Test Ride LaunchNorton Commando 961
It may appear like an old Norton Commando, the one launched back in 2015 by the ‘old’ and now condemned Norton regime. But, in fact, a claimed 36 per cent of the bike is completely new, and over 300 components have been changed or redesigned.
This is a huge step for ‘new’ Norton, the Solihull-based company that’s been revitalised under the ownership of Indian manufacturer TVS Motors. Over £100 million has been invested to bring Norton back from the depths, and the new Commando is one of the first fruits of that immense financial commitment.
When TVS took over it looked at Norton’s existing bikes – the Commando and V4S superbike – listened to critique and stripped back both bikes to the bare bones. Through robust testing, new Norton identified the problem areas and then set out to rectify them.
While the old Commando was designed and built under the Stuart Garner regime with a limited budget, tooling and staff, new Norton recruited new management, skilled engineers, designers and development riders and installed them in a bespoke, state-of-the-art production facility before commencing production of the new bike.
So this is, in many ways, the Commando that should have been. The air-cooled engine has had a complete overhaul. Parts have been replaced and redesigned where
