2023 Norton Commando 961 Review | Best of British is Back! | Visordown
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- With a recent history that is almost certain to become a movie in years to come, much of the noise made about Norton Motorcycles lately has had little to do with its motorcycles.
That is beginning to change though, as, under the stewardship of TVS Motors, the revived and reborn Norton factory is once again producing bikes from its Solihull base.
The latest is the 2023 Norton Commando 961, a bike that was thrown onto the operating table by TVS to fix many of the known, and some of the unknown issues with it.
The result is a retro motorcycle that looks very similar to the machine launched in 2019, although dig beneath the lusty paint, billet aluminium, and trick components and it's massively updated and improved.
For this UK press ride, Alex went along to get his first taste of this icon of British motorcycle history.
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I love my 2015 example.
Its never once had an issue, is lovely to ride, even better to look at and proudly exbibits its Made In England heritage - unlike Thaiumphs......
Seriously, a work of art...…
I guess the starting issue makes it even more authentic.
Since 1970 I obsessed over Nortons more than any other bike. Mainly the looks & sound. I knew 2 people that owned one. I tried to buy a nice used one in 1981 but the bank wouldn't loan me $1,500. Once I could afford the new Norton I was married so....that didn't happen.
She has to go.
@@getheroutofthetruck Wife 2 said get a bike so I'm riding again.
@@lgwappo that’s great 👍. You are lucky.
This would be a wonderful bike for the '50s.
Marty McFly would love it. 🤪
There appears to be a lot of magazine-stats-racers on here with their comments. Especially since no one has actually rode one. It’s a niche’ bike for people that HAVE the money for exactly this: hand built, back-to-the-basics. The hp comments crack me up. Where in the US of A are you legally allowed to cruise at the ton, on PUBLIC roads and not get arrested? I do hope they make it Stateside, it would be nice to see a few on the road.
If I could afford one I’d definitely buy the sport
Yes please , the sport in silver , I'm there when it gets to Australia
That black one would look really nice next to my candy apple red '74.
I was a little shocked regarding the weight comment. I had bought new a 1973 750 Commando (orange tank and side covers, this being the 70's) and it weighed under 400 lbs. At the time it was advertised and trumpeted in the motorcycle press as the one of the highest power to weight ratios among the other brands. Of course, it was kick start which helps in weight loss. I remember it being a 4 speed, shifter on the right, which wasn't too unusual at the time (I'd had a Triumph Bonny before) but the top to bottom shift pattern 1-N-2-3-4 (first gear being at the top of the throw) took a little getting used to-- I started in 4 gear too often at first!
Absolutely beautiful, hope they sell many but we have all become accustomed to more power , 6 gears and great handing. The triumph thruxton RS still reigns supreme in my opinion for the price.
Must admit, a real beauty...but a five-speed? I owned a five-speed 2011 Triumph Bonny SE but the lack of a six-speed box kept me looking for a notch that wasn't there. For the money, I would buy a Thruxton.
To say disappointed is definitely a understatement with the money that’s been invested in a state of the art factory and the amount of talented people they have employed within new Norton , the vast majority being ex triumph
And they definitely have a wealth of talent in there R&D .
But instead of being a ground breaking iconic motorcycle company with the capabilities of producing some amazing motorcycles and tapping into the amazing talent of there R&D department , they decided to polish a turd 💩
What total & utter rubbish....
@@originalforgerywhat part ?
@@bikerbuddy3166
Consider what Harley have done over the years. They built on their heritage and as far as I'm aware (apart from electric crap) have continued with what they know - V twins.
What's wrong with Norton doing the same.
At least they're made in England unlike most Triumphs these days (Yes, I've owned a Hinkley Triumph - a 900 Daytona).
@@originalforgery unfortunately the SG norton heritage is not only shocking , but dangerous the lack of development and testing is unbelievable, the V4 is definitely testament to how bad it was , not to mention the fraud and theft of company / pension / investor’s money / and customers. I still believe that new Norton can make the Norton brand be the brand it deserves to be purely because of the talent and the money behind them , I just expect more a lot sooner ,
As for British built triumph/ Royal Enfield/ they are all British built as they are designed tested and bought to production in the uk 🇬🇧 as with everything else they are assembled elsewhere ,
I truly believe the best bike in the world is the one you own the one that makes you smile and tingle all over , so enjoy yours but before defending a brand remember the SG Norton history it’s definitely not a good one ☝️
So to put this review into plain English "it's an absolute beast on the road" it's overweight and under powered. "It handles beautifully" " it doesn't have a great turning circle" don't expect it to take corners very well. "It's beautifully finished" " hand crafted" "hand built" "hand painted pin stripes" but for £17,000 you get yoghurt pots for clutch and brake reservoirs. " The exhaust sounds awesome" remind me to get my ears tested.
I have to admit it looks the part and is well appointed in the important areas like suspension and brakes. All in all it's a garage queen to be taken out like he says for the odd pose at a café. However all that glory is going to pale into insignificance when it fails to start and you ride off dragging the foot peg.
Yeah… The plastic reservoirs kill me. I’d put my modern T120 up against it any day…
@@68orangecrate26 Put my 46 year old Ducati against it any day.
850 Roadster in black for me please, with a pair of Dunstall exhausts, no baffles 😁👍
Mine is red. Dunstalls, yeah. I call it the red dragon.
@@RaymondPeckIIIRed is equally as good 👍
I got PTSD when he said “Variants”
I'd take the sport if it would come to the stateside!
I fell in love with the look of the 961 cafe racer on first sight and bought a 2012 model second hand in 2019, about 6 months before the full horror of the Stuart Garner era came to light. Three years ago it broke down since when the dealer has been unable to repair it. Now I'm not to sure if I really like the looks. I'm still a sucker for the true 1960's cafe racer style but I think the Thruxton RS with a proper set of clip ons would be closer to the mark for me now. Or a Ducati Sport Classic if money were no object!
Why did they go with the "specimen jar" brake fluid container? Those things really look out of place to me.
Sport for me. Looks very nice, but 77hp is so underpowered for a 961cc engine (100hp+ being the heavyweight retro ballpark - see Z900rs, Speed Twin). I may have missed the weight (?) but I’m guessing it’s not very light, so those figures are going to cost them customers I think. It’s a lot of money for a nice looking but underpowered bike.
Indeed this is the point
A pushrod twin for that money with that less Power is a joke.
Norton should have a Look to Triumph, the did it the right war building modern bikes with a phantastic look for affordable prices.
"You can tell they've been doing it for log time"...they've just restarted, all that connects them with the past is the Norton badge. No continuity whatsoever
You're saying like that's a bad thing. There's a reason Norton failed and was shut down in the early 60's, so lets hope it's improved now, and can sustain itself in today's market. Aping of the past is not always ideal, as it also means carrying over the flaws.
TVS is owner now ..seems to good backing ...glad it was taken over by Indian company rather than how many Italian companies were sold to Chinese.... Long live Norton ..pure British.
Fully agree. You are paying a premium for a mediocre bike at best
No, I was thinking, I’m a bit of a wet blanket when it comes to there being a party , then along you came
I thought this, you have to question what he knows about the history of both motorcycle firms. No shame not knowing but seemed an odd comment for a motorcycle presenter
Sorry, the best of the British is my 2017 Triumph Thruxton R in Silver ICE with the Cafe Fairing. The Norton pales in comparison!
They have always looked great. Weren't the Garner's Nortons "hand built" too. I think it might be wise to let Norton establish some dealerships and some reliability credentials before jumping in for foreign buyers. Too bad about the 5 speed transmission.
You can be certain of two things in any review of this sort: 1) the adjective "iconic" will appear near the opening lines, and 2) the machine's weight will be glossed over without comment. Sure enough, the new Norton in "iconic," and sure enough, it weighs a shocking 500 pounds (230 kg.) This demolishes immediately any sport bike pretentions it may have. Just like the new BSAGold Star, the assumption is that somehow obesity will not affect handling. Welcome to design by marketers.
Kaffee ☕️ und Gebäck sind bereitgestellt!
Rolling road 😂 In this millennium, we call it dyno, chap 😉
Interesting…..This would look fantastic in my collection!
"Little extra"... yeah. I remember when UK motorcycle journalism was where we could get some fair criticism on new models. Seems it's US type marketing material now.
Too slow, too expensive. It's a British Harley Davidson.
The Harley new roadster and Pan am are as modern and feature rich as any out there and they ACTUALLY GO. They are mad fast. So watch out your analogy.
You fellas are totally missing the point.
Harley 🤦🏼♂️ posers.
@RBT THUNDER I had a go on a naked boxer recently and WoooooW !
That was really something special, very very weird bike, like from another planet but so enjoyable and full of character.
I truly loved it.
Personally I ride Aprilia V twin SuperBike.
@@Amory98 wtf delusional hellscape did you crawl out of? Go back ffs.
What I really wanted to know is, do they idle better and how have TVS accomplished this?
Old Nortons were fun had a few . like to try the new
OK, so we have a great bike but I live in the USA . So when can we expect them to arrive in the states?
I’ll take a black sport with polished wheels when they come to the states. In 1976 I had a 850 Commando Interstate that I loved. Problem was I loved the girl more and she needed a ring on her finger. Still got the girl and now I can afford both.
It's Back in Name Only.
Sport version 😍
I love it
It looks as though the exhaust is really low not speed hump friendly
I'm sitting on the fence with the new Norton at the moment, I will wait and see whether the quality is good enough as the last Norton's were very poor. but before I would spend my money on one it would def have to have a 6 speed gearbox, and small things like the front brake reservoirs need to be improved..But I wish Norton all the best and maybe in the future I will purchase one.
Love the look and it's air and oil cooler. Power to weight ratio it probably doesn't need rider modes.. why oh why is there no 6 th gear. I would love to have one sports version. I would be embarrassed to turn up on the cafe racer that barely achieves speeds of the 1960s bikes.yes I know it's not about the speed but Price needs to be bellow the z900 rs before I go to a Norton showroom.
For a revised bike an considering the competition I would have expected an LED headlight, more period graphics on the instruments, a mode switch on the left control bar so you can select the info on the small screen without having to take one hand off the bars. Also a 6th gear for cruising and extending the fuel range. I can't work out why anyone would buy one of these when you have the Triumph range which has all of the above. This bike, although revised, seems about 10 years out of date with the competition...
still better looking than anything else
@@sverremoe4087 Its not better looking than my Triumph Speedmaster Gold Line edition...
good to see Tham back and looking forward to that dominator again that's the money for me.
wonderful bike i'd like to own the sport
I wish..sweet bikes
Hand crafted..what no CNC machines? "125 years for the Norton brand...you can tell they've been doing it for a long time", who are they? The factory stopped making bikes in the 70's and was then liquidated in the 90's. resurrected by the thief Garner in 2010 or there abouts then back into liquidation...so who are they that have been doing it for 125 years??
Brutal but true…..
beautiful bikes. Some gold cast aluminum wheels would take it over the top.
Sport for me, but like you old chap I just need £16 G. I would buy one if I had the cabbage hopefully Norton may roll out something more affordable Atlas springs to mind anyway good luck to Norton fantastic start.
This new bike is a significant improvement from the Garner era, but I agree that compared to other bikes in its category, others do it better. Perhaps another way of expressing how Norton could get the Commando so right while allowing the negative sentiment and symphony of noise to effectively kill any chances of selling a new or used V4SV or V4RC. The V4SS issue will not stop haunting Norton until they stop burying their heads in the sand and pretending they can tough it out when it's evident that they are hurting more than the V4SS owners. Is Norton really that different under TVS than it was under Garner, as it's once again a brand attracting attention for all the wrong reasons and with a product line-up that does not quite make it?
My favorite motorcycle was a 1974(?) Norton Interstate, 850cc with a large fuel tank. It was the last year before Norton added an electric start and put the gear shift on the other side.
Do these new Nortons still have the Islastic frame? And I'm sure they no longer have the twin Amel carburetors.
So where's the kickstarter ? The gearshift is on the wrong side !
TVS 🔥
Quick! Everyone upload the Norton video!
I wonder about the dealer network
I saw the previous 961 (pre going bust) in a showroom. Looked terrific BUT would I buy one? Jury is out. It’s a very beautiful but meh bike in a lot of ways plus how long will the company last this time?
The company will definitely last this time because the 3rd largest bike manufacturer on planet earth has bought the company, TVS Motors - One of the most successful companies in India. Indians don't play around when it comes to management. They're extremely smart and tactical. So you can bet your house that Norton's in good hands this time. :)
Thanks Imran.Good to know. Well, if they can be even half as successful as RE have been all over the world with their 650’s, Himmy & 350 Classics then they are going to do well. Dealer network & support will be the clincher.
@@jfro5867 They got deep pockets so dealer network and support should all be sorted eventually.
70mph at 5000rpm in top ! If thats true it must be competing with a Honda CG125. Appalling for an almost 1000cc twin. I had an original MK3 850 Commando interstate in my youth and it was a joy to ride on the torque alone. This new bike is however stunningly beautiful in black. For now though, for me, its just eye candy until that engine is sorted.
You can buy a restored 1957 original bike for half that price with same or better specs lol
I have 2017 961 sport, I can’t start that if the side stand is down unless the clutch is pulled in, I watch with interest as to what will happen to the second hand prices of Donnington bikes they look the same so we’ll see has they compare
Looks very smokey to me. Are the rings going already?
Probably
wait.. 5er Gearbox?
between this and BSA what`s your pick?
Classic....
They should have stuck with a 360 degree firing order in my opinion they just sound wrong to me for how a Norton twin should sound. Having ran Nortons from 1927-1967 as daily riders and through winters I feel they missed the mark. Could get a couple of original Nortons for the price of one of those. The original Commando is Lithe, slim, fast and insanely smooth with the Isolastic system and stops on a sixpence with the 2ls + the riding position is absolutely fabulous comfy and can tour for days. I'm 6'2 and am absolutely totally comfortable on my 1968. 'Fairly comfortable for the seat on the 961' the original seats had all day comfort. They should have dropped the weight, put a propper seat on it and produced an all new 750 Commando rather than the 961 again.
Obviously we'll put together, but for this kind of money... It needs to be. The power figures tho' they needed to be much higher. Nice to see Norton back, but I can't see them shifting many, like to be proved wrong.
Undoubtedly the Brits still make the most beautiful bikes in the world. The copycats only come next! The new Norton Commando 961 is an obvious evidence of this. Its certainly one of the most beautiful bikes out there. Hope to get hold of one these beauties here in India soon.
I loved your review, it is to the point and grabs your attention immediately. Kudos!
16000 pounds is Rs. 15 lakhs 😄
Tvs 🔥
In the world of cars and bikes "Hand built, hand crafted in England" is not a great selling point for reliability and build quality. TVR comes to mind. I do like the irony of British marques being owned by Indian companies.
Dunno - seems a lot to pay for good paint. Why not just get the Kawi z900rs - style, attention to detail AND performance. Or a Yamahaxsr900, or heck the RE 650 is an honest pure retro at 1/3 the price and you can drill a hole in the exhaust. One thing that I cam't unsee, with all the talk of luxury attention to detail yadda - is the difference in color of the calipers, and the mounts. If the main selling point is looks and craftsmanship - this looks like a bolt on from the bin. Sorry - it all just seems overwrought.
What about the instruments ??
The original Commando (with similar technology!) weighed 190kg - in this day and age with modern materials, how does this weigh 230kg?? Don't get me wrong, I'd love one but...
all the extra emissions and electronics cant weigh nothing
You’re not comparing like with like. The final Mk3 Commando with electric starter also weighed 230kgs. You are looking at the earlier models.
"Hand-built," this and "hand-built" that (1) makes it too expensive, (2) a failure of mass production standardization needed for wider sales to consumers, (3) was a failure indicative of British industry prior to WWII, (4) "SNOB" factor shows in the PR commercial to cover up the costs incurred by poor industrial planning; that's why the Japanese revolutionized the motorcycle industry. "Bad show" as the British say. Here in America, we say, "**** that s**t." Give me a Moto Guzzi or a Japanese bike!!!
I suspect my Speed Twin sounds just as good (V&H “silencers” help), is also gorgeous, much faster and represents considerably more bang for your buck. Not tempted at the price.
According to an interview with Norton's chief engineering bod in Bike magazine, after extensive redesign they've extended the engine's life from two to eight hours...so that's 4000 miles at 50 mph.
Buy an original NVT Commando instead.
Pushrods!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who makes pushrods these days!
Moto Guzzi, Harley
@@philhawley1219 Didn't know Guzzi was still biz and Harley goes its own way anyway.
My Harley has pushrods, and hydraulic valves, keep on top of the oil changes and no valve clearance adjustments... forever -:)
@@slds108 My 27year old Land Rover does too.
Wow
RE is looking up? You must be joking....
How much $? 🤦♂️ holey shrapnel batman 😮 love the old school looks but ill stick with my w800 and wallet.
$19,500 for…sound? Nostalgia is nice, but that’s a lot of money for an old name and styling. Think I’ll stick with Harley. They sound nice, too, and a Sportster isn’t nearly 20 grand!
Why in gods name would you mix metric and imperial measure torque and power
Like seriously can anyone here name the constant for their relationship on hp and NM? Of course not, we all know in hp and lb-ft its 5252 though.
I'm sorry 16000? I could almost have two Rebel 1100s for that! I mean sure Norton looks better but....
Then go and buy 2 Rebel 1100s 🤦🏼♂️
I mean almost.
Blue smoke coming out of the exhaust already? Uh no. And no actual ride report? Only a blip of the throttle so we can hear it? Dude, c'mon.
It's a Royal Enfield on steroids...That's all...
its not even overhead cam
I just hope they don't shift production to India.
Sad - Lots of negative comments from those who have not even ridden one.
Sorry, My Triumph Thruston R with the Fairing KILLS the Norton POS!!! ThE Norton is not British but made in India. POS bike! I also own the 2022 Triumph Speed Triple RR. The new Norton's are Crap!
Sport
I owned three Norton Commando's.They were hot but they were absolutely junk.They were not a good motorcycle even by British standards.
New bike from a new company looking like an old bike. Not a rational choice, but that’s the point.
I dont no why they make bikes where you get tricked into thinking there is another gear, they need a 6th gear.
Hate to bash what looks like a gorgeous bike, but seriously overpriced . Ride it back to back with the Thruxton RS and it makes even less sense.
Over priced,under powered.Absolute rubbish!
They? The only continuity is the name.
Too much for too little imho it will probably bomb.
Keeps harping how its a luxury bike, never met a Norton owner that bought one because it was luxury, always performance. This should be a 100 hp bike, Lame.
Is that a license plate....or a fkn billboard??🤣
It seems the journalist is being too nice. Power-to-weight ratio is rubbish(77hp for a 230-kg machine), five gears in this day and age, no gear indicator… all that at such a high price…not sure journalists outside the UK would be so forgiving
For that price I wonder how many will they sell 🤔
Not tons, but enough.
There are people who appreciate the hand work and attention to detail.
@@ducedevlstear2471 🤞🏻 hopefully they make it, always nice with many different kinds of bikes in the market
@@Hugo_WP these people in the comments don't get it. It's not aimed at mass market. Besides, I don't believe the company has capacities to produce in mass.
NO! thats a Joke?
New Triumphs all sound like Ducati's. 270 degree crank.Yamaha twins.... Ducati. Norton 961 .... Ducati. Interceptor 650 ..... Ducati . Now boring old honda are sporting 270 degree cranks on their new hornet twin to sound like a Ducati. These bikes all sound like Ducati's. Just get the real thing and buy a Ducati.
Mate it's a PoS.
Too heavy
My Ducati from 90s has same horse power. What a stupid paid review.
its only for posing and the tank range is rubbish
Sadly the discoloured down pipes greatly spoil the appearance of these bikes, they should do what the Japanese used to do in 60's, 70's, 80's etc and double skin them and chrome them and then they don't discolour.