Norton Commando 961 Café Racer (2022 – ) review

There are degrees of retro, ranging from the likes of the trad looking but modern underneath BMW R12 NineT through Triumph’s Modern Classics Range and to the properly back to basics models built by Royal Enfield. Even in that context the Norton looks the most authentic, the tubular steel frame stripped of unnecessary trimmings to bring your eyes to the main event of the air-cooled, pushrod parallel twin at the heart of the bike. This unashamedly trad engine looks and sounds the part while blingy gold anodised Öhlins suspension and serious looking Brembo brakes add tasteful modern garnish. Also available in slightly cheaper roadster style Sport configuration, the bike you see here is the Café Racer version with its single seat, dropped bars and meaner vibe. From its unadorned chassis to the natural curves of its pinch-waisted proportions there isn’t a bad angle from which to gaze upon it and take it all in. You’ll just have to hope the riding experience lives up to it…

Pretty extreme, in short! Welded in place rather than true clip-ons, the bars are, nonetheless, below the top yoke, narrow and angled back to tuck your arms in. When you first get on the bike you’ll wonder why your knees are splayed either side of the tank. It’s only when you then wriggle your bum back and they tuck into the cut-outs either side you realise how you’re really supposed to sit, this racy position more about the Café Racer look than it is comfort. The trick pegs with brake and gear selectors rotating around their axis look trick as well but they stick out quite a long way and you have to move your feet out to operate them, adding to the contortions necessary to ride it properly. All of which sounds pretty unpleasant. But such was the thrill of riding it we didn’t really notice and, even after several long days in the saddle in a row, we weren’t as crippled as we’d perhaps feared. Indeed, on the motorway the tucked position actually does a decent job of protecting you from the worst of the windblast, while resting your chest on the tank helps take a little of the pressure off your wrists. If this all sounds too much there’s always the more upright Sport version instead, of course.

You’d not want to spoil those lines with anything so vulgar as a top box or panniers, so let’s not go pretending you’re going to use the Commando for a long tour. Nor is there any sort of windscreen as standard so you’re on your own there, though (as above) the tucked riding position actually isn’t as bad on the motorway as a more upright naked. While the seat is relatively tall the narrow frame means getting your feet down isn’t too hard once you get them around those wide pegs. There are some worries, though. A chronic lack of steering lock makes low-speed manoeuvring a bit sketchy at times while the narrow bars don’t give you much to hold onto when pushing it around on foot. The side-stand also had us biting our nails for the fact even when fully deployed the bike felt dangerously close to its balance point, to the point you’d fear even a gust of wind could have it toppling over. The results of which really don’t bear thinking about.

On the face of it the 77 horsepower delivered by the pushrod twin doesn’t sound anything too special, especially set against the 220kg weight of the bike. But the Commando is a lesson in how performance should be measured as much in sensory terms as it is numbers, there being no rider modes or other distractions from your interaction through the cable-actuated throttle or suitably clunky five-speed gearbox. Where a spirited ride on a more modern bike might have you fearful of sinister brown envelopes hitting the doormat with the Norton it’s more a case of “oh, good, is that all!” when you see the actual numbers, even when it feels like you’re really pressing on. And we’d much rather it that way round. Old-school or not the decision to fit proper modern Brembos and twin discs is something we’d fully support, there being excellent feel to the lever. The rear, when we could get our foot in the right position to operate it, is less decisive but, overall, there’s stopping power aplenty.

Forks and twin rear suspension units are both by boutique brand Öhlins and offer a full range of adjustment if you’re inclined to fiddle. We weren’t, given the Commando felt just about spot-on straight out of the box. While there’s not a whole lot of travel up front the suspension feel is suitably buttery, with enough compliance to take the edge off all but the biggest bumps yet with sufficient support to stop diving under braking. Once you’ve forced yourself into the required riding position the Commando feels more agile than the weight figure suggests it should as well, the skinny-centred frame helping it feel shrunk-fit around you while the direct connection to the front wheel through the low-set riding position helps you read the grip levels. A bike for smooth, flowing inputs rather than being stood on its nose like a modern sports bike, it’s huge fun along swoopy back roads once you get your flow on.

Well, once you’ve accepted it’s not going to be cheap to buy or insure there’s literally not much to the Commando so you’d hope running costs should be reasonable. The modest power output shouldn’t put too much strain on brakes, chains or sprockets and most owners won’t be doing big miles anyway. A low 50s mpg measured brim-to-brim after an enthusiastically ridden cross country blast didn’t feel too outrageous, either.

New owners TVS Motor have put a lot of money into Norton, and changed over a third of the bits on the Commando since taking over in an effort to improve quality and reliability. You wouldn’t expect to get a real sense of that over the course of a two-week review ride but the bike certainly felt well put together and we’d have to hope those efforts have paid off and the Commando is more dependable than when it first came on the scene under the previous management.

The Norton’s trad vibe extends to the mandated 300-mile running in and then further 300 miles of gentle riding with an initial check at 500 miles in. Beyond that intervals come up every 6,000 miles or annually, which realistically is going to be well within the average mileage most owners will be covering.

If your measure of equipment is how big the TFT screen is or how many rider modes there are get ready to be disappointed! If, meanwhile, you take delight in boutique suspension bits and less definable qualities like soul and character then the Commando 961 is easier to appreciate. ABS is among the few concessions to modernity, the focus here more on more aesthetic choices like black or polished for the spoked wheels and whether you want a highly polished finish for the embossed engine casings or a more natural look to patinate over time.

If you’re fully committed to the retro thing there are few bikes you can buy new that take it as far as the Norton Commando. Sure, you’ve got modern suspension and brakes. But beyond that this is about the raw, visceral thrills associated with classic bikes carrying the name. And the clear bloodline to them. Sure, you could spend a third as much on a Royal Enfield Continental GT and to the untrained eye it would be pretty much the same vibe. But even without knowing that price difference it’s obvious the Norton is in a different league. It’s a serious bike, but one with a fun side as well.