Norton Commando 961 returns
Norton might be making plans for its future with the development of a completely new electric bike, but the company isn't turning its back on traditional fans - and now it plans to bring back the Commando 961 that formed the backbone of the company's range for more than a decade.
The Commando 961 was the basis of Norton's revival during the ill-fated era under Stuart Garner's ownership. That period might have ended in ignominy and financial collapse, but the Commando 961 itself proved popular enough to sustain the brand from Garner's takeover in 2008 until Norton's 2020 bankruptcy.
The 961 was itself inherited from Norton's previous iteration, when American engineer Kenny Dreer developed the original Commando of the 1960s and 70s into first the VR880 (Vintage Rebuilds 880 cc) and later the 961 cc Commando 961. At the same time, Dreer put in the legwork to reassemble the scattered remains of Norton's trademarks, bringing the splintered brand back together before running out of money and opening the door for Garner to take the project on and return it to the UK.
Now owned by Indian manufacturing giant TVS, Norton's financial footing is firmer than ever in its history. The V4 superbike has already been redeveloped into the V4SV and the new V4CR Café Racer, the parallel twin, 650 cc Nomad project is back on track and there's work going into a future electric bike project. On top of that, the company has now said that there's a 'new' Commando 961 coming soon.
Images on Norton's website show that the new 961 looks very much like the old one, but like the V4, it's sure to have undergone significant development under the skin. Not only did the old model suffer from reliability problems, but it wasn't certified to Euro 5 emissions standards, something that any new production bike has to achieve. With the money and R&D work from TVS, as well as Norton's new manufacturing facility near the company's historic home in the UK, the new 961 finally promises to live up to the promise that it's always shown.
