Great Bikes and Bad Business : A Brief History of Norton Motorcycles

Hey guys, thanks again for watching! If you're wondering why I'm a bit redder in the face than usual in today's episode, I've been given some lovely face-melting cream to deal with some potential skin cancers. All is well but I might be a tad ruddy for the next few eps.
Stay well!

Get much rain in your living room?

I have over 80,000 miles on my 1971 commando, i ride it almost everyday

The Norton Triumph motorbike 250cc street legal much alike the Suzuki TU250X but with a choice of either 350cc single cylinder and 250cc sing!e cylinder engine to fit and mount on the same frame. Thank you.

Greed and corruption

Quite an accurate documentary......Well done. (Big Norton fan)

🇮🇳❤👌❤👌❤👌❤

Thank you for a very thorough & complete documentary on the complex, should we maybe say Byzantine history of a great name in British motorcycles.

Well, I believe that legends just happened by accident. And what is over is over. You can throw so much money at it. Marketing and scientific research. A legend comes from a garage. From someone's mind not like the rest of the people. In the computer age there is no place for such people.

Stewart Garner Weasel 👎⚖️

Thank you James Norton 🇬🇧💚✌️
🇺🇲
1971 Black Commando Roadster

on yer bike is entertainment.
It's good to see living history. I wish Norton great future success in the modern
motorcycle world?

A history video on triumph would be nice

I had the model they dare call interstate. never manage to cross two states without falling apart. got rid of that junk as fast as a tt lap and treat myself with a cb750 and the nightmare was over. thanks honda.

So glad I found this great video, and channel!
My dream has always been to have a Manx. Someday perhaps!
Only been on a commando, but fell in love with Nortons right then and there.

Nice video, and its free. Thank you

I remember in the old days they used to call Norton not run. The Nortons they made in the 1960s we're decent bikes. The Norton Commando was a piece of garbage from stem to stern. Nothing but expensive problems using cheap components in critical areas resulted in catastrophic failure in many areas and the warranty claims killed the company. As the British say Pennywise and pound-foolish. Why haven't you English people boiled Stuart Garner in motorcycle oil? Stole 18 million dollars from people's pension fund it got 6 months suspended sentence. Call that Justice? I have no problem with a Lynch Mob giving them a necktie party. Meaning hang him from the nearest tree.

The Norton Commando had a shopping list of cheap parts in critical areas that cause catastrophic failure. I was interested in buying a Norton rotary in the early 80s but I was told I had to buy $8,000 worth of stock in the company in order to be able to purchase a motorcycle I told them I would rather have to Rotary motorcycles because the the paper the stock was written on wasn't worth wiping my ass with. Poor Norton going from one thieving lying charlatan to another over and over and over again. Kenny d reer used a lot of his wife's money to try to make a new Norton lost his shirt and ended up selling everything to the British for ten cents on the dollar. Then to add insult to injury they claim that they did all the work bunch of liars. The last British motorcycles were the ones that they made as they were dying out in the 1970s. Badge engineering on Chinese motorcycles just does not cut it.

Were you expecting a rain storm ? Or , just got off yer Bike ?

Thank you for the interesting Norton History lesson performed in souch a nice way 😊🙏

Heck yes, thanks to good teachers of the bleachers, USA flags USA flags USA flags USA flags USA flags 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 from American citizen John Robert Bruffett Junior USA flags 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

had a 1965 Norton matchless 750 it was fun bike to ride

I love the feel of a Triumph Bonneville from the mid-seventies. Great for mountain curves and hills, fantastic torque. You need to be somewhat trained in mechanical things to keep it going well, and change the oil frequently. Not a choice for a thousand mile trip (BMW) but what a great sport bike for loads of fun.

Your presentation is exceptional!
You start out very well and its not until later that you realize that the presentation has stepped up to another level altogether.
Very well done!

John Hogan articles the link does not work

Excellent video

I hope norton see the same success triumph motorcycles have, norton is a much loved mark all over the world

Unafordable unreliable and over rated thank god for the japanees bikes

Excellent & insightfully informative video. Brilliant presenter. Wonderful delivery.

Not a bad video...get rid of all that shit on your face!! It's a hideous distraction!!

I am glad Norton has ended up in India. They know the British and their history's are intertwined.

This brand name is cursed. I want nothing to do with it.

Wankel is pronounced Vahn-Kel, and not like the english word Wanker!!! 😂 😂 😂

Bring a 750 fuel injected commando. Nothing but lights, electric start, fuel injection and abs. The market for 500-1000cc bikes has been neglected for over 40 years.

How does a company such as Norton,in whatever guise it was presented,attract so many unscrupulous shysters?,it would seem easier to attract those who may have known what they were doing!.

For my 30th birthday in 1984, my then-wife bought me a Norton 750 Commando. I think it was a '72. It was in boxes. I put it together, adding a few bobs and bits like Akront alloy spoked wheels and Boyer electronic ignition. Replaced the leaky fiberglas tank with a proper steel one. Got the adjustable Isolastics. I polished up the engine, transmission and primary covers till you could use 'em for mirrors. Fairly flat bars and a bar-end mirror finished the setup. No engine work was needed, luckily. I rode it a bit and when confidence built I opened up the throttle, laid on the tank and held on till it wouldn't go any faster- 122 MPH indicated. After that I pottered around, rarely exceeding 50 mph. The most surprising thing was the very noticeable difference the alloy rims made to handling and feel. They were wonderful, those Akronts, lower unsprung weight. Alas, the Norton was stolen from me in 1988. I doubt the nitwits who took it knew what it was they had.

a crook will always be a crook

Fascinating video. I have a 78rpm (single-sided) shellac record of Jimmy Guthrie speaking in 1936. It is on my You Tube channel.😀

Once owned an Atlas 750, only problem was the clutch. Even so it was a great machine.

Thank You!
I found this video very educational and incredibly well researched! I have one question, do people think Norton is still a good and respectable brand, I really only like it for it's rich and fascinating history but I would like to hear you opinion!

Norton died in 1976. It's remarkable how many folks don't remember that. Many of them are in jail, or should be.

Sir, it's a real pleasure to see your episodes.Fantastic work!

Should've gotten together with the Rickmans. 😎

Was planning to get myself a Norton Cafe racer, but was shun off when i heard of Nortons History. Better put my money somewhere else...

Had Nortons while growing up es2. 500 single 750 commando bit scared now69 years old

When I was a young lad , I attended my first flat track race at our local fairgrounds. In those days I was fearless and the day after the motorcycle races there were car races at the same location.... the cars raced on a smaller track inside the larger track the bikes ran on...... There were still a few Bike racers attending the auto races the next day... i recognized one of the bikers and asked if i could ride his bike (like I said - fearless). Much to my surprise he said "sure - it should fly with you on it". I was only around 15 and 100 pounds... ! It was a Norton Commando stripped down and modified for racing...... To this day it remains the most intimidating bike I've ever rode..... I had it up to 90 on that little quarter mile car track.....

thank god its not in the hands of the chinese.
tvs motors is a very innovative and customer centric company
norton is in good hands and in the coming years you will see it grow and boom.

re -owned by indian company
bsa -owned by indian company
norton -owned by indian company

they are in good hands and the originality of these brands will remain.

Fabulously made video! Trust TVS will keep up to their promise.
Keep up the good work Paul. Hope you're well.

Norton was and is NOT a great bike. sorry.