The Norton Commando is one of the most iconic motorcycles of all time. Launched in 1967, its sleek style has inspired hundreds of custom builds—and it’s regarded by many to be the archetype of the classic café racer.
The success of the Norton Commando was something of a surprise, since it was based around an old-style pre-unit engine. The vibration from this engine was reduced by using rubber mounts—the famous ‘Isolastic’ system that replaced the featherbed frame.
Over its ten-year production span, capacity of the parallel twin engine rose from 745 to 828 cc and several models were produced. These included the original Fastback, the S Type scrambler (with a high level exhaust), the Street Scrambler and the awkward-looking ‘Hi Rider.’
By the time Norton hit financial trouble, just two models were left: the ‘Mk.3 Interstate’ and the ‘Roadster.’ And come the mid 70s, competition from the Japanese makes become too fierce for the Commando to survive. The Commando name disappeared until 2010, when the ‘new’ Commando 961 from Stuart Garner’s reborn company appeared on the market.
Like many custom workshops, FCR Original has cottoned on to the fact that modern classics are much less hassle to work on than vintage motorcycles. That’s why they have a catalog of build-to-order templates for bikes like the BMW R nineT, Triumph Bonneville, and Royal Enfield Interceptor, along with a shop full of aftermarket parts.…
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“I’ve never sat on a running Norton before,” photographer Marian Sell announces proudly. He’s just finished dialing in this 750 cc Seeley Norton Commando—a process that involved multiple heat cycles, ignition timing adjustments, carb syncing sessions, cylinder head re-torques, and valve clearance resets. Now, a year after buying it as a rolling chassis, Marian’s first…
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It’s a week for boutique production bikes, as Arch Motorcycle launches the 1s and the new Norton Commando breaks cover. We’ve also got an Indian Chief racer, a Sportster built for desert racing, and a brilliant spoof of one of the best motorcycle films ever made.
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If there’s anything we love more than a classic racebike, it’s one with a good story behind it. And this gleaming Commando ‘S’ Roadster from NYC Norton comes with a very unusual history indeed. NYC Norton is run by the affable and knowledgeable Kenny Cummings. He knows his way around a racetrack as well as…
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Modern race bikes are shiny, perfect things: they have the air of being extruded from 3D printers in a hermetically sealed laboratory.…
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There are a few builders we watch like a hawk, because everything they touch turns to gold. One of them is NYC…
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Welcome to the second edition of Speed Read—our new weekend roundup that covers not just custom bikes, but also motorcycle news, gear,…
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History has a strange habit of repeating itself. Exactly ten years ago, give or take a few days, we featured a twin-engined…
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The Commando is one of the all-time greats of the motorcycle industry. In Britain, its status is iconic: even people with no…
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Like most folks with even a passing interest in motorcycling, we’re suckers for a good Norton. And they don’t come much better…
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At some point in their career, every good custom motorcycle builder sees a client point at a bike in their portfolio and…
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Each week, we scour the internet to bring you the juiciest five motorcycles that we haven’t already featured. Today we’ve got a…
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