousand of them. The starting number for Mk 3 is not the first bike, 25 were built prior to this number, but passed to Exp, where they ended up is anyone's guess. If bacon's was that accurate  it would have easily spotted that, it's in the factory records which suggests he did not look at any build records. There is also another glaring mistake above as well. 

Some owners have, say, a 750 bought and registered '72,  but query the factory record when it was made in July 71, in Aug 71, you would buy a bike with a 1972 registration. So if you bought a bike in July and the same model in August, one would be a 71 bike and the later a '72 bike, mad I know. 

It works out most of the time, but some bikes have age related plates issued that are not quite the correct period for the model.

Many foreigners can't get their heads around that in the past you could get a number plate for a year that had not arrived yet.

Build dates, shipping dates and registration dates all vary, and yes they cause some real confusion.

The only fake news is the wild date guesstimate that is put on some import paperwork, which then causes a lot of frustration to those trying to register bikes. 

Model years are a long established method of describing the changes made to a vehicle to show progression annually to the customers to entice them to update their old vehicle to the latest offering. Its timing in production had to be earlier than the calendar year to get the new model year into the showrooms at the same time as the ads and the brochures. It was and still is a feature of vehicle production, there is no difference in how its typically performed between UK and US vehicle makers, one day the old model year is running down the track and the either after a break of a few days or in sequence the next model year is running down the track. There is no staggered changeovers for different markets. The first new model year vehicles down the track will be for the market the furthest away, last will be the local market when its takes days to get the vehicle to the showroom. What seems to be different with the Commando is that the management where not fixated on a set date like an annual shutdown for a changeover so they are not strict model years but still close enough to still refer to each MK as a model year as on the Andover Norton site, so my MK2a built in late 73 is a 74 Model year. 

Roy Bacon is not a source I rely on, his sources were factory press releases focused on UK market, his details on US destined bikes are either missing completely or vague.

As for how a bike is registered on the registration or title by the dealer, that has no bearing on the issue, they did and still make mistakes even on Triumph's and BSA's where model years were called model years.     

Berliners statement may have been written or spoken, but very hard to believe being for anything US model year related.

So were Norton MY produced in the fall and NOT sold in England or exported until the new MY calendar year?

In the USA 1970 MY was well established and customarily sold sept 1969  (through the following 1970 august for sales.    New production was general timed for release in sept but design tooling and production started way before that.

Anyone that uses a (US) state title or documention as authorative for MY of any import, is fooling themselves. Especially for antiques like ours.

My 2 new later  Imported Ducati bikes came with a import "certificate of origin" that definitely states model year as represented by the IMPORTER. IT is NOT Ducati factory paper work for my 1992 or 2002.

I do agree bacons available dates do not represent manufacture dates.

Bacon? "The dates are an approximate indication of when each model was generally available and therefore should not be regarded as actual factory production beginning or end dates."

I have 2 combats made in Nov-Dec 1971 VIN/cert plates, yet later mfg bikes the VIN/cert plates  changed style at 72 calendar year mfg dates?

One of my   MK3 Estart mfg in late 1974 but VIN/cert plated did not change for my 75 mfg bikes?.

Oh well?

Yes, in the UK you would buy a 71 bike in the fall of 70,  the bikes were usually on sale prior to the bike show taking place in the fall.

VIN plates seem to be changed for the requirement of the US regulators, and not for any specific model or year.