I think that this is a good question and probably one that many of us have contemplated. Many of the qualities that have drawn people to the Norton Commando in the past, will continue to do so in the future. There are so many positives to Norton Commando ownership, of which have been talked about throughout this forum, that I will not mention them all. But in a modern world where we are surrounded by homogenised products and speed cameras, they make a lot more sense than a 200hp current model motorcycle.
I see a few hurdles to younger demographic owner however, the most obvious two being money and time. On the money front, the initial purchase price of a good Norton Commando is getting up there now. This is a good thing to us current owners and product vendors, as it means that our bikes are worth reinvesting in with rebuilds and new parts etc. I’d like to think that I am still young at 42, but that is probably stretching it. I’ve owned my Commando for 22yrs or more now, but I was an anomaly. Remember that this was before the ‘old school is cool’ movement of recent times. I was ridiculed and laughed at by my peers for riding an old dunger that leaked oil. Now they say I’m lucky that I can afford one, forgetting that I purchased it when they were more affordable!
The problem now and in the future is that education and housing is very expensive in most parts of the western world. Now you need a degree first to even be considered for training in most occupations. Therefore, by the age of 21-22, you already have a debt of $20K-$100K+ and you haven’t started working yet. Then you start trying to save and accumulating your belongings, of which for most people, the last thing on the list would be an expensive toy such as a Norton Commando. Probably before you get to the toy stage you start saving for a house, which in our largest city the average price is over $1M and more than twenty times the national average salary!
Second problem -time. Of the lucky few that earn extremely good salaries at a young age and are so inclined to spend their disposable income on toys such as motorcycles –more specifically Norton Commandos. We all know that Norton’s are like horses –they require care and attention. These youngsters will be working long hours building their careers. If they have the mechanical aptitude to work on the bike themselves, which is a dying skill amongst the general population, they will quickly find the time needed to maintain these machines frustrating. Sure, they could farm it out to someone else, but those people are dying off and becoming harder to find.
Then we have electric vehicles and the eventual problem of getting fossil fuel, as well as driverless cars -where in the near future, no one will know how to drive anyway.
But there is hope! So, get out there and offer rides to your children, your friends children and nieces and nephews before it’s too late! If you have a collection, offer a ride to a mate or colleague. Don’t leave them hidden away, we need to infect as many young people with the bug of Norton ownership if we wish future generations to experience the joy of a Norton. That’s where it happened for me. Firstly, at the age of four or five on the back of my dad’s Triumph and then around the age of 12 when my dad’s mate used to visit our house on his Norton 750 Commando. That bike sounded like a mechanical thunderstorm to me. Never lusted after a Triumph, but as soon as I saw and heard that Commando –I just had to have one. So, from that day on I saved every cent from my milk and lawn mowing rounds until I had enough money to buy myself one. Now I don’t have the time to ride it!
