The Real Thing – 1974 John Player Norton Commando

In England, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

A few days ago I featured a John Player that was a homebuilt replica – here’s one of the 200 factory-built bikes (120 of which were sold in the US).

JPN Commando - Right Side

As a reminder, John Player refers to a tobacco company that sponsored Norton’s 750cc racers with distinctive black/gold and white/red/blue liveries. The replica you see in front of you was based on the 850cc bike, and features the large race fairing protecting low clipons, the lovely single-seat, and a black chrome exhaust. The initial plan was to produce 1,000 of these replica bikes, but only approximately 200 were made between ’74 and ’75. Very few were imported to the US, and because endurance bikes had not caught on in the States yet, even the small number of imports struggled to sell at a MSRP of $2,995. Weighing 475 pounds, the JPN was capable of 115 miles per hour. Want to learn more? Check out a great feature by Motorcycle Classics here.

JPN Commando - Cockpit

This example (VIN: 316922) has been with the seller for 6 years and is claimed to be a very original example – the seller is letting it go because he just bought a slightly nicer JPN. There’s a few ‘gremlins’, as the seller puts it, including an intermittent short in the battery fuse holder, a missing male end of a Dzus fastener, and a non-functioning turn signal relay. There’s cosmetic wear as you’d expect, but here’s a chance for you to get your hands on the real deal…even if it was a replica of the factory works racing bike.

JPN Commando - Front Left

Find this JPN Commando for sale in Brewster, New York with an unmet opening bid of $12,500