I came back from Vietnam, and out of the Army. Immediately started looking at motorcycles. The Norton 750 Combat seemed like it, after riding some Harleys. It was smooth as butter, yet powerful compared to Harleys, it could move. Cornering, was no contest Harley was sloppy, where Norton carved the turns. Mine was bright yellow and black, chrome. Loved that motorcycle.
As a schoolboy I lived near RAF Upper Heyford, North Oxfordshire, between 1969 & 1971. Confusingly it was an American base flying F 111s (swing wings, which kept falling off-and out of the sky). There were2guys, undoubtedly American servicemen, who had a matching pair of yellow Comandos. How cool! RAHG
I bought a brand new Norton commando roadster in 1973. I was 21 years old.When it hit 400 miles I hit a telephone pole. Almost killed myself. After I recovered, I bought parts to repair the bike including front forks, front tire, tank, frame, seat etc. The engine and rear swing arm along with the rear fender survived. The bike cost $1800 new and it cost me $1200 in parts to put it back together. Rode it for years afterwards. I’ve had many bikes, Harleys, Honda CBR 1000, and others. This was my favorite motorcycle. If I could find one that I could afford I would buy it right now. Athletic, powerful, exciting.
I've driven almost all of the big japanese 70's bikes, but the Commando stands out. Mine is a MKIII 850 Roadster and it is still a pure pleasure to ride. I bought mine in 1996. In roadholding, the Commando was 15 years ahead of the japanese. I've also owned 2 Honda CB500, a CB550 Super Sport and 2 CB750s. All good bikes, but I do not miss any of them. The Commando is my bike.
Interesting. I took out a concrete lamp post in South Wales with mine. Spent some time as a guest of the British health care system, of which i have no complaints. That one was first generation that we called tweety bird due to the tweeting exhaust at idle. No scrapes after the wreck, simply flattened that big cross tube and bent the bike in half and it fell over with me on it. Sold the wreck to a taxidermist in Austin to and he rebuilt it i believe. My second was a commando combat, still a 750 but with as I remember, shaved heads and a higher compression ratio. I used to off road on that one, only problem being lock to lock was short. I believe part of the reason they handled so well, and they did, was due to the lower center of gravity, the main crank being lower than the axles. Loved those bikes.
I started racing my Norton 850 in the Historic Motorcycle Racing Club. I got my comp licence on my Norton. After a few meets decided to stop racing it as it was too precious so then raced a Suzuki GSXR-600-R Supersport in the state rounds with the moderns. Still have my Norton 35 years later. Still 95 Percent original. Unfortunately the bike suffered a delamination of the lifter pad so am trying to find the part which are getting very hard to get. In Australia they sell from between $10,000 and $20,000 Au. You only live once so definitely buy another Norton!
Bought a 850 Roadster in 1973 with the classic gloss black and gold trim. I’m 72 yrs old and still enjoy it but I don’t go too fast now. Over the years many aftermarket improvements have made the bike more reliable and easy to live with. Improved engine breathers, rectifier/zener diode replacements, better head steadies, better carb., electric start etc. The 850 Commando Roadsters are among the best looking motorcycles.
My grandad has a mk3 850 commando that's on its way out now its a real shame, its not his first commando, he bought one new in '73 and got into a very bad crash leaving him in a full body cast for 10 months. He still loves his commando now even though it struggles above 4000rpm. He's recently taken it from silver to JPS black and gold and its absolutely beautiful even if its dying
@@finfin3001 So sorry to learn of your grand dads accident even though it happened long ago. When you mention that his Mk. III is dying do you mean that it needs parts and repairs? Unlike us humans Commandos can always be resuscitated with parts and attention. Best wishes.
Perhaps you can tell me when British bikes had to capitulate to American legislation and change the gears to left, always wondered when this took place and whether it was pressure from Harley Davidson,
@@adoreslaurel think it was standardised after ww2, I'm not aware of any differences in the side of the gear change/clutch, that's why british people do the nod and can't do many hand signals because the throttle is on the right hand side, and so is oncoming traffic. A suicide clutch is a modification that switches the clutch I believe, but I'm sure that has less than innocent derivations
@@adoreslaurel Hi John. I would say that the British began producing bikes with left side shift in 1974. Nortons with lh shift were sold in 75. They probably had to do it due to the extreme proliferation of Japanese bikes flooding the market. Dont think it had anything to do with Harley.
LAK, I rode a 750 Commando from Liverpool to Edinburgh on 31-12-1974. The weather was really bad, but the bike stuck to the road like whatever to a blanket. It purred like a cat at 80 to 90 mph. I disagree with our host, I owned a BSA A75 and felt it was a match for the Honda 750 and even the Kawasaki 900, but they needed a lot more maintenance. Press a button to start and take it to the dealer for servicing was a big attraction for many riders in those days. I have an M20, but mostly ride my Yamaha RD400 as it is light and has enough performance for an old man. I do agree with you; Commandos were special. The rubber isolation system designed by a German Rolls Royce engineer, suspension and brakes by the usual suspects, electrics by the Prince of Darkness and an engine designed by Bert Hopwood in 1949, should have been a disaster. Instead, they produced a superb machine.
@@Rudolf.Winkler.Verlag LAK, if you find the machine that goes faster that one can pedal, it is the good machine. Some however, are extentions of the body and mind and give the eperience.
Yes I have to agree - I've a pair of modern day Harleys now, and appreciate their push button 'get up and go' with modern conveniences! (for a Harley!) and the comfort they bring for touring but my heart belongs to the Norton. I gave it up as 'age' caught up and they are quite high maintenance but what I bike! mine was a mk2 interstate 1973, with various upgrades, carb, belt drive electronic ignition, and few other mods to ease the maintenance and had great experiences with that bike. It just captured your soul, had real presence and looked like nothing before or since, and it was reliable - never left me stranded, despite many thousands of miles and my 100 daily commute into London for a few years. but you did need to carry some basic tools! and the odd spare on longer trip - it even "ate" part of a throttle slide on one of the carbs, run rough and I never found the bits despite looking when I stripped the top end down. You know, I may get a well sorted example as the weight of the big Harley is a bit testing at times, it might have to have an "electric" kick start though! Oh ! I had the Honda and Kawasakis back in the day but the Norton is what I remember most fondly.
Yeah, the first bike I ever owned was a used 750 Commando, and I subsequently bought a brand new 74 850 Commando (no electric start). I loved the bike but sold it when I got married. I currently ride a Triumph America and I love it, but if only I had held onto that Norton!!
I owned a 71 750, probably my all time favorite also. About the same weight as a 68 Honda 450 which I owned before the Norton. Never had any oil leaks as was stated in this video. Only complaint was the front end shimmy at about 100 mph which was never resolved by Norton dealership. You guessed correct, I never found out what top end was.
I had a Norton Commando Fastback 750 NFV188G in 1973 when I was eighteen. I miss that bike. Never let me down. Used every day. I have a W800 now. Nice bike but doesn't have the oomph or the handling the Commando had, and vibration free! Fantastic 😊
In 1978 I bought a used 1976 Norton Commando roadster. It's what cemented the love for British bikes that remains to this day. Nothing like it have I ever ridden since. I was in the Air Force then and rented a house with two other guys, we all had bikes two of them being 850 Norton's with one Honda 750 Four. Sunday was bike ride day and we would go for long rides around San Antonio, TX. At least once every ride myself and the other Norton rider would give each other a nod and give our Norton's the beans hard. Soon the Honda would be a small dot in the back ground, loved it!
I entered the marines in 76, had a Ducati, bought a Triumph TR6R, a 441 victor and a flathead 45 that year. Had half a dozen friends on various bikes and we enjoyed those summers enormously. Been enjoying a 78 Bonnie this year, always look back on the Nortons with love.
Excellent and accurate history of Norton in the late '60s early to mid '70s. I lived this era. I started motorcycling in 1968 in Massachusetts. In 1971 I got licensed for the road, and started with a Honda CL450. At the time a guy at high school had a 1970 Norton Commando 750 S (with the high pipes). His Commando 750 weighed like 9 lb more than my Honda, but believe me there was no comparison in performance. I vowed to have a Commando myself one day! In 1974 I bought a new (left-over) 1973 Norton 850 Commando Roadster, in Pacific Blue "Fireflake metalic" paint. At that time there was nothing that could touch a Norton Commando on the twisty winding roads of New England... nothing but another Norton Commando and ALL my friends had them!! What a motorcycle!! The Norton Commando ruled the back roads here in the early-mid 1970's. If you tried to follow a Norton in the twisties with your Honda 740 four or your Z1 900 Kawasaki and you ended up in the woods. The closest competition was the R5 and RD 350-400 Yamahas which were fast as well. There was something about the Norton however; the thumping, throbbing power, the stump pulling torque, the excellent handling, the great brakes (for the time, especially for a light motorcycle). The Norton Commando would shake enough to loosen your fillings at a stop light, but at exactly 3,200 rpm the vibration VANISHED COMPLETELY! Keep the bike above 3,200 and you had the smoothest motorcycle on the road! No lie. The 1973 Norton Commando Roadster had this curve/slope to passenger portion of the seat. Riding with my girlfriend on the back, every time I braked hard she would slide down the seat with the Norton rumbling and vibrating as the rpms backed down to idle. The girls REALLY liked this! Sometimes at a stoplight she would jump right off the bike and stick her tongue down my throat. I’d be sittin’ there at the light with the bike running, in gear, hand on the clutch, making out with my Honey. When the light changed she would hop back on and I’d pull away from the intersection with my goggles all fogged up, thinking: “I LOVE THIS MOYORCYCLE!!!” You won’t find this information on motorcycle magazine tests of the day. I was much cooler back then. The Norton Commando is revered to this day by anyone that owned one, and a Commando can still get down a back road!
I bought my first Norton Commando new in black and gold for my 65th birthday in 1974. It was my first motorcycle. I still have it, and ride it when I can. The handling has always been so favourable compared to a Harley.
You covered this so well , it was a pleasure start to finish. My friend bought the 850 commando and I asked him to go up my street from a standstill as fast as he could. Holy shit he only used 1 gear and it went like a rocket. I believe it did 70 in the tall first gear. I was smiling the rest of the day.
Yep, I remember the Rocket three on the M25, bye bye……. When we got off the motorway/Freeway…. He showed great respect. Great day for both riders/strangers. That was my first, 750 fast back.17 at the time.
I had two different 850 Commando units. Both had the Interstate 6 gallon (US) tank in Candy Apple Red metal flake. Both were pre electric start Mk II models. One I bought at a dealer outside London, don't remember exactly where. It was a 1973, M plate and I had it modified with a Dunstall exhaust system (2 into 1 into 2) and some porting head work done as well as shaved the head to increase its rather low compression ratio. There were alignment problems between the crank and the magneto and it left me stranded on the side of a Dutch motorway on the way to Amsterdam. I pushed it into a tree line at the side of the road but it was gone by the time I got back there with my mates. What a fun bike. Perfect for the B roads of East Anglia and pub crawling during the summers there. I put it through the back fence of a pub coming back from the beach at California (yes, outside Gt. Yarmouth) when I didn't see the stop sign at a Tee junction. When I knocked on the door the proprietor told me the pub was closed but when I told him I had knocked down his back fence he said "well you better come in then an have a whisky". About 1976. I don't know how I made it this far. Must have been good luck and the mix of Irish and Viking blood in my veins. Septic Tank.
In 1976 I bought a mate's 850 mk1. Rode it hard for 5 years and it still rate it as one of the best bikes I've owned. Ridiculously easy to do a full-throttle take off, without drama! and it destroyed every bike I went up against. While a Kawasaki H2 750 owner wrestled to keep the front wheel down, the Norton just catapulted forward, leaving him behind. It made a mockery of the paper performance figures of so-called faster machines. Drop it into top (4th gear) at 30mph and didn't need to change down. Amazing torque coupled with very light weight. Went to a local bikers meet last summer and there it was, my old bike, restored beautifully, but looking so small that we forget just how bikes have expanded. A true, underrated classic.
I also bought a new Commando in 1973 and still ride it today. Off on a rally 250 miles away in June with other old friends on Commandos. Great classic bikes to have fun on.
By Far the best looking motorcycle in my mind. I owned 2 of them in early 80's. A friend's older brother owned one. I really thought he was a cool cat. 1st one 70 Combat (destroyed one early Saturday morning) My bad. Then a 71-72 Commando.I rode the snot out of this one. Sold when I met my girl and got married. Needed a car..Bummer. Still have the wife and 4 Honda's in the garage. Reliability is the thing these days. Though ,I still have a few Norton memories that make me smile.
Since the Norton Commando was manufactured many motorcycles have come along with superior engineering, power, handling, and reliability. But there is one department where the Commando still shines; the 73-74 Roadster with steel side covers, 2.8 gal tank, high gloss paint with gold trim, stainless fenders, and upswept reverse cone mufflers is one fantastic looking motorcycle. I agree with your assessment Dion: “by far the best looking motorcycle”.
I was totally in love with this bike in 1969. Three years later, my brother-in-law rode one to Birmingham AL and essentially gave it to me for a weekend. Far from the best bike I've ever ridden, it was hands down the coolest. To this day, IMO, this is one of the most beautiful machines ever produced - for any venue or purpose.
13:16 I had the cycle Guide magazine in 1973 calling for The Superbike Showdown and that issue made it pretty clear that Norton head top speed. I remember my tongue hanging out!
Like many others writing below, my '74 850 Mk II Commando was the best motorcycle I owned (out of a total of 17 bikes): strong, smooth, great handling in any road condition (even off-road), simple to service and tune. The Norton delivered an amazing riding experience. Every daily trip was a romance. Out-of-town journeys were epics. Once I learned how to kick-start it one or at most, two kicks brought the big twin to life with little effort. The Commando was comfortable and predictable up to 115 mph on the freeway. Usable torque began slightly below 2,000 rpm from the long-stroke engine; the four-speed transmission (with right side shift) was adequate at all speeds. Just to see how slowly it would idle I got it down to a throbbing 500 rpm with the two Amal carbs in perfect sync. As the decal legend on the back fender said, there was nothing like 'The Unapproachable Norton Commando'.
I was General Sales Manager at the Plumstead factory when the Commando was launched. I therefore, sold thousands worldwide, mostly to the USA during late 60s/early 70s. You might be interested to know that the bike was originally named "Silver Flash". However, only days before the launch at the Earls Court show in London and half way through the sales catalogue print run. I cancelled and renamed the model as the "Commando Fastback".
Thanks for this story. Brings back many great memories. Like many of the contributors below, I owned a Norton which I bought new in 1975 and still ride.
My first Norton, 1973 750 Commando Interstate with the Combat engine. Added king size saddle bags, windjammer, and trunk and we toured the West coast ....before kids....
I bought my 74 MK IIA with 850 combat engine for 849.00 GBP new and I sold it in 1980 for the same price. I bought her back in 1982 and still have her. She has had 1 rebuild (engine and Gearbox) and still does 120 mph. A pleasure to ride.
I miss my 850 Mk3 Interstate, a beautiful bike. Would run rings round my 1450 FLHR pig that I'm stuck with these days....if you ever get the chance to buy one ( a Norton, not the Harley) then do it, you won't regret it.
Great review. Thanks for putting this together. As an original and current owner of a 750 purchased new in '72, I really learned a bunch of details on the Commando. Well done. Still riding and loving the old Snortin' Norton. I agree on the fuel tank, it always has been a beautifully shaped piece. Loved and laughed at the comments on Lucas electric.
Lucas electrics are the reason BSA stood for Bastard Stopped Again. I'm not sure why Lucas made such poor quality product. The wires hardened and the insulation would chip off and ZORTCH! The birth of the pedestrian. I remember that from the 60s and 70s.
@@darrellcook8253 😆Ha! I'll remember that BSA one. I had always heard the one about Lucas being 'The Prince of Darkness', if I remember correctly. In any case, Nortons remain great bikes, and one of the all time best sounding ones ever.
Naming the dog 'Norton' is hilarious; excellent choice in names. If I had a dog named Norton, I would find myself imitating Jackie Gleason's voice from The Honeymooners: "Norton ! I have to tell you this".
Thanks for the great video!! Being a founding member of Roadoilers Motorcycle Club, I had LOTS of British bikes, but my Mk3 Commando was without a doubt my favorite! I rode it for many years, and did several 1000 mile tours on it. I had a Roadster and an Interstate tank, depending on how I was using it at the time. I toured Death Valley, all over the West and Pacific Northwest, and the like, along with hundreds of day rides in west Marin County along the Pacific coast. It was also my commuter bike in good weather! Fun times and a great bike!
Commando still is the best looking and sounding bike ever. Badoop badoop badoop ROARRRR! My 1974 howls when I get on her throttle. Yes, she kicks back and sprained my ankle more than once. Mine does not leak. Responsiveness of the machine is the pure joy of the thing: the way she moves in anticipation of rider inputs as if by telepathy.
How true. Im on my second 850 mk1 stupidly sold my 1st one and had ducati’s etc then realised one day i really missed my norton and got a 1 owner low mileage 850 mk1 again, had it 26 years now. People complain about the brakes but engine braking is great so you learn to ride, next its a 4 speed yep that’s really all you need with a long stroke engine if you race one get a quafe 5 spd. I also run a 21 tooth front sprocket . Its happy spot is 80mph all day. Only oil comes out the kickstart shaft , one day I’ll change it from O ring to a seal . When i need to. Love them. Will never sell it.
Tony Cardoso. I bought my 850 Norton Commando off the showroom floor in 1973. I've owned a lot of different bikes over the years Harley,BSA,Honda.But my Snorten' Norton was by far my favorite.Trouble free, quick and comfortable.One of my favorite rides on it was the police report stating : " at peak acceleration (120-125) I could not overtake the motorcycle"
I remember me and my dad passing one of these Norton Commandos in 1976, i think it was. I was 11 years old and on the back of dads Honda 750 four F1, bright yellow. I remember thinking the Norton was kind of dated looking. My old man is in his 80's now and still says he should have kept the honda. He sold it back to the garage he bought it from about 18 months after buying it new. A month or so later, the garage man was talking to dad who said somebody had bought the bike and promptly killed himself in an accident, 2 weeks later on it. It really was a beast of a bike back in those days. It felt like all the other traffic was in slow motion.
I agree with I B Newton, as the head mechanic of a custom shop in Toronto Ont. Canada, I took Commando engines (& Burman transmissions) and mounted them into the Wideline-Featherbed frames with the Short "Racing" Roadholder front ends & 4 leading-shoe braked wheels. Nothing could touch these for handling! (or fun on a BRITISH bike)
That was another excellent video. Great stuff. It was sure nice to hear a Norton running again. I sure miss that sound. I had three Nortons over the years, '71 and '72 750's and a '74 850. They were a lot of fun to ride, but not so much fun to fix all the time. I sure wish I could have kept one of them though. They're crazy expensive now.
Sold my 850 a while back.this bike was nice and smooth,and still looked like a motorcycle. Worked at my local Honda shop.but still had my brit bikes.got a few more .love my old Hondas and Yamahas too. Great vid.
The magazine adds of the time had the motorcycle and a variety of very attractive women. In High School, two of my classmates had a drag race, one was on his dad’s Norton, the other was in his dad’s De Tomaso Pantera. It was a street race attended by a bunch of classmates. It must have been 1974-75. I thought the Norton could win over the 1/4 mile - nope, the Pantera won easily. Just memories now. Thank you for the video!
In 1987 I rode my 850 Commando to San Filepe Mexico on the Sea of Cortez entered it into a race across the Baja Peninsula to Ensenada then rode it back to where I was keeping it in CA. A 600 mile weekend. I finished sixth in the vintage class after running out of fuel. Fred Eiker won on his Commando averaging 113+ another Commando averaged over 100 mph. A Cycle Magazine Sportster averaged 100. Still have the tee shirt. They had moved the fuel stop. I wasn't able to refill at the start due to Federales trying to clear the road. Fun.
I owned a Norton Commando Mark 2a Interstate bought 2nd hand in 1978. It was a beast after the CJ250T Honda that I traded it in for. So much fun was had on that bike. However it was a fine example of why the British Motorcycle was in such decline at that time. I worked at that time as a motorcycle mechanic, the skills I had aquired were needed constantly to keep the Commando reliable. The isolastic suspension whilst new worked well in isolating the worst of the 360 degree twin's vibrations, it could not make the Commando a comfortable tourer. After 60 to 90 minutes your tooth fillings would be coming loose. Now almost 50 years later I own a Triumph Speed Twin (twice the horse power and torque [but more weight] ), a Ducati Monster 696 (+ 20% more horsepower -20% the weight). Love older bikes, but modern bikes (even retro bikes) have the performance and the reliability. Whatever you've got with 2 wheels and an engine, ride it with a smile!
In 1974 my cousin and I took a new Norton John Player edition for a test ride at the Phoenix dealership on North 7th. St. We both have ridden many motorcycles, mostly enduros and dirt bikes. I had formerly had 3 Yamaha XS 650 twin motorcycles. A first year 1970, a `71 and later a `75. Getting on this British bike with the shifter on the right where I was used to having a brake pedal and a shifter on the left with the pattern being 1 up and the rest down was disconcerting and awkward to put it mildly. We both only got about two blocks before we turned around and came back. I loved the acceleration, handling and sound. Had those brake levers and shifter been on the side I was used to I'd probably bought one. I wound up with the `75 Yamaha 650 with the Vetter fairing. I as afraid if I bought the British bike I would have had to ride on the wrong side of the road.
As a collector & restorer of motorcycles of the 60s and 70s, I own and ride many of the bikes that were considered competition for the Commando. My Commando is a 1972 Roadster with the 750 Combat motor. When compared to my 1970 CB750 K1, 1969 BSA A65 Lightning, 1973 Z1, 1972 H2, 1969 H1, 1968 W1SS and even my 1968 T500 Cobra, the Commando performance is very good, but not in the way many people might think. Many of my other bikes listed above have more horsepower, but within a small rpm range. While that can be fun, I find the Norton's motor makes power at lower rpm's and pulls smoothly and strongly to the higher range while feeling like you aren't going as fast as you are. It doesn't make my hands tingle and go numb, and has refinement that my other bikes lack, with the exception of the Z1 which is an unfair comparison. The Norton handling is superior and I find it more enjoyable to ride than my other bikes. Of course, that is only my personal opinion.
The bassplayer of a local band where I lived as a teenager in the Nineties drove a blacked-out Commando. In my memories and to this day, for me it is the loudest, meanest bike ever:)
That’s interesting, an older family friend had one (filthy, blacked out) in NZ at that time when gangs rode Triumphs. T’was a mean looking and sounding bike, I was hooked.
I have fond memories of my 1971 750 Norton Commando. It had an Interstate tank that I changed for the more attractive roadster type. I remember spending many hours fettling, polishing and adjusting that machine to make it the best it could be.
Beautiful bike. I owned a Norton Commando 850 Mk3A way back in the 1990s. The one with the "electrically assisted starter" and carbs you tickled, the fuel overspill dripping on the useless starter motor... You could adjust the tension of the isoelastic mounts on the front of the engine. Get the adjustment wrong and the whole engine would be stationary on tick over while the rest of the bike vibrated around it! As well it had a Boyer electronic ignition fitted which had the unfortunate side effect that if the battery were slightly flat the ignition timing would advance, giving you quite an unpleasant surprise through the kick start. I loved that bike. One of the few motorcycles I regret selling.
I bought a '72 Combat new in 1972 for $1925.00, fallowed the break in procedure to the letter 0 to 500 miles do not exceed 60 mph, 500 to 1500 do not red line and hold. 1500 to 5000 drive normal but do not hold red line. Break ion complete or red line all the way to the winner circle. the bikes shipped to the USA were fitted with a 19 tooth primary drive sprocket the euro models were 20, with the "interstate" a 21 tooth. With the 19 tooth I spanked everything that was on the road including the Kawasaki two stroke triples ! the twin carb combat was rated at 65 hp, at 378 lbs.! the "bomb" was in third gear at 5000 rpm WOT the tack would jump to 7000 and the front end would come up at 90 mph if you did not shift and leave the wick up it would flip over backwards, i'm sure . I traded it in on a 1974 MotoGuzzi V7 sport . 750 cc at 75 hp 5 speed top end about 150-175 with a up graded twin carb to 32 mm from 30mm square slide dellorto.
Back in the day I had 2 x 750 Commando's, I bought them both second hand and years apart and they both needed some expert sorting to make them work properly but once I got them sorted they were brilliant. My pals at the time had Beemers and big Japanese bikes and my Norton would out perform them all and use a lot less fuel while it was leaving them behind. I think that most people today don't realise what a great bike the Commando was, those people should look more closely at this bike because once set up properly they are super smooth, very fast, handle great and are very economical and reliable. The only issue I had was with the original front brake which was pretty poor but once I got a Norvil disc and caliper conversion on there it was brilliant. I once took my standard but well sorted 750 Interstate to Avon Park Raceway and managed an 11.9 et with a 109mph ts, compare that to my friends standard CB750 Honda which was more than a second slower and a 103mph ts. No oil leaks and starting was so easy I used to win bets with people by starting the (warm) engine with my hand operating the kick starter, as once the crankshaft was set to the right position the kick start lever just needed a nudge and the engine would reliably start. The only reliability issue I had was just one time I had the LH side countershaft ball bearing in the gearbox completely fail and the bike could not be ridden so had to be recovered, that was the only major problem I had in the 5 years I rode those bikes and I did ride them hard
I had two Nortons in my riding history. A '62 650 Atlas & a 750 Commando. (both black) My riding buddy had a red 750 Commando w/the "combat" engine & custom tank graphics depicting mushrooms, lol. We had so much fun & went on many country rides w/our girlfriends.. Such great memories.
Figured I would comment, since I just sold my Commando. It is the one pictured at the beginning of this video. Yes, values are up, some have sold for more (one for over $25,000), but this is for a motorcycle in original condition, or close to it. When new, there were quality issues with these bikes in comparison to the Japanese makes. This required extensive maintenance, and is a main reason the Brit bikes went out of business.. The basic maintenance on a Honda CB750 consisted of adjusting the chain, change the oil, and replace the tires when they wore out. (I have a 1974 CB750) Total British bike production in 1975 was about 20,000 units; with 1% of the US market and only 3% of the UK market. Honda was selling about 60,000 units a year of its most expensive model, the CB750. All of the faults with the Commando can be addressed with aftermarket upgrades that are readily available (improved starters, electronic ignition, SuperBlend bearings, modern gasket adhesives, etc.). The 1975 Commando was the first year of electric start and left side shift (required that year by US law). The left side shift pattern is 1 down 3 up; 4 gears were enough because the Commando had a broad power band, from 2500 rpm up (a torque motor). The Honda CB750 was a 5 speed. Performance between the Commando and the Honda CB750 was close, giving the handling edge to the Commando. However, in 1973 the new 'King of the Hill' was the Kawasaki Z1, which was significantly faster than both. If you want a modern version of a Commando, it exists in the Triumph Thruxton RS (but it doesn't have 'that sound').
1:15 My mate worked in that building and after the doors were closed around 1976/77, they placed bits in 2 x 2 x3 bins for auction. We had a n invite pre-auction and option to put in advance bids. My ride at the time a BSA 650 with a 750 Zip kit effectively a lightning plus, also had a racing 250 Desmo Ducati and a 250 5 speed Enfield Continental (stolen shortly after at a bike rally and never seen again). Just off the room to the left was an old storage area, it was to be cleared out , it contained submissions and old plans. This was officially the Norton Manganese Bronze , part of the Manganese Bronze holdings, while British Leyland received millions, the British motorcycle only needed a few 100k, they had advanced orders and a big following, go figure. In tat back room we found an electronic ignition system (wrapped in oilskin)for a 250 Norton Dominator submitted maybe a decade before, Bob had a Domi, his main Bike was a 750 Triton it worked first time and other goodies. We also found plans going back 10+ years and engineering drawing books from Ariel, these included an inline four stamped sold to a Japanese corp we found to be Honda and a 250 twin sold to Yamaha plus a few others Arial twin and triple 2 stroke and 4 stroke designs for engines and frames sold to various Japanese companies, we all wished we had taken the books of plans but we were allowed to take any bits not in the bins and didn't want to jeopardise being at the auction. Nick had a 750 4 and he was flabbergasted at the similarities. He used to have a 750 Commando Roadster it was an isolastic suspension and a version with some extra rubber mounts for some reason and my BSA outhandled it on every turn. Thanks now a retired development engineer (CAT Marine), the sounds bring back my daily life in the 70s and early 80s, living in the Midlands, I had the Enfield at 15 !. We all maintained and modified our bikes , lightened (even drilled holes in gears etc.) Bob's triton (750 bony engine in a Norton featherbed frame would rev to 8500 and take on any road bike or car and he did regularly!)
I bought a 1971 commando roadster, had it worked on by Ed LaBelle (Philly). He turned it into the combat engine and eventually used the 2 to 1 to 2 Dunstall pipes. "What a sound". Ps had a fiberglass tank.
Great vid, i dont agree with all of it but do like the fact that a younger generation apreciates commandos, ive had mine 38yrs, toured uk and europe many times two up with camping gear, the motor (850) is so strong it never misses a beat, yes the 750 is the faster bike but give me an 850 well sorted commando anyday.....well done my mate, great vid...Dusty, Norfolk..UK
I bought a ‘74 MarkII in 1985 with 8,000 miles on it for $800. It was a Hi-rider version with a 2.4 gallon tank white metal flake paint. I essentially made it closer to the Roadster version with lower bars and black paint. I put over 30,000 miles on it, but over $8,000 in it as well. Great handling, beautiful sound and it made me feel like I was really riding a motorcycle. Sold it in 2002 for $2,500. I have four bikes, one is a 2014 Triumph Bonneville T100. Less maintenance for sure. Top speed was 115 mph.
As a 64 year old growing up in the 70's Nortons were THE bikes. I had an XS 650 (Jap Bonnie) then a Guzzi T3 in black & gold both oil leak free and reliable.
I've ridden a lot of bikes over nearly 50 years on everything from 50cc minibikes to Honda "cookie cutter" fours to modern crotch rockets to Harley Fatboys. And of all the bikes I've owned or borrowed, the one for which I finally became "motorcycle monogamous" was my current '72 Norton Commando 750 (with the modifications to make it non-Combat reliable and a rearset footpeg arrangement and drop bars to make it a cafe racer). For pure, in-your-face motorcycle thrill-seeking, it just has so much more personality than any other thing I've ever been on. It's not so much a motorcycle you ride as a lovely lady with whom you dance. You don't tell her where to go. You read the signals she's giving you, and you give her a good lead, so it's more like having a conversation. That's when the magic really happens and man and machine become one. Famous WWII fighter pilot Bob Doe once said, "Of all the things I ever flew, nothing was quite like the Spitfire. You didn't really fly it as much as you put it on and suddenly you had wings on your back." And that bit of British engineering character seems to have gotten into the early Commandos as well. There is that little funny wiggle at speed, but it's like walking with a woman on your arm. Most of the time at low speed, you're walking with a pretty steady touch on your arm because she's wearing flats. And then there's that little tipping point where you realize, "Oh, we're going down the road at speed... She's walking in heels now, and I'm going to feel that tiny wobble." It's not dangerous, it's just one of those neat little cues you get to notice. And it reminds you that you're in the presence of a real lady. So, so much personality... You really haven't ridden until you've ridden an early model Commando.
Yep you’ve ridden a commando alright. Also nicely done engines have a particular whirr to them that sounds amazing and that nice slow positive gearshift. Love em.
Good coverage, thanks. I've owned my 1974, 850, mk 2a, since '76, when it only cost £650 and can't bring myself to part with it. When first purchased, I opened her up and surprised myself by doing a power Wheely. Incredible torque, though the braking was pretty terrible! The performance of my bike even persuaded several of my friends to buy Commandos. By the way I'm British and we have finally worked out how to drink cold beer. Incidentally, I thought the 'presto start' on the mk 3s, was American and was marketed as an assisted start. Good luck with your puppy, our first dog, a Bernese Mountain dog, we also named Norton.
I just purchased a 74 850 after desiring a commando for a very long time. Only about 2500 miles on the bike. Expect she will be out my triumphs vintage and new for sunday rides
Norton shift pattern being 1 up and the last 3 down made you hold extra tight on the handle bars clutching into 2nd for sure. The longer wheel base compared to Triumph and BSA along with the front to rear ratio diameter sizes used on the Norton also made the handling feel different than the other two Brit bikes.
"Brit bikes" used every possible combination and when riding an unfamiliar bikes you always asked the shifts. It never caused a problem and no one held on "extra tight".
I had a 750 Interstate in 1972, moved up to an 850 for a while but never liked it as much so went back to a 750 until I bought a Ducati. In all my years riding, that first 750 Interstate is still the bike that really stirs me the most.
Had to sell my '73 750 Commando Combat to pay for college back in '84. Just now picked up a new 650 Interceptor ( I don't need the hassles of owning a classic) and it gives a lot of the same vibes, but I need to change out the exhaust to hear the engine and the too modern looking turn signals to Lucas units to complete the retro experience. I also ordered a new tank to paint black and have hand lettered in gold to reproduce the look of my old machine. Thanks for the piece. Well done.
In 1974-75 I was in the market for a street bike to replace my Kawasaki F7 175 trail bike. I ride tested a 1974 Norton 850 Commando, BMW R75, Yamaha RD400, and Kaw H2 750. In the rural twisty roads area I lived in at the time, the Norton or the Yam would have probably been best. But I was smitten by the Kaw 750 sound and power, and so went with that.
Thanks for the interesting content. My 750 Norton Interstate in black with gold pin stripe was the last British bike I owned. It was my sole means of transport and it was a beautiful machine but it had to go. The rings that held the exhaust pipes in worked loose and striped the thread out. When my (excellent) local dealer phoned Norton the chap on the other end of the phone said, "Yeah they do that mate ". In one way that says it all. What really did it for me though was when the dealer said they do eat big ends and I should consider moving it on. I did and bought a second hand Honda CB750. The Norton was the most beautiful bike though.🙂
I started racing my Norton 850 in the Historic Motorcycle Racing Club. I got my comp licence on my Norton. After a few meets decided to preserve it and race a Modern. The main things to keep your Norton on the road are things like keeping the head exhaust clamps tight and lock wired. Be aware of wet sumping fixed by fitting a one way reed type valve on the oil line from oil tank. Many older bikes with dry sumps such as Sportsters suffer this. Regularly check float level on the Amal carbs to stop fuel leaking into the cylinders and diluting the engine oil. Always turn off petcocks! The engine will seize. Don't wheely your Norton as oil starvation will immediately occur as the oil pickup is in the front of the engine. Many earlier Ducatis seized due to the same problem and guys racing Dukes like the 916 in the 90's seized the engine when doing celebration wheelies at the end of a race. The isolastic engine damping system in the later Nortons were prone to wear out early causing side to side play in the swingarm and entire engine. The primary side main bearing in the crankcase wore out early on causing a knock. Properly maintained they will run for life. The oil leaks can be fixed especially the primary gearbox input shaft seal on inner case with a modification. There is an issue with the lifter pads, that are bronze welded onto the bottom of all four lifters, delaminating falling off. Apparently there is a better version of the lifters that fixed this. My Norton recently suffered this delamination so is currently under repair. It's taken years to get my Norton reliable and oil leak free but if looked after like any motorcycle they will be with you for life. They actually made a movie called "Attack of the Killer Norton" that run down citizens while on the back wheel.
I still would own another one, if I could afford it. Watching this just before I head to the post office on my Sprint GT 1050, so life is still good! Great video! 👍🏻
In 1973 I bought a Norton Commando 750 Hi-rider off the showroom floor for $1750. The Honda 750 - 4 was $2000 at the time. My riding buddies on all the Japanese bikes could not keep up with my Norton on the twisties in the mountains. The isoelastic suspension was wonderful when you got used to it in corners. It seems that at the apex of the corner the old Norton would squat an inch or two lower and slingshot through the exit. I put six bend pull back bars and a sissy bar on the back, a lot of women wanted a ride with me. I wish I still had my Snortin Norton!
A friend of mine bought a Norton Commando in 1978. He still has it today and it looks brand new. He also has a Triumph built in England and a royal Enfield built in India.
In 1973 i had a Norton 750 Commando, and my nephew the Honda CB750. On top speed the Norton was indeed faster than the Honda. Also, my nephew on the Honda couldnt keep up with me on the Norton in the corners and on track, but that can be the rider, so no hard proof there.
@@philipbooth7779 It was not by much on top speed, slowly creeping away, maybe around 2 or 3 mls. And my Norton was not 100% stock. It had an open Dunstall exhaust, so that added a little hp on top. So they were close to even on top.
Wish i never sold my Commando. When it was running good it ran great, problem is they don't seem to last long, always tough to start or something would fail.
I used my 850 Roadster MKIII as my everyday bike from 1998 to 2008. Few problems after going through the electrical system (all I did was clean it, and add a Lucas Rica ignition) Today you can have even better carbs, and a lots of small improvements will turn a Commando into a reliable bike.
I have an 850 Commando, plus 4 other Brit bikes. You touched on something that is important to the looks of a motorcycle, i.e. the styling of the gas tank. Early Japanese bikes had tanks that looked like they were put on backwards.
Bart, I love your channel. I also love the Norton Commando. I had a 1968 Fastback 750 in 1973 when I was eighteen. It was excellent. I have a W800 now, I love the Kawasaki too😊
My older brother bought one of these bikes brand new from Knotty Pine Cycles in West Bridgewater MA.He wanted a HD Sportster but didn't have quite enough cash. He knew the owner of the Harley Davidson shop. Montys Cycle shop also in West Bridgewater. The owner Kay Monaghan wouldn't budge on the price of the Sportster "I'm not running a used car lot Jack, The price isn't changing" My brother went down the street to Knotty Pine Cycle and bought a beautiful black 850 Commando. He rode up the street to Monty's backed the Norton into the showroom and pulled an epic hole shot throughly smoking out the showroom at Monty's I can still hear that bike there's nothing like the sound of an old British twin. I have to many motorcycles ( six at last count) my collection won't be complete until I find an old Commando.
Back in the early mid 70’s I had a chance to ride the Norton 750 Commando. I was blown away with how smooth it actually handled and rode. At that time I ended up buying a Honda 750 Four. That’s when I realized that the Norton was the better of the two motorcycles
@@anxiousappliance An unbalanced 360 degree kickstart leaky and unreliable parallel twin, with the brutal jackhammer vibration of the Atlas tamed by rubber mounts, rather than a properly-engineered counterbalancing rotating shaft was never the equal, let alone the better, of the sewing-machine smooth, leakproof, pushbutton, disc-braked 750/4.
Maybe it wasn't "better", but it was far more fun to ride and had more character than 98% of all motorcycles ever made, although it was important for it to be properly set up and tuned.
Beautiful bike. I remember that they were really popular in 1976 when I bought my Triumph Bonneville 750. I really miss my motorcycles, but I'm 73 now and just too old. The Kawasaki KZ 900 was a scary machine, too.
I've put many an 89mm crank into Triumph crankcases, either billet steel Weslake or Nourish, or forged iron flywheel Norton. Either way, it transforms a Triumph for the street, especially for long distance or highway work. The thing with 750/850 Commandos was that heavy long stroke crank, perfect ratios for a 4 speed box, and when set up right, a wonderful chassis. It had long legs, and was the ONLY Brit bike that could sit all day at 80mph, day in day out without destroying itself. And thats coming from a TriumphFanBoy.
The classic British twins were beautiful examples of simplicity. This clean design is why I would LOVE to either get a Royal Enfield, or even an old Yamaha XS650. You get the classic looks with more reliable transportation. I used to work with a kid who's dad owned an old Norton Commando, and he gave it to him when he got his license. I was SO jealous!
I did just that. Change two things on the Interceptor if you get one.... #1 a set of Powerage mufflers, and #2 a set of Grip-puppies. It'll wake up the bike and sound fantastic, very reminiscent of the Norton sound. The grips are a bit thin and hard on the Enfield and the foam makes a huge comfort difference on an extended ride. I also have a premium touring seat, but that's a matter of preference.
I would have liked for you to list and show all of the variants made by Norton including Fastback, Long Range Fastback, "S", "SS", Interstate, Interpol, High Rider, John Player Special, and Production Racer. There was also the "Combat" 750 which was a high compression hot cam engine variant available across the range In 1972. The Production racer was a street legal racer built to higher standards and top speed of around 130. Then there was the Dunstall. The Dunstall 810 was the first street bike in the 11s back in the day. It was a strike at the Mariden Triumph plant which ended production of the Norton. The Commando was selling. The Isolastic is not a rubber mounted engine. It is a subframe including the engine transmission (non unit) and swing arm unit mounted on a system of shimmer summer mounts. Harley Davidson used or uses this system too, but they used heim jointed alignment rods to hold the subframe. Still do I think. The Isolastic system is in use by HD in an improved form. In my experience there really aren't electrical problems. My 850 did burn out a coil, but it was caused by a rock hitting the ballast resistor under the gas tank. The Lucas jokes are ok but reality isn't quite the same.
I'd been riding my standard '69 750 Commando for some years and got to test ride my friends Triumph Trident. I'd never ridden a Triumph triple before and I was shocked at how gutless it felt below 5K rpm compared to the Norton, it really had to be thrashed to get the performance out of it whereas the Norton had a lovely torquey, smooth and relaxed feel to the power delivery. At Avon Park Raceway my Commando was slightly faster than my friends Trident over the quarter mile, 11.9 seconds ET @ 109 mph TS compared to 12.2 ET and 106 mph TS and take into account that i weighed quite a bit more than my pal. I think that the main reason the Norton was faster was that the torque made it so easy to get off the line and because it had such a long wheel base it could really have the power put to the rear wheel without resulting in uncontrollable wheelies
Nice honest take on the Commando, I owned two a 1971 fastback with the drum brake, and a 1973 fastback disc brake with the combat 750 motor, and the long range fuel tank. The combat motor made a claimed 60 bhp these motors were prone to break con rods, mine broke both pistons, compression was to high. Good handling decently fast, with lots of silly problems, like carburettors shaking loose and wearing out at a rapid pace, oil leaks, alternator rotor cores separating, contact point heals wearing out rapidly, broken clutch cables. One unique feature is that you could run them with out a battery, they had a capacitor that could power the ignition. I did trash the pants off both, being a reckless youth. Considering the treatment I dished out to them they weren't half bad.
Maybe caused to the fact, that during the complete period of making Norton Commandos they made around 55.000 in total while Honda in the same period would turn out around 800.000 CB 750’s. Original Honda CB 750’s don’t come cheap either. One of the first batch of 1700 CB 750 do cost the same as 3 Commandos.
I bought a brand new 75 Norton Commando. My dad wouldn't allow me to have a Japanese motorcycle and I had a really bad experience witha Bonneville 650 and wanted something new this was my choice. I didn't like the handlebars so on the way home from where I got different handlebars. My brother had a 75 KZ 900 so he didn't have much trouble outrunning me and I did race a CB 750 dresser and he beat me but in all fairness, my Norton needed a tune up at the time. They were so much different than everything available at the time shifting on the right side and 1 up and 3 down and the kick starter with the curve made the leverage harder to kick, especially when it was cold. Mine was red so it wasn't as pretty as the black and gold ones. I was glad when it was gone though!
2: 13. That advertisement reminds me of the Brigstone add for their 350 two stroke twin. Another beauty, and the bike wasn't bad either. Rotary valves. 1967. Hope you do a review on those. I don't know why Brigstone went out of business, their bikes were fine.
I had a Commando 750 fast back in 1973. Metallic green, fibreglass 5 gallon tank .. it was an upgrade from my previous bike which was an AJS 650. What an incredible bike it was. Wish I'd kept it, I'm 71 this year and would love to have another bike .. but she who must be obeyed won't let me have one. Thanks for this video it was very interesting and lovely to see all the different iterations of the bike.
My husband's first new motorcycle was a 1971 Commando Fastback Long Range. The extra fuel capacity suited Australia's long distance trips. He preferred the drum brake to the early disc brakes & believed the Commando drum brake was superior to the disc & especially the disc brake on the Honda 4.
Elegant-beauty , probably why people customise , especially 'Cafe-Bikes' . Taking something that looks 'Ok' or a bit 'Meh' and making it into 'elegant-art' . That was what Nortons looked-like to those of us who were 'There-at-The-Time' (except the first ugly-ones) and they sounded like a bike should . We used to 'Gut' the muffler of most bikes we rode , to 'Unleash-The-Beast' . Dave NZ
oh man this brings back some great memories. I dig your take on the Commando. I have to agree it was the quintessential British motorcycle. yeah, the 3-cylinder Kawasaki 500 would take me out in the 1/4 mile but at least my Commando didn't smoke and sound like a bumble bee on crack.
I agree with you. My first bike was a '69 Norton 750 fastback in a glorious silver metal flake base with a translucent wine gel over top in an eye catching patterned. It caught my eye at the State College dealership when I went in to buy a new 500 cc Moto Guzzi V twin shaft drive. My job at the time had me working 14-16 hour days, 6 days a week, with Sunday as my only day off. I was making good money , and could afford any bike on the market. After a year of reading bike magazines & picking my biker friends ' brains, I decided that the number one most important feature to me was RELIABILITY! I wanted a bike I could hop on and ride all day on Sunday... no fussing with anything mechanical...just ride carefree. The shaft drive l and the Guzzi's quirky engine layout appealed to me. There I was at the dealer's counter, with my $500 deposit check in hand. When the friendly silver hair, distinguished, older gentleman next to me informally asked me what I was getting. When I told him, he smiled and said that was what he was riding. I immediately began barraging him with questions.. Bottom line: he had his bike for 10 years and loved everything about it...the handling,..the looks... and most importantly...it's reliable performance,. Man, I couldn't wait to hand over my deposit. Then I asked him what he was in the dealer for, and he said that he was picking up two new exhaust pipes,. What he said next caused my jaw to drop and me to tear up my deposit check. He said that it took EIGHT MONTHS for his dealer to get them from Italy. That's when, with a depressed gaze around the showroom floor, I saw the Norton fastback. It was next to a Norton roadster. But I'm couldn't take my eyes off the fastback. The owner interrupted my trance, and I asked him if he had any literature on the fastback. I went home e and pored over the brochure and, over the next month asked my biker friends about the Norton's. Then walked out of the dealership with a brand new Norton fastback. $1,568.34 out the door. Beside asking my girlfriend to marry me a couple of years later, it was the best decision I had made in my 26 year old life. 0n mostly Sunday's, I put 11K + miles on that sweet handling dream of a rocket...filling my ears with the most satisfyingly melodious roar. I finally asked my boss for four days off. The first three days saw me ride from State College to Erie, to Pittsburgh, to Washington,D.C., to Easton, Pa (my parents' home), & back to State College...1,800 miles in chilly/damp April weather. At 3 am on interstate 80, doing 80, with the entire so smooth & the air whooshing through my helmet, my fatigue so extreme, that I fell asleep three times and almost drifted off the highway into the weeds...but for the effective rumble strips...put there specifically for drowsy travellers like me. (THANK YOU, PENN DOT!). I was never so glad to get home and get off my bike. The thinly padded seat had turned into a bars slab of concrete. My hands were frozen gnarled clumps. Thank God I had scheduled the fourth day for recovery...as I slept for 13 hours. What I came to realize quickly about the Norton that it was only dangerous in the beginning when you were getting to know the machine. Meaning that it was so smooth and had such a broad torque band, that when you were powering through a sweeping cloverleaf ramp and though you were doing 60, the guage said EIGHTY! After learning the bike's handling capabilities, I would go out after work at 4 am on a beautiful summer night, head south of town on a newly laid highway and play a little control game...wherein I would hang over the side of my tank so I could see my front tire, and see how fast I could go while still keeping my tire on the 3-inch wide, newly painted yellow side line. The fastest I got up to was 90. The only truly dangerous element was popping my head up to see if I was about to plow into any deer entering the highway on my side. Young & crazy. Full of piss & vinegar. Riding the fastest production motorcycle in the world at the time. (So pronounced by Cycle magazine 's front cover when they first coined the term "Superbikes" in their 7-blike challenge. The Norton won the quarter in 12.68 at 103.& change.) The bike weighed 428 wet & had 60 hp. Only four years with a top rev of only 6,800 rpms. But the torque! I loved showing off by starting in 4th gear (on a long flat section of highway) and slowly, smoothly twisting the throttle, get the bike to walk up to 100 mph WITHOUT any bucking or stumbling (and doing it even with a petite 100 lb female on the back!) My one female passenger commented that it felt like a jet going down the runway on takeoff...a smooth ever increasing surge of power. The key to maximizing it's potential was to have a good tune. I was fortunate to have such a mechanic down in Harrisburg (90 miles away). He had that idle purring at a consistent, steady 750 rpm. After one tune, I decided to open it up on my ride back, and I made the trip in 45 minutes... without getting caught by a radar trap. The top end I achieved without any fairing was 118. I headed out to California with my new bride and sold all my bachelor toys...'64 jeep, '63 Triumph TR4 convertible, & sadly (which I regret to this day)...my beloved Norton. Years later I picked up some nice used bikes for great prices (Honda of 550 four, orange and black, with a great sounding four into one exhaust...and a Kawasaki 1,100, cherry black w/red striping and cast mag wheels)...but eventually sold them when my family & my growing business left little time for riding.l I am 78 and after surviving open heart surgery in 2018 I promised myself a final bike. I currently am enjoying a 2003 Triumph Bonneville America in silver & Pacific blue with a dealer installed big bore kit and barking short pipes...a used original owner, garage kept showroom condition beauty with only 10,700 miles on it. My kids are on their own, and my beautiful soulmate of 36 years was taken from me by cancer in 2007. My Triumph is my mistress. But that long ago Norton was the bike love of my blessed life.
@@michaelemerick4764 Loved reading your story. I’m also an old timer who had a Norton in his past and like you also lost my soulmate of 38 years to cancer. I’m riding a Victory Kingpin now and have just ordered a 2023 Honda CB500X to explore Northern California with. Good luck to you, ride well and ride safely. 👍
Great video, thanks. I had lusted after an 850 Interstate as a spotty teenager back in the day, although I'm not sure if the advertising models were't more the attraction. In any case it was horror stories of worn isolastics that finally swayed my decision in favour of a '69 Bonneville when I finally was able to afford a real bike in the late seventies. Aside from bleeding oil everywhere the Bonnie never let me down either.
Now iso is ok for hobby riding but back then they were all weather daily riders so got beat. Replaced a couple and the bushings are a bbbb to compress in. Crashing with a glass Dunstall tank could burn you too.
I owned a 1968 Norton Dominator in the late seventies and I’m surprised that you didn’t mention the the _Featherbed_ frame and suspension that Norton were so proud of.
He doesn't know, or realize, what a good handling bike is. I could easily keep up with anything. because you never let off, you grabbed a handful of throttle, and hung on, never letting off. If you encountered difficulty it was from an external source, never the bike. I learned 2 wheel drifting on a Norton, a skill I still use today, when feeling a bit "frisky" on a bike (I'm 72 years old).
My father, a US biker from the 1950's owned BSA, Norton and Triumphs, he told me, "If it does not have a kicker, it is not a motorcycle". I adopted the same, i build Pre Unit British Bikes.
I came back from Vietnam, and out of the Army. Immediately started looking at motorcycles. The Norton 750 Combat seemed like it, after riding some Harleys. It was smooth as butter, yet powerful compared to Harleys, it could move. Cornering, was no contest Harley was sloppy, where Norton carved the turns. Mine was bright yellow and black, chrome. Loved that motorcycle.
Thank you for your service!
I had a Combat in black….they called me the wheelie King…
As a schoolboy I lived near RAF Upper Heyford, North Oxfordshire, between 1969 & 1971. Confusingly it was an American base flying F 111s (swing wings, which kept falling off-and out of the sky). There were2guys, undoubtedly American servicemen, who had a matching pair of yellow Comandos. How cool! RAHG
I bought a brand new Norton commando roadster in 1973. I was 21 years old.When it hit 400 miles I hit a telephone pole. Almost killed myself. After I recovered, I bought parts to repair the bike including front forks, front tire, tank, frame, seat etc. The engine and rear swing arm along with the rear fender survived. The bike cost $1800 new and it cost me $1200 in parts to put it back together. Rode it for years afterwards. I’ve had many bikes, Harleys, Honda CBR 1000, and others. This was my favorite motorcycle. If I could find one that I could afford I would buy it right now. Athletic, powerful, exciting.
I've driven almost all of the big japanese 70's bikes, but the Commando stands out. Mine is a MKIII 850 Roadster and it is still a pure pleasure to ride. I bought mine in 1996. In roadholding, the Commando was 15 years ahead of the japanese. I've also owned 2 Honda CB500, a CB550 Super Sport and 2 CB750s. All good bikes, but I do not miss any of them. The Commando is my bike.
Yes. I understand
Interesting. I took out a concrete lamp post in South Wales with mine. Spent some time as a guest of the British health care system, of which i have no complaints. That one was first generation that we called tweety bird due to the tweeting exhaust at idle. No scrapes after the wreck, simply flattened that big cross tube and bent the bike in half and it fell over with me on it. Sold the wreck to a taxidermist in Austin to and he rebuilt it i believe. My second was a commando combat, still a 750 but with as I remember, shaved heads and a higher compression ratio. I used to off road on that one, only problem being lock to lock was short. I believe part of the reason they handled so well, and they did, was due to the lower center of gravity, the main crank being lower than the axles. Loved those bikes.
I started racing my Norton 850 in the Historic Motorcycle Racing Club.
I got my comp licence on my Norton.
After a few meets decided to stop racing it as it was too precious so then raced a Suzuki GSXR-600-R Supersport in the state rounds with the moderns.
Still have my Norton 35 years later.
Still 95 Percent original.
Unfortunately the bike suffered a delamination of the lifter pad so am trying to find the part which are getting very hard to get.
In Australia they sell from between $10,000 and $20,000 Au. You only live once so definitely buy another Norton!
Bought a 850 Roadster in 1973 with the classic gloss black and gold trim. I’m 72 yrs old and still enjoy it but I don’t go too fast now. Over the years many aftermarket improvements have made the bike more reliable and easy to live with. Improved engine breathers, rectifier/zener diode replacements, better head steadies, better carb., electric start etc. The 850 Commando Roadsters are among the best looking motorcycles.
My grandad has a mk3 850 commando that's on its way out now its a real shame, its not his first commando, he bought one new in '73 and got into a very bad crash leaving him in a full body cast for 10 months. He still loves his commando now even though it struggles above 4000rpm. He's recently taken it from silver to JPS black and gold and its absolutely beautiful even if its dying
@@finfin3001 So sorry to learn of your grand dads accident even though it happened long ago. When you mention that his Mk. III is dying do you mean that it needs parts and repairs? Unlike us humans Commandos can always be resuscitated with parts and attention. Best wishes.
Perhaps you can tell me when British bikes had to capitulate to American legislation and change the gears to left, always wondered when this took place and whether it was pressure from Harley Davidson,
@@adoreslaurel think it was standardised after ww2, I'm not aware of any differences in the side of the gear change/clutch, that's why british people do the nod and can't do many hand signals because the throttle is on the right hand side, and so is oncoming traffic. A suicide clutch is a modification that switches the clutch I believe, but I'm sure that has less than innocent derivations
@@adoreslaurel Hi John. I would say that the British began producing bikes with left side shift in 1974. Nortons with lh shift were sold in 75. They probably had to do it due to the extreme proliferation of Japanese bikes flooding the market. Dont think it had anything to do with Harley.
I bought a brand new ,750 Commando Interstate back in 1972 .... fabulous machine.
I bought a brand new 1972 750 Commando Roadster in Kaiserslautern, Germany in 1975. Kept it for 48 years. Still crying today.
British old twins have loads of character unlike the soulless Japanese bikes
Norton 850 commando is one of the best bikes i have ever Riden. You cant underdtand until you ride it
LAK, I rode a 750 Commando from Liverpool to Edinburgh on 31-12-1974.
The weather was really bad, but the bike stuck to the road like whatever to a blanket. It purred like a cat at 80 to 90 mph.
I disagree with our host, I owned a BSA A75 and felt it was a match for the Honda 750 and even the Kawasaki 900, but they needed a lot more maintenance.
Press a button to start and take it to the dealer for servicing was a big attraction for many riders in those days.
I have an M20, but mostly ride my Yamaha RD400 as it is light and has enough performance for an old man.
I do agree with you; Commandos were special. The rubber isolation system designed by a German Rolls Royce engineer, suspension and brakes by the usual suspects, electrics by the Prince of Darkness and an engine designed by Bert Hopwood in 1949, should have been a disaster.
Instead, they produced a superb machine.
@@kevinmoor26 my brother got the rd350. Also great bike
@@Rudolf.Winkler.Verlag LAK, if you find the machine that goes faster that one can pedal, it is the good machine. Some however, are extentions of the body and mind and give the eperience.
I owned a 750 Commando back in the early seventies and of all the bikes I’ve had since then I’d have to say it’s still my all time favorite bike.
Yes I have to agree - I've a pair of modern day Harleys now, and appreciate their push button 'get up and go' with modern conveniences! (for a Harley!) and the comfort they bring for touring but my heart belongs to the Norton. I gave it up as 'age' caught up and they are quite high maintenance but what I bike! mine was a mk2 interstate 1973, with various upgrades, carb, belt drive electronic ignition, and few other mods to ease the maintenance and had great experiences with that bike. It just captured your soul, had real presence and looked like nothing before or since, and it was reliable - never left me stranded, despite many thousands of miles and my 100 daily commute into London for a few years. but you did need to carry some basic tools! and the odd spare on longer trip - it even "ate" part of a throttle slide on one of the carbs, run rough and I never found the bits despite looking when I stripped the top end down. You know, I may get a well sorted example as the weight of the big Harley is a bit testing at times, it might have to have an "electric" kick start though! Oh ! I had the Honda and Kawasakis back in the day but the Norton is what I remember most fondly.
It would be nice if you could time travel back and buy a new bike and you would have a classic for 1973 money if only.
Yeah, the first bike I ever owned was a used 750 Commando, and I subsequently bought a brand new 74 850 Commando (no electric start). I loved the bike but sold it when I got married. I currently ride a Triumph America and I love it, but if only I had held onto that Norton!!
I owned a 71 750, probably my all time favorite also. About the same weight as a 68 Honda 450 which I owned before the Norton. Never had any oil leaks as was stated in this video. Only complaint was the front end shimmy at about 100 mph which was never resolved by Norton dealership. You guessed correct, I never found out what top end was.
I had a Norton Commando Fastback 750 NFV188G in 1973 when I was eighteen. I miss that bike. Never let me down. Used every day. I have a W800 now. Nice bike but doesn't have the oomph or the handling the Commando had, and vibration free! Fantastic 😊
In 1978 I bought a used 1976 Norton Commando roadster. It's what cemented the love for British bikes that remains to this day. Nothing like it have I ever ridden since. I was in the Air Force then and rented a house with two other guys, we all had bikes two of them being 850 Norton's with one Honda 750 Four. Sunday was bike ride day and we would go for long rides around San Antonio, TX. At least once every ride myself and the other Norton rider would give each other a nod and give our Norton's the beans hard. Soon the Honda would be a small dot in the back ground, loved it!
I entered the marines in 76, had a Ducati, bought a Triumph TR6R, a 441 victor and a flathead 45 that year. Had half a dozen friends on various bikes and we enjoyed those summers enormously. Been enjoying a 78 Bonnie this year, always look back on the Nortons with love.
great bike I'm still riding my 850 norton roadster 1975 today after 40 of ownership
So glad I lived and rode through this era……😎
Excellent and accurate history of Norton in the late '60s early to mid '70s. I lived this era. I started motorcycling in 1968 in Massachusetts. In 1971 I got licensed for the road, and started with a Honda CL450. At the time a guy at high school had a 1970 Norton Commando 750 S (with the high pipes). His Commando 750 weighed like 9 lb more than my Honda, but believe me there was no comparison in performance. I vowed to have a Commando myself one day!
In 1974 I bought a new (left-over) 1973 Norton 850 Commando Roadster, in Pacific Blue "Fireflake metalic" paint. At that time there was nothing that could touch a Norton Commando on the twisty winding roads of New England... nothing but another Norton Commando and ALL my friends had them!! What a motorcycle!!
The Norton Commando ruled the back roads here in the early-mid 1970's. If you tried to follow a Norton in the twisties with your Honda 740 four or your Z1 900 Kawasaki and you ended up in the woods. The closest competition was the R5 and RD 350-400 Yamahas which were fast as well.
There was something about the Norton however; the thumping, throbbing power, the stump pulling torque, the excellent handling, the great brakes (for the time, especially for a light motorcycle).
The Norton Commando would shake enough to loosen your fillings at a stop light, but at exactly 3,200 rpm the vibration VANISHED COMPLETELY! Keep the bike above 3,200 and you had the smoothest motorcycle on the road! No lie.
The 1973 Norton Commando Roadster had this curve/slope to passenger portion of the seat. Riding with my girlfriend on the back, every time I braked hard she would slide down the seat with the Norton rumbling and vibrating as the rpms backed down to idle. The girls REALLY liked this! Sometimes at a stoplight she would jump right off the bike and stick her tongue down my throat. I’d be sittin’ there at the light with the bike running, in gear, hand on the clutch, making out with my Honey. When the light changed she would hop back on and I’d pull away from the intersection with my goggles all fogged up, thinking: “I LOVE THIS MOYORCYCLE!!!” You won’t find this information on motorcycle magazine tests of the day.
I was much cooler back then.
The Norton Commando is revered to this day by anyone that owned one, and a Commando can still get down a back road!
lol. Great memories huh, Spike? Still, one girl's thrills equal another man's numb nuts, right?
Lovely story.
We won't ask what happened when you got back home.
I have a 1973 Mark 2 A 850 Roadster I’ve had many bikes but there’s something special about the handling the sound of a Norton commando
I bought my first Norton Commando new in black and gold for my 65th birthday in 1974. It was my first motorcycle. I still have it, and ride it when I can. The handling has always been so favourable compared to a Harley.
You covered this so well , it was a pleasure start to finish. My friend bought the 850 commando and I asked him to go up my street from a standstill as fast as he could. Holy shit he only used 1 gear and it went like a rocket. I believe it did 70 in the tall first gear. I was smiling the rest of the day.
I had a brand new 1970 Triumph Bonneville. A rocket for its day, but those Norton Commandos kicked my ass!
Yep, I remember the Rocket three on the M25, bye bye……. When we got off the motorway/Freeway…. He showed great respect. Great day for both riders/strangers. That was my first, 750 fast back.17 at the time.
I bought a 750 fastback new in 1971 … and I still have it! 😊❤😊
I had two different 850 Commando units. Both had the Interstate 6 gallon (US) tank in Candy Apple Red metal flake. Both were pre electric start Mk II models. One I bought at a dealer outside London, don't remember exactly where. It was a 1973, M plate and I had it modified with a Dunstall exhaust system (2 into 1 into 2) and some porting head work done as well as shaved the head to increase its rather low compression ratio. There were alignment problems between the crank and the magneto and it left me stranded on the side of a Dutch motorway on the way to Amsterdam. I pushed it into a tree line at the side of the road but it was gone by the time I got back there with my mates.
What a fun bike. Perfect for the B roads of East Anglia and pub crawling during the summers there. I put it through the back fence of a pub coming back from the beach at California (yes, outside Gt. Yarmouth) when I didn't see the stop sign at a Tee junction. When I knocked on the door the proprietor told me the pub was closed but when I told him I had knocked down his back fence he said "well you better come in then an have a whisky". About 1976. I don't know how I made it this far. Must have been good luck and the mix of Irish and Viking blood in my veins. Septic Tank.
In 1976 I bought a mate's 850 mk1. Rode it hard for 5 years and it still rate it as one of the best bikes I've owned. Ridiculously easy to do a full-throttle take off, without drama! and it destroyed every bike I went up against. While a Kawasaki H2 750 owner wrestled to keep the front wheel down, the Norton just catapulted forward, leaving him behind. It made a mockery of the paper performance figures of so-called faster machines.
Drop it into top (4th gear) at 30mph and didn't need to change down. Amazing torque coupled with very light weight.
Went to a local bikers meet last summer and there it was, my old bike, restored beautifully, but looking so small that we forget just how bikes have expanded.
A true, underrated classic.
I also bought a new Commando in 1973 and still ride it today. Off on a rally 250 miles away in June with other old friends on Commandos. Great classic bikes to have fun on.
By Far the best looking motorcycle in my mind. I owned 2 of them in early 80's. A friend's older brother owned one. I really thought he was a cool cat. 1st one 70 Combat (destroyed one early Saturday morning) My bad. Then a 71-72 Commando.I rode the snot out of this one. Sold when I met my girl and got married. Needed a car..Bummer. Still have the wife and 4 Honda's in the garage. Reliability is the thing these days. Though ,I still have a few Norton memories that make me smile.
Since the Norton Commando was manufactured many motorcycles have come along with superior engineering, power, handling, and reliability. But there is one department where the Commando still shines; the 73-74 Roadster with steel side covers, 2.8 gal tank, high gloss paint with gold trim, stainless fenders, and upswept reverse cone mufflers is one fantastic looking motorcycle. I agree with your assessment Dion: “by far the best looking motorcycle”.
I was totally in love with this bike in 1969. Three years later, my brother-in-law rode one to Birmingham AL and essentially gave it to me for a weekend. Far from the best bike I've ever ridden, it was hands down the coolest. To this day, IMO, this is one of the most beautiful machines ever produced - for any venue or purpose.
13:16 I had the cycle Guide magazine in 1973 calling for The Superbike Showdown and that issue made it pretty clear that Norton head top speed. I remember my tongue hanging out!
Like many others writing below, my '74 850 Mk II Commando was the best motorcycle I owned (out of a total of 17 bikes): strong, smooth, great handling in any road condition (even off-road), simple to service and tune. The Norton delivered an amazing riding experience. Every daily trip was a romance. Out-of-town journeys were epics. Once I learned how to kick-start it one or at most, two kicks brought the big twin to life with little effort. The Commando was comfortable and predictable up to 115 mph on the freeway. Usable torque began slightly below 2,000 rpm from the long-stroke engine; the four-speed transmission (with right side shift) was adequate at all speeds. Just to see how slowly it would idle I got it down to a throbbing 500 rpm with the two Amal carbs in perfect sync. As the decal legend on the back fender said, there was nothing like 'The Unapproachable Norton Commando'.
and nothing like your BS fish story
I was General Sales Manager at the Plumstead factory when the Commando was launched. I therefore, sold thousands worldwide, mostly to the USA during late 60s/early 70s. You might be interested to know that the bike was originally named "Silver Flash". However, only days before the launch at the Earls Court show in London and half way through the sales
catalogue print run. I cancelled and renamed the model as the "Commando Fastback".
Thanks for this story. Brings back many great memories. Like many of the contributors below, I owned a Norton which I bought new in 1975 and still ride.
My first Norton, 1973 750 Commando Interstate with the Combat engine. Added king size saddle bags, windjammer, and trunk and we toured the West coast ....before kids....
I bought my 74 MK IIA with 850 combat engine for 849.00 GBP new and I sold it in 1980 for the same price. I bought her back in 1982 and still have her. She has had 1 rebuild (engine and Gearbox) and still does 120 mph. A pleasure to ride.
I miss my 850 Mk3 Interstate, a beautiful bike. Would run rings round my 1450 FLHR pig that I'm stuck with these days....if you ever get the chance to buy one ( a Norton, not the Harley) then do it, you won't regret it.
Great review. Thanks for putting this together. As an original and current owner of a 750 purchased new in '72, I really learned a bunch of details on the Commando. Well done. Still riding and loving the old Snortin' Norton. I agree on the fuel tank, it always has been a beautifully shaped piece. Loved and laughed at the comments on Lucas electric.
Lucas electrics are the reason BSA stood for Bastard Stopped Again. I'm not sure why Lucas made such poor quality product. The wires hardened and the insulation would chip off and ZORTCH! The birth of the pedestrian. I remember that from the 60s and 70s.
@@darrellcook8253 😆Ha! I'll remember that BSA one. I had always heard the one about Lucas being 'The Prince of Darkness', if I remember correctly. In any case, Nortons remain great bikes, and one of the all time best sounding ones ever.
@@pearldiver7 My dad told me the BSA was the prettiest bike you'll ever see parked along side the highway.
@@mad-reaper Ha! Your dad was a smart, funny man.
The Prince of Darkness wasn't a joke.
Naming the dog 'Norton' is hilarious; excellent choice in names. If I had a dog named Norton, I would find myself imitating Jackie Gleason's voice from The Honeymooners: "Norton ! I have to tell you this".
Thanks for the great video!!
Being a founding member of Roadoilers Motorcycle Club, I had LOTS of British bikes, but my Mk3 Commando was without a doubt my favorite!
I rode it for many years, and did several 1000 mile tours on it. I had a Roadster and an Interstate tank, depending on how I was using it at the time. I toured Death Valley, all over the West and Pacific Northwest, and the like, along with hundreds of day rides in west Marin County along the Pacific coast. It was also my commuter bike in good weather! Fun times and a great bike!
Commando still is the best looking and sounding bike ever. Badoop badoop badoop ROARRRR! My 1974 howls when I get on her throttle. Yes, she kicks back and sprained my ankle more than once. Mine does not leak. Responsiveness of the machine is the pure joy of the thing: the way she moves in anticipation of rider inputs as if by telepathy.
How true. Im on my second 850 mk1 stupidly sold my 1st one and had ducati’s etc then realised one day i really missed my norton and got a 1 owner low mileage 850 mk1 again, had it 26 years now. People complain about the brakes but engine braking is great so you learn to ride, next its a 4 speed yep that’s really all you need with a long stroke engine if you race one get a quafe 5 spd. I also run a 21 tooth front sprocket . Its happy spot is 80mph all day. Only oil comes out the kickstart shaft , one day I’ll change it from O ring to a seal . When i need to. Love them. Will never sell it.
Tony Cardoso. I bought my 850 Norton Commando off the showroom floor in 1973. I've owned a lot of different bikes over the years Harley,BSA,Honda.But my Snorten' Norton was by far my favorite.Trouble free, quick and comfortable.One of my favorite rides on it was the police report stating : " at peak acceleration (120-125) I could not overtake the motorcycle"
I remember me and my dad passing one of these Norton Commandos in 1976, i think it was. I was 11 years old and on the back of dads Honda 750 four F1, bright yellow. I remember thinking the Norton was kind of dated looking.
My old man is in his 80's now and still says he should have kept the honda. He sold it back to the garage he bought it from about 18 months after buying it new. A month or so later, the garage man was talking to dad who said somebody had bought the bike and promptly killed himself in an accident, 2 weeks later on it.
It really was a beast of a bike back in those days. It felt like all the other traffic was in slow motion.
I agree with I B Newton, as the head mechanic of a custom shop in Toronto Ont. Canada, I took Commando engines (& Burman transmissions) and mounted them into the Wideline-Featherbed frames with the Short "Racing" Roadholder front ends & 4 leading-shoe braked wheels. Nothing could touch these for handling! (or fun on a BRITISH bike)
That was another excellent video. Great stuff. It was sure nice to hear a Norton running again. I sure miss that sound. I had three Nortons over the years, '71 and '72 750's and a '74 850. They were a lot of fun to ride, but not so much fun to fix all the time. I sure wish I could have kept one of them though. They're crazy expensive now.
Sold my 850 a while back.this bike was nice and smooth,and still looked like a motorcycle. Worked at my local Honda shop.but still had my brit bikes.got a few more .love my old Hondas and Yamahas too. Great vid.
The magazine adds of the time had the motorcycle and a variety of very attractive women.
In High School, two of my classmates had a drag race, one was on his dad’s Norton, the other was in his dad’s De Tomaso Pantera. It was a street race attended by a bunch of classmates. It must have been 1974-75. I thought the Norton could win over the 1/4 mile - nope, the Pantera won easily.
Just memories now.
Thank you for the video!
Arguably the most beautiful design of the era
Absolutely! Thx for showing us this wonderful machine! Damn near put a tear in my eye.
In 1987 I rode my 850 Commando to San Filepe Mexico on the Sea of Cortez entered it into a race across the Baja Peninsula to Ensenada then rode it back to where I was keeping it in CA. A 600 mile weekend. I finished sixth in the vintage class after running out of fuel. Fred Eiker won on his Commando averaging 113+ another Commando averaged over 100 mph. A Cycle Magazine Sportster averaged 100. Still have the tee shirt. They had moved the fuel stop. I wasn't able to refill at the start due to Federales trying to clear the road. Fun.
I owned a Norton Commando Mark 2a Interstate bought 2nd hand in 1978. It was a beast after the CJ250T Honda that I traded it in for. So much fun was had on that bike. However it was a fine example of why the British Motorcycle was in such decline at that time. I worked at that time as a motorcycle mechanic, the skills I had aquired were needed constantly to keep the Commando reliable. The isolastic suspension whilst new worked well in isolating the worst of the 360 degree twin's vibrations, it could not make the Commando a comfortable tourer. After 60 to 90 minutes your tooth fillings would be coming loose. Now almost 50 years later I own a Triumph Speed Twin (twice the horse power and torque [but more weight] ), a Ducati Monster 696 (+ 20% more horsepower -20% the weight). Love older bikes, but modern bikes (even retro bikes) have the performance and the reliability. Whatever you've got with 2 wheels and an engine, ride it with a smile!
In 1974 my cousin and I took a new Norton John Player edition for a test ride at the Phoenix dealership on North 7th. St. We both have ridden many motorcycles, mostly enduros and dirt bikes. I had formerly had 3 Yamaha XS 650 twin motorcycles. A first year 1970, a `71 and later a `75. Getting on this British bike with the shifter on the right where I was used to having a brake pedal and a shifter on the left with the pattern being 1 up and the rest down was disconcerting and awkward to put it mildly. We both only got about two blocks before we turned around and came back. I loved the acceleration, handling and sound. Had those brake levers and shifter been on the side I was used to I'd probably bought one. I wound up with the `75 Yamaha 650 with the Vetter fairing. I as afraid if I bought the British bike I would have had to ride on the wrong side of the road.
As a collector & restorer of motorcycles of the 60s and 70s, I own and ride many of the bikes that were considered competition for the Commando. My Commando is a 1972 Roadster with the 750 Combat motor. When compared to my 1970 CB750 K1, 1969 BSA A65 Lightning, 1973 Z1, 1972 H2, 1969 H1, 1968 W1SS and even my 1968 T500 Cobra, the Commando performance is very good, but not in the way many people might think. Many of my other bikes listed above have more horsepower, but within a small rpm range. While that can be fun, I find the Norton's motor makes power at lower rpm's and pulls smoothly and strongly to the higher range while feeling like you aren't going as fast as you are. It doesn't make my hands tingle and go numb, and has refinement that my other bikes lack, with the exception of the Z1 which is an unfair comparison. The Norton handling is superior and I find it more enjoyable to ride than my other bikes. Of course, that is only my personal opinion.
The bassplayer of a local band where I lived as a teenager in the Nineties drove a blacked-out Commando. In my memories and to this day, for me it is the loudest, meanest bike ever:)
That’s interesting, an older family friend had one (filthy, blacked out) in NZ at that time when gangs rode Triumphs. T’was a mean looking and sounding bike, I was hooked.
I have fond memories of my 1971 750 Norton Commando. It had an Interstate tank that I changed for the more attractive roadster type. I remember spending many hours fettling, polishing and adjusting that machine to make it the best it could be.
Beautiful bike. I owned a Norton Commando 850 Mk3A way back in the 1990s. The one with the "electrically assisted starter" and carbs you tickled, the fuel overspill dripping on the useless starter motor... You could adjust the tension of the isoelastic mounts on the front of the engine. Get the adjustment wrong and the whole engine would be stationary on tick over while the rest of the bike vibrated around it! As well it had a Boyer electronic ignition fitted which had the unfortunate side effect that if the battery were slightly flat the ignition timing would advance, giving you quite an unpleasant surprise through the kick start. I loved that bike. One of the few motorcycles I regret selling.
I bought a '72 Combat new in 1972 for $1925.00, fallowed the break in procedure to the letter 0 to 500 miles do not exceed 60 mph, 500 to 1500 do not red line and hold. 1500 to 5000 drive normal but do not hold red line. Break ion complete or red line all the way to the winner circle. the bikes shipped to the USA were fitted with a 19 tooth primary drive sprocket the euro models were 20, with the "interstate" a 21 tooth. With the 19 tooth I spanked everything that was on the road including the Kawasaki two stroke triples ! the twin carb combat was rated at 65 hp, at 378 lbs.! the "bomb" was in third gear at 5000 rpm WOT the tack would jump to 7000 and the front end would come up at 90 mph if you did not shift and leave the wick up it would flip over backwards, i'm sure . I traded it in on a 1974 MotoGuzzi V7 sport . 750 cc at 75 hp 5 speed top end about 150-175 with a up graded twin carb to 32 mm from 30mm square slide dellorto.
Back in the day I had 2 x 750 Commando's, I bought them both second hand and years apart and they both needed some expert sorting to make them work properly but once I got them sorted they were brilliant. My pals at the time had Beemers and big Japanese bikes and my Norton would out perform them all and use a lot less fuel while it was leaving them behind. I think that most people today don't realise what a great bike the Commando was, those people should look more closely at this bike because once set up properly they are super smooth, very fast, handle great and are very economical and reliable. The only issue I had was with the original front brake which was pretty poor but once I got a Norvil disc and caliper conversion on there it was brilliant. I once took my standard but well sorted 750 Interstate to Avon Park Raceway and managed an 11.9 et with a 109mph ts, compare that to my friends standard CB750 Honda which was more than a second slower and a 103mph ts. No oil leaks and starting was so easy I used to win bets with people by starting the (warm) engine with my hand operating the kick starter, as once the crankshaft was set to the right position the kick start lever just needed a nudge and the engine would reliably start. The only reliability issue I had was just one time I had the LH side countershaft ball bearing in the gearbox completely fail and the bike could not be ridden so had to be recovered, that was the only major problem I had in the 5 years I rode those bikes and I did ride them hard
Didn't realize they had bikes in 1976
@@robertbruce1887 explain please..
Great comments my friend , I can relate to every word you have said , and that torque just makes you grin , stay lucky pal
I had two Nortons in my riding history. A '62 650 Atlas & a 750 Commando. (both black) My riding buddy had a red 750 Commando w/the "combat" engine & custom tank graphics depicting mushrooms, lol. We had so much fun & went on many country rides w/our girlfriends.. Such great memories.
Figured I would comment, since I just sold my Commando. It is the one pictured at the beginning of this video. Yes, values are up, some have sold for more (one for over $25,000), but this is for a motorcycle in original condition, or close to it.
When new, there were quality issues with these bikes in comparison to the Japanese makes. This required extensive maintenance, and is a main reason the Brit bikes went out of business.. The basic maintenance on a Honda CB750 consisted of adjusting the chain, change the oil, and replace the tires when they wore out. (I have a 1974 CB750)
Total British bike production in 1975 was about 20,000 units; with 1% of the US market and only 3% of the UK market. Honda was selling about 60,000 units a year of its most expensive model, the CB750.
All of the faults with the Commando can be addressed with aftermarket upgrades that are readily available (improved starters, electronic ignition, SuperBlend bearings, modern gasket adhesives, etc.). The 1975 Commando was the first year of electric start and left side shift (required that year by US law). The left side shift pattern is 1 down 3 up; 4 gears were enough because the Commando had a broad power band, from 2500 rpm up (a torque motor). The Honda CB750 was a 5 speed.
Performance between the Commando and the Honda CB750 was close, giving the handling edge to the Commando. However, in 1973 the new 'King of the Hill' was the Kawasaki Z1, which was significantly faster than both.
If you want a modern version of a Commando, it exists in the Triumph Thruxton RS (but it doesn't have 'that sound').
Great bike I had a 750 Commando and still ride it.
1:15 My mate worked in that building and after the doors were closed around 1976/77, they placed bits in 2 x 2 x3 bins for auction. We had a n invite pre-auction and option to put in advance bids. My ride at the time a BSA 650 with a 750 Zip kit effectively a lightning plus, also had a racing 250 Desmo Ducati and a 250 5 speed Enfield Continental (stolen shortly after at a bike rally and never seen again).
Just off the room to the left was an old storage area, it was to be cleared out , it contained submissions and old plans. This was officially the Norton Manganese Bronze , part of the Manganese Bronze holdings, while British Leyland received millions, the British motorcycle only needed a few 100k, they had advanced orders and a big following, go figure. In tat back room we found an electronic ignition system (wrapped in oilskin)for a 250 Norton Dominator submitted maybe a decade before, Bob had a Domi, his main Bike was a 750 Triton it worked first time and other goodies. We also found plans going back 10+ years and engineering drawing books from Ariel, these included an inline four stamped sold to a Japanese corp we found to be Honda and a 250 twin sold to Yamaha plus a few others Arial twin and triple 2 stroke and 4 stroke designs for engines and frames sold to various Japanese companies, we all wished we had taken the books of plans but we were allowed to take any bits not in the bins and didn't want to jeopardise being at the auction. Nick had a 750 4 and he was flabbergasted at the similarities. He used to have a 750 Commando Roadster it was an isolastic suspension and a version with some extra rubber mounts for some reason and my BSA outhandled it on every turn.
Thanks now a retired development engineer (CAT Marine), the sounds bring back my daily life in the 70s and early 80s, living in the Midlands, I had the Enfield at 15 !.
We all maintained and modified our bikes , lightened (even drilled holes in gears etc.) Bob's triton (750 bony engine in a Norton featherbed frame would rev to 8500 and take on any road bike or car and he did regularly!)
I had a 72 750 Combat. Wish I still had it. Paid $1695 . Black with gold. Paint under the black lacquer was purple metalflake...lol
I bought a 1971 commando roadster, had it worked on by Ed LaBelle (Philly). He turned it into the combat engine and eventually used the 2 to 1 to 2 Dunstall pipes. "What a sound".
Ps had a fiberglass tank.
Great vid, i dont agree with all of it but do like the fact that a younger generation apreciates commandos, ive had mine 38yrs, toured uk and europe many times two up with camping gear, the motor (850) is so strong it never misses a beat, yes the 750 is the faster bike but give me an 850 well sorted commando anyday.....well done my mate, great vid...Dusty, Norfolk..UK
I bought a ‘74 MarkII in 1985 with 8,000 miles on it for $800. It was a Hi-rider version with a 2.4 gallon tank white metal flake paint. I essentially made it closer to the Roadster version with lower bars and black paint. I put over 30,000 miles on it, but over $8,000 in it as well. Great handling, beautiful sound and it made me feel like I was really riding a motorcycle. Sold it in 2002 for $2,500. I have four bikes, one is a 2014 Triumph Bonneville T100. Less maintenance for sure.
Top speed was 115 mph.
As a 64 year old growing up in the 70's Nortons were THE bikes. I had an XS 650 (Jap Bonnie) then a Guzzi T3 in black & gold both oil leak free and reliable.
I've ridden a lot of bikes over nearly 50 years on everything from 50cc minibikes to Honda "cookie cutter" fours to modern crotch rockets to Harley Fatboys. And of all the bikes I've owned or borrowed, the one for which I finally became "motorcycle monogamous" was my current '72 Norton Commando 750 (with the modifications to make it non-Combat reliable and a rearset footpeg arrangement and drop bars to make it a cafe racer). For pure, in-your-face motorcycle thrill-seeking, it just has so much more personality than any other thing I've ever been on.
It's not so much a motorcycle you ride as a lovely lady with whom you dance. You don't tell her where to go. You read the signals she's giving you, and you give her a good lead, so it's more like having a conversation. That's when the magic really happens and man and machine become one. Famous WWII fighter pilot Bob Doe once said, "Of all the things I ever flew, nothing was quite like the Spitfire. You didn't really fly it as much as you put it on and suddenly you had wings on your back." And that bit of British engineering character seems to have gotten into the early Commandos as well.
There is that little funny wiggle at speed, but it's like walking with a woman on your arm. Most of the time at low speed, you're walking with a pretty steady touch on your arm because she's wearing flats. And then there's that little tipping point where you realize, "Oh, we're going down the road at speed... She's walking in heels now, and I'm going to feel that tiny wobble." It's not dangerous, it's just one of those neat little cues you get to notice. And it reminds you that you're in the presence of a real lady.
So, so much personality... You really haven't ridden until you've ridden an early model Commando.
Wow, sounds like you must have a very happy wife
Yep you’ve ridden a commando alright. Also nicely done engines have a particular whirr to them that sounds amazing and that nice slow positive gearshift. Love em.
Good coverage, thanks.
I've owned my 1974, 850, mk 2a, since '76, when it only cost £650 and can't bring myself to part with it.
When first purchased, I opened her up and surprised myself by doing a power Wheely.
Incredible torque, though the braking was pretty terrible!
The performance of my bike even persuaded several of my friends to buy Commandos.
By the way I'm British and we have finally worked out how to drink cold beer. Incidentally, I thought the 'presto start' on the mk 3s, was American and was marketed as an assisted start. Good luck with your puppy, our first dog, a Bernese Mountain dog, we also named Norton.
I just purchased a 74 850 after desiring a commando for a very long time. Only about 2500 miles on the bike. Expect she will be out my triumphs vintage and new for sunday rides
Norton shift pattern being 1 up and the last 3 down made you hold extra tight on the handle bars clutching into 2nd for sure. The longer wheel base compared to Triumph and BSA along with the front to rear ratio diameter sizes used on the Norton also made the handling feel different than the other two Brit bikes.
Yeah, back in 1973 I rode my friend's Norton Commando. Will not forget lifting the shift lever to hit fourth, and I got second!
"Brit bikes" used every possible combination and when riding an unfamiliar bikes you always asked the shifts. It never caused a problem and no one held on "extra tight".
That shift pattern ruined me for years after that, long after I sold my Commando.
I had a 750 Interstate in 1972, moved up to an 850 for a while but never liked it as much so went back to a 750 until I bought a Ducati. In all my years riding, that first 750 Interstate is still the bike that really stirs me the most.
Six gallons of gas and 45 mpg. That's range
Had to sell my '73 750 Commando Combat to pay for college back in '84. Just now picked up a new 650 Interceptor ( I don't need the hassles of owning a classic) and it gives a lot of the same vibes, but I need to change out the exhaust to hear the engine and the too modern looking turn signals to Lucas units to complete the retro experience. I also ordered a new tank to paint black and have hand lettered in gold to reproduce the look of my old machine.
Thanks for the piece. Well done.
In 1974-75 I was in the market for a street bike to replace my Kawasaki F7 175 trail bike. I ride tested a 1974 Norton 850 Commando, BMW R75, Yamaha RD400, and Kaw H2 750. In the rural twisty roads area I lived in at the time, the Norton or the Yam would have probably been best. But I was smitten by the Kaw 750 sound and power, and so went with that.
Thanks for the interesting content. My 750 Norton Interstate in black with gold pin stripe was the last British bike I owned. It was my sole means of transport and it was a beautiful machine but it had to go. The rings that held the exhaust pipes in worked loose and striped the thread out. When my (excellent) local dealer phoned Norton the chap on the other end of the phone said, "Yeah they do that mate ". In one way that says it all. What really did it for me though was when the dealer said they do eat big ends and I should consider moving it on. I did and bought a second hand Honda CB750. The Norton was the most beautiful bike though.🙂
I started racing my Norton 850 in the Historic Motorcycle Racing Club.
I got my comp licence on my Norton.
After a few meets decided to preserve it and race a Modern.
The main things to keep your Norton on the road are things like keeping the head exhaust clamps tight and lock wired.
Be aware of wet sumping fixed by fitting a one way reed type valve on the oil line from oil tank.
Many older bikes with dry sumps such as Sportsters suffer this.
Regularly check float level on the Amal carbs to stop fuel leaking into the cylinders and diluting the engine oil. Always turn off petcocks! The engine will seize.
Don't wheely your Norton as oil starvation will immediately occur as the oil pickup is in the front of the engine.
Many earlier Ducatis seized due to the same problem and guys racing Dukes like the 916 in the 90's seized the engine when doing celebration wheelies at the end of a race.
The isolastic engine damping system in the later Nortons were prone to wear out early causing side to side play in the swingarm and entire engine.
The primary side main bearing in the crankcase wore out early on causing a knock.
Properly maintained they will run for life.
The oil leaks can be fixed especially the primary gearbox input shaft seal on inner case with a modification.
There is an issue with the lifter pads, that are bronze welded onto the bottom of all four lifters, delaminating falling off. Apparently there is a better version of the lifters that fixed this. My Norton recently suffered this delamination so is currently under repair.
It's taken years to get my Norton reliable and oil leak free but if looked after like any motorcycle they will be with you for life.
They actually made a movie called "Attack of the Killer Norton" that run down citizens while on the back wheel.
I still would own another one, if I could afford it. Watching this just before I head to the post office on my Sprint GT 1050, so life is still good! Great video! 👍🏻
In 1973 I bought a Norton Commando 750 Hi-rider off the showroom floor for $1750. The Honda 750 - 4 was $2000 at the time. My riding buddies on all the Japanese bikes could not keep up with my Norton on the twisties in the mountains. The isoelastic suspension was wonderful when you got used to it in corners. It seems that at the apex of the corner the old Norton would squat an inch or two lower and slingshot through the exit. I put six bend pull back bars and a sissy bar on the back, a lot of women wanted a ride with me. I wish I still had my Snortin Norton!
A friend of mine bought a Norton Commando in 1978. He still has it today and it looks brand new. He also has a Triumph built in England and a royal Enfield built in India.
In 1973 i had a Norton 750 Commando, and my nephew the Honda CB750. On top speed the Norton was indeed faster than the Honda.
Also, my nephew on the Honda couldnt keep up with me on the Norton in the corners and on track, but that can be the rider, so no hard proof there.
I was surprised the Honda was slower but it would have more weight.
@@philipbooth7779 It was not by much on top speed, slowly creeping away, maybe around 2 or 3 mls. And my Norton was not 100% stock. It had an open Dunstall exhaust, so that added a little hp on top. So they were close to even on top.
Even in the road tests the Honda had a higher top end. Not by much.
The Honda CB750 couldn't keep up with the Norton on any twisty road course or highway. I left more than a few in my dust with my 1968 P11A.
@@derekheuring2984 the Honda was too big and heavy, my money would be on the Norton as well.
Nortons are legendary bikes, I really wish to own one someday.
Wish i never sold my Commando. When it was running good it ran great, problem is they don't seem to last long, always tough to start or something would fail.
I used my 850 Roadster MKIII as my everyday bike from 1998 to 2008. Few problems after going through the electrical system (all I did was clean it, and add a Lucas Rica ignition) Today you can have even better carbs, and a lots of small improvements will turn a Commando into a reliable bike.
I had 2 of them, riding them gave me great fun. But to be honest, the quality was a mess as you say
I have an 850 Commando, plus 4 other Brit bikes. You touched on something that is important to the looks of a motorcycle, i.e. the styling of the gas tank. Early Japanese bikes had tanks that looked like they were put on backwards.
The fish head shape was popular with Honda and Suzuki
Bart, I love your channel.
I also love the Norton Commando. I had a 1968 Fastback 750 in 1973 when I was eighteen. It was excellent. I have a W800 now, I love the Kawasaki too😊
My older brother bought one of these bikes brand new from Knotty Pine Cycles in West Bridgewater MA.He wanted a HD Sportster but didn't have quite enough cash. He knew the owner of the Harley Davidson shop. Montys Cycle shop also in West Bridgewater. The owner Kay Monaghan wouldn't budge on the price of the Sportster "I'm not running a used car lot Jack, The price isn't changing"
My brother went down the street to Knotty Pine Cycle and bought a beautiful black 850 Commando.
He rode up the street to Monty's backed the Norton into the showroom and pulled an epic hole shot throughly smoking out the showroom at Monty's
I can still hear that bike there's nothing like the sound of an old British twin. I have to many motorcycles ( six at last count) my collection won't be complete until I find an old Commando.
Back in the early mid 70’s I had a chance to ride the Norton 750 Commando. I was blown away with how smooth it actually handled and rode. At that time I ended up buying a Honda 750 Four. That’s when I realized that the Norton was the better of the two motorcycles
Yes - history has proven...never mind...
@@anxiousappliance An unbalanced 360 degree kickstart leaky and unreliable parallel twin, with the brutal jackhammer vibration of the Atlas tamed by rubber mounts, rather than a properly-engineered counterbalancing rotating shaft was never the equal, let alone the better, of the sewing-machine smooth, leakproof, pushbutton, disc-braked 750/4.
@@jonlow5554 kinda my point Jon
Maybe it wasn't "better", but it was far more fun to ride and had more character than 98% of all motorcycles ever made, although it was important for it to be properly set up and tuned.
👍 To this day if there was a Norton dealership close to where I live, I’d be checking them out
Beautiful bike. I remember that they were really popular in 1976 when I bought my Triumph Bonneville 750. I really miss my motorcycles, but I'm 73 now and just too old. The Kawasaki KZ 900 was a scary machine, too.
One up ... three down. Just as God intended.
I've put many an 89mm crank into Triumph crankcases, either billet steel Weslake or Nourish, or forged iron flywheel Norton. Either way, it transforms a Triumph for the street, especially for long distance or highway work.
The thing with 750/850 Commandos was that heavy long stroke crank, perfect ratios for a 4 speed box, and when set up right, a wonderful chassis.
It had long legs, and was the ONLY Brit bike that could sit all day at 80mph, day in day out without destroying itself. And thats coming from a TriumphFanBoy.
The classic British twins were beautiful examples of simplicity. This clean design is why I would LOVE to either get a Royal Enfield, or even an old Yamaha XS650. You get the classic looks with more reliable transportation. I used to work with a kid who's dad owned an old Norton Commando, and he gave it to him when he got his license. I was SO jealous!
I did just that. Change two things on the Interceptor if you get one.... #1 a set of Powerage mufflers, and #2 a set of Grip-puppies. It'll wake up the bike and sound fantastic, very reminiscent of the Norton sound. The grips are a bit thin and hard on the Enfield and the foam makes a huge comfort difference on an extended ride. I also have a premium touring seat, but that's a matter of preference.
I would have liked for you to list and show all of the variants made by Norton including Fastback, Long Range Fastback, "S", "SS", Interstate, Interpol, High Rider, John Player Special, and Production Racer. There was also the "Combat" 750 which was a high compression hot cam engine variant available across the range In 1972. The Production racer was a street legal racer built to higher standards and top speed of around 130. Then there was the Dunstall. The Dunstall 810 was the first street bike in the 11s back in the day. It was a strike at the Mariden Triumph plant which ended production of the Norton. The Commando was selling. The Isolastic is not a rubber mounted engine. It is a subframe including the engine transmission (non unit) and swing arm unit mounted on a system of shimmer summer mounts. Harley Davidson used or uses this system too, but they used heim jointed alignment rods to hold the subframe. Still do I think. The Isolastic system is in use by HD in an improved form. In my experience there really aren't electrical problems. My 850 did burn out a coil, but it was caused by a rock hitting the ballast resistor under the gas tank. The Lucas jokes are ok but reality isn't quite the same.
I'd been riding my standard '69 750 Commando for some years and got to test ride my friends Triumph Trident. I'd never ridden a Triumph triple before and I was shocked at how gutless it felt below 5K rpm compared to the Norton, it really had to be thrashed to get the performance out of it whereas the Norton had a lovely torquey, smooth and relaxed feel to the power delivery. At Avon Park Raceway my Commando was slightly faster than my friends Trident over the quarter mile, 11.9 seconds ET @ 109 mph TS compared to 12.2 ET and 106 mph TS and take into account that i weighed quite a bit more than my pal. I think that the main reason the Norton was faster was that the torque made it so easy to get off the line and because it had such a long wheel base it could really have the power put to the rear wheel without resulting in uncontrollable wheelies
My 1973 850 Commando roadster is still my favorite overall motorcycle. A great do anything ride.
having owned a norton for 3 years, its a testament to how truly awful they are, that today they are worth just 20k
Nice honest take on the Commando, I owned two a 1971 fastback with the drum brake, and a 1973 fastback disc brake with the combat 750 motor, and the long range fuel tank. The combat motor made a claimed 60 bhp these motors were prone to break con rods, mine broke both pistons, compression was to high. Good handling decently fast, with lots of silly problems, like carburettors shaking loose and wearing out at a rapid pace, oil leaks, alternator rotor cores separating, contact point heals wearing out rapidly, broken clutch cables. One unique feature is that you could run them with out a battery, they had a capacitor that could power the ignition. I did trash the pants off both, being a reckless youth. Considering the treatment I dished out to them they weren't half bad.
My '74 850 doesn't leak a drop and is valuable and collectable unlike a CB750.
Maybe caused to the fact, that during the complete period of making Norton Commandos they made around 55.000 in total while Honda in the same period would turn out around 800.000 CB 750’s.
Original Honda CB 750’s don’t come cheap either. One of the first batch of 1700 CB 750 do cost the same as 3 Commandos.
I bought a brand new 75 Norton Commando. My dad wouldn't allow me to have a Japanese motorcycle and I had a really bad experience witha Bonneville 650 and wanted something new this was my choice. I didn't like the handlebars so on the way home from where I got different handlebars. My brother had a 75 KZ 900 so he didn't have much trouble outrunning me and I did race a CB 750 dresser and he beat me but in all fairness, my Norton needed a tune up at the time. They were so much different than everything available at the time shifting on the right side and 1 up and 3 down and the kick starter with the curve made the leverage harder to kick, especially when it was cold. Mine was red so it wasn't as pretty as the black and gold ones. I was glad when it was gone though!
love the video, thank you. how do i find the 67 commando launch footage and literature? i have a 67 Atlas.
2: 13. That advertisement reminds me of the Brigstone add for their 350 two stroke twin. Another beauty, and the bike wasn't bad either. Rotary valves. 1967. Hope you do a review on those. I don't know why Brigstone went out of business, their bikes were fine.
Mine was a 74. Man, I miss that bike.
It is very odd that no one has brought back the Vincent HRD Nameplate...
I had a Commando 750 fast back in 1973. Metallic green, fibreglass 5 gallon tank .. it was an upgrade from my previous bike which was an AJS 650. What an incredible bike it was. Wish I'd kept it, I'm 71 this year and would love to have another bike .. but she who must be obeyed won't let me have one. Thanks for this video it was very interesting and lovely to see all the different iterations of the bike.
Arguably the most beautiful bike ever made.
Amen to that
my older brother had a '72, great bike but it needed a top end job every year and had a clutch lever effort that only Popeye could tolerate !
My husband's first new motorcycle was a 1971 Commando Fastback Long Range. The extra fuel capacity suited Australia's long distance trips. He preferred the drum brake to the early disc brakes & believed the Commando drum brake was superior to the disc & especially the disc brake on the Honda 4.
Yep, had both the drum was better until the modifications for the disc. Twin leading shoes worked well!
Elegant-beauty , probably why people customise , especially 'Cafe-Bikes' . Taking something that looks 'Ok' or a bit 'Meh' and making it into 'elegant-art' . That was what Nortons looked-like to those of us who were 'There-at-The-Time' (except the first ugly-ones) and they sounded like a bike should . We used to 'Gut' the muffler of most bikes we rode , to 'Unleash-The-Beast' . Dave NZ
I had a 1973 850 mid-year Commando. Wish I still had it as I'm much better at repairing and maintaining bikes now.
If this bike were still made I'd definitely be going Commando
Kyle, you are absolutely correct, it would be a HUGE seller. Good luck BSA Goldstar!
It's coming soon - nortonmotorcyclesDOTcom range commando-961
oh man this brings back some great memories. I dig your take on the Commando. I have to agree it was the quintessential British motorcycle. yeah, the 3-cylinder Kawasaki 500 would take me out in the 1/4 mile but at least my Commando didn't smoke and sound like a bumble bee on crack.
I agree with you. My first bike was a '69 Norton 750 fastback in a glorious silver metal flake base with a translucent wine gel over top in an eye catching patterned. It caught my eye at the State College dealership when I went in to buy a new 500 cc Moto Guzzi V twin shaft drive. My job at the time had me working 14-16 hour days, 6 days a week, with Sunday as my only day off. I was making good money , and could afford any bike on the market. After a year of reading bike magazines & picking my biker friends ' brains, I decided that the number one most important feature to me was RELIABILITY! I wanted a bike I could hop on and ride all day on Sunday... no fussing with anything mechanical...just ride carefree. The shaft drive l and the Guzzi's quirky engine layout appealed to me. There I was at the dealer's counter, with my $500 deposit check in hand. When the friendly silver hair, distinguished, older gentleman next to me informally asked me what I was getting. When I told him, he smiled and said that was what he was riding. I immediately began barraging him with questions.. Bottom line: he had his bike for 10 years and loved everything about it...the handling,..the looks... and most importantly...it's reliable performance,. Man, I couldn't wait to hand over my deposit. Then I asked him what he was in the dealer for, and he said that he was picking up two new exhaust pipes,. What he said next caused my jaw to drop and me to tear up my deposit check. He said that it took EIGHT MONTHS for his dealer to get them from Italy. That's when, with a depressed gaze around the showroom floor, I saw the Norton fastback. It was next to a Norton roadster. But I'm couldn't take my eyes off the fastback. The owner interrupted my trance, and I asked him if he had any literature on the fastback. I went home e and pored over the brochure and, over the next month asked my biker friends about the Norton's. Then walked out of the dealership with a brand new Norton fastback. $1,568.34 out the door. Beside asking my girlfriend to marry me a couple of years later, it was the best decision I had made in my 26 year old life. 0n mostly Sunday's, I put 11K + miles on that sweet handling dream of a rocket...filling my ears with the most satisfyingly melodious roar.
I finally asked my boss for four days off. The first three days saw me ride from State College to Erie, to Pittsburgh, to Washington,D.C., to Easton, Pa (my parents' home), & back to State College...1,800 miles in chilly/damp April weather. At 3 am on interstate 80, doing 80, with the entire so smooth & the air whooshing through my helmet, my fatigue so extreme, that I fell asleep three times and almost drifted off the highway into the weeds...but for the effective rumble strips...put there specifically for drowsy travellers like me. (THANK YOU, PENN DOT!). I was never so glad to get home and get off my bike. The thinly padded seat had turned into a bars slab of concrete. My hands were frozen gnarled clumps. Thank God I had scheduled the fourth day for recovery...as I slept for 13 hours.
What I came to realize quickly about the Norton that it was only dangerous in the beginning when you were getting to know the machine. Meaning that it was so smooth and had such a broad torque band, that when you were powering through a sweeping cloverleaf ramp and though you were doing 60, the guage said EIGHTY!
After learning the bike's handling capabilities, I would go out after work at 4 am on a beautiful summer night, head south of town on a newly laid highway and play a little control game...wherein I would hang over the side of my tank so I could see my front tire, and see how fast I could go while still keeping my tire on the 3-inch wide, newly painted yellow side line. The fastest I got up to was 90. The only truly dangerous element was popping my head up to see if I was about to plow into any deer entering the highway on my side. Young & crazy. Full of piss & vinegar. Riding the fastest production motorcycle in the world at the time. (So pronounced by Cycle magazine 's front cover when they first coined the term "Superbikes" in their 7-blike challenge. The Norton won the quarter in 12.68 at 103.& change.) The bike weighed 428 wet & had 60 hp. Only four years with a top rev of only 6,800 rpms. But the torque! I loved showing off by starting in 4th gear (on a long flat section of highway) and slowly, smoothly twisting the throttle, get the bike to walk up to 100 mph WITHOUT any bucking or stumbling (and doing it even with a petite 100 lb female on the back!)
My one female passenger commented that it felt like a jet going down the runway on takeoff...a smooth ever increasing surge of power. The key to maximizing it's potential was to have a good tune. I was fortunate to have such a mechanic down in Harrisburg (90 miles away). He had that idle purring at a consistent, steady 750 rpm. After one tune, I decided to open it up on my ride back, and I made the trip in 45 minutes... without getting caught by a radar trap. The top end I achieved without any fairing was 118.
I headed out to California with my new bride and sold all my bachelor toys...'64 jeep, '63 Triumph TR4 convertible, & sadly (which I regret to this day)...my beloved Norton.
Years later I picked up some nice used bikes for great prices (Honda of 550 four, orange and black, with a great sounding four into one exhaust...and a Kawasaki 1,100, cherry black w/red striping and cast mag wheels)...but eventually sold them when my family & my growing business left little time for riding.l
I am 78 and after surviving open heart surgery in 2018 I promised myself a final bike. I currently am enjoying a 2003 Triumph Bonneville America in silver & Pacific blue with a dealer installed big bore kit and barking short pipes...a used original owner, garage kept showroom condition beauty with only 10,700 miles on it. My kids are on their own, and my beautiful soulmate of 36 years was taken from me by cancer in 2007.
My Triumph is my mistress. But that long ago Norton was the bike love of my blessed life.
@@michaelemerick4764
Loved reading your story. I’m also an old timer who had a Norton in his past and like you also lost my soulmate of 38 years to cancer. I’m riding a Victory Kingpin now and have just ordered a 2023 Honda CB500X to explore Northern California with. Good luck to you, ride well and ride safely. 👍
@@michaelemerick4764 That's an amazing read Michael. Thank you for telling your story. Condolences for the loss of your wife.
Ride safe and long bud.
@@michaelemerick4764 Nice story Michael.
Great video, thanks. I had lusted after an 850 Interstate as a spotty teenager back in the day, although I'm not sure if the advertising models were't more the attraction. In any case it was horror stories of worn isolastics that finally swayed my decision in favour of a '69 Bonneville when I finally was able to afford a real bike in the late seventies. Aside from bleeding oil everywhere the Bonnie never let me down either.
Now iso is ok for hobby riding but back then they were all weather daily riders so got beat. Replaced a couple and the bushings are a bbbb to compress in. Crashing with a glass Dunstall tank could burn you too.
Legend has it that is why the English never built computers, They couldn't figure out how to make them leak oil.
@@bwtv147 ....but the original California Apple MAC 512 & and SE computers circa 1980s used RAM memory made in Ireland. LOL! 1 meg at a time.
I owned a 1968 Norton Dominator in the late seventies and I’m surprised that you didn’t mention the the _Featherbed_ frame and suspension that Norton were so proud of.
He doesn't know, or realize, what a good handling bike is. I could easily keep up with anything. because you never let off, you grabbed a handful of throttle, and hung on, never letting off. If you encountered difficulty it was from an external source, never the bike. I learned 2 wheel drifting on a Norton, a skill I still use today, when feeling a bit "frisky" on a bike (I'm 72 years old).
My father, a US biker from the 1950's owned BSA, Norton and Triumphs, he told me, "If it does not have a kicker, it is not a motorcycle". I adopted the same, i build Pre Unit British Bikes.