What’s the deal with Norton Commando?

[SmithSwede]

Several people I’ve known and respected over the years have a lot of love for the old Norton.  I’ve never ridden one.   Now some of you Guzzi guys are picking a Norton as best all around bike. 

So what’s the deal?

I’m curious to hear from both the admirers and detractors.   

I’d probably never get one but am certainly willing to listen to people who think a certain bike is really special.

 

[Dave Swanson]

As far as classic Brit bikes go, it is one that you can ride like a modern bike; fast enough for the highway,  smooth with the rubber mounts for less fatigue, and for garage art, they are one of the best!  A well sorted Commando is a joy.

[oldbike54]

 Peter Egan referred to his first one as "The Norton Contaminator Twin"

 Dusty

[SmithSwede]

Wow. True machine beauty. 

[Lannis]

As far as classic Brit bikes go, it is one that you can ride like a modern bike; fast enough for the highway,  smooth with the rubber mounts for less fatigue, and for garage art, they are one of the best!  A well sorted Commando is a joy.

Not much to add to that.   All true.   I enjoy mine whenever I get out on it.   Mine's a '75 Interstate, so two disk brakes, electric start, automagic primary chain tensioner, 350 mile range.   Gets comments whenever I stop.

Lannis

[BRG-BIRD]

I do not own one but have friends with them, the exhaust note (among other things) is intoxicating

[Cal3]

They are great, all vintage bike lovers....need to try one at some point. I think they were the best bike/bike of the year for about 5 years straight from 68. That says something  Lots of parts availability and performance parts now.....and Norton guyz are like Guzzi and BMW guyz, they ride their bikes!!!

[Max1000sp]

It’s the only one of my earlier bikes, I consider buying again.
Though I will need to try one before spending money and time, as my memories are more than 30 years old.
But I remember great handling, light weight, brillant torque as in taking over at highway speed without changing gears. All other motorcycles from that area (that I tried) needed to go down a gear for acceleration.
Finally the style is sheer beauty.

[jumpmaster]

As far as classic Brit bikes go, it is one that you can ride like a modern bike; fast enough for the highway,  smooth with the rubber mounts for less fatigue, and for garage art, they are one of the best!  A well sorted Commando is a joy.

I've had a 75 Commando since 1979. It's a dream to ride when it is running well.  Unfortunately, the periods during which it is running well don't seem to last all that long.

Pluses:  Very light weight for its size & engine capacity, excellent handling for its time period and even good by today's standards, &, at least with the single Mikuni set-up, feels at least as torquey as the loops.  Great sound, but most bikes can have a sexy sound with some fiddling with the mufflers.  Classic Brit bike styling, both in the Roadster & Interstate forms.  Great parts support both in the USA & in Britain.  Pretty good national and many very good local clubs for support.  Don't often see another one on the road when you are taking a ride - exclusivity is a plus in my book.

Minuses:  poor/weak electrics that need near constant attention, stock carbs wear out fairly quickly, engine vibration (which you don't really feel much because of the rubber isolation) takes a toll on fasteners, etc.  Mikuni carb conversion can take care of the carb issues, but you gain low end torque and lose top end performance, or at least so I am told.  There are several electronic ignition conversion kits that fit easily and work well - until the don't.  Every one of them I've used or heard about has detractors on reliability.  A "well sorted Commando..." is about as common as a unicorn, at least for extended periods. 

Compared to Guzzis, Nortons generally need an inordinate amount of TLC to keep them "well sorted," but most owners feel that it is worth it.  I occasionally hear about a Norton that has thousands of miles over many years with nary a problem and only regular scheduled maintenance, but I've never personally met one.

[Daleroso]

Is it absence makes the heart grow fonder or nostalgia?
Peter's Norton made it home from Montana. In a truck.
It's not how fast you ride, it's how far you can ride fast.
But yes, it does make for beautiful garage art.

[huub]

i have owned two commando's
they have a addictive midrange , and slightly dubious handling if the isolastics are not spot on.
the biggest issue is reliability, the engine started out as a 500 cc, by the time it was a high compression 750 the engine was way past its sell by date.

mine destroyed main bearings , camshafts, bigends, gearbox cogs , gearbox bearings, clutches etc....at a alarming rate.
after a couple of years running the command, I bought a guzzi to use over the winter, it turned out to be dead reliabe in comparison, never looked back the commando is still in the back of the shed

[pete roper]

They aren't called 'Notrun' for nothing.

[fossil]

To me the Commando is the archetype of a beautiful motorcycle. It sounds wonderful (especially with the Roadster cans), it handles well. It is light and nimble. And - the Commando is the reason I bought my V7 Stone in 2013. I wanted a new bike that is similar to the Commando but is modern in some aspects (maintenance, fuel injection, catalytic converters, ..). And that worked out well.

[Tom]

I like the looks of the John Player Specials.  I understand them.  I've ridden an Interstate, IIRC but I don't want to be responsible for the care and feeding of one.   

[jumpmaster]

And - the Commando is the reason I bought my V7 Stone in 2013. I wanted a new bike that is similar to the Commando but is modern in some aspects (maintenance, fuel injection, catalytic converters, ..). And that worked out well.

Yes, I forgot about that!  I bought my (used) Mille for exactly the same reason - when I test rode it, I loved the low-end grunt it had & thought it was very much like the Norton's.  It hasn't been entirely trouble-free and it isn't as nimble as the Norton, but I can  take 200-300 mile rides alone with a MUCH lower worry-quotient than I ever could on the Norton.

[blackcat]

Mine has been apart for quite a few years, so it was a choir remembering how it all went back together.  It use to have a Boyer ignition, but I changed to a Pazon ignition as it takes less of a charge to get started, which it usually does in a couple of kicks. Replaced the old Amals with the Amal Premiers which are night and day compared to the old carbs, easy to adjust and great response.  So far, it doesn't leak any oil since I put it back together, but haven't really taken a long ride, there are some built in design problems of these early models that will likely produce some leaks. I'm Ok with that, after all it is a 52 year old bike.

I have another lined tank for riding as the above is just for display and will probably replace that tank with a metal one from either India or the expensive version from England, but getting one with the recess for the badge limits the options. It's either $350 or $800 plus paint.

Anyway, I have always enjoyed riding the bike and it's never left me stranded. 



It's a little bike compared to the Guzzis.



I'd love to have a production racer or even a copy but they are quite pricey. This one is owned by a collector who has two more racers.

[blackcat]

They are great, all vintage bike lovers....need to try one at some point. I think they were the best bike/bike of the year for about 5 years straight from 68. That says something  Lots of parts availability and performance parts now.....and Norton guyz are like Guzzi and BMW guyz, they ride their bikes!!!

I only wish that Guzzi had a supplier like Andover Norton. The reproduction parts coming out of that company are really something.

www.andovernorton.c om

[JohninVT]

I had a 73' Interstate.  It sounded great with Dunstalls and I swapped out the carbs for the Mikuni conversion.  Vernier adjustment Isolastics made the handling decent.  They're wonderful toys and can keep up with modern traffic.  They have brakes a thousand times better than an old Eldorado so they're capable of being ridden much like a modern bike...except they're very much not a modern bike.  They tend to mark their spot with oil like a Labrador does with pee.  You have to go over them after every ride to tighten fasteners and look for leaks.  I really liked mine and I understand why so many people consider them one of the very best vintage bikes you might actually be able to ride all the time but I'd rather ride than wrench. 

[larrys]

I bought '73 Roadster when I lived in the UK. Used, with all Gus Kuhn cafe racer parts on it. It had a Combat engine which had already roasted the main bearings at 4K miles. Superblend (sp?) main bearings were the fix, then. Too much horsepower for an old, underengineered bottom end. It was a constant effort to keep the isolastic motor mounts in spec. My riding style probably had something to do with that. I brought it back to the States with me in '76.
Sold it a couple years later and never have wanted another.
Larry

[rocker59]

some of you Guzzi guys are picking a Norton as best all around bike. 

So what’s the deal?

 

Only on a Guzzi forum full of eccentric old curmudgeons would a Norton Commando ever be mentioned as "best all around motorcycle" in 2019.

2019!  Yeah, they're beautiful vintage British standards, but they're curiosities rather than all around motorcycles in 2019.

[Rough Edge racing]

 I had a 74 850 Commando in the early 1980's...It was nice bike but for some reason I never warmed up to it and after a few years I sold it.. Part of the problem was the way it vibrated below 3000 rpm, much like Buells do...And it seemed to lack the solid mechanical feel of a Triumph or Bevel Drive Ducati I also had at that time.

[Tusayan]

I had a '70 Commando and have ridden many others.  I think the thing to bear in mind with them is that they utilize vintage bike technology, meaning pre WW II.  Everything Guzzi after the original Falcone style single is more technologically developed.  The single feature that makes the Commando feel more modern, the isolastic engine mounts, as a side effect makes the bike handle like it has worn swingarm bushings even when they are adjusted right.  An earlier featherbed framed Norton handles better.  The Commando's rear brake IIRC came out in 1927 and was obsolete decades before the bike was introduced.

Commandos are really beautiful but comparing them to anything Italian of their era (Late 60s to mid 70s) is comparing an antique with a more modern bike, and it shows when you ride one. 

[blackcat]

Only on a Guzzi forum full of eccentric old curmudgeons would a Norton Commando ever be mentioned as "best all around motorcycle" in 2019.

2019!  Yeah, they're beautiful vintage British standards, but they're curiosities rather than all around motorcycles in 2019.

Nope, I'd never consider my Norton best all around bike.

I do like the look of the new Atlas Ranger and would love to test ride one. 



Claimed 84 bhp. 392lbs dry weight.

[GeneW]

Much love for Norton's in this corner. Owned a 1968 Atlas for the last 44 years. The Atlas was the model Norton had before it developed the rubber mounted Commando series. I think the Nortons are much like the Moto Guzzi's in that it is a pretty reliable mount once the details are sorted out. Definitely not as durable as a Moto Guzzi but that is where the extensive parts network comes into play. There is a great support community out there for the Norton marque and has been for many years.

In 1980 I rode the Atlas from Milwaukee to LaHonda California to attend a Norton rally. The Atlas was stock except for a Mikuni carburetor to replace the worn out Amals. The bike survived the trip with no issues, I was a worn out puppy by the time I reached California. Never realized that most of the time the prevailing winds are out of the West.

I know it didn't happen without pictures so here you go.



You get attached to the Norton in the same way many of you are attached to the Moto Guzzi models. I don't have a Moto Guzzi yet (still mulling over the purchase of a V7iii Classic) but the machine and the community have a very "Norton" feel. And it is a good feeling.

Gene

[blackcat]

You get attached to the Norton in the same way many of you are attached to the Moto Guzzi models. I don't have a Moto Guzzi yet (still mulling over the purchase of a V7iii Classic) but the machine and the community have a very "Norton" feel. And it is a good feeling.

Gene

Nice Atlas.

Yes, AccessNorton covers most of the bikes, from classic to the modern machines. Always helpful on that list.
https://www.accessnorton.com

[Tusayan]

Very nice photo of the Atlas, you were tough to ride it so far!  My favorite Norton might be the Mercury, a slightly softened up Atlas.  I knew a guy who rode one for transport for decades but was eventually killed on it when a cop made a u-turn in front of him and he had only vintage brakes. 

[Rough Edge racing]

I had a '70 Commando and have ridden many others.  I think the thing to bear in mind with them is that they utilize vintage bike technology, meaning pre WW II.  Everything Guzzi after the original Falcone style single is more technologically developed.  The single feature that makes the Commando feel more modern, the isolastic engine mounts, as a side effect makes the bike handle like it has worn swingarm bushings even when they are adjusted right.  An earlier featherbed framed Norton handles better.  The Commando's rear brake IIRC came out in 1927 and was obsolete decades before the bike was introduced.

Commandos are really beautiful but comparing them to anything Italian of their era (Late 60s to mid 70s) is comparing an antique with a more modern bike, and it shows when you ride one.

 Yes, I agree with you on the handling, I was afraid to say it and be thrown under the bus,,LOL...But It is subjective to some extent as Commandos have done well in racing.. And I assume the Isolastics were still in place...Tube frame Buells handle goos but still have a bit of the hinged in the middle feeling at times...

[GeneW]

Not tough, just young and stupid. There was no side stand on this Atlas so getting on and off the motorcycle involved swinging my leg over the lump on the passenger seat before putting it on or off  the center stand. Not something I could do today in my more "mature" physique.

The Atlas looks good in this picture as it is not a close up shot. The bike is pretty much original and it shows its scars. Still a fun ride.

[Tusayan]

Yes, I agree with you on the handling, I was afraid to say it and be thrown under the bus,,LOL...But It is subjective to some extent as Commandos have done well in racing.. And I assume the Isolastics were still in place...Tube frame Buells handle goos but still have a bit of the hinged in the middle feeling at times...

I'm told that race prepping a Commando included locking up the isolastics 

The world would be a lesser place without Commandos, many aspects of them are pretty nicely done (I like the shifter mechanism) but they are designed based on very, very old technology.  On the other hand is somebody wanted an similar older bike with a bit more up to date technology they could get a Laverda SF or Benelli.  If they wanted something much more modern they could get a brand new Enfield twin for $6700.  There's something for everybody.

[blackcat]

My friend Kenny runs NYCNorton and he also races his bikes. 1007cc motor under 300lbs in a Seeley frame.
https://nycnorton.com/portfolio/1007/