elefantrider said:
Did the factory or anyone ever make a offroad Commando with the nice looks of the Ranger and benefits of the isolastics?
The Commando 'R', which was a '69 model, mimicked some of the look of the Ranger, and was described as a street scrambler. It was the first non-fastback Commando. It had the early low silencers.
Later in '69 and continuing into 1970 is the Commando 'S'. This bike looked more the part with the high pipes
In Early '71 they came out with the Commando 'SS'. This looked like a true scrambler, but didn't sell and was killed after just a few months. I think many leftovers were converted to Hi-Riders, as they shared the same gas tank.
The look of the Ranger is best matched by the Commando Roadster, which came out in 1970. The triangular side covers and upswept pipes are a direct copy of the P11A and Ranger
P11A:
None of these Commandos was a good scrambler, as the scramblers had pretty much all gone over to 2-strokes by 1970. Why go trail riding on a 420-lb 4-stroke when you could take a 220-lb 2-stroke?
2-strokes are why the P11 series came about. The G85 Matchless was outclassed by 2-strokes in the 500cc division from the time it debuted. Using the same chassis with a 750 motor gave the machine a new life. Somewhere around 100 G85s were made. 2500 P11s were produced in a 20-month lifespan. In racing trim, P11s were about 360 lbs - over 100 lbs heavier than, say, a 360 Jawa, but had a big torque advantage.
