Johannesburg - Wizened bikers with scuffed leather jackets and fading patches will remember the Norton Commando as a popular motorcycle in the 1960s and ‘70s.
To those who recall it through rose-tinted spectacles it was several times voted Britain’s Motorcycle of the Year but, like many Brit bikes of the time it also had a reputation for leaking oil and breaking down, and the brand eventually went under in the late ‘70s.
It was raised from the dead in 2008 by UK businessman Stuart Garner who bought the rights and began producing modernised versions of the Commando at his Donington Park factory.
Now the marque has become available in South Africa but you’re paying big money for this piece of modernised nostalgia at prices of up to R349 000. It does, however, come with free servicing for life, offered by its importers Cayenne Group.
There are three models to choose from and we tested the baseline Commando Sport selling for R299 000. It looks beautiful in its black and gold trim, and there’s some nice detailing in this hand-built machine.
While its styling is distinctly nostalgic, the new-generation Commando has all the nice modern bits that today’s riders expect, including a fuel-injected engine with electronic ignition, front and rear disc brakes and, most importantly, electric start – the original Commando had to be kickstarted into life. There’s also a multi-function trip computer.
It’s all top-notch componentry in the suspension and braking departments including adjustable front and rear Ohlins suspension, and a Brembo braking system.
The air-cooled 961cc parallel-twin engine blends old-school pushrod valve actuation (as per the original Commando) with modern fuel injection and an environmentally-friendly catalytic converter.
Its outputs of 58kW and 80Nm won’t set any lap records but offer acceptable low-revving commuting grunt.
The technology may be modern but the bike still has a very old-school feel in its riding characteristics.
There’s a lot of engine noise and vibration - which I suspect is a deliberate “character” ploy rather than shoddy engineering. Compared to all the super-slick, ultra-smooth bikes out there, every ride on the Commando is a body-pummeling adventure.
The bike vibrates like an old VW Beetle and is just as noisy. It will reach about 180km/h when you give it full taps, but the Commando’s far more comfortable cruising in the 120-140km/h zone. The five-speed gearbox is reasonably slick shifting.
LOW SEAT
The Norton feels quite heavy (though it isn’t at 205kg dry) and doesn’t inspire much confidence to go footpeg-scratching, knee-down in the twisties, but the handling is neat enough for its cafe-racer role.
The low seat makes the bike easy to straddle even for shorter riders, and it’s neither big nor intimidating to manoeuvre. The upright seating position places no weight on your wrists but the suspension’s very firm and the seat’s hard, so extended spells in the saddle cause significant fatigue.
An ill-designed side stand is tucked under the footpeg and gearlever and is almost impossible to lever-out with your foot, so I had to do it by hand. I get all the retro charisma, but c’mon lads, get the basics right.
There were some other niggling issues on the bike which you wouldn’t expect at the price. The engine often stalled as the idling seemed set too low, and our test bike’s rear indicators were cross-wired (when you tried to indicate left it flashed the right indicator, and vice-versa).
Also, the trip computer and the speedometer are in miles. The speedo has an inner ring with a smaller font showing speed in km/h but it’s almost impossible to read, so you have to be up to date with your imperial-metric mental calculations to avoid the long arm of the speedtrap law.
Our test bike also started smoking heavily during the test ride but the importers tells us it was simply overfilled with oil. Hmm...
VERDICT
A reborn classic, this bike appeals to riders looking for a “character” bike with a retro feel.
How to rate the Norton Commando depends which angle you’re coming from: one man’s slow, shaky machine with a hard ride is another man’s nostalgic charmer. Either way, a good deal of rose-tinting is needed to make that lofty pricetag look like a good deal. - Star Motoring
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