Norton Commando v Triumph Bonneville

[EastBayBlue]

What a bizarre comparison, an entry level Triumph and an exotic hand crafted Norton… Really? Lets put a Speed Triple up against that Commando. Don’t get me wrong, the Norton is beautiful piece but comparing it to a Bonneville is a little like comparing a VW and a Porsche.

[tmgrk]

with better pipes, bonnie is the best!

[BrokenMachine85]

There's nothing "sanitized" about a Triumph Bonneville. Couple a wankers...

[gunmanscotland]

Deffo have the norton, it just sound and looks mean, unlike the retards in this video.

[BrokenMachine85]

"Bonneville....a bit anemic" Are you fucking kidding me?! Couple a wankers.

[BritIronRebel]

Triumph was going more for the "retro" thing while still making a modern bike. It's much more true to form in that respect. The Commando has very little retro about it outside of the name.

That said, I'd gladly have either one in my stable, but with 5 other bikes already, I'd be "insurance poor"!

[AVeryBeautifulLoser]

Better than that Harley rubbish we have over here in the states.

[markjrobbins]

I'd rather have an original from the 60's for that sort of money...

[05Rudey]

I love both bikes but damn that Norton is sexy.

[sooupdragon]

I have to say, the riding position on the Bonneville SE looks totally cramped, the seat is too low for anyone with normal legs! The Norton's got a better looking position but the seat looks like a piece of wood. I'd want to strap a cushion to it, before I rode it anywhere...

[dirtyjew1974]

both nice bikes, i have a 73 triumph trident t150v and it has plenty of get up and go! i would like to have a vintage norton though, i was looking at a 67 norton cammando 750 and it was a pretty sweet bike and if i got a second bike then thats probably the one i would get.

[plonker00765]

thanks for the info on food ya muppets,a bit more info wouldn't have gone astray.

[P4iiZ]

I love my Triumph Bonneville 650 from the 70's, must admit i havent driven it cuz i dont have a licens and i know if i get a MC between my legs no matter the engine size i will some how kill my self. when i time is right i'll get the licens and enjoy it and when the time comes it will probely be even more rare.

[magna59]

Non descript camera / film quality.

MCN would have been better off by showing us more of the machines, a good walk round, showing us the machines detail, the quality of finish, paint / castings / wiring, the way you could not get it in the paper & then direct us to get a coupon for 10% off the paper, were they could give us the full SP, without a quick quip with two pork products.

When will Triumph, with their economic power drag in the youth with a 125, a hook to get into the blood..

[twatcole]

just bought myself a a 500 classic Royal Enfield in India for less than £2000 brand new ??no comparison boys !!

[Rocket3rick]

This is a joke! Come on MCN if these are the best 'comments' you can make then it really is time to give up

[weijnblad]

i dont love the miusic.

Janne

[StrangelyBrownNo1]

This review goes for 2:40 and these are the only comments that get shared? "Two different bikes for my mind – the rough and ready Norton and the sanitized triumph. The beauty about the triumph is the price is cheap and anybody can jump on it and ride it. With the Norton you get a one off machine. And that’s the beauty of it.

So, to sum up, maybe the Bonneville is a bit plain, a bit of dubious origin. Whereas the Norton is meaty, crusty and more british."

That's not a fuckin' review.

[Sevrethin]

Strange that's all they had to offer, not sure of the comparison as I'm new to all British bikes. Just got my hands on my old man's 1979 Bonneville 140e, so some actual info would've been nice.

[KeNNeYg22]

I sat on one of those nortons... its a really nice bike.

[Sc0ttzi]

Don't get me wrong, I love the new Norton, I think it's an amazing bike, but for that price I can get a 675R with enough left over to buy a full Arrow titanium exhaust. Why would I buy a $16k 80hp pushrod bike? The vintage stuff is awesome, but the price can only go so far... unless it's actually vintage...

[Sc0ttzi]

The biggest problem with the Norton though, not even considering the serious issues they're having with the bikes, is the price. Who is really gonna pay 16k for what is basically a glorified Thruxton? Sure it's got Ohlins, but what about dealerships? There are actually Triumph dealers around, who knows where or how long it's gonna take for Norton dealerships to show up. I certainly don't want to be dragging my bike to California every time something goes wrong, which I'm pretty sure it would.

[Sc0ttzi]

Too bad Norton is in such serious shit with their transmissions. Anyway, the problem with this comparison is they're comparing Triumph's bottom line Bonneville "Black" (just the model name, I know it's white) with Norton's very limited TOP TOP TOP of the line SE. Obviously there's no comparison, the Norton has carbon fiber wheels. What would be better is the standard Commando against the T100, or even better, Norton's "Cafe Racer" against the Thruxton. This comparison just doesn't work.

[thematadore1]

you reckon its dear of there .. HAAA its 32 k plus gov charge ,gst and rego here in oz but anyway,

What are you clowns on about? The Thruxton is a fantastic cafe racer I own one and I tell you. I've had all sorts of bikes, thruxton is a fun bike to ride, it handles ,it has that fat sound when your roaring up the road and at the end of the day, I personally didn't by it because i thought it was the fastest bike , I bought it because it fit my needs...and wants..( Nice commando)

[Whiter00m]

FFS!! 16K is definatley for nutters only. You can buy a mint Goldie for that sort of cash. Another 9k and you've got a Vincent BS....

[BulletProofMarine4]

Cammando wins by far but id have to seel my left arm for one...probably still wouldnt have anuf!

[Boabiegringo]

TASTE!

[vaestanfors]

you'll find that norton is a little bit different on the inside but both bikes are much better than my honda(cost me a 1000 pounds) so am now saving my pennies to get something all british.

[chinese6]

surely a thruxton would of been more in keeping with the nortons performance pedigree?although the norton made me wee my pants a bit with excitement.

[ShatteredChi]

I loved my 2006 T-100, but that Norton is sex on wheels.

[5252dan]

i have a 72 commando and a 05 thruxton and the commando is four times the bike the thruxton is. i can only imagine that new commando is eight times.

[awiseguy86]

I'm partial to triumph because I own a 2010 scrambler, but that Norton is the pennacle of british motorcycles, with that said the U.K. sure does know how to make bikes better than the u.s.

[ranrio70]

I'll take my T-100 any day!My pea shooters are in a box! 2-2 Arrows took their place.

[lexacor]

The Norton may be nicer but it isnt 10 grand nicer, imagine what you could do with that cash modding a Bonny, it would eat a Norton for breakfast

[odracirseraoseia1999]

There's something ridiculous about these 2 guys. Trying too hard to look like bad boys, I think. The bikes are sweet though (especially the Norton; the Bonnie not so much - severely underpowered).

[michaelz372]

my old man used to have 750 bonni in 60s was a rocker

will be crusing this weekend on my race replica!!

[rentatrip1]

is this a Monty Python skit ?

which blok is Michael Palin ?

[morderca95]

Norton all the way 

[Thruxton8]

Imagine what you could turn that Bonnie into if you spent the same amount tricking up as factory Bonnie. There's a fire breather somewhere inside that lazy 865. Tweak the brakes and suspension and you have a reasonably priced Norton eater.

[PanamaJack69]

These guys ride like old scooter commuters, and dress like them too.

[plonker00765]

yeah right,thanks for the info ya clowns,----very informative.

[MrStevecro]

this is how these guys got off for lunch right? Said they'd do a review..... pft!

[vodkapower1986]

A freak of technology and..classy.. Oh that's a hot rod..

[doktorlindblood]

norton stays norton

[Robb721]

comparing apples to oranges, would of been a better review if they'd put a norton against a triumph thruxton, much more similar bikes

[crispiegee1]

The Norton is a beautiful bit of kit, but the Triumph is an awful lot of fun for not a lot of money. I rode one a few weeks ago and was amazed at how much fun you can have on a low-horsepower bike.

[c3dr1cb]

Quality and excellence have a price, and you pay a legend

[juicerock718]

Norton is definitely nice but for a few bucks more I can make the Bonnie meatier. It's a shame Norton is so expensive...

[assman10x]

wow glad I wasted my time on this review

[rayjensen]

norton rules for ever. nothing beats the sound of a commando

[CaracasVtwin]

i dont care to pay more for a Norton. I love to pay more for something better

[haggis95]

Do a few mods to the Bonnie and you could give the Norton a run for your money! And it would sound just as good.

[tonydoc903]

The Norton is more expensive But it is put together on the same bike lift, like they do on American chopper, and not built on an assembly line, If you buy one in the uk you get it from the factory. And the sales manager is Chris "The Stalker" Walker. how ace is that. Being built that way is like the old days, like a Brough. Worth the money. worth the wait.

[leftcoast67]

Love them both, but the Norton sounds totally BADASS!

[pbrucpaul]

During the '50's, Norton was the top big bike racer. It couldn't be beaten. Especially with Mike Hailwood racing it.

[BunnyUK]

I think I might have to sell my one remaining functioning kidney, to buy that Commando...

[JacksonShredder138]

yeah, the Bonnie is definetly more for the masses. Its affordable here in America around $10 grand , havent seen the pricing on the Norton but I heard its pricey. I'll take both bikes if I could. I like "yankee"V-twins but I always lusted for British Steel

[kevinbrod]

True, but I still like it.

[anamorphic1962]

Norton, over priced and over rated...

(gotta say it sounds better though)

[hellcat54]

I have a triumph Truxton it's a very good motorcycle but Norton is very nice.

[GrigoriZhukov]

Saw the original Norton prototype at the Seattle cycle show. Nice it's come to market finally, FSVO market anyways. I'd almost trade in my unchanged 79' GL1000 for one...or not.

[musicmatty67]

Dump the stock exhaust and the airbox on the Bonnie and you will have a very comparable bike for a fare bit less of Cash.

[efjim]

@musicmatty67 yes!i change my 2009 bonnie's exhaust and the sound now its much better,like the magic sound of norton!now its time to change the airbox i think!

[Pinback71]

Comparing the Triumph to the Norton is a bit like driving a Jaguar as opposed to an Aston Martin. I'd be happy with the Bonnie but the Norton has always had more class.

[cccjjjttt]

This may be the best vido on YT. Thanks for it. Harley who?

[BohemianRugby]

Norton Commando.if you like the bike,like this comment

[cyclesportstv]

Love the old school bikes. Lots of character!

[kevinb1115]

I had a 850 Commando a while back - loved it , stuck to the road like it was on rails,but it was a pain in the Ass starting, lost count of the number of times I nearly broke me leg! Electric starter on mine but it wouldn't turn over a sewing machine, let alone a 850 twin!!

[ftpaddict]

@kevinb1115 Couldn't you have used the electric starter and the starter pedal (if that's the correct term) at the same time? For a bit of a boost...

[kevinb1115]

@ftpaddict

Kickstarter - Never occurred to me! I don't think it would have helped though, there's an awful lot of compression to overcome. It could have been down to the fact that it was race tuned but ,hey it was just my experience started it was a great ride_:)

[csulbpolisci]

Nice, like the titles.

[1i4mc]

The norton is nice but £16,000 is a joke!

[gm16v149]

@1i4mc Yeah, but when I went to the Earles Court show in 1967 the new Commando was 450 pounds and I thought that was a joke, but plenty of people bought them! BTW, 450 quid was a bloody absolute fortune then.

[sooupdragon]

@1i4mc yeah, a bad joke at that. Can't see them selling that many in recession-hit UK, no wonder they call it Rip-Off Britain. Shame.

[16vastraturbo]

@1i4mc they start at  £12,500 my friend, the SE was £16k

[gunmanscotland]

@1i4mc They are one off individually hand built bikes with ohlins forks and shocks, brembo brakes all round, none of your production line shite, so ofcourse they are expensive, well worth it in my opinion even though ill never be able to afford one :)

[powersliding]

some pretty cool directing

[toilit]

Norton!

[TheLaneyzf]

needs clipons

[acidnaught74]

Nice footage, it really looks like just riding around and having a good time with a motorcycle, great!

[zaph0dbeeblebr0x]

I like the new footage from the back of another bike. How novel!

[adoniscomplex]

That Norton sounds great

[Joppesan]

Norton wins everytime. Just bought a '71 Commando yesterday

[greggusan]

that norton is sex on wheels

[greggusan]

that norton is sex on wheels

[AwGsharpie]

i want a portion of chips now. . .

[redlightklondike]

That Norton is friggin' appealing.

[ElitePower]

Love the intro . . . very cool.

[Mangester1]

Sorry. Commando

[Mangester1]

This is two diffrent bikes it would be much better if they would have the thruxton against the commander

[williambrodie]

Nice editing but still pitifully short

[wpepie]

the norton kicks ass!

[widz82]

Ill take the Norton. Looks and sounds ace!

[PanamaJack69]

@widz82 stock silencers are the bonnie are pitiful. Seems like they went out of their way to make the bonnie seem boring by comparison. With a set of BC Predators the bonnie purrs. Not a fan of the all white, stock handlebar look either. But done right the Bonnie is every bit the bike that Norton is, minus the 961cc engine of course!

[AviBaby18]

LOVE the comparrison to the fish and chips... ohh i want fish and chips now

[NoFukinNamesLeft]

Nice vid shame its so short. Both great bikes but the Norton really stands out looks great and the sound...It's just fantastic just a shame it's so expensive £16k?

[stratomaster5]

id go for the norton because thats my second name

[alexskylarking]

yeah and you can buy 3 Bonnies for the price of one Norton

[motorcyclenewsdotcom]

@alexskylarking yeah - literally. If you read the full test in the paper this week you'll see we have a disclaimer - it's not a normal test. They're very different bikes, but we wanted to look at the experience each delivers.

[sooupdragon]

@motorcyclenewsdotcom just out of curiousity, what bikes would you guys buy, if you were spending your own money?

[TotalNekro]

I'd definitely have the Norton.

[yfm88]

still no HD?

[victoria383]

I fouund a review of the new HD on google, just type in the word "tractor"

[alexskylarking]

@victoria383 Thanks, I typed in "tractor" as you said but all I found was pics of your mum/mom!! ;0)

[MarcS4R]

i love the norton, it looks awesome....i hope it rides like it looks :)

[DuranXL]

zomg new intro? O_o

[macwac100]

@DuranXL ftl