Dutch Vintage Motorcycle Association: The Norton Commando Experience

woensdag 18 november 2009

The Norton Commando Experience

Jan & zijn Norton Commando 850

(archief 2005)

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Custom Motorcycle Art

The Norton Commando 850

The Norton Commando was the last twin piston-engined motorcycle

produced by the Norton Motorcycle company.

Their last production bikes used a twin-rotor Wankel Engine.

During the ten years it was in production it was popular all over the world.

In the United Kingdom it won the MCN "Machine of the Year" competition

for five successive years from 1968-1972.

Some regard it as the British Motorcycle Industry's swansong,

selling well from its introduction in 1967 through the end

of the British bike industry as a commercial concern in the mid 1970s.

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Wikipedia

The Norton 880 Commando Monoshock Cafe Racer

When Paul Zuniga first saw some photoshop images in 2001 of a new Norton that Kenny Dreer was planning to build and bring to market, he knew he had to have one. Unfortunately, we now know, those bikes never made it. The prototypes gradually evolved from the original concept, a bike was built and shown around to various journalists, but they ran out of funds before it could be produced. Undeterred, Paul kept in contact with Dreer, and though Kenny sold the company assets to the new Norton in the U.K., he had a few Norton parts and pieces left over, some of which Paul purchased.

Paul works on Nortons a lot and with all of the parts he had or could find, plus some inverted forks from a Kawasaki, he figured he could build his own Norton, very similar to the 952 prototype Dreer had shown many years before. The bike you see here is the result of his work and it looks good.

The first Dreer prototype had a monoshock rear suspension, something that went away on later versions and even the new Nortons now being offered don't have it, but Paul has one on his 880. It really cleans up the tail section. The engine is actually an 850 at the moment but the 880 build is well underway and will be fitted when ready.

I guess when some people want a particular bike, they REALLY want it and this shows, with a proper mix of determination and skill, you can get exactly what you were looking for. It looks like very nice work and a really fun ride. Great job.