Norton Commando: 850 Versus 961
Clash of the Commandos: Classic Norton Commando 850 vs. a new Norton 961
By Alan Cathcart
January/February 2012
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1973 Norton Commando 850 and 2011 Norton Commando 961 Sport
Photo by Alan Cathcart
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1973 Norton Commando 850
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Claimed power: 53hp @ 6,200rpm, 48ft/lb torque @ 5,000rpm (at gearbox)
Top speed: 122mph (period test)
Engine type: 829cc air-cooled OHV parallel twin
Transmission: 4-speed
Weight: 415lb (dry)
MPG: 45-55
Price then: $1,879
2011 Norton Commando 961 Sport
Claimed power: 80hp @ 6,500rpm, 66ft/lb torque @ 5,200rpm (at crankshaft)
Top speed: 130mph (test)
Engine type: 961cc air/oil-cooled OHV parallel twin
Transmission: 5-speed
Weight: 414lb (dry)
MPG: 40-50 (est.)
Price now: £12,745 ($20,112 as of 11/18/2011)
As retro becomes ever more chic, looking in the rearview mirror at our Britbike yesterdays has become increasingly commonplace these days — think Triumph Bonneville or Scrambler, any Royal Enfield Bullet, the eight-valve Métisse duo just unveiled at the 2011 Goodwood Revival in England, and especially the Norton Commando 961.
And at Norton’s Donington Park factory, owner Stuart Garner’s men are finally ramping up production of this new interpretation of the classic Norton Commando after England’s business secretary, Vince Cable, unlocked the key to the money vaults, enabling bank loans for Norton to scale up manufacture of a bike that’s eagerly sought by enthusiasts of The Way It Was all around the world.
