Norton Commander (motorcycle)

For the 1968 to 1977 motorcycle, see Norton Commando.

For the software package, see Norton Commander (software).

The Commander was a Norton motorcycle with a Wankel rotary engine.

Norton Commander

Manufacturer	Norton Motors Limited
Also called	P52 (police), P53 (civilian)
Production	1988–1992; 253 units produced in total
Engine	588 cc water-cooled twin-rotor Wankel engine
Power	85 bhp (63 kW) at 9000 rpm
Torque	75.4 Nm at 7000 rpm
Transmission	duplex primary chain, 5-ratio gearbox, single-row final drive chain
Wheelbase	1486 mm
Dimensions	L: 2200 mm W: 880 mm H: 1470 mm
Fuel capacity	23 litres including a reserve of 3 litres

The first Norton Wankel motorcycle was the 1987 Classic using an air-cooled engine, built as a special edition of just 100 machines. It was followed by the air-cooled Interpol 2 model.

The Commander was a liquid-cooled successor to the Interpol 2, liquid cooling being adopted for greater power and reliability. The Commander's final-drive chain was protected by a full enclosure. Some cycle parts (such as wheels, forks, switchgear, clocks & brakes) were bought-in Yamaha items from the XJ900.

Two types of Commander were built. The P52 was a single-seat model equipped for police use. The second was the dual-seat P53 civilian tourer. Both the P52 and P53 had panniers integral with their fibreglass bodywork. The P53 bodywork was later revised to have detachable Krauser [de] K2 panniers.

See also

• Norton F1
• List of motorcycles by type of engine

References

• Perkins, Kris (1991). Norton Rotaries. The Crowood Press. ISBN 978-1-85532-181-6.
• Magrath, Derek (1991). Norton the Complete Story. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86126-062-8.