Agnes the Norton Commando 850

By Margie Siegal
Published on March 28, 2012
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Norton Commando 850 gauges
Norton Commando 850 gauges
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1975 Norton Commando 850 Mark III
1975 Norton Commando 850 Mark III
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The Commando proved popular from the beginning. Norton dealers found a ready audience in the baby boomers just coming of age, and sales of Commandos took off.
The Commando proved popular from the beginning. Norton dealers found a ready audience in the baby boomers just coming of age, and sales of Commandos took off.
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A Norton has a comforting monotone hum, like a C130 Hercules cargo plane.
A Norton has a comforting monotone hum, like a C130 Hercules cargo plane.
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The shift lever moved to the left side of the bike for 1975.
The shift lever moved to the left side of the bike for 1975.
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Side view of the Norton Commando 850
Side view of the Norton Commando 850
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Some Mark III roadsters were painted in the John Player blue scheme, white with blue and red stripes.
Some Mark III roadsters were painted in the John Player blue scheme, white with blue and red stripes.
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Some Mark III roadsters were painted in the John Player blue scheme, white with blue and red stripes.
Some Mark III roadsters were painted in the John Player blue scheme, white with blue and red stripes.
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Commandos have excellent parts availability, with many parts continuing to be manufactured by Andover Norton, which took over production of Norton parts when the factory closed. And, of course, they’re great to ride.
Commandos have excellent parts availability, with many parts continuing to be manufactured by Andover Norton, which took over production of Norton parts when the factory closed. And, of course, they’re great to ride.

1975 Norton Commando 850 Mark III
Claimed power:
60hp @ 5,900rpm
Top speed: 115mph (observed)
Engine: 828cc OHV air-cooled parallel twin, 77mm x 89mm bore and stroke, 8.5:1 compression ratio
Weight (dry): 460lb (209kg)
Fuel capacity/MPG: 3gal (11.3ltr)/ 40-50mpg
Price then/now:  $2,495/$5,000-$11,000

Stand in the parking lot of a favorite meeting place for the local motorcycle crowd and listen. A seasoned enthusiast can tell you what bike is sliding around the last bend well before its headlight comes into view.

A high-pitched shriek announces a performance two-stroke on redline. A basso profundo roar says a Buell is arriving. A baritone hum, echoing off the canyon walls like a jet fighter coming in for a landing? It can only be a Norton. “A Norton has a comforting monotone hum, like a C130 Hercules cargo plane,” Maya Lai says, adding, “Nothing sounds like a Norton.”

Maya should know. She heard her first Norton when she was a young girl. A neighbor had a new burgundy and silver Fastback Commando, and let her ride on the back — the only passenger he would carry. There were motorcycles in the family, as well. Maya’s twin brother, Ken, had small Hondas, and Maya wanted to ride them. “I wanted to do what Ken did,” she says, but Ken didn’t think she was capable of riding his bikes, so he wouldn’t let her.

Ingenious and mechanically oriented — and clearly quite stubborn — Maya figured out how to hot-wire Ken’s bikes and ride anyway. One day, Ken caught her. “Well, Twin,” Maya recalls him saying, “If you want to ride a bike, you’ll have to learn how to fix it.” So Maya lugged a broken 160cc Honda up to her room, took it apart, put it back together again and brought it back downstairs. It ran, and Maya had a motorcycle to ride. But what she really wanted was a Norton Commando like her neighbor’s.

Why the Norton Commando

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