Many motorcycling enthusiasts regard Norton as the British Motorcycle Industry’s swansong. The company is certainly not letting down the side with its two stylish new bikes introduced for 2010: the 961 Commando Café Racer and Sport. Both feature an air-cooled 961cc engine delivering 79 hp and 65 lb-ft of torque. The new models build on the buzz generated by the limited edition Commando 961SE (above), and share the exclusive model’s same engine and chassis, though not its carbon fiber components.
Suspension is provided by adjustable Ohlins shocks while Brembo brakes provide stopping power. The Commando 961 Café Racer includes a fly screen, clip-on handlebars and sports exhaust, while the Sport has chromed tubular steel handlebars. The Norton Commando 961 Café Racer and Sport are available in four color combinations: black and gold, red and gold, yellow and black, and silver, red and black. The Café Racer retails for $ 22,200 while the Sport retails for $19,730. Not bad at all for such a stylish ride.
© Copyright 2010 Duncan Quinn. All Rights Reserved.
Triumph and TAG Heuer have teamed up to pay homage to the great Steve McQueen with a one-off “Bonneville Heuer” motorbike painted in the King of Cool’s iconic racing colors. The moto’s orange and blue stripes echo the livery of the Porsche 917 he drove in the famous 1971 racing flick Le Mans. McQueen also wore TAG Heuer’s now-iconic square-faced Monaco watch in the movie, which TAG recently re-issued in celebration of the timepiece’s 40th anniversary.
McQueen rode and raced Triumph motorcycles in his off-duty hours, including the International Six Days Trials in Germany, as well as in movies such as 1963’s The Great Escape, and it remained his favorite maker. The Bonneville was born in 1959 to recognize Johnny Allen’s land speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats, quickly becoming one of the brand’s most iconic bikes. The only thing we can’t understand is why Triumph aren’t putting the McQueen version into production.
The world’s best collection of BMW motorbikes, comprised of almost every model built since BMW commenced motorcycle production in 1923, is coming up for auction on Nov. 28th. The marvelous motos, nearly 100 in all, formerly belonged to the legendary Willy Neutkens, and are only coming up for sale because he went to his great reward last year; this is literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The sale is being staged by Bonhams at the BMW Museum in Munich, the archives of which were invaluable to Neutkins over the years as he painstakingly restored his collection.
Highlights of the sale include a 1923 R32 (estimate £30,000-40,000), a pair of R42s dated 1926 and 1927 (£18,000-22,000 and £17,000-20,000 respectively) and a 1927 R47 (£20,000-25,000). Other noteworthy pre-war models include the 1930 R16 (£15,000-18,000) and the 1936 R17 (£12,000-16,000). Also on offer are some outstanding wartime models, such as the 1942 and 1943 R75 Kriegselefant sidecar outfits painted in Afrika Korps colours, which are expected to achieve between £20,000-25,000 each. Bid now or forever hold your peace - and curse your luck.
