COMMANDO The verdict

Although the Earls Court Show bikes were finished in silver paint with an orange seat, by the time the first bikes began trickling off the production line in April 1968, the Commando had been toned down and looked much the better for it. Black was back in fashion for the seat, frame, forks and cylinder barrels. Those green discs had disappeared from the sides of the petrol tank, although the clocks still featured the motif. There were now much larger silver plastic discs with the words ‘Norton Villiers’ and the traditional Norton curly N logo for the petrol tank, and also on top of the fibreglass seat unit. And although the side panels remained silver, there was a choice of tank and seat unit colours for the European and American markets, with British Racing Green and Grenadier Red options.

With engine and frame number 20 W3/126434 this is the 309th Commando made. Crated and shipped to the US, it was ridden hard until the owner finally parked it and walked away. “We purchased this bike at the swap meet at Barber Motorsports Park sometime around October 2014,” says Jeremy Pendergast of Baxter Cycle. “It