Norton has been causing riders to drool for well over a century now. Launching in 1902 and winning the inaugural Isle of Mann TT race in 1907, the Norton serves as the other half of the iconic ‘Triton‘ (a Norton featherbed frame combined with a Triumph Bonneville engine).
The company’s Dominator and Commando models, in particular, are the stuff of design and pop culture legend. The Commando even made an appearance in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. After a brief restart for the brand in the early 2000s, new ownership has reintroduced these legendary roadsters with a new line built in Leicestershire.
Like many custom workshops, FCR Original has cottoned on to the fact that modern classics are much less hassle to work on than vintage motorcycles. That’s why they have a catalog of build-to-order templates for bikes like the BMW R nineT, Triumph Bonneville, and Royal Enfield Interceptor, along with a shop full of aftermarket parts.…
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Ben Schmitt’s name first appeared on these pages three years ago, when the legendary NYC Norton built him a Norton Commando race bike out of a ratty donor that had been bought from a Tina Turner impersonator (true story). But Ben’s love affair with motorcycles goes way further back than that. “I started with minibikes…
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The Bonhams February sale is about to wrap up, so we’re taking a break from our regular scheduled programming to pick our favorite motorcycles from the auction. From an Ariel Square Four and a 1989 Kawasaki ZX-10, to Hans-Otto Butenuth’s BMW 500 Rennsport [above], here are seven classic motorcycles that we’d love to park in…
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“I’ve never sat on a running Norton before,” photographer Marian Sell announces proudly. He’s just finished dialing in this 750 cc Seeley Norton Commando—a process that involved multiple heat cycles, ignition timing adjustments, carb syncing sessions, cylinder head re-torques, and valve clearance resets. Now, a year after buying it as a rolling chassis, Marian’s first…
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We say it time and time again, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more impressive assortment of rare motorcycles and parts…
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What makes a brand new motorcycle a worthy investment? If you’re buying off the showroom floor, you’re definitely playing the long game,…
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The motorcycle racing influence is clear in this week’s Speed Read. We start off with a Moto Guzzi sidecar hack built to…
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Building the perfect custom bike is a lot like the science of baking. You’re combining ingredients in the correct ratios to produce…
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It’s a week for boutique production bikes, as Arch Motorcycle launches the 1s and the new Norton Commando breaks cover. We’ve also…
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One of the last bikes Barry Sheene ever raced is about to be auctioned off by Bonhams. Plus a look at one…
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Norton has just acquired a jaw-dropping collection of 55 rare classics from a single source. We also profile a custom Ducati Scrambler…
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If there’s anything we love more than a classic racebike, it’s one with a good story behind it. And this gleaming Commando…
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