1968 Norton Commando

The Commando was Norton's Hail Mary — and it worked, spectacularly, for a while. In 1968, the British motorcycle industry was already losing the war against Japan, and Norton's answer was to take their aging but characterful 750 Atlas twin and solve its one unforgivable flaw: vibration. The Isolastic mounting system — rubber-mounting the entire engine, gearbox, and swingarm as a unit within the frame — was an engineering stroke of genius that eliminated the buzz that made every other British parallel twin a fillings-loosening experience at highway speed. It worked so well that the Commando won Motor Cycle News Machine of the Year five consecutive times, 1968-1972, beating the Honda CB750 and Kawasaki Z1 on their own turf. The Commando proved that character and handling could still matter more than specification sheets, right up until the moment the money ran out.

Commandos develop a working-bike patina that's deeply appealing. The engine cases, being aluminum, oxidize to a soft grey that looks purposeful against the black barrels. Chrome exhausts pit and discolor from heat cycling — the header pipes take on a golden-bronze tint near the head that's almost ornamental. Paint on the Fastback tail section checks at the edges where vibration (yes, the Isolastics don't eliminate all of it) works on the finish. The alloy wheel rims corrode where spokes meet rim if water gets in. The Isolastic rubbers themselves perish and compress over time, which actually changes how the bike looks at rest — a saggy Commando with collapsed Isolastics sits differently than a fresh one. Original transfers (not decals — Norton used water-slide transfers) deteriorate beautifully, and reproductions never quite match the weight and transparency of the originals.

The Commando is the most rideable classic British twin, full stop. When the Isolastics are properly shimmed and adjusted, the 750 pulls cleanly from 2,000 rpm to redline without threatening to vibrate your mirrors off. The handling — thanks to that Featherbed heritage — is still genuinely good by modern standards: predictable, confidence-inspiring, with a neutral steering feel that makes experienced riders grin. The four-speed gearbox is the weak point; it's adequate but nothing more, and finding neutral at a stoplight can be an adventure. Oil leaks are a given — carry rags. Electrics are Lucas, so carry spare fuses too. But the Commando rewards sympathetic riding like few other bikes. Learn to read the engine's mood, keep the Isolastics shimmed, and it's a motorcycle that makes modern bikes feel sterile. Avoid the 1972 Combat engine specification at all costs — Norton bumped compression and cam timing for more power and destroyed reliability in the process.