Norton Motorcycles

I will never forget the day a box truck arrived at my house containing a faded turquoise ‘72 Suzuki GT750, an original gold and black ‘72 Yamaha DS7 250 with a rusty syrup-gas filled fuel tank, a blue ‘67ish Benelli/Motobi 125/200/250 (no title—never knew for sure what displacement it was!), a rough looking all-white ‘67 Benelli 250 Scrambler, and ‘75 white and orange RD250 with about 1000 miles on it that was pretty nice but needed some minor work. I also picked up a ‘67 Sears-Allstate Puch 250 Twingle from somewhere about that same time.

MZ’s Moto Memories: 1970 Dunstall Norton Commando 750

by Mark Zweig | Dec 12, 2023 | Legendary Bikes | 0 |

We finally got around to getting out to the garage to see the bikes. And there, leaning up against the wall in an old rickety garage with no doors on it, was a 1970 Dunstall Norton Commando 750, and behind it, also leaning against the wall, was a ‘78 Ducati Darmah. I asked him what he wanted for them and he hit me at $1000 for the Norton and $2000 for Ducati.

Neale Bayly Rides: Neale’s Gonzo History Tour

by Neale Bayly | Jun 1, 2023 | Ride Life | 0 |

We lived to ride and rode to live. We partied through the night, raging at parties till dawn. At the zenith of our insanity, Wibbly rode a Norton 850 Commando, and I was welded to the seat of a battle-weary 1978 Laverda 1200 Mirage, hopped up with Jota cams, bars, and pegs. Three trashcan-sized pistons sucked 105-octane gas and damp, rain-saturated air through filter-less Dellorto carburetors with the sophistication of a cement mixer, before hurling the exploded remains through a chrome Harris 3-into-1 exhaust.

A Brief History of the Cafe Racer

by Road Dirt Crew | Oct 1, 2021 | Legendary Bikes | 7 |

The café racer has long been a popular genre in the motorcycling universe, and remains a sought-after look and style among today’s “modern classic” offerings by so many brands. Editor Rob even owns an example of one in the form of his 2017 Triumph Bonneville Street Cup. So we decided to take a short dive into the origins of the café racer, to discern its lasting appeal to motorcyclists the world over.

Brand Nostalgia

by J. Joshua Placa | Jan 29, 2021 | Ride Life | 3 |

Iconic brands such as Triumph, Indian, Jawa, Norton and Ariel have returned to the road, some after absences lasting longer than the company was in business. The comebacks are usually the effort of sources unrelated to the original company, buying the trademark from whomever has some claim on the brand lineage. Most recently, BSA plans a comeback focused on electric bikes, although reports indicate it may begin production with conventional fossil fuel-powered units. Anytime an old brand somehow rambles back to market, an angel gets his wings, or a biker gets his leathers, or whatever. In any event, there is joy and jubilation in bikerland.