3,300 Mile West Coast Tour

Life Married to a Norton Owner

Reader Contribution by Ann Pipkins
Updated on October 30, 2023
article image
by Nick Cedar
Not the Pipkins' bike, but a 1975 MkIII in the same colors.

Ann and Bob Pipkins shared a long history of touring across the U.S. on their Norton Commando. Learn about their bond and how their first journey drove their passion.

Married to a Norton owner

It was Christmas Eve 1977, in Boulder, Colorado, when Bob, my late husband, brought home a brand new 1975 850 Norton Commando MkIII Roadster. It was white with blue and red stripes on the gas tank and side covers. It was about this time that Norton Motorcycles was on the way out and the local motorcycle shop saw it as opportunity to off-load its inventory. The original asking price of this Norton was $2,895; Bob picked it up for only $1,895 which he was very happy about.

Although Bob started riding motorcycles at 14 years old (some 13 years previous), the Norton was the biggest and heaviest one he had ever owned up until this time. This became apparent when, the next day, we rode it to a local convenience store. In order to exit the parking lot, Bob had to turn the bike around. Not being used to the bike’s weight and bulk, as he began to push it around to the left he dropped it! I stood there gobsmacked until he brought me out of my stupor when he yelled “come here and help me pick it up!” which I did pronto. The whole incident was over so fast no one even seemed to notice (or if they did, they did not think anything about it at least not enough to come to our aid). Because the bike landed on the passenger foot peg, it escaped damage. So, after gaining our composure, we hopped on and away we rode. Bob made me swear on my honor not to tell a soul about the incident, from which I have refrained all these years, and I am sharing it here for the first time ever. It was definitely our “secret.” (I hope you don’t mind, Bob but I feel it adds another layer to the Unapproachable Norton monicker).

Unforgettable Road Trip

This Roadster was definitely all of that, and we did not let any grass grow under it. Although Bob joined the NOA and INOA and we attended their rallies, we also did a lot of touring on our own. One very memorable trip was in July 1978 from Boulder, Colorado, to San Clemente, California, to visit college friends. After leaving Boulder we stopped at Zion National Park, spent a day and a half there, and left just before sundown to cross the desert. How well I remember cresting the hill as we headed west and seeing the night lights of the Las Vegas Strip glimmering below. It was 97 degrees as we cruised the Strip at 1 a.m. It was the first time I had sweat running down my neck from my helmet strap! Because we had miles to go before reaching our destination, we motored on. But as we approached Barstow, I started dosing off which caused me and the bike to lean precariously to one side or another. If Bob had not caught me, this tale would most likely not be told.

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