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Norton Commando

The Norton Commando is one of the most iconic motorcycles of all time. Launched in 1967, its sleek style has inspired hundreds of custom builds—and it’s regarded by many to be the archetype of the classic café racer.

The success of the Norton Commando was something of a surprise, since it was based around an old-style pre-unit engine. The vibration from this engine was reduced by using rubber mounts—the famous ‘Isolastic’ system that replaced the featherbed frame.

Over its ten-year production span, capacity of the parallel twin engine rose from 745 to 828 cc and several models were produced. These included the original Fastback, the S Type scrambler (with a high level exhaust), the Street Scrambler and the awkward-looking ‘Hi Rider.’

By the time Norton hit financial trouble, just two models were left: the ‘Mk.3 Interstate’ and the ‘Roadster.’ And come the mid 70s, competition from the Japanese makes become too fierce for the Commando to survive. The Commando name disappeared until 2010, when the ‘new’ Commando 961 from Stuart Garner’s reborn company appeared on the market.

The latest motorcycle news and customs

Speed Read, October 16, 2022

4 MONTHS AGO / NO COMMENTS / LATEST MOTORCYCLE NEWS

It’s a week for boutique production bikes, as Arch Motorcycle launches the 1s and the new Norton Commando breaks cover. We’ve also got an Indian Chief racer, a Sportster built for desert racing, and a brilliant spoof of one of the best motorcycle films ever made.

Read more »
Norton Commando ‘S’ Roadster racer by NYC Norton

Simply The Best: NYC Norton’s Commando S-type racer

2 YEARS AGO / NO COMMENTS / RACING MOTORCYCLES

If there’s anything we love more than a classic racebike, it’s one with a good story behind it. And this gleaming Commando ‘S’ Roadster from NYC Norton comes with a very unusual history indeed. NYC Norton is run by the affable and knowledgeable Kenny Cummings. He knows his way around a racetrack as well as…

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The rare Dunstall 'drainpipe' Norton racing motorcycle

Dunstall Drainpipe: A rare Norton resurfaces in the USA

2 YEARS AGO / NO COMMENTS / RACING MOTORCYCLES

Modern race bikes are shiny, perfect things: they have the air of being extruded from 3D printers in a hermetically sealed laboratory. But in days of yore, the typical racer was usually a little battered and bruised, with unique welding marks and bodged-up brackets and bodywork. We have to admit to preferring them that way,…

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Trackmaster special motorcycle by NYC Norton

Good things take time: A Trackmaster from NYC Norton

2 YEARS AGO / NO COMMENTS / CUSTOM MOTORCYCLES

There are a few builders we watch like a hawk, because everything they touch turns to gold. One of them is NYC Norton, run by the affable Kenny Cummings. He’s one of the top Brit bike specialists in the States, but he doesn’t build a bike up from scratch every week. When he finishes one,…

Read more »
The latest motorcycle news, custom bikes and gear

Speed Read: 27 September, 2020

Welcome to the second edition of Speed Read—our new weekend roundup that covers not just custom bikes, but also motorcycle news, gear,…

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Supercharged twin-engine Norton drag bike by Herb Becker

Double H: Herb Becker’s supercharged Norton drag bike

History has a strange habit of repeating itself. Exactly ten years ago, give or take a few days, we featured a twin-engined…

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1975 Norton Commando 850 Mk 3 customized by FCR Original

Bucephalus: A Norton Commando 850 from FCR Original

The Commando is one of the all-time greats of the motorcycle industry. In Britain, its status is iconic: even people with no…

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1971 Norton Commando 750 classic motorcycle restored by Retrospeed

A Norton Commando 750 gets the Retrospeed treatment

Like most folks with even a passing interest in motorcycling, we’re suckers for a good Norton. And they don’t come much better…

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Smoking: A homage to the classic John Player Norton Commando, by Union Motorcycle Classics

Smoking: A homage to the classic John Player Norton

At some point in their career, every good custom motorcycle builder sees a client point at a bike in their portfolio and…

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The best cafe racers, street trackers and classics from around the web.

Custom Bikes Of The Week: 28 April, 2019

Each week, we scour the internet to bring you the juiciest five motorcycles that we haven’t already featured. Today we’ve got a…

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Custom 1971 Norton Commando by Auto Fabrica

Type 16: Auto Fabrica goes Commando

Some builders pick a formula and repeat it. Others reinvent the wheel every time and stick to one-offs. Auto Fabrica‘s methodology lands…

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Sunburst: A dazzling 1972 Seeley Commando from NYC Norton.

Sunburst: NYC Norton’s dazzling 1972 Norton Commando

If you live on the east coast of the USA and you need work doing on your Norton Commando, there’s only one…

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