Well after months and months of intently reading this forum and hearing all of your experiences, several e-mails to Richard-7, Peter Howes, and a few other owners, I am happy to say that I am now the proud owner of a 2014 Red Sport. I believe it is one of the last, if not the last, left over new 961 in Canada. I first saw the 961 when Peter was touring the country with the silver bike back in 2010. I was able to sit on it then and that started the dream. I grew up a little too late to participate in the first Commando era but I always loved those bikes and remember the older guys in the neighborhood riding them and the terrific sound they made. I even knew the local distributor back then and he is still going strong today at 89 and just recently sold his Manx! (I actually have a ’74 Roadster now). So I started reading everything I could about the 961 and Norton Motorcycles. No need to re-hash that- you guys all know the story. I wasn’t brave enough to send in a deposit; figured I would just wait until they were on the dealer floors. Well after waiting 2 years, 3 years, for North American approval, I kind of forgot about them. Then, on a particularly wet rainy day like we get in this part of the world, I started scanning the Internet and again reading about the bikes and discovered that they had finally received approval for import. I actually found and came close to buying a black SE that came up for sale in Vancouver last year with 97 miles on it. It was at a non-Norton dealer so I went to see it. They wouldn’t allow a test ride however, and I couldn’t help wonder why the original owner would give up on it after only a few months and take such a loss. I passed on it and figured some other used ones would pop up where I could talk to the actual owner. No such luck. Hard enough to find a new one let alone a used one. I called some dealers both in western Canada and the US, but no one had a bike in stock I could look at. I even called Matt Capri. He was very helpful and I could sense his enthusiasm for the bike over the phone, and he assured me that the earlier problems had been rectified and he would be stocking parts. I also went to the Norton rally in Quincy California in July and talked to 3 owners there and they all love their bikes.
All along I have to say I was very impressed by the enthusiasm of you all on this site, how you guys have tackled any issues, and particularly the efforts and shared knowledge of Richard-7 and his dad. I was super impressed (and still am) with the manuals that they have put together and tools they have come up with for easily working on the bikes. Richard was so high on the bike and the support he gets from Peter Howes (Norton Canada President) and he suggested I call Peter. So I did and learned that he had this red one still available. I have to admit that red wasn’t my first choice, I think because I had silver stuck in my head from the first one I saw, but now that I have it I really love it. I took delivery at my door on Aug 15. So far I have been out for 4 rides and have just under 800 miles with not a hiccup. We have some great roads here on the Island so I was able to do the proper break-in, varying the rpms and gear changes, and now it is a joy to be able to get into the higher rpms and really feel and hear what the 961 can do. I am super pleased with my decision and look forward to each ride when my work schedule allows. I will now do the oil change and recommended service checks like checking the head bolt torques. Hopefully we get some nice weather well into the fall so I can put many more miles on it to hold me through winter. I am not much for posting on social media but I felt I owed it to the members of this forum since I have read what you guys have been writing and you were instrumental in my decision. Cheers for now.
All along I have to say I was very impressed by the enthusiasm of you all on this site, how you guys have tackled any issues, and particularly the efforts and shared knowledge of Richard-7 and his dad. I was super impressed (and still am) with the manuals that they have put together and tools they have come up with for easily working on the bikes. Richard was so high on the bike and the support he gets from Peter Howes (Norton Canada President) and he suggested I call Peter. So I did and learned that he had this red one still available. I have to admit that red wasn’t my first choice, I think because I had silver stuck in my head from the first one I saw, but now that I have it I really love it. I took delivery at my door on Aug 15. So far I have been out for 4 rides and have just under 800 miles with not a hiccup. We have some great roads here on the Island so I was able to do the proper break-in, varying the rpms and gear changes, and now it is a joy to be able to get into the higher rpms and really feel and hear what the 961 can do. I am super pleased with my decision and look forward to each ride when my work schedule allows. I will now do the oil change and recommended service checks like checking the head bolt torques. Hopefully we get some nice weather well into the fall so I can put many more miles on it to hold me through winter. I am not much for posting on social media but I felt I owed it to the members of this forum since I have read what you guys have been writing and you were instrumental in my decision. Cheers for now.
