Book Review
“Norton Commando”
Author: Mick Duckworth
Foreword by the late Peter Williams.
Norton race team engineer and rider 1969-75.
Publisher: Andover Norton International Ltd, Unit 6, Wooler Park, North Way, Andover SP10 5AZ
Email: simon.amos@andover-norton.co.uk
Tel.: 0044 01264 359565
Hardback, 200 x 255mm (portrait); 149 pages, with over 160 photographs and illustrations.
ISBN 978-0- 9570665-6-4
£29.99 (UK), $36 (US), $47 (Canada), $53 (Australia) Order part number: JRP071
Originally intended as a stop-gap model with which Norton’s new owner could put the defunct marque back on its feet, the Commando gave new life to the traditional British parallel twin and remained in production for almost a decade. When released onto the market by Norton Villiers Ltd in 1968, the 750cc Norton’s scorching acceleration and 120mph maximum put it in a league of its own. And, most significantly, this high-performance twin could carry its rider for mile after mile at speed without the discomfort caused by engine vibration.
The directive was given to build an entirely new machine from scratch for the 1967 Earls Court Motorcycle Show – in less than a month! Newly-appointed as director of engineering, nuclear scientist Dr Stefan Bauer (not a motorcyclist), designed the new lightweight (26lb) straight-tube frame – to everyone’s horror, he did not like the Featherbed frame. Bob Trigg and Bernard Hooper devised the ingenious Isolastic engine mounting system and development engineer Wally Wyatt refined and improved the ageing Atlas engine to produce around 58bhp. London designers Wolff Olins were commissioned for the styling.
Stop-gap it may have been, but for several years it was a great success, both on road and track. However, when
Kawasaki brought out its 900cc Z1, Dennis Poore, Norton Villiers’ managing director and stock exchange wheeler-dealer, demanded more power from the ageing pushrod motor. The engineers disagreed, wanting better reliability, strict quality control, disc brakes and electric starters. Unfortunately, they were not listened to. Advisers close to Poore told him (not always correctly), what he wanted to hear, resulting in the disastrous high-compression Combat engine that cost the company a lot of money in warranty repairs.
This book is not a service manual or an exhaustive guide to year-by-year specification changes, but a celebration of the Norton Commando in all its forms. Along with the conception, development and evolution of standard models, it profiles many of the people involved, studies market conditions of the time and covers the remarkable success of the Commando and its evergreen engine in many forms of motorcycle sport, finally coming up to date by covering the 21st century Commando scene.
First published in 2004, and now due to popular demand, reissued by Andover Norton International, Norton Commando is the highly readable story of this classic superbike, written by the renowned motorcycle journalist, Mick Duckworth.