Post-Sale Update: After 23 bids on eBay, this Norton Commando Production Racer sold for $14,100
Arguably the most collectable of Commandos, the Norton Commando Production Racer (affectionately known as the Yellow Peril) was a street-legal factory racer made available to privateers for a princely sum. At a time when you could buy an Austin Mini for less than $1,500, the Production Racer would set you back $1,900.
Norton didn’t care about making money – this bike was all about homologation under FIM and AMA. So for your $1,900, you got higher compression pistons, a racing camshaft, shortened pushrods, and options including 32mm carbs and electronic ignition. Thanks to some careful tuning, Norton was able to eke out nearly 12 more ponies from the 745cc twin, yielding a bike that could hit 131 miles per hour. For more information, head on over to Motorcycle Classics for an in-depth writeup on the Production Racer.
This specific Norton Commando Production Racer was built around a ’70 title and frame, with a NOS short stroke engine. You’ll get a 5-speed Quaife (optional when the bikes were originally offered), and plenty of nice extras. In a sense, it’s basically new – it has just 25 miles to verify that the build is intact. So, it’s a reproduction rather than an original racer, but one hopes that you’ll get the same amount of joy riding it for a lot less coin.
Find this Norton Commando Production Racer for sale in Prescott Valley, Arizona with bidding up to $6,200 and the reserve not yet met