I Bought a Brand New 1975 British Motorcycle(Rare) 

PLEASE for the love of God, SCAN and upload that manual to the internet. As an owner of an older/rare bike, finding a manual was such a struggle. There are so many project builders out there who could benefit from that manual that may be extremely had to get ahold of

Hey man, bikes are meant to be ridden. I hate seeing bikes rotting away not living their purpose. Keep saving em. You guys rock.

As a biker and British I applaud and respect you for what you did. It shouldn't be left in a crate to gather dust for time in memorial, it should be used for what it's creator intended. Too many good bikes are squirreled away in "private " collections or museums stood dormant for all too long. keep unboxing them and giving them a life they deserve. Good man.

I'm from The UK, and in around 1986 I worked for a company that made the exhaust pipes for Norton. I was surprised to find out that out of each batch of pipes, some would be stamped with the Norton logo and some were not. The ones with the stamp went to Norton and the ones left blank were sold as cheaper non original parts. But they were made in the same place and identical in every way.

As a life long biker, born in UK 1960, I can assure you this is a piece of motorcycling history. As a kid of 15, seeing this on the road was something special. For the price you couldn't go wrong. Great video guys !!

I bought a 1975 Norton Commando (black) brand new, a beautiful motorcycle and rode that bike all over Texas. The bike felt alive with every thump of the motor and every shake of the bike a true classic.

I worked in the late 70s at the factory that made those brakes (becoming a manager in 1984). Lockheed was made under licence by Automotive Products at its Tachbrook Road, Royal Leamington Spa site (long since knocked down and redeveloped). The only surviving part of that company is AP Racing, whose brakes you will still see today on high end and race vehicles.

Awesome. I owned three Norton's and worked on them for years. You needed three sets of tools, SAE, Metric, and British Whitworth. Use the wrong tool and tears would flow. Never had the electric start or Disk brakes. People bought the Honda 750-4 because of four cylinders but I could still spank them on the Norton. Loved the sound of the Dunstall pipes. Thanks for showing this. It brought back many memories. Made me think of Barney Tillman again.

I am the Commando technical advisor for the Norton Owners club. My recommendation is that you put new tyres and inner tubes on those wheels, before riding it. I have a 100,000 miles on my own Commando so I do know a bit about them.👍🇬🇧

Me and my dad had always planned to build a bike when I got back from the war. Unfortunately, the rotation kept coming until I was injured in a combat jump and when I was healing after retirement, we found out that he had very aggressive cancer and couldn't finish the fight the way I wanted. Don't feel bad, he's pain free, racing the hills of Heaven and I'm fortunate to have been his son. Thank you guys for sharing this, he would have loved it as much as I do! Godspeed brothers. Sua Sponte

In 1975, I went to the Norton dealer where I lived and test drove this bike. Wow. I was actually amazed that he let me take it for a ride. So cool.

In the U.K. Norton’s are legend. They have an amazing history you need to read up. You have a classic beast to be proud of. I had no doubt she would start. The engines were tank like in their reliability.

OMG I thought I’d never see another Norton in my life. My first motorcycle was a 1974 Blue Norton 850 Commando. I loved that bike! It was stolen off my side carport the night my first love and I broke up. It was like I lost the love of my life twice in less than 24 hours. This episode sure has brought back some fond memories. Glad you spent the money. Listening to it run really brought it back. Thanks for the memories!

FINALLY!!!! There's a lot of Harley Love on this channel...which is understandable. But I've been waiting for some cool British bikes because, let's face it, Classic British bikes are pretty frickin' cool!

My uncle Mike had one of these, brand new, back in ‘76. I remember riding on the back at 80 mph early in the morning on the way to breakfast. He only let me take it out once. I was 13 and I rode it to town, felt like a man. I loved it.

When I was in the AF my buddy and I both bought new black 1975 Norton Commandos 850 cc V-twins. The electric start would sometimes start the bike, but it was a great kick-start assist. They handled like a 350cc bike of that time. The gold letters on the black tank looked wonderful. The Honda Goldwing 4 cylinder had more power, but on a twisty road, you would leave them in the rearview mirror. Compared to Harleys they were much quicker and handled better, but being cool is what a Harley is all about. I also had a canary yellow 1971 Norton 750 which was so much fun. Enjoy your bike.

That was and still is my dream bike…….I’ve been riding 55 years and this bike in its time looked like pure muscle.. what a beauty.

Put those restrictive mufflers in storage, they might be rare as hens teeth but the weight added to the poor exhaust flow are going to give the 850 very little horsepower. Buy a set of dunstall mufflers, rejet the carbs, put the factory airbox in storage (I suggest besides the mufflers) and install a pair of K&N filters. This should give approximately similar power rating to an earlier model. I purchased a 1975 T160 Trident new from a local Triumph dealer in 1975, couldn't believe how sluggish the bike performed, did the above modifications and the bike came to life.

I’m 64 yrs old. In 1975 I worked for a motorcycle dealership in my hometown. I built new bikes from the crate. I built plenty of Nortons. That really brings back some great memories watching you build that bike. The guy that I worked for had a Norton still in the crate in his barn later on in life. I wonder if your bike is that bike? I’d love to hear your story of where that bike came from!

In 1975 I was 9 and my father's friend bought that exact bike in Pomona California and I asked if he could give me a ride and my dad yes he always said No to every thing. Man we hit the fast lane on the Pomona freeway and I was hooked big time best day of my childhood I was so in love I touched the beautiful exhaust when we got back and fried my hand true love for bikes thanks for sharing 👍God bless from Mt Dora Fla.

These old bike unboxings are my favorite episodes on your channel. When I was a teenager, this was considered the ultimate bike ,and Norton had the best ads in bike mags.

British aluminum castings were purposely made with a rougher than average surface finish, this was to facilitate cooling by providing a greater surface area. Many people have polished the cases, and heads only to discover that they would overheat far more easily. A great video, enjoyed it immensely. (You know why The Brits drink cellar temp Beer? they all have Lucas Refrigerators..)

Very beautiful bike, and will last forever with the amount of engineering that went into those bikes, the way it was crated alone shows how the British build with care and attention.

A german RU-vidr (Andis Funktionspunk) just recently bought a Norton Commando with accidental damage and rebuilt it. The new, black painted Tank with all the trims and Logos came around 200 Euro, shipping from India included. So, unfortunately it's not worth 5000 bucks. Keep up the good work.

I bought a 1974 850 Norton Commando brand new!! It was a gorgeous metal flake blue. My favorite bike, ever!

I am 56 years old...when I was a kid, there was a sign artist across from his butcher shop. Jack was old school, fun to watch him letter signs, he even fixed neon signs... Jack had two Norton motorcycles...both Commandos (750 & 850) he goldleafed the tanks and side covers...the 850 had a supercharger that ate the belts... Jack never wore a helmet, just a British driving cap...this proved useless when a gal pulled out in front of him...thanks for the memories, he was a great guy to a kid

Had a friend who bought a new Commando in 1972. There was enough engine vibration that it didn’t take long for the very cool low exhaust pipes to break near where they connected to the exhaust manifold. Warranty replacements broke the same way.

What you don't know is those rough surface sand castings were more cooling efficient due to an increased surface area . So they don't bother to polish them smooth . I thought it was Norton Commando 850 . I had that motor in a dirt track side car many moons ago . Twin Amal fuely carbs running Shell A racing fuel and 12 to 1 compression . You could not kick start it , it could break your leg . We had to push start each time .

In 75, I was in high school and worked at Yamaha East in Portland Oregon, they sponsored Rick Burgett and Chuck Sun, btw. They sold BSA and Nortons, my first job every morning was to wipe up the leaked oil from the brand new British bikes. Good times

Thanks for this vid guys ... In my 50 years as a motorcycle mechanic, I unboxed hundreds of bikes. So wish i could do it one more time for myself, but sadly that will not ever happen. BTW the bag of "stuff" in there is Silica Gel and is deigned to absorb water to stop corrosion in transit/storage. Looks like it worked, another great Commando saved 😁

I had an 850 Commando bought it brand new... Ton of great memories.

You scored a nice find!The 1975 Norton has an electronic 'assist'.It is not a starter as you will find out.When it is real cold or hot you have to kick to help it start. Anything else,just ask.

This Norton is an absolute classic, and not only has this one never been fully assembled, but it's never been ridden, never been fired up, never enjoyed. Enjoy this thing bud. I just started the unboxing part, but I know that you will enjoy it. It's part of the Ton Up club! Edit: I just wanted to say that I am absolutely in support of the unboxing of this beauty. It didn't just make for incredible content, it made for an incredible unveiling of a piece of history.

Schrodinger's bike: If you put a bike in a box and seal it, it's not alive until you open it and ride it! Thank you for bringing some true value and joy to this bike and sharing the experience.

That is a true jewel of motorcycles... Congrats on the awesome find... Wish it was mine...

Cool vid! I’m no bike expert but I’ve seen what happened to vintage snowmobiles that are 50 years old in a crate. It’s not good. Things dry rot. Piston rings seize to cylinder walls, mice eat their way into things and poo everywhere. Bearings set up. So yea I really enjoyed you bringing these bikes back from their tomb. I want to hear them run, not be a wall hanging.

One more thing - while originality is key to a bike's ultimate value - the petcocks that came on the Commando do not handle fuel with Ethanol well, they will degrade quickly leading to fuel leaks. Andover Norton (the original and still Norton parts supplier) sells Ethanol safe petcocks you can install on the bike.

Here is why it was running rough: 1) May not have oil in the gearbox 2) May not have oil in the primary case 3) May not have lubricated the secondary (final drive) chain 4) The contact breaker points need dressing. After 48 years (even 1 or 2 years of winter sitting) they corrode. Don’t overdo or you will affect the timing. 5) The carb float levels may be off, a friend bought a new Commando in 1974 and he found that the float level in one of the carbs was way low 6) You may have been running it on ethanol / low octane gasoline, use non-ethanol in the highest possible octane rating, add lead substitute. 7) I don’t think there were mice but check inside the air filter for a possible nest. P.S.: There are two fuel taps (petcocks) one is MAIN and the other RESERVE, stock were crap, replace with modern ethanol resistant ones. To start, tickle the carbs first. (Also use choke in cool or cold temps). AMAL is short for “Amalgamated” and so should be pronounced that way but many say “A-mal” as in “anus”. I expect this makes people who worked for that company cringe. You can buy modern superior direct replacements.. Replace stock starter motor with better one (usually done). Replace points with electronic ignition and replace old rectifier and zenor diode with solid state. (Not needed if bike is not ridden a lot). Add zinc to the engine oil. Ensure there is oil in the forks, dunno if came from factory with oil in forks. The bottom end and gearbox problems were resolved by 1973.

That’s unbelievable 😍 my dad bought an ex police Norton commando in the 70’s and turned it into a chopper and he’s owned it ever since. After 20 years of it sitting in the garage he’s planning on reviving it as a flat-tracker 🤌🏻

That’s amazing! A guy a few houses down the street where I lived in Durrington England had one of these in 1976. I used to love seeing that bike when I was a kid. I was telling my wife about the bike just days ago. The bike was built to be ridden. Great job rescuing it!

Even though i'm English and an ex-biker in my mid 50s,i've never really been a fan of British bikes but i would give an arm and a leg to have this.There's a famous place called 'Box-Hill' here in Surrey where all the bikers meet every Sunday.That Commando would turn some heads to say the least

Craigs face when the engine started was priceless. He looked like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar and he knows what’s comin’😂

My late brother-in-law bought a new red 750 Norton Commando in 1970. We used to ride together and switch bikes occasionally, I was riding a 1971 Mach 3. That Norton was amazing as it handled beautifully, and way better than my Kawi. It would literally just touch 60mph in first gear if you wound it out. He later put a set of Dunstall megaphones on it and you could sure hear it coming, but especially going for blocks away. I wish I still had them both!

i dont understand how can someone say you are "devaluing" the bikes. Keep up the good work saving these beautiful bikes and getting them out there.

You are a machine thanks for all you do and appreciate. As a Brit it's a crying shame what happened to the British bike industry and all the staff who lost their jobs because of lack of foresight and investment to fend off the Japanese dominance. I hope some of them are still around to see the resurgence of interest in British bikes.

The Norton "Commander" was a rotary-engined bike built in the late 70s to early 80s. I had several Commando's. Including a 75 850 Mk III (mine was red), a 73 750 MkII, and a chopped 70 750. I also owned and rode a 68 Norton P11A 750 and a 65 Norton Atlas. I loved all my Nortons, and they are still my favorite brand of bikes. Thanks for this, it made my day.

My first bike in 1971 was an ancient 250-twin Norton Jubilee. It spent most of its time stripped down in cardboard boxes. I wanted an 850 Commando Interstate but by then I needed four wheels so it never happened. Great job guys😊

Boy did I enjoy this. I had a 1974 Black Norton 850 Commando in1980 for many years after. What's most interesting is the changes I see made from 1974 to 1985 . Big 2 are the move to standardized left hand s( foot) shift and right hand b( foot/ brake and the electric start. Also the elimination of the rest sprocket /brake drum combo to a disc and separate rear sprocket... Tool kit goes under right side cover( fits inside) ,also center instrument light console between speedo and tack is different. Watch kicking ,it can really kick back so keep leg straight and don't hesitate,go full out on the kick. I see it still retains both center stand and side stand. $17,000 you got a deal!! It also should have a capacitor so it doesn't require battery to kick start. If I'd had seen it I'd have bought it...sold mine to pay my school tuition but I'd trade my degree to get it back after all these years. Have had many bikes since ,Hondas, Harleys, Suzukis, but the Norton was and always will be my favorite. Ride it in good health and keep the shiny side up. Hope you have plenty of bugs in your teeth.

My first motorcycle was a '75 Norton Commando Mk III Roadster. It was black with gold striping just like yours and it also had the interstate pipes. That is a spitting image of mine. I know every inch of that machine. What a treat! I never should have sold it. The torque heading up the canyons of Utah always brought a smile to my face. Well done, gents!

I worked at a GM Pontiac dealership in the 70's and one of the mechanics brought in this exact same bike, but it had a bent fork. He fixed it, but had to sell it because he had bills. It circulated through about 7 people at the dealership- other mechanics, (me a 25 year old and I LOVED that bike), and the parts manager (who was my Dad and was 55) before it finally was sold to someone somewhere. We all regretted our decision to sell. NEAT little nuances was the owners manual said to "Kick start it while USING the electric starter to make it easier on the starter and possibly save it for longevity. The other was the fact that it had a 2 prong plug in (the FIRST EVER?) so gentlemen could plug in their electric shaver. What a feature! And yes I miss it and wish I still had it as it did it all very gracefully!!!

This Vlog took me way back to 1972 when I bought a brand new Honda 500 four, which was also unboxed before my eyes! Whan an experience never to be forgotten!

My best friend once owned a 76 Commando 850. Here is my advice. Every time you take it out for a Sunday afternoon ride in the country, bring along the spare bag you've already put together for this purpose. Wonderful bike, but it shakes off fasteners and goes through fuses like no tomorrow. Bring odd spare tools along as well. Good luck

Beautiful bike. British bikes of that era are definitely my favorite. They are so beautiful. It's a terrible shame that lovely Norton has been sat unused so long. Bikes should definitely be ridden

The Norton Commando was a fabulous machine, not without mechanical Issues but a good one was an absolute joy to ride. Loads of character, tons of torque from that muscular vertical twin engine and pretty vibration free compared to other British twins. Out of interest the Norton Commando was voted machine of the year in the UK for 5 consecutive years - 1968 to 1972. You’ve got a real chunk of British history there.

I remember in the late 1960-early 1970s in Australia there were rumours going around of wartime Harley-Davidson still in boxes. They were allegedly to be numerous but I never found anyone who had ever bought one. There was one man in my suburb who had a 42 WLA with a delivery box sidecar who used to mow lawns for a living and carry his lawnmower in the sidecar box. While it was a wartime Harley it certainly wasn’t one that recently came out of crate.

I bought a 1972 750 cc Commando in 1975 and it summed up what was wrong with the British bike industry. Coils on the front frame exposed to the weather and bullet connectors covered by a bit of clear plastic tube filled up with dirt. The splines on two kick starters wore out and two valve stems bent in 2 years. The chrome wore off the front shockers and the exhausts corroded. Oh, and the chain lubrication was a bit of rubber tubing that dripped engine oil until it split. It looked nice, sounded nice and went well uphill.

As a brit who bought a brand new Interstate 850 (silver tank) in 1975 I found this video amazing. My word of warning, watch out for the isolastic suspension.

100% meant to be ridden! Completely agree it's sad to see these beautiful bikes rotting away in the dark. Not to mention the stupid mice. You guys do these things that many of us will never be able to! Keep the videos coming!

Looks even more beautiful than it did in 1975. Thanks for sharing and good luck.

That was sooo cool, brings back some very fond memories for me, had a buddy back then who owned a brand new 1975 850 Commando, I had a 1973 Bonneville 650, then owned my first Harley, a 1975 Sportser electric start which is still my favorite bike of all time. Now I got a brand new kTm which is an absolute beast!. Ride safe and god bless😁.

Collectible vehicles are not the same as collectible toys, action figures, comic books etc. Vehicles have material that will rot if left in its original packaging. You'reabsolutely right for opening and giving these things what they deserve! Also, I never knew Jay Leno shouted you out, that's awesome!

I can hear this box's sigh of relief as Craig cuts the packing straps. It has been waiting to be opened for decades, and you guys fulfilled its wish

the "bad crank" models were the 750s with the Combat motor - very high compression, flexy crankshafts. As the crank flexed the bearing rollers would ride on the edges and wear very fast. The main bearings were replaced with superblend barrel shaped rollers that allowed for the crank flexing. The 850 was an attempt to get combat power levels without the high compression.

My best friend's Dad rebuilds and restores old Nortons and has a collection of them. His prized one so far is an old Norton Police Bike. He has several Commandos. He doesn't completely refurbish them, rather he restores them to running original condition. He's entered them in motorcycle shows and has won several awards.

I bought a brand new '75 850 Roadster in June of '76 from a dealer. It was exactly the same bike you have here. Over the years, I've had 7 other Nortons but have had to sell all of them due to financial difficulties. I just bought my 9th Norton 4 months ago and I'll never be without a Norton again. I love riding them. Okay, they're not as fast as todays bikes and you do need to fiddle with them occasionally, but they are very fun to ride. And that is what riding is all about. FUN! Note: The "bad" part in the motor was the main bearings, primarily in the '72 Combat motor. The fix is to install "Superblend" bearings. However, the '75 came with Superblend bearings, so no worries. There was another "faulty" part in the transmission that should be replaced also. In stock form there was a "ball" bearning on the end of the lay shaft and should be replaced with a "roller" bearing. The '75 was the slowest of the Commandos as the factory de-tuned them slightly to increase reliability. They can be made to go a lot faster with a few after market parts. If you make the trade with Jay Leno, I recommend getting another '75 that has been well sorted and ride it. Really ride it. It will bring a smile to your face every time. You will be amazed how well it corners and tracks.

Thanks for the great video. Brings back a lot of great memories of my old friend and I touring all around Texas on our bikes. Joe my friend had a 1967 750 commando and I had a 1967 650 BSA lighting. We turn some heads when we crank them up at the same time. I will never forget the sweet sound of those twin cyl engines. Those were the days of real freedom.

Easiest way I've found to cut metal straps like that is to use two crescent wrenches. Put the wrenches on the strap without leaving a gap between them and the handles facing opposite directions. Pulling the handles towards each other will then shear the strap without it slapping you in the face. Hope that helps on the next unboxing!

Nice guys, I found a new 2014 CB1100R Honda in a box and picked it up for $5800. In fact the dealership had two of them and I wish I had bought them both.

I knew instantly the bike would kick over at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1491">24:51</a> because the rear wheel was already spinned when you were messing with the clutch. Phenomenal craftsmanship from the decades old brits.

Great unboxing. I had a '71, 750 in the early '80's. That bike always got a lot of looks everywhere it went even then. It was also a lot of fun being very light and nimble. Just riding around or at idle it was fairly quiet. It just growled when opened up. Thanks for the fun memories!

In the late 70's I spent 4 months in a hospital and have back issues ever since .. but I still have found memories on my green 750 Norton Command I put +35k on that bike. The spark advance was poorly implemented with a set screw that aways shook loose ..I recall many a time on the side of the road turning the assembly and tuning by ear to get back on the road.

Awesome work guys. As a 17 year old I worked my Willie's off, traded Thunderbolt towards a 1969 Commando 'S'. 2,700$ comes to mind. Was stolen, breaking my heart. But many bikes later absolutely nothing was a sweet as that ride.

I had the privilege to see the company's collection storage. Dozens of models of bikes they built throughout the history. From very early types to modern superbikes. Cool stuff.

I bought a new 850 Commando Mk 2a (the last version before the electric start model you have there), here in the UK in 1974, when I was 19. It was a lovely bike, so smooth with the Isolastic rubber mounts on the engine, and so much torque, but it used to break and unscrew bits of itself all the time, and I parted company with it after a couple of years. Despite that, I would love to have one now, but they are so expensive, and my Triumph 750 Bonneville, which I've had for 30 years now, is much better value for money, and more reliable. I was amazed at how easily it started, especially as I didn't see you "tickling" the carbs first (usually essential for a cold start on those Amal mk 1s). Kickstarting was never easy with those, and you had to practise a bit to get the right technique to start it first kick. This stirred up a lot of nostalgia for me.

I'm absolutely a sportsbike guy but i've got a lot of time for Nortons. I've seen a fair few at my local spot in the UK and they always look amazing.

I drove one of these in 1975! WOW! Can I have it!! Congratulations. My neighbor owned one. Only issue is the brake pedal and shifter are backwards compared to my 1973 Honda. Incredible. They were so powerful. Ride. Ride. Ride.

I have a very modified 1972 Norton Commando fastback that I have owned since 1976. So much fun on winding country road's.

Great stuff, I had a 73 Norton 850 Commando for over 25 years. It was great when it ran right. It taught me a lot about mechanics and road side repairs.

I used to work for the Norton agent in Perth, WA, assembling all of the new bikes. My experience of putting a Norton Commando together left me knowing that if somebody gave me one for free, i would have it advertised for sale the very next day! They were the most shoddily manufactured bikes I ever assembled and I'm not very proud of some of things we had to do just to get parts to fit properly. A terrific engine, derived from the old Dominator and a good gearbox, but the rest of the bike was crap!

I had a 1970 750 Norton Commando. Red tank and kick start. Its weakness was that oil ran down the back of the valve stems and the valves would burn out. They fixed it on later models by having a rubber washer type of thing half way down the valve stems. It was a light bike for a 750 at the time (compared to a Honda 4) and had great acceleration. I did get 100 mile per hour out of it once. It would cruise at 80 with 2 people and gear.

Sean, You should contact someone in the International Norton Owner’s Association because they can tell you EVERYTHING about that bike before you screw it up. 😢

During our late teens, early twenties, in the late 1970s, my best mate had a Norton Commando 850 Interstate and I had a BMR R90S. He put VERY LOUD megaphone silencers on his Norton and I put VERY BRIGHT twin spotlights on the crash-bars of my BM. I can tell you that peoples' heads were definitely turning as we rode through the small villages around Leeds in Yorkshire, England. Happy days! 🙂 BTW, the Norton parts shop on Hunslet Road in Leeds is still open, so if you're stuck for spare parts for your Norton, check them out. They're called Startright Motorcycles.

Sean you have entered in a respecticle world of Snorton Nortons. I owned a 1973 Norton 750 Commando kick start. Anyone who knew bikes, it was a cult bike comming from England, BSA,Triumph was the faster record bike in mph. IT's great it gets mentioned in all 52 black vincent songs. Jay Leno owns one. I just turned 70 years old, but right after the movie EZ Rider, I chopped my norton, hard tail twisted steel chrome struts, 6 bend z bars,killer king and queen seat, strait bologa plpes, side eagle tail light and custom paint job of the Leslie West Mountain climibing album, ilived and loved the 70's best music. I love your Bikes and Beards , been following a long time.I retired from life long Maine, now retired in Tucson, riding Kawa Concours 1400 abs that eats the miles out here. Stay cool man Tucson Tim

I was born in 75, and the fact that bike has been in that box and in that condition blows my mind. All of my childhood, schooling, college life, and having settled with a family. As a 48 year old blows my mind, how long that bike has been in that box all this time is insane.

have great memories of this bike. my dad had one in the 80s and took me out on it before i was even in school. being so young i just remember the black color with gold writing and that square pattern on the seat. ☺️

I bought a new 1975 Norton 850 Commando when I was 22 years old. It was the most fun motorcycle I owned. The thin tires and wonderful balance the Norton had made it the best mountaineering bike available in 1975. I loved that bike. They look a bit boxy now days, but it's a great riding machine. It did have a box of cat litter under it on the showroom floor. It leaked oil until I had it rebuilt 9 years later. Leaking oil is a special feature Norton built in. So glad I found this video. Scrape the pegs, this bike loves it!

Back in the day (1972) I once rode a brand new Norton (Interpol) Comando 750. The Interpol was the police bike of the day, and the bike I rode was the daily rider of a motorway cop... We both were volunteer teachers at the local RAC ACU, and he wanted to buy a Honda 250 for his son and I had the exact model he wanted. The local Honda dealer did not have any in stock for him to test drive, so he pestered me every time to ride mine. I said no as I knew he would really drive it hard, and it was new, and was still running it in. So to try and put him off, I said you can ride mine if you let me ride yours (the Interpol). He said yes LOL!!! So we changed gear as I had to wear the police boots, jacket and helmet to look the part. It was a lovely bike and I enjoyed the ride and the way car drivers would slow down to match the speed limit as I approached them LOL. Happy days...

A Vincent black lightning would be the holy grail. 850 commando is definitely up there though

Oh boy. Without doubt my favourite motorcycle of all time, and still in the box. The Norton 850 Commando. I remember when the police here in the UK used to ride them. Magnificent machine.

The mandated left hand shift started in 1975. According to "The Comprehensive Vintage Motorcycle Price Guide" a 1975 Norton in "very good" to "excellent" condition average price is $9,000 to $12,000. They were made up until 1977. Definitely one of my dream bikes. That it's still in the box is very cool, but doesn't effect price that much, other than weathering. Bikes are meant to be ridden. That poor thing has been cooped up for far too long. Great that you're getting it back on the road.

great video, Always wanted a Commando, but never had the cash for one, lovely machine, you are so lucky to have found this. keep up the great work with your vid's

I bought a brand new Norton Command Mk3 in 1978 for £1465. Registration number GFR 988S. I wish I still had it. I'm surprised the tyres weren't perished after so long in a crate. The exhausts supplied with your bike were the same as mine. They were designed to reduce exhaust noise but were very restricting.

I love this old unboxing videos is actually a good way to preserve history by showing the process for everybody to see

I had a 1974 Norton 850 Commando. Wonderful bike. The rubber shift, on the right side, left your membership mark on your right boot.

Walking around Barber Vintage bike swap meet I was amazed at how many Norton Commanders Oops Commandos the vendors had . One after another . One of my faves. Beautiful bike.

Not a motorcycle rider, but love the videos. Always cool seeing something like this being found, like somebody finding a old car with not a lot of miles on it in some garage. 👍

When I was in London in 1976 with my Triumph Twin 650 T 120 we visited a motorcycle store. Norton had gone bust in 1974 and gradually the rest was sold out. Now I stood in front of such a Norton 850 Commando MK3. The price shocked me. In Germany, the machine had cost over 7000 DM new and here it was now offered for 4000 DM. What a good price. That would be nowadays 2000 EUR for a British motorcycle of the super class in the 70s. Unfortunately I did not have the money to buy it. But I still think of the wonderful new motorcycle today. Sven German: Also ich 1976 in London war mit meiner Triumph Twin 650 T 120 besuchten wir einen Motorradladen. Norton war 1974 pleite gegangen und allmählich wurde der Rest ausverkauft. Nun stand ich vor so einer Norton 850 Commando MK3. Der Preis schockte mich. In Deutschland hatte die Maschine neu über 7000 DM gekostet und hier wurde sie nun für 4000 DM angeboten. Was für ein guter Preis. Das wären heutzutage 2000 EUR für ein britisches Motorrad der Superklasse in den 70er Jahren. Leider hatte ich nicht das Geld dafür um sie zu kaufen. Doch ich denke noch heute an das herrliche, neue Motorrad. Sven

In 1974 I decided to upgrade from my Honda 50cc moped. One of my housemates, Steve, had recently bought a Triumph Tiger and I believe later had a Commando. The Triumphs were renowned for oil leaks as well as other mechanical issues and Steve's was no exception, so I decided to stick with Honda. I bought a 550 4 into 1 exhaust which I promptly changed to a Dunstall exhaust. IMO it now performed like the best of the British bikes and sounded like one as well! I loved that bike!

You got an absolute bargain. Not to mention a British Legend. Worth every penny. Well done guys. Cheers.

Heavens, it's like watching a pair of hosers discovering Tutankhamen's tomb. That's an artifact of motorcycling history there.