SELLER SAYS: 1975 Norton Mk111 850 for sale. Excellent condition. Head recently faced with new rings & full gasket kit. New upgraded Andover Norton electric starter kit starts perfectly. New exhaust system and mufflers. Full carburettor restoration. New tyres front & rear. New rear shocks. Starts and runs well. Recently serviced and head retensioned. On Club registration which is non-transferable. This bike is awesome. For further information ring Paul on 0481 204 493 (South Australia).
EDITOR TERLICK SAYS: Another beautiful big Brit from the dying days of the empire! While Triumph (and BSA) decided to go to three cylinders to ward off the onslaught of Japanese bikes in the early 1970s, Norton decided to stick with the twin-cylinder format and address the niggles — in particular vibration and old-fashioned styling and functionality. And just to make things interesting, Norton finally bumped the old twin out to a thumping 828cc which was bigger than the Japs (take that!) and good enough to call the final Commando an eight-fifty. The Commando achieved Norton’s goal: a big, fast, good-looking, sweet-handling bike that matched the Japanese fours in a straight line and beat them in the corners. And perhaps even more importantly, the arrival of an electric starter heralded the arrival of a “civilised” Norton! The 850 Commando was truly the end point (and high point) of a long and gradual evolution and its styling — especially the look of the motor — remained beautiful and very distinctive, right to the end. This bike of Paul’s looks like a superb example of arguably Norton’s greatest achievement. Learn more about the 850 Commando here.
