Celebrity Norton Commando!

Actor Keanu Reeves stages a getaway on his vintage Norton Commando. I'd put a little more commitment into that kickstart, but getting a cold Norton to start after only three kicks is nothing to sneeze at...



TMZ has the complete story here: Keanu Reeves - Scrape with the Law

When Norton was King - Hogslayer: The Unapproachable Legend

"Anyone familiar with motorcycle drag racing has heard of Hogslayer, the famous dual-engine Norton dragster. And it’s only appropriate that the most successful drag racing bike of the 1970s have its story told through a sharp-looking documentary film."

I once had my Norton go into a "death wobble" on the Long Island Expressway while I was cruising at about 85mph. I was able to safely accelerate out of it and continue home at 60 mph, with my pulse racing at about 200 beats per minute. Very invigorating, those Nortons...


More on the coming documentary here: Hogslayer: The Unapproachable Legend

Sigh ... the sounds of my youth...

Here's a nice example of a beautifully restored, 1972 Norton Commando 750. Personally, I might choose to live without the orange paint (mine was originally a sort of blue sparkle - I had it repainted a high-gloss black, with gold lettering and pin-striping by the famed Vic Kessler). It looks to me like the pipes have been shortened a bit, and those finned intake rocker covers are definitely aftermarket. I see that the factory turn blinkers are still cluttering up the profile - in my day, we used to call that "extra weight." But she sounds great, is idling nice and strong, and is definitely ready for a nice little romp.  Enjoy...

1970 Model S Norton...

This is a beautifully restored example of a 1969 Model S Norton Commando 750. Mine was (is) a 1970, but it's essentially the same. When I got it, mine had a similar blue metal-flake tank, and the tips of the upswept pipes had been sawed off for a little added sound. And I always loved that little ventilation opening on the front drum brake. The brakes on that bike barely worked at all; luckily it was one of the best handling motorcycles ever made, so I just made a habit of accelerating around obstacles instead of trying to stop in front of them. Worked every time...

I eventually got my hands on a burnt-up 1972 Norton, which turned out to have a Combat engine on it. I swapped engines and mounted the traditional roadster exhaust pipes, replaced the leaky Amal carburators for a pair of Mikunis, painted the tank a high-gloss black, had Vic Kessler do the gold pinstriping on the tank and side plates and proceeded to terrorize Flushing. Oh yeah, and there were those flat black headers. Vroom - vroom...

Wow - the new Norton 961 Commando...

I can't believe how well they managed to preseve the classic Norton look - my 1972 Combat has the same gold lettering on a jet black tank and side panels. But this is just ... wow.

"It now looks like September could see the first of the new Norton 961 SE Commandos rolling off the production line. Although very similar in appearance to the ‘Kenny Dreer’ machine, it has been totally re-engineered and now boasts fuel injection.

The motor remains a pushrod Parallel Twin and is expected to give 80-85 hp in its final form. The frame too remains as per the prototype, BST carbon fiber wheels, Ohlin’s forks and twin rear shocks; along with Brembo brakes also mirror the original. Only 200 of these new machines will be built, all coming with a numbered plaque, costing £15,995. "

Check out the details and specs here: Norton 961 SE Commando First Look, or at the Norton web site.

The Full Throttle Saloon at Sturgis...

The Full Throttle Saloon was the club where Ben Kane and Joe Adams hung out during the Sturgis rally in The Third Revolution.

Here's a couple of guys having fun in the burnout pit. I suppose I'm just getting old, but I really don't much see the point of this (granted, I stopped drinking many years ago). And I've done my share of burnouts with the old Norton, and have the frayed rear tires and stretched drive chains to prove it. It's just that after pushing your bike for the long ride to Sturgis, it would see that the last think I'd want to do is punish the rear tire that I'm counting on to get me home. Whatever ... it still looks like fun...

Music to my ears...

In my first book, The Third Revolution, character Joe Adams rides a 1972 Norton Commando. Obviously, this particular ride wasn't selected arbitrarily. Here's a brief look at an identical model:



My own Norton is still up on blocks. It was originally a 1970 Model S, with the upswept "off-road" pipes. I later purchased a basket-case Norton that had been in a fire; after I took it apart and cleaned it up, it turned out that it had been a 1972 Combat Roadster, so I threw that engine (and roadster pipes) on my bike and got her up and running. If memory serves, the Combat engine was manufactured for only six months during the 1972 model year. It had larger (32mm vs. 30 mm) carburetors, high-compression pistons (10-to-1 vs. 9-to-1), and the famed "SS" Combat cam. As you might imagine, there aren't many of them left, since the bulk of them were owned by crazed lunatics who'd wrecked them within a year or two. Mine ran when I put it away, and, I hope, will run again someday...