1973 Norton Commando Interstate 850cc Solo Motorcycle

The Norton Commando is regarded by many pundits as the finest British twin of the era, having been introduced in 1967 and remained in production for the next decade. The key to the success of the Commando was the Isolastic frame designed by Dr. Stefan Brauer, with rubber damping eliminating the vibrations that plagued so many other designs. By the early 1970s, Norton-Villiers merged with BSA to become the Norton-Villiers-Triumph Company and the first product of this new conglomerate was the 850 unveiled in April 1973, using an 828cc engine. Marketed in both 'Roadster' and 'Interstate' guises, the latter featured a long range, larger tank. The Commando 850 was certainly a quick bike - with 8.5:1 compression ratio, the engine delivered 51 bhp at 6,250 rpm and had ample torque. By the late 1970s, the Japanese had made such inroads into the European and American markets that the Norton name disappeared altogether.