I'm taking one for the team

Wow! I Love Nortons.... Always wanted to get an 850 Commando with the Black gas tank with the Gold scripted "NORTON" on it.

If you get down this way. There is a Motorcycle Dealer in Villa Park,a couple miles from my house, called MCC Motorcycles. They sell Ducati and Aprilia Street ( ) Bikes. And KTM Dirt/Motocross bikes. They get some neat Ducati trade-ins there,too. I haven't been in there in awhile. But they had some Desmodromic Ducati Bikes in there,too.

 

Nortons huh? Well I do have a '69 Dunstall Commando 810......

I won't be parting with it anytime soon.

Regarding the JPS Norton that was on ebay, they were not really race bikes in that trim. The ones that were sold for the street were simply stock Commandos with the "fancy" body work. Now it would be entirely another sort of story if it were one of the JPS production class racers.

 

If it was a competition Norton F1 Rotary, now that would be a different story, but back in the Commando days ('67 to "76) the John Player Special team, Dunstall, Seeley and Rickman Nortons were tearing up the tracks. Some of the JPS bikes and some Dunstalls, were raced in the "Production" class where modifications were limited, the other variants were campaigned in the "formula" classes where mods were major, like chassis replacement, and full fairings.

The Norton F1's came much later, about 1978, 140 hp at the rear wheel @ 5K to 14K RPM. It was an outstanding competition bike.

Then they were built for the street, with about 100 hp. They haven't been built for a while now, but they are still being supported in the UK.

 

( Jackie Gleason voice.... )....." Norton, NORTON! "

 

You're going to have to speak up around my bikes, or you'll never be heard Frank.

 

LOL! Yeah, LOTS and LOTS of "High End Yuppie Choppers" out there. "Badasses" with new Leathers and Chain wallets....

Yeah, 1 in 2 for Mercedes AND Porsches!