Why bother with a Commando?

What a great subject!
When I was a kid, Triumphs and Beezers were fairly common; seeing a Norton on the road was very rare, and "ooooooooooo, look at that!" As kids, we didn't know much, but we did know these were bad-ass machines - very exotic, and the coolest of the cool! They have always been beautiful in my eye, I love the feel of them on the road, and nothing compares to the sound! Anywhere I go with Ole Rusty (1970 Fastback), I get people asking questions, telling stories, thumbs up, etc - I am sure everyone on this board would agree as to the marque's universal appeal and attraction. They are just bitchen bikes! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
MelloYellow

I fell in love with the looks of Brit bikes early on. While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as a 16 year old, I equally loved the 69 Lightning, 69 Trophy or Bonneville, and the Commando. It was only after a bit of ownership in all of the above makes that made me really appreciate what sets the Commando apart. I agree with some of the other posts about British "cool" in the late sixties, not only music, but Bond, Emma Peel, and XKEs. Why wouldn't I love the bikes? I don't care how it functioned in the day, park a 1969 Bonneville next to a 1969 CB750, and most people are going to find the Triumph simply beautiful. Or a '69 S, or what have you. I realized that the Commando has so many good attributes, that I can overlook more maintenance VS. an appliance. The face that they came from England wasn't the selling point for me, I just realized that I loved a lot of designs from England, that's all.

I lived in Miami and Tallahassee Fla during Cdo era and saw BSA's, Triumphs, HD's, Vespa's and Jap 2 smokes and the more pleasant small 4 stroke Honda's but never ever one single Norton UNTIL someone said someone had an old cycle for sale cheap so checked in out to be confused by the tall size and mass of an English 10 spd bicycle leaning on same wall as a P11 dragster which killed me off on first ride and forever more imprinted me on the engine profile and sound.

When in Houston Texas I had money to waste and tried a number of 80's cycles and nothing satisfied like the cockey p!! which fooled me into thinking it was the first to have canted engine because it was build 2" low in front. It was 25 yr later I hit Ozarks and needed a used mower - and as stepping out the dark wharehouse by ducking under half closed garage door into sunlight, I reflexly stopped up short with two strange but somehow familair bright chrome end rings, No, slowing I turned, step by step, inch by inch reenter the shop and let eyes adapt to resolve a B/G Combat leaned under shelfving with a PU up close to it... No work set up, end of moving funds, took a week of Mower or Motorycle between me and wife, till the Norton won and again killed off my old self.

Shoot what's not to love about em over all others, rhetorical ok....

I have owned and ridden MANY different bikes BUT Everything gets compared to my 1973 Commando,
it was light, narrow and torquey.
it sounded right, felt right, pulled HARD! and looked right.
Any bike will get you where you are going but on a Commando the trip is the reward!
And besides we (the bike and I) have a relationship, it is much closer to a Horse and rider-deal (we NEED each other).
A wise man once said "if you turn on the Garage-light and smile you own the right motorcycle", he clearly "get's it".

Carbonfibre said:

Seems a bit unpatriotic that most US posts on here are highly supportive of Norton, yet HD seems to be held in very poor regard!

Click to expand...

Harley-Ferguson gets my ire-up because they rest on the reputation so hard, H-D's are NOT all-American-made (and have not been since 1968) but they sure are priced that way!
H-D's are slow, heavy, bad-handling, poorly braked, overpriced and pretend to be American-made.
Check for yourself, starter motor, forks, master cylinders, slave cylinder, brake caliper, carb (or fuel injection), instrumentation, wiring and even that "bitchin'" disc-rear-wheel are imported. Screaming Eagle says (in big letters on the front of the packaging) THE PERFORMANCE DIVISION OF AMERICAN HARLEY DAVIDSON but on the back/bottom of the packaging (in tiny letters) it say's made in China (or Mars or whatever) plus because of the EPA you cannot chrome plastic in the U.S.A. anymore so all of that stuff is imported also.
In H-D's defense the final-assembly is done in York, PA.

Vince

I can't imagine any American still being sore over the events of 1776. Many if not most sons fall out with their fathers in teenage years and the relationship with Great Britain is much like that. We share the same philosophical roots and have the bond of a similar language. We're family.

I grew up in the 1960s in Southern California. See the movie On Any Sunday and you will see how it was for me and those I came up with. I rode Japanese trail bikes long before I rode on the street. Once I was old enough to get a license and a job to earn the money I wanted a Triumph. My views were shaped by images of racers and the British bikes were lighter, more agile & more powerful than anything else at the time. The British Invasion launced by the Beatles and popular TV shows like The Avengers probably did not hurt in giving the bikes a moddish image, but that was not a big deal to me. Steve McQueen riding a Triumph in the Great Escape was.

British bikes in general and Nortons in particular are both blessed and cursed by being English. We loved the speed, style and sound, but the odd industrial standards (our wrenches wouldn't fit) mechanical unreliability and oil leaking were marks on the other side of the ledger. The Norton seemed at the time like the distillation of the best of the things we liked about the British bikes with moderated evils. The vibration was tamed, many of the nuts & bolts would take our wrenches and the Norton retained all of the dash & élan we had come to love. Now the faults have largely been rectified by the wonderful aftermarket British bike community and we are left with all of the good without the PIA factor.

I have Japanese bikes now but all of them have what are to me British characteristics. The SR500 is my modern Matchless, the GB500 a modern Velocette and the VX800 a modern Matchless V-twin. When riding these bike I often think that if these companies were still around they might make a bike much like these.

Vintage Paul

Captain B said:

Carbonfibre said:

Seems a bit unpatriotic that most US posts on here are highly supportive of Norton, yet HD seems to be held in very poor regard!

Click to expand...

I wouldn't say that I personally don't like HD's. I even could say I've seen a few I'd like to own. Many have become their own cartoon though. So lost in their own sense of style that there isn't much left. Although it is probably the best corporation we have left, to love them just because they're American would be like loving President Bush just because he was President. Some people just won't. And the same goes for Nortons being British. I don't love or hate them for being British. I love them for being Nortons.

Click to expand...

And I'm sure you would get a different opinion on an HD site. What do you expect on a site for Norton Commando?

As a kid growing up, I loved the Bonnevilles and BSA's. I first heard of Nortons when a shop opened in my area selling them along several other makes I had never heard of such as Jawa, Montessa, and motoguzzi. I thought the Norton to be a bit odd with the canted motor, different from the others.
Years later I was visiting a yard sale hosted by a young man with a cast on his leg. I noticed a black motorcycle leaning against his porch and he told me it was a Norton Commando. He pointed to his broken leg and told me he had developed a great deal of respect for the Norton. I wanted one ever since.

It's like a good love affair, you put up with a whole bunch of crap for a few moments of pure ecstasy.

Dave
69S

I think I could have a unique perspective on the answer to this question. I have never ridden a norton (besides a short smoke filled jaunt up the back alley). Nor do I know anyone that owns out has owned a norton. I am still in the process of my rebuild, bringing life back to a norton last started in 1981. Thats just a couple years before I was born...
My dad's first bike was a 72 triumph, and I grew up helping him work on it. I learned about the joy one can have from working on something themselves, a simpler machine, a simpler time. I learned saturdays were meant for riding, sundays were meant for tightening up the nuts and bolts that came loose on sat night.
When I was a teenager, cool kids in school had crotch rockets, I wanted a triumph. My dad told me if I restored thay old triumph, I could have it. (he had laid it down in the 80s). I spent many a hour working on that bike with him, hearing stories about the 60's and triumphs, bsa's, and the norton. I always heard norton was the best, the fastest. I had never seen a norton before. For a decade they were all just stories. stories of glory, isle of man, and the untouchable norton.
I grew up hearing that if it weren't for the jap bike invasion of the 70s, triumph norton and bsa may still be in business. I grew up hating those machines. Even if they are better. Which they are. But they lack the soul that seems to be standard from the factory of a brit bike.
Sure, I wanted a harley. Until I saw how much they cost. And the people who ride them. Weekend warriors, people who dont own a socket set. "You meet the nicest people on a honda"; I say you met some dicks on a harley.
I was in my 20's and making enough money to buy toys, but couldn't afford to be a dick harley owner. I picked up a royal enfield. Bought a couple zundapps (just because). Bought a bsa.
By this point, the internet has been around, I knew more about those mysterious nortons my old man relished exaggerating about... But I didnt find my norton online. I heard of a guy who had a few old bikes for sale sit ting on a country road. Stopped in, he says he has a hundred old bikes in yonder barn... "you got any old british?"... "yeah, I think there is a norton back there"

So why a norton? Because I choose a different path. Because I want a piece of history. And because I want to make my old man proud.

Interesting question, but I have the impression you're trying to stretch the discussion a bit...
From what I read above no-one cares about where the bike is actually produced. And I tend to agree.
I am Italian, live in London. Should say that I use British bikes cause the allied freed Italy from the Nazis (together with the local Partisan liberation army), but this would all be bullshit...

I do not like modern plastic disposable bikes.
I like bikes, engines and frames that are made to last, make a great sound (music?) and run smoothly (when they run). + I love the fixing part. (ah, yes, and some smell good too). + love them for their design: the commando fastback is a masterpiece.

the Brits, together with Italians (+ the germans if we want to include reliability in the list of reasons why one loves bikes) have been the best bike producers in the world till the start of the seventies. From the late seventies I hardly find any bike that interest me. Period.

Why bother with a Commando?

I can't afford a Brough or a Vincent.... :cry:

This is probably getting redundant but:
1. Looks like its at 60 mph on the center stand
2. Made the models look good in all the ads
3. A sound like no other, not loud for the sake of noise or to annoy but with just an un-mistakeable something. I don't have words for how it sounds or makes me feel.
4. Been with me longer than my wife. Love her more but it is close. Actually I met my wife while I was working on the bike.
5. The combination of handling and acceleration was unique in 1974. Nothing came close. I don't have any experience with modern bikes but I don't think the Norton takes a big backseat today either.
6. As mentioned earlier, best logo ever. You can't beat the Norton script.
7. Styling was and is absolutely classic. Functional and beautiful. The Norton is what motorcycles are supposed to look like and did once upon a time. Not an ugly part on the bike. Try to say that about any Japanese bike either today or back in 1974.

I'm not an Anglophile but the Made in England sticker does look pretty on the rear fender. Really is a reflection of an era past when things not only seem better but were.

Well, as I have been a Norton owner for only a few months and it is the only bike I have ever rode, I can say it is in a class all its own. I know a lot of guys that own HDs and I cannot help but laugh every time they get dressed up to go riding. HD Leather vest, chaps, bandannas, boots, gloves and anything else they can buy to wear with HD on it. Too many times I hear them talking about buying more chrome parts or bags but then when it comes time to get the bikes out for riding season they have to find the closest HD shop or mechanic. Amazing how many of them cannot even change their own oil or plugs, God forbid they every break down outside of cell phone range and cannot call AAA!

I look so forward to riding my Norton that I essentially have no want to work on my Mustang anymore. More than that I am looking to sell it soon, and being a convertible it just does not do to me what the Norton does! My wife told me while I was getting my 74 running she had never seen me have so much fun working on something! And she has seen me work on plenty of cars over the years.

A lot of the guys I work with (the ones with the HDs) call my bike the "Girly" bike, but then I only have to tell them I can hit 70 in 2nd and a bare flick of the wrist and they walk away mumbling something about chrome makes a bike go faster (LOL). Norton's are not a dime a dozen, you do not see them on the road like every other bike and car you see like yours after you buy one. People look at your bike with questioning looks and are always coming up asking "What is a Norton", "Is that a new bike company", where do they sell those"? I have shocked a lot of people when I tell them the bike is just a year younger than me, it has form and function that just never seem to go out of style! I was in a Triumph dealership a few months ago looking at their bikes and they are building a Cafe style bike, I could see a little bit of the Norton in there with clip ons and rear sets.

All I know is the Norton is just plain fun for me!

Why bother with a Commando?


Because it has the most beautiful timing side cover in all the land, not to mention a gorgeous separate gearbox!

Because you have to be a serious aficionado to go through the wonderful starting ritual.

And because it is in the Bible: "And the sound of Joshua's Commando was heard throughout the land".
can't remember the exact chapter and verse, but you can look it up

Get your Commando running right and pull the sides all the way up in 2nd gear. Let it get about to the redline. Pause for a moment and step it down into 3rd. Pull the throttle cables tight again. The rush and the noise are not found on any other motorcyle available to the common man. And the damn thing handles pretty well.

There is a real attraction. Take your bike on a 3-5,000 mile tour. When you stop to get gas people will walk past custom Hardley Ablessons to look at your bug spattered, grime and oil covered Commando. Then they say 'what a great looking bike' or 'I used to have one ...' You will have eaten a candy bar, drunk a bottle of orange juice, checked the oil, lubed the chain, washed your visor and put your helmet back on before they stop talking.

Commandos are not a soulless appliance, they offer a completely visceral motorcyle experience. They put a stupid smile on your face.

Greg

Carbonfibre said:

Seems a bit unpatriotic that most US posts on here are highly supportive of Norton, yet HD seems to be held in very poor regard!

Click to expand...

A lot of us grew up when Harley was owned by AMF. They were steaming piles of crap. Now they are better, but still make more noise than speed.

Greg

1up3down said:

Why bother with a Commando?
And because it is in the Bible: "And the sound of Joshua's Commando was heard throughout the land".
can't remember the exact chapter and verse, but you can look it up

Click to expand...

I googled this only because that wee imp slithering upon my avatar is approriatley named, couldn't find anything relative but, did discover the scratched out line below "thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife" reads "fair game however is his commando".

This is multi faceted.

To the discerning motorcyclist , the Japanese fours were a poor imitation of a 50s Gilera or the MV Augusta .

A Ducati before 1981 was a entusiasts machine , renowned for its raceingg capability , lack of spares , poor
electrics , indiferant finish (paint / chrome) unavaliablity of dealers and serviceing, as was the Laverda , but
to a lesser degree.

The Japanese Two strokes made touring a improbability due to consumption and range .

Weight wise yamaha XS 550 & 750s along with the Suzuki waterbottle , were gross. excaberateing their
indiferant road holding .

Jap stuff had availability , price and ' cleanliness ' in their favour . Along with a roumered reliability .

However under demandintg use any machine is demanding of maintanance , though their multis were perhaps
more lowly stress4ed in production tune . Noteable Ea sucedeing version of type generally got slower & heavier.

--------------------------------------

The enviroment in 1970 or 1975 , was that any working english speaking man had been substatialy affected
by the recent unplesantness involving a certain corporal hitler , if not tojo & hiis cronies. Japanese products
were thought of dispargeingly as cheap disposable inferior copies .

Datsun built to Morris design , Jap licenced DC3s , H.D.s , BSAs etc etc.
Their motorcycles were notorious for inadequate shock absorbers and poor springing .
Replacement of rear shocks being mandatory for hi speed use.

There competition sucesses relied on the best riders avaiable, on their production machines generally nutters
,Grame Crosby being a fine examble . WFO & fight it all the way . . . . .

-----------------------------------------

The Vincent was still renowned , as was the Square Four . ( Turners Ariel , not the Jap 2 stroke copy )
Scotts and Rudges were held in high esteme . The Manx was just another raceing bike. Albeit a
standard Grand Priox bike in the Absence of Gilerra . Though Husquavarna , BMW , and others
had in the past two decades shared predomanance if not in road raceing , in moto cross.
Which brings us to B.S.A.
Two Decades previously " The Worlds most popular motorcycle " . More B.S.A.s made then than any other type.
and most of them were still going.
Triumph " The Worlds Best Motorcycle " doubt it ? try takeing one on . Particularly recogniseing that Tarmac / hardtop was not as common as today.

NORTON , " The Worlds best Roadholder . unchallanged . However , they could go BANG
Trying to stay with Meredins best.
However , with the Commando , that all pretty much ended.
You no longer needed to build a Triton if you wanted the best of both worlds.
or for the more fundamental , a NORVIN .

Bear in mind TYRE DEVOPELOPMENT had just started provideing resonable grip leant over on road tyres .Later Michilen Pz2s and Pirelli Phantoms took this
perhaps another step , AFTER the advent of ' Slick ' G.P. & F 750 raceing tyres .Dunlop K-70s and Perrili Licqurishes still rulled on the DIRT .

If you find this hard to belive, Find a honda on the Original CHENG SHINs ( Nylon) and go for a spin , in the wet. one will gain a whole new appreciation
of the term.Their stability under duress ( the Jappers ) wasnt greatly in excess of the tyres , As Supplied ex Showroom .

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The uncertainty hadnt become concrete due to sabotage by unionists and pollies till 75 .
The Japanese hadnt atained pre-eminance in anything but the Junior Classes .

77 Gary Scott used his Triumph Twin to win ASCOTT for the fifth year running.

And Jorgenson and Aldana came in ahead of all the Jappers in another T.T.

H.D.s & Yams were blowing left right and centre at that pace, but H.D. still had weight of No's,
and Springsteen was getting into his stride .

Generally manufacturers support for british machines had just started drying up .

Fastest bike n the World ? say 130 mph, Rocket III , Z1 , or P.R. Commando .
Though one had done 160 on methanol in N.Z. ,

last years raceing bikes were available for $ 600 ,a 750 S S Ducati and a 5 speed P.R. Commando.
Two honda boys( Yam RD 350 riders gottem ) but that was as they appreciated decent engineering
Couldnt afford to race such , and above average ability & commitment necessary to do compete sucessfully
with the Japanese sponsorship coming through.

The general state of the brain cells precuded the Challange or Rotary being a sucess at that time .

Everybody was probly spending to much time at the pub .

This is multi faceted.

To the discerning motorcyclist , the Japanese fours were a poor imitation of a 50s Gilera or the MV Augusta .

A Ducati before 1981 was a entusiasts machine , renowned for its raceingg capability , lack of spares , poor
electrics , indiferant finish (paint / chrome) unavaliablity of dealers and serviceing, as was the Laverda , but
to a lesser degree.

The Japanese Two strokes made touring a improbability due to consumption and range .

Weight wise yamaha XS 550 & 750s along with the Suzuki waterbottle , were gross. excaberateing their
indiferant road holding .

Jap stuff had availability , price and ' cleanliness ' in their favour . Along with a roumered reliability .

However under demandintg use any machine is demanding of maintanance , though their multis were perhaps
more lowly stress4ed in production tune . Noteable Ea sucedeing version of type generally got slower & heavier.

--------------------------------------

The enviroment in 1970 or 1975 , was that any working english speaking man had been substatialy affected
by the recent unplesantness involving a certain corporal hitler , if not tojo & hiis cronies. Japanese products
were thought of dispargeingly as cheap disposable inferior copies .

Datsun built to Morris design , Jap licenced DC3s , H.D.s , BSAs etc etc.
Their motorcycles were notorious for inadequate shock absorbers and poor springing .
Replacement of rear shocks being mandatory for hi speed use.

There competition sucesses relied on the best riders avaiable, on their production machines generally nutters
,Grame Crosby being a fine examble . WFO & fight it all the way . . . . .

-----------------------------------------

The Vincent was still renowned , as was the Square Four . ( Turners Ariel , not the Jap 2 stroke copy )
Scotts and Rudges were held in high esteme . The Manx was just another raceing bike. Albeit a
standard Grand Priox bike in the Absence of Gilerra . Though Husquavarna , BMW , and others
had in the past two decades shared predomanance if not in road raceing , in moto cross.
Which brings us to B.S.A.
Two Decades previously " The Worlds most popular motorcycle " . More B.S.A.s made then than any other type.
and most of them were still going.
Triumph " The Worlds Best Motorcycle " doubt it ? try takeing one on . Particularly recogniseing that Tarmac / hardtop was not as common as today.

NORTON , " The Worlds best Roadholder . unchallanged . However , they could go BANG
Trying to stay with Meredins best.
However , with the Commando , that all pretty much ended.
You no longer needed to build a Triton if you wanted the best of both worlds.
or for the more fundamental , a NORVIN .

Bear in mind TYRE DEVOPELOPMENT had just started provideing resonable grip leant over on road tyres .Later Michilen Pz2s and Pirelli Phantoms took this
perhaps another step , AFTER the advent of ' Slick ' G.P. & F 750 raceing tyres .Dunlop K-70s and Perrili Licqurishes still rulled on the DIRT .

If you find this hard to belive, Find a honda on the Original CHENG SHINs ( Nylon) and go for a spin , in the wet. one will gain a whole new appreciation
of the term.Their stability under duress ( the Jappers ) wasnt greatly in excess of the tyres , As Supplied ex Showroom .

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The uncertainty hadnt become concrete due to sabotage by unionists and pollies till 75 .
The Japanese hadnt atained pre-eminance in anything but the Junior Classes .

77 Gary Scott used his Triumph Twin to win ASCOTT for the fifth year running.

And Jorgenson and Aldana came in ahead of all the Jappers in another T.T.

H.D.s & Yams were blowing left right and centre at that pace, but H.D. still had weight of No's,
and Springsteen was getting into his stride .

Generally manufacturers support for british machines had just started drying up .

Fastest bike n the World ? say 130 mph, Rocket III , Z1 , or P.R. Commando .
Though one had done 160 on methanol in N.Z. ,

last years raceing bikes were available for $ 600 ,a 750 S S Ducati and a 5 speed P.R. Commando.
Two honda boys( Yam RD 350 riders gottem ) but that was as they appreciated decent engineering
Couldnt afford to race such , and above average ability & commitment necessary to do compete sucessfully
with the Japanese sponsorship coming through.

The general state of the brain cells precuded the Challange or Rotary being a sucess at that time .

Everybody was probly spending to much time at the pub .

P.S. its No Bother . :shock: