Refreshed Norton Commando 961 next in line for update

Norton Motorcycles has moved onto the next stage in its rejuvenation plan by confirming it is to launch an updated Norton Commando 961 imminently.

After two years of re-organisation and relocating in the wake of its sale to TVS Motors, the iconic British marque is now beginning to forge ahead with a fresh new model plan, kicked off by the launch of the new Norton V4SV earlier this month.

Now Norton is turning its attention towards its more traditionally-styled Commando, a storied nameplate that can trace its roots back to the 1960s.

The update comes after Norton spent much of the aforementioned two years working to fulfil orders of the Commando 961 on a waiting list that had swelled exponentially under the brand’s erstwhile reign of Stuart Garner, the disgraced former CEO that almost ran the company into bankruptcy.

With that now complete, the updated Commando 961 is likely to receive the same treatment as the V4 sportsbike by getting a tweaked look - while retaining the current model’s sophisticated aesthetic - but be built to a higher standard at Norton’s new state-of-the-art facility in Solihull.

Indeed, with previous models chastised for their terrible build quality as a result of shoddy work practices at its former Castle Donington home, ‘new Norton’ has been touting the step up in quality control befitting of its more premium price tag.

For now we don’t have much to go on but two teaser shots and a brief adjective laden description reading:

“Fuel your desire and create new memories with the new Norton Commando 961. With more presence and more excitement this new edition evokes simpler times. 

“When you take to the road, you make a bold statement; stripped-back and sophisticated, the essence of modern luxury. This will be a bike for passion-seekers and individuals who know what they want and are unwilling to compromise.”

Either way, orders books are now open.