Frankenbike

Norcoastal said:
Check this out...

Brand new John Player still in the crate and for sale. How crazy is this!

Frankenbike
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I think when they were sold there was maybe 10 of them?? An old dealer in Europe, also had many other bikes that were really cool. Don't know what I would do with something like that, if you take it out of the crate and get it running it would lose it's value I would think. Sorry about my previous comment about the chainsaw, for some reason I thought someone was asking about Hobot. I have spent so much time on here lately and was on an old thread where he was a part of it that I guess that's why. Chuck.
 
Red white and blue? As a symbol of our shameful colonial past I hope someone buys it and throws it in the river (Boston harbour, maybe?)....
(Mind you, were it a High Rider it deserves chucking in regardless :) )
 
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Hortons Norton said:
I think when they were sold there was maybe 10 of them?? An old dealer in Europe, also had many other bikes that were really cool. Don't know what I would do with something like that, if you take it out of the crate and get it running it would lose it's value I would think. Sorry about my previous comment about the chainsaw, for some reason I thought someone was asking about Hobot. I have spent so much time on here lately and was on an old thread where he was a part of it that I guess that's why. Chuck.
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Haha, no worries. Chainsaw accident, ouch. Hope he’s ok.
 
I know I’ve been going back and forth on color for a very long time. I’ve struggled between yellow and red and green.

As funny as this sounds, now I’m thinking white with blue and red stripes.

Yes I know, I’m nuts...

Frankenbike


Frankenbike
 
Norcoastal said:
No not a JP Racer, but didn’t they call these JP MKIII?
Frankenbike
how long will goldfish survive without food
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I’d really like to kno wife anyone has any period evidence of what this version of Commando was called, if indeed it was called anything at all different.

I have always known them as the JPN roadster. I think. That’s what most people refer to them as these days it seems.

But Norman White told me that they referred to them as ’the jubilee’ back in the day.

It’d be nice to get to the bottom of this.
 
Had this been introduced in or for '77 I could understand the: 'Jubilee' reference, but this colour scheme first appeared in '74, no?
But that's only conjecture..
 
Norcoastal said:
No not a JP Racer, but didn’t they call these JP MKIII?
Frankenbike
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As far as is known, the factory never referred to the colour scheme as 'John Player' in any literature, only as 'Blue Stripe' or '(Dayglow) White with Blue Stripe'.
First appearing in the 1973 1974 brochure captioned "New first time Blue Stripe finish".
http://www.classicbike.biz/Norton/Brochures/1970/74NortonBrochure.pdf

Edit: Listed in the Mk.2/2A parts supplement as "Dayglow White, Blue Stripes" and "White" for 850 Mk.3.
 
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Whatever they call it, finding one in a crate in New Jersey for sale 47 years later is absolutely amazing. I agree with Horton, what would you do with it? It’s a unicorn. Do you put it together and ride it? Admire it? Put it up for auction at a Barrett Jackson or Mecum? Sell it to a Museum? If it were me, I’d build it and have it in my collection as my prized possession and ride it whenever the weather was nice.
 
Not sure how it works over there, but in the UK it would need registering before road use. Therefore it might get a 2020 registration plate, which would be the kiss of death 'value' wise. As would a: 'Q' plate...
'Age related' plates are available but how that would work with a previously unregistered (essentially: 'brand new') bike I don't know, but there may be additional tax to pay relating to the purchase price...
 
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Norcoastal said:
Whatever they call it, finding one in a crate in New Jersey for sale 47 years later is absolutely amazing. I agree with Horton, what would you do with it? It’s a unicorn. Do you put it together and ride it? Admire it? Put it up for auction at a Barrett Jackson or Mecum? Sell it to a Museum? If it were me, I’d build it and have it in my collection as my prized possession and ride it whenever the weather was nice.
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That's what I would do, even if it did devalue.
I don't see the value of leaving it in the crate, not to enjoy.
I need to be able touch, feel, see, smell, appreciate and most important, operate my motorcycles.
 
I wish I could find the listing of all the bikes that were in that auction, when I first saw it I couldn't believe it. How could that many new bikes still be in their crates?? Did he want to do that or did the place close before he could sell them? Ok i'm going try to find some info. on it.
 
The guy that has this bike owned a Triumph dealership in New Jersey from the 60’s through 2000. He actually has 2 Commandos in crates; the one in the picture I posted and a black, one but apparently he’s keeping the black one. He wants to sell the red, white and blue one to fund a corvette that he wants to buy. He’s 79 and still got fire in his veins. Love that.

Horton, great read on the crated Commandos. The picture of the open crate is packed exactly like the one I posted.
 
About the JPN, Maybe they were not able to use the name due to legal reasons. But I also remember them being referred to as such?
 

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