The New Norton

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A new Cycle World hit the mailbox today. They test the new Norton Commando.

Bottom line, a lot of vibes, 490 pounds without fuel ( measured, Norton claims 415) 517 wet, 70.8 rwhp @ 7200 rpms, 58.7 ft lbs of torque@ 5660 rpms. 8K redline, 1/4 mile 12.85 @ 103.05 mph, $ 19,995.00 msrp

Target demographic 40-60 year olds coming from cruiser or vintage background

Guys are shelling out more than that for new YZF-R1s, S1000RRs, R1200GSs, and the like. So this is not out of line for the market.

Also it looks, from the images at the website, like a very nice build. So $20K for a nice, solid piece, lively power, most likely excellent suspension/brakes, and one heck of a conversation piece. Lotsa geezers'll be happy to take out a loan for that kind of modern nostalgia.

Bottom line, is it fun to ride? If not, forget it. We saw plenty of warm and welcoming press on the FZ09 but it tanked as a serious motorcycle.

I had the earlier Bonneville, it was OK but never had the potential of the CB1100. Hopefully this Norton will serve it all up for us old guys.

I think this is the theory behind a lot of the retro bike pricing (including the CB). If you're older, you own you house and your kids are grown and gone, this isn't really a stretch for most of the target market.

It's a cool idea. I've seen a few of the new Nortons (not these, but 2013-14 or so) and their parts and build quality are probably inline with the price -- I mean they are basically hand-assembled custom bikes. That said, that's a lot of coin for a bike -- $26K CAD makes it about the same as a Panigale S here.

They are beautiful bikes though (obviously an oldschool one below)