2011 Norton Commando 961 Sport - COOL WALL VOTE: AWESOME

[HYPERR]

I voted cool. It does not stir the soul like a real Commando does, a fully restored Commando would certainly get an Awesome rating from me. That being said, Nortons were not the best looking twins from the Prince of Darkness era. Triumphs were definitely better looking. The Norton spanked the Triumph in sound though. Norton just had the perfect baritone exhaust note. The Triumph sounded thin and sleazy compared to it, and at redline it sounded like it was going to blow up. The Norton sounded just so right.

[Grey Thumper]

So cool it's zero K on the Kelvin scale.

(Well, it's the "cool wall", not the "great value" wall).

[totalmotorcycle]

As far as comparing it with a Ducati I'd say it looks more like a GT 1000 than anything else and I don't know what they sold for but the price on the Norton is way high. The styling is top notch and the fact that they're using Brembo brakes and Ohlins suspension seems to scream high end but the power train is unproven at this point as far as reliability goes. Anyway, it's not gonna happen but I'd love to be the first kid on the block to get one.

I think that you are bang on with the GT and the differences in brakes and suspension (I used to own but but tend to block it out as I hated it). One of the biggest weaknesses of the GT was the suspension. To outfit the GT that was about 13K to start with, with Ohlins suspension would cost you about $2.5K. Ad another 2K for the Termingoni cans and ECU to make it run acceptably (a must, as stock it fueled terribly) and the price is creeping up there. But then, that's why I unloaded mine Too much cash for what you get.

It was nice looking though....

The Ducati GT1000 was a great looking bike, I wish I took the time to steal it from you for a ride while you had it for the short while. I do remember how disapointed you were with it's suspension and you wanted that little bit more power in there.

I think both the GT1000 and Norton Commando 961 are beautiful in their own respect. The Commando 961 in red is absolutely beautiful as the red they used is simular to the "Candy Apple Red" that's clear coated 10 times. Amazing paint.

Yes, it's pricy but owning a Norton (atleast right now) is being part of a quite exclusive club, something along the lines of a $100+k car club I would imagine.

Both times I have seen the Commando's they were quite comfortable and looked like they were very well built...no, crafted would be the better world.

Would I buy one? Sure would, but I would look for used...although I have no idea if they would fall much in value as I think they are more "collector items" than daily riders.

I can see why they would qualify under the "Awesome" catagory.

Mike

[totalmotorcycle]

So cool it's zero K on the Kelvin scale.

(Well, it's the "cool wall", not the "great value" wall).

"The Great (wall of) Value"... .HAHA... sounds like something you would find in China!

Mike

[Gummiente]

I voted "cool". It would have been "awesome", but I am jaded from all the failures to resurrect the brand in the past. Just like the current Indian, I'm sceptical about the latest Norton's chances of survival in today's economic climate. At $20k+ a pop, I'm sure they'll sell a few to the aging boomer demographic, but once that dwindling market has been serviced I doubt there'll be enough interest to keep it afloat any longer than a few years.

[HYPERR]

I voted "cool". It would have been "awesome", but I am jaded from all the failures to resurrect the brand in the past. Just like the current Indian, I'm sceptical about the latest Norton's chances of survival in today's economic climate. At $20k+ a pop, I'm sure they'll sell a few to the aging boomer demographic, but once that dwindling market has been serviced I doubt there'll be enough interest to keep it afloat any longer than a few years.

Yeah thinking of all the past failures to exhume a legendary mark, it really makes me appreciated what Bloor has done with the Triumph mark. It's quite amazing what he has done.

[Gummiente]

Yeah thinking of all the past failures to exhume a legendary mark, it really makes me appreciated what Bloor has done with the Triumph mark. It's quite amazing what he has done.

Agreed. But I think too many other people look at Triumph and say "Hey, if they can do it..." without studying it in depth and developing a proper game plan first. The problem with bikes like Indian and Norton is that they are attempting to cash in on the name and styling as a means to develop a market. While I agree that is a good way to start, the problem is that there doesn't seem to be any attempt to expand the lineup any further than this. The new Triumph excelled because they built bikes they would have developed into anyways had the original marque not gone under. They built solid, if somewhat uninspired, bikes to start with and gradually built up their reputation and network before introducing bikes like the Thunderbird and the Bonneville which tugged on the heartstrings of the baby boomers. The result is that while they have made solid hits with the Bonneville range, they also have bikes that appeal to a much broader range of riders from cruisers to sport riders = and this is what has allowed them to continue in business. The latest Norton and Indian ventures are going about it bass ackwards.

[sunshine229]

Frickin awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got to see this one in December at the Birmingham (UK) motorcycle show. It's so super wicked!

[High_Side]

Yeah thinking of all the past failures to exhume a legendary mark, it really makes me appreciated what Bloor has done with the Triumph mark. It's quite amazing what he has done.

Agreed. Who could have imagined 15 years ago that the small upstart company would be routinely outgunning the Japanese at a game that they seemed to have such a lock on.

The Speedtriple remains one of my favorite all time bikes (yes, even the new one).

[HYPERR]

Yeah thinking of all the past failures to exhume a legendary mark, it really makes me appreciated what Bloor has done with the Triumph mark. It's quite amazing what he has done.

Agreed. Who could have imagined 15 years ago that the small upstart company would be routinely outgunning the Japanese at a game that they seemed to have such a lock on.

The Speedtriple remains one of my favorite all time bikes (yes, even the new one).

Who woulda thunk to build a brand new bike that looks like a crashed 1986 Gixxer? Absolutely brilliant!