YELLOW PERIL
Cast your mind back to the early 1970s and recall the Commando 750 production racers, those street-legal homologation specials which were individually assembled in the factory race shop. All manner of upgraded internals went into those motors; components which were matched, machined, blueprinted and balanced to push the power output by 20% compared to the standard 745cc roadster. That would take a proddie racer to 130mph, maybe more, with test rider / development engineer Peter
Williams stretched from the solo saddle across the supersize fuel tank. The majority of these machines left the workshop equipped with a race fairing, uprated brakes and suspension - and a dazzling paint job which inspired legions of imitators over the years.
Exactly how many of these beasts were built is impossible to say. At least 100 were stipulated by the homologation requirement, but who knows how many customers actually stumped up the ticket price - which was roughly 50% more than
