Ya know Alan I was of same depressed opinion on my first Combat rebuild with some many things wrong it ended up essentially a race like engine inside, but I'd been imprinted for a few years during pre-Peel down time on Ninja's and SV650 so configured my Combat like a bagger Harley knowing it should not even be able to keep up with them on freeways. Took me 1000 miles before hardly using WOT as so scared of my rebuild back then, then decided to see if I could blow it up - OHMYGOD! The rest is history that made me call all other bikes corner cripples and wheelie limited accelerators. I now believe a good Commando should out pull moderns up to the Commando hp limits, or at least to top of 2nd nearly 100 mph, so mainly its just top out speed the moderns have any advantage on. I'm talking about a lightened up Norton of course. In Peel case it was such uneven odds I developed a new hobby of meeting adrenalized sports bikers and sniffing at their chicken striped to then pop up with a request to "tag along - till bored"- like cowboy sex, doggie position then saying she's not nearly as active as her sister was...