1974 Norton Commando 850 MkIIA – $23,000

Norton Commando 850 for sale

SELLER SAYS: 1974 Norton Commando Mk11A, in excellent condition, runs well, Bendix-style electric starter motor, electronic ignition, single Mikuni carb conversion, belt drive primary, Hagon shocks and chrome luggage rack easily removed. Also comes with a bikini fairing and assorted bits and pieces and history. I bought this bike approximately five years ago and it was lightly but regularly ridden. It has been in storage for last three years, presents very well, and runs and starts well. Previous owner fully rebuilt her and fitted starter motor etc. She is currently unregistered and if sold in Queensland I will obtain a roadworthy for buyer. Contact Warwick on 0448 444 174 (Manly, Qld.).

EDITOR TERLICK SAYS: Truly one of the greatest bikes of the 1970s, Norton’s much-loved Commando evolved from the 750 Atlas that preceded it – but the basics of the engine really stretch right back to the 500cc Model 7 of 1947. In the near-on 30 years between the 7 and the 850, the big parallel twin grew and grew and grew. It did have some growing pains; the 750 Combat of 1972 was released as a hot rod version of the basic 750 Commando, most likely in response to Kawasaki’s Z1, but the increased horsepower proved too much for the main bearings and the model only lasted one year. But onwards the Commando marched, head held high, growing into a wonderful piece of machinery. By the mid-70s, the Commando was every bit a match for the Japanese bikes on the road. Today, while the very early Commandos and the trouble-plagued Combats are very popular with collectors, it’s the later models – like this Mk2A of Warwick’s – that are sought-after as useable classics. The style and the sound remain quintessentially Norton, and the various civilised niceties would make this one all the better to live with. A great example of a marvellous machine.