2018 NORTON COMMANDO 961 LIMITED 50TH EDITION CALIFORNIA
FULL TEST
P90
For this, the new
interpretation of
the Commando
961 is available in
a choice of 10—yes,
10—different cleverly
chosen '70s-style color
schemes ranging from
a truly retro metal flake red
to a gaudy white-and-blue combo
that entirely lives up to the California tag in
evoking echoes of cruising the Pacific Coast
Highway from Malibu to the Sunset Strip in
the So-Cool Seventies. The new Norton is
further distinguished from its sister models
by carrying a high-rise handlebar with pulled-
back grips taken straight from the famed
Norton Girl ads that made Britain's sportiest
motorcycle brand such a firm favorite with
American customers in the 1970s.
Otherwise identical in every way to the
existing Commando 961 platform, the new
model's official name is a bit of a mouthful—
so take a deep breath here, folks. It's the
Norton Commando 961 Mk.II Limited 50th
Edition California, aka, the Cali to you and
me, as it's also known inside the company's
classy Donington Hall factory a stone's throw
from the legendary GP circuit. But what this
tells you is that not only does it have the
copious upgrades to its air/oil-cooled 88 x
79mm 961cc parallel-twin motor that were
This
Euro
4
version
of
the
motor
seemed
to
have
the
same
great
torque
as
the
961
engines
always
had.
The new
California
is still
unmistakably
Norton.
