The Norton Motorcycle Company is a British motorcycle manufacturer that has, and still produces some extremely iconic British bikes. The company was formed all the way back in 1898 and right after the turn of the century in 1902, they started producing and shipping their first motorcycles. They have long ties to early motorcycle racing, and in the early parts of the twenty century they dominated that scene. Norton’s are well known in the United Kingdom and are well respected bikes. While never getting too much popularity in the United States, they still are a fantastic company that produces some great bikes. Their motorcycles today are produced in limited numbers and entirely by hand. Taking many influences from their early days and cafe racers, the current Commando 961 SF pays homage to this companies long history with motorcycling.
The Commando 961 SF is the most expensive motorcycle that Norton sells at $25,865. That price tag puts it considerably more money that many other motorcycles produced by a variety of companies. This bike is stylistically a cafe racer were originally pioneered in Great Britain, and then were popularized in other European cities. They favored performance and handling over comfort, and were lightweight bikes to quickly take you around the city. Original cafe racers were typically built entirely from hand by a variety of different parts that a person had on them. This bike is definitely a cafe racer. The Commando 961 SF has a large 961 cc parallel twin engine in it to power the bike giving it close to 80 horsepower. The bike is simple and elegant; it doesn’t have many bells and whistles and thats because it doesn’t need any. However if you want some options, Norton does deliver things such as different rims, carbon wheels, chromed out hardware, a carbon flyscreen, and more.
This motorcycle is a modern classic no matter which way you look at it. The bike is a testament to Nortons rich history, and it is sure to please all riders. If you are looking for a retro styled motorcycle then you should look no further,
Photo from Norton Motorcycles
