During the latter half of the 20th century, a number of key individuals in Southern California played highly pivotal roles in influencing motorcycling. One of those individuals was Jack Simmons. Over the decades he was involved in the moto industry, Simmons wore a myriad of different (proverbial) hats, making a name for himself as a racer, motorcycle dealer, machinist, and restoration guru. Simmons sadly passed away in 2017 at the age of 88, though his story is one that deserves to be remembered.
Simmons first came onto the scene as a TT rider supported by Johnson Motors, which was at that time Triumph’s West Coast distributor. In an effort to garner some positive publicity, Johnson Motors opted to lace Simmons up with a brand new Triumph TR6 to be raced in the 1957 Big Bear Run, though Simmon’s forte was not riding off-road. More than 700 competitors lined up at the start of the event, however less than 130 managed to complete the demanding 150 mile race. The first to cross the finish line was moto legend Bud Ekins, who was followed by Buck Smith, while the bottom step of the podium was claimed by Simmons — who managed to take third despite reportedly suffering from extremely blistered hands and a number of mechanical failures.
Years later Simmons began a Norton/Suzuki/Ducati dealership, operating the business out of Southern California. This is where he crossed paths with George Kerker and Bill Manley, two fellow race enthusiasts, back in the early days of AFM Production racing. While riders like Wes Cooley, Steve McLaughlin, and Keith Code ran traditional racing machines, Simmons, Kerker, and Manley instead opted to pilot production Norton Commandos. The three riders started calling itself the “Norton Gang”, and despite running the British road bikes, the trio managed to win races.
Eventually Simmons expanded his sales to include Montessa and Zundapp machines too. But Simmons’ mechanical mind and years of experience enabled him to be a talented machinist and vintage motorcycle restoration expert. In addition to working on bikes, Simmons reportedly possessed a ridiculously immense knowledge of bikes, which he was happy to share with others, becoming a go-to source for countless dealers, teams, and random bike enthusiasts. In the later years of his life Simmons left SoCal and moved to Idaho, where he continued restoring two-wheelers.
One of the final examples restored by Simmons was a 1973 Norton Commando 850 Interstate, which has recently gone up for sale. Completed in April of 2016, this matching numbers Norton example features an array of upgraded components, and is the result of investing hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars.
The engine has undergone a top and bottom end rebuild using new rods and bearings, as well as new Black Diamond valves done by Jack Simmons himself. The clutch was also overhauled, as was the transmission. Other highlights include new English made exhaust pipes & pea shooter mufflers, new exhaust pipe retaining nuts, new Mikuni 34mm single-carb and manifold, w/set up completed, conversion to new Pazon electronic ignition, (using new 6v coils), new wiring harness, capacitor, warning light assimilator, rectifier, flasher, Emgo rear turn signals, Emgo tail light, and a new battery. There really are too many details to list, but an exhaustive list is available in the ad.
You can find this 1973 Norton Commando 850 Interstate built by Jack Simmons for sale here on Craigslist in San Francisco, California with a price of $13,000.