Norton, the most renowned of names in the now defunct British bike industry, could be poised for a comeback if the necessary plans find commercial backing. The Norton nameplate is now owned by a conglomerate in the US and the team of designers at Norton America have come up with a modern interpretation of the classic Commando of the 1970s.


As our pics show (officially provided by Norton America), the bike has the pukka aura of the fabled Commando era replete with wire wheels, dimpled tank and clubmans seat. The engine is a new 880cc twin with castings that mimic the original. A modern twin downtube cradle frame made of chrome moly tubes is used with Paioli front forks and large 298mm twin discs on the front wheel. An aluminium swingarm and twin laid down shockers do duty at the rear. Many details ape the classic Commando era but thankfully the detailing is all modern and ancillaries come from some of the best names in the business. Expect some concrete details on the project soon.