The Norton Commando 850 is no stranger to Bike-urious. By my count, more than a dozen versions of this iconic British twin have appeared on this site over the years. But there’s always room for one more.
Produced from 1967 to 1977, the Commando was, according to BikeSocial, “arguably the greatest of the great British twins.” Powered by an air-cooled parallel twin, it won transcontinental affection for its styling and performance. Famed motorcycle journalist Peter Egan was always a sucker for a Commando, having owned a few in his time. Cycle World Editor in Chief Mark Hoyer is also a fan.
Explaining the Commando’s appeal, Hoyer says they are “perhaps the most practical, usable-in-the-modern-world classic Britbikes. They handle well, have great power, a good electrical system and a disc front brake.”
The 1973 Commando was the first to carry the 850 designation, its engine having been boosted to 828 cc from 745 cc in years previous. Depending on exactly when this particular model was manufactured, it also would have been one of the first to be produced under the notorious Norton Villiers Triumph partnership.
NVT was created when the British government forced BSA-Triumph to merge with Norton-Villiers. BSA-Triumph had been formed in 1951 when Triumph was financially struggling. Norton-Villiers, meanwhile, had been formed in 1966 when Associated Motor Cycles, the company that had bailed out Norton in 1953, went bust. In 1973, all of them were finding it very difficult to make ends meet.
So, the British government, in its infinite wisdom, took a collection of companies with a long history of poor business performance and financial mismanagement, and forced them to be one big company. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work. Within five years NVT had gone bankrupt.
As you might suspect of a motorcycle from a troubled company that was built of troubled companies, quality was inconsistent with the Commando 850. In Peter Egan’s words: “Not all Nortons were born okay the first time.”
The good news is this one appears to have been the recipient of regular love and attention, as well as a few upgrades. Most notably, the original twin carb has been converted into a single, and primary drive is now belt instead of chain. Should you want to switch them back, the seller is happy to offer you the original bits along with a “box of parts (old and new).”
You can find the Commando 850 for sale in Wimberley, Texas, with a BIN of $10,000 here on eBay.