For Sale Supreme Commander

[robring]

Hi there,

I am putting out a feeler mail about the possible sale of my blue Supreme Commander which I bought a few years ago. I have only done about 1k miles on it since I have owned it. It is much the same as when I bought the bike bar a few modifications George Molineux has done.
The bike has developed some pimpling of the bodywork apparently due to the painting process whilst the fiberglass was not completely dry. I have been advised it would need a complete repsray to eliminate this problem. But in any case this due not detract greatly from what is a super machine.
The bike cost me 9250 and this is what I would like to get back for it. Which is low considering the cost of all the work converting it to Supreme spec. I work in Switzerland and could flog it here for good money but I think it should stay in the UK. I have another Commander which I bought shop soiled from Mottingham M/cs in London in 1994 and its a standard Commander which I am attached to. So its the blue one which will go. Contact me if interested at robring@hotmail.com and I will send pictures etc.
Rob

[James]

Can you tell me what the are the differences between a Supreme and Standard?

[robring]

Hi.
The Supreme was a concept of the Rugeley factory (Richard Negus and I believe Peter Morris) is basically an ungraded Commander which was fitted with upside down forks and an F1 based swing arm. The one I have also has a Reserve fuel electronic switch, a excess oil dump tank fitted.

[Richard Negus]

... and 17" cast wheels, radial tyres, 320 mm floating front discs, Nissin 4-piston calipers, Brembo rear caliper.......

Sorry, couldn't help myself!

[robring]

Thanks Richard:-) Straight from the man who built it! I know not what I have in reality. Must be a fool to even consider selling in on, but I in one of those periods in life where its all change..retirement looming and how am going to pay for everything...Rob

[Clive603]

Supreme is what the Commander should have been. Being able to use modern tyres appropriate for a bike of that size makes a huge difference. Solid stable and accurate handling responding as it should to countersteering. Brings home just how terrible the standard XJ900 based front end is. Although I generally enjoyed my 150,000 + miles on (near) standard trim Commanders, (once I'd sorted the brakes!) I'd have enjoyed them a whole lot more if I'd had a Supreme from the start. Still too tall but no way to sort that. Car alternator, electric water pump, oil catch bottle and sat nav going on mine this winter and I'm about out of things to play with.

Very much the short form list from Richard. He is certainly not getting carried away. Full list for mine is over two pages of A4. Got a lot of effort for my money.

Selling the Supreme and keeping the standard one seems wrong way round to me unless you are never going to put many miles on it. It is a lot of money to tie up but honestly the bike is worth it. Especially as its simple enough to just use without dealing with modern mega complication, electronic diagnostics and a small fortune in "break if you look at it" plastic. Can't see the paint problems as any real issue, especially compared to a modern BMW. Get it out, get it dirty, and no-one will notice.

To me retirement means more time to play with my toys. Need to start making serious efforts on my second million miles.

Clive

[Assen]

This oil catch bottle, how does this work? Where is it located? Only for watercooled engines?

Jannes

[Clive603]

The oil catch bottle sits in the frame drain line running to the left hand inlet tract.

As standard when the excess oil builds up enough to reach the drain tube it is sucked directly into the left hand inlet and burnt. Cue smokescreen and, often, fouled plug if you jump on the brakes! Catch bottle stops the smoke screen and collects the oil for re-use. I think Richard says around 10% of the oil is collected. Richard reckons one battery is plenty and puts the bottle on the left hand battery tray. I shall keep both batteries and put mine under the left hand hatch next to the header tank. Got to find a suitable bottle first.

Clive

[Richard Negus]

Scavenge level.jpg

This container was an accessory car screenwasher bottle. The cap and pipes need to seal on the bottle so that induction vacuum is maintained.
One pipe goes to the frame scavenge fitting, the other to the l/h induction pipe.
Dispensing with the second battery was one result of having a 40 amp car alternator, driven by belt.

114.JPG

[robring]

Yes Clive, retirement means getting out on them..and I have too many of them. Richard built half a Supreme chassis bar the upside down forks about 12 years or even more ago for me. The frame was chopped up and mated to a Royce Creasey HCS. so I will keep a Supreme in a sense or half of one. About 3 years ago the engine that man Richard came to the rescue again and the engine was fired up..so it is a progressing project!
As we speak Im having a workshop built on the cheap in France after 15 years of thought and the chassis will be transported down to the Dordogne to have to body shaped up. I will attach a picture if I can find the right button. Rob

[BlackIP2]

Anyone got any pictures of these rare Supreme Commanders?
I tried googling it but all I got was Ed Straker's car from 70's TV series UFO!

[johnbirchjar]

"Rare" being the operative word,how many in total?Richard?J.B.

[Clive603]

Anyone got any pictures of these rare Supreme Commanders?
I tried googling it but all I got was Ed Straker's car from 70's TV series UFO!

Send me a private message with your E-mail and I'll throw a few pictures of mine your way. Can do special poses if you want. Hafta say that you need to be seriously clued up about Commanders to see the differences. Forks are the only obvious external difference. Wheels and brake calipers are different style too, but you'd need to know the standard bike.

Clive

[Richard Negus]

"Rare" being the operative word,how many in total?Richard?J.B.

There are/were six in total, plus the half one I did for RR's feet-forward machine. Here's few:

4183-17.JPG

4273-07.JPG

GB's P53KS.JPG

[Richard Negus]

And more:-

4422-02.JPG

4283-01.JPG

F750-02.JPG

The last is one I did for myself, with Kawasaki forks/wheels/brakes and a heavily modified Kawa rear fork.

All were done at Norton Motors Rugeley.
R.

[BlackIP2]

Thanks Clive/Richard. Very tasty and I should think the other changes under the bodywork that can't be seen can surprise quite a few modern bikes on the road.

[Clive603]

Here is mine :-
"Grandad Norton" V2

01 Norton SC L Side red.jpg

04 Norton SC Front red.jpg

Why Grandad?
Comes from a rather irritated comment from my Official Unofficial Kid Sister (don't ask!) after discovering that her Suzuki GSX1100F Powerscreen couldn't disappear into the distance "But it's a Grandad bike!". This from the girl who blew up my Honda VFR750 at about 130 mph when late for work. And I thought my alarm clock + workday morning relationship was dysfunctional.

In Supreme form even more so at the keeping up or ahead bit but I'm rather glad that her brief flirtation with a Hayabusa ended before I got to see it on the road. There is a limit to what low cunning and half a million miles extra experience can achieve.

He has garage company now. Me to me 65 th birthday present. Eeny Meeny Miney Moo Which bike shall I ride today!

Garage Mates FB.jpg

Clive

[johnbirchjar]

Hi Clive,sounds like your "kid sister" is a right "biker chick" ,and if your 65 and still ride well quick what sort of age is she(blowing up your "Rice Burner"at 135mph )J.B.

[johnbirchjar]

And don't they all look so lovely and clean (even the centre stands )I can't believe everyone has a power washer ,J.B.