New Commando takes on the BMW R nineT

Half a century after the first Norton Commando we pit the latest model against its BMW rival

The Norton looks great, but can it cut it on our super-tough route?

While there’s little doubt that Norton’s revival under Stuart Garner has legs – it’s now nearly 10 years since the East Midlands entrepreneur bought the remnants of the brand and eight since production of the 961 began, never mind the upcoming V4 and 650, increasing TT success and more – what about the bikes? In other words: under all the gloss of the 961’s fancy cycle parts and paint and away from the glamour and nostalgia of the Norton name, how does it really

measure up? Time to pit the latest version against the benchmark of one of the most popular (and similar on paper) retros – BMW’s R nineT. First, though, we need to be clear about what bikes we’re talking about. While it’s easy to assume the 961 is some kind of retro like Triumph’s latest Bonneville, it’s actually far more complicated. More accurately, the 961 – or at least its core heart, its engine, and chassis – is actually an updated classic, albeit a massively updated one with stateof-the-art cycle parts grafted on. So although that 961cc engine is now fuel-injected and Euro4 compliant, it’s still a fairly archaic air-cooled, pushrod, two-valve parallel twin that’s been reengineered (twice now, hence the Mk II name) from the concept of American Kenny Dreer, which in turn had been developed from the old 1970s 850 Commando. So is the 961 a ‘retro’? No, not really.

It’s worth pointing out here that both test bikes aren’t quite what they seem, either, by virtue of being heavily accessorised. The BMW has well over £4K worth of goodies, mostly via its ‘Option 7-19’ billet styling pack, while the Norton has things like polished rims (£245), black barrels (£300) and more, meaning that both bikes actually cost well over £16K.

Despite looking marvellous in JPS black and gold and boasting a host of updates and refinements including Nikasil liners and an improved crank and gearbox, getting going on the 961 remains more 1970s classic than modern motorcycle. The kickstand’s awkward, the steering lock more race bike-restricted than roadster and the starter labours, hiccups and struggles to catch, something not helped by our test bike running on fumes. But after nursing it to the nearest garage, brimming it and it again labouring to start – by which point Bruce, on the R nineT, was clearly wondering what he’d got himself into – it was time to start the MCN250 proper. See, told you the 961 is more classic than retro.

But once past Oundle on the A605 then A45 and with the taps opened and the 961’s throat cleared, the Norton starts to become a grower. Where the BMW is chunky and squat, its fat tank splaying your thighs, the Norton, in contrast to its