Frank Westworth Look back at:THE NORTON COMMANDO 750 S
IT’S INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT IN THESE INCREASINGLY restrained days to remember just how bonkers the last years of the 1960s actually were. And it’s easy to forget how fast the early Commandos were. When Cycle magazine tested a 750 S alongside six hot competitors in 1970, the Norton covered a standing quarter mile in 12.39 seconds, beating the BSA Rocket 3, Triumph Trident, Honda CB750, Suzuki Titan, a Harley Sportster and even the mighty Kawasaki Mach III. It weighed much the same as the others and it cost much the same as the others. It went faster than the others – so why didn’t it sell better than the others and why didn’t it stay in production for donkey’s years?
Because it didn’t – stay in production, that is, being replaced in the mighty Norton line-up after a mere two seasons. Even more improbably, the 750 S wasn’t popular in the UK, where riders plainly preferred the more restrained styling of the original Commando, known today – but not originally – as the Fastback. Flat bars, flat exhausts, and (mostly) sensible colour schemes were the preferred option for those in the UK who could afford a new Norton. They were probably older than
