Posted on 02/16/2011 5:37:31 PM PST by Josh Painter
Norton fiends can now officially rejoice – the resurrected bike maker's wares will finally be available here in the U.S. starting in either April or May. The final date depends on whether or not the 961 Commando can swim through EPA testing, though the company is confident that there shouldn't be any issues. A whopping total of 200 limited edition 961 Commando SE models have been built, and of the 50 allotted for U.S. sale, only a handful were still available as of yesterday. Every last one of the UK's batch were spoken for. Buyers can opt between a wire-wheeled version for around $17,999 or a carbon-fiber wheeled iteration for $19,499.
The best part? Those are the discount models.
Norton plans to introduce a Sport model at $19,500, but prices top out at $22,000 for the company's Café Racer. Like the Commando SE, those bikes are slated to land in our neck of the woods as early as April.
According to Motorcycle Classics, Norton is currently working to establish a dealer network in the land of the free. Former Ducati North America CEO Dan Van Epps was recently hired to helm Norton Motorcycles USA, and there's word that Norton wants to have a presence in 50 of America's top population centers. Here's hoping they plan on introducing a more sanely-priced model for the rest of us plebes, too. Hit the jump to check out the 961 Commando SE introduction video.
Ahhhh, my 1967 P-11A (that I paid, I believe, about $1,400)that I sold before I enlisted in ‘68. Always loved that bike. Then I found it again in 1979 in Lake Elsinore. Bought it back for $900. Kept it until 2000 when I decided to keep one bike...my ‘98 Ducati Monster.
I had been riding the Norton forever. The first time I got on the Duck, with modern brakes, and grabbed a handful of front brake, it felt as though I was going to ground loop the thing.
363 pounds, probably 70BHP with the mods, it’d go like hell, corner reasonably considering the tire technology of the day, and run out of brakes after a hard stop or two.
Still, I loved it.
Yesterdays technology at tomorrows prices. But that’s not always a bad thing.
Very nice!
I had a lot of fun on Nortons. They could haul ass up So. Calif.’s Ortega Highway, BUT, none of them could ever beat my ‘69 CB-750 (pre-K, sand cast cases, four-piper.)(Mach IV Kaw 750 triples? that’s another story.)
Oldplayer
I know what you mean. I quit riding about six years ago, not long after my KZ1100 Spectre was stolen. Stupid kid that ripped it off tried running from the cops on a gravel road and laid it down at over 70 mph. Totalled it. It was in cherry condition, too. Looked identical to the one in this YouTube with about the same number of miles on it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABwfILIvlrA
I loved that bike. Also had a Honda 1100 Shadow Sabre that I enjoyed riding. But that was then. Now I want a truck.
- JP
I used to buy old bikes, fix them up and sell them. Never made a lot of money, but had a lot fun riding some sweet bikes. I specialized in Honda 750 Fours - had a garage full of them at one time. The pick of the litter was a K2 in perfect condition with less than 2,000 miles on it. Had a 500 Four in the same condition, too.
I also specialized in the Kaw KZ1000 and had several of them. Strangest bike I had though, was a KZ1300 with a 6-cylinder engine. It was a pig through the corners, but on a long straight road, it was a real kick in the butt.
- JP
I’d hate to see the kid!
Had bought it after crashing a 750 Honda. Sold it after a few weeks of the oiled points syndrome and bought another Honda. That bike took me thousands of trouble free miles......
O that slow googly is welly welly bad news. I was planning on buying one to commute to my job at the Mumbai Help Desk Company.
GREAT LINK!!
22k...Throw in tax and insurance and your looking at $27,000..
What a joke..
I love the bike, but not the price.
LoL!
More like stupidity...There's a sucker born every minute.
I could have bought a perfectly restored matchless with side car in 1985 for 1.35K
My donorcycle is faster ‘en your donorcycle.
‘75 850 mk111 norton commando if I could ever get the amals to synchronize.
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