1991 Norton 588cc Commander
Registration no. H832 GRX
Frame no. 4230
Engine no. 4230
• First registered to the Transport and Road Research Laboratory
• Used in motorcycle safety experiments
• 26,115 miles recorded
Hailed by Norton as, 'the first true British challenger on the world motorcycle market in over a decade', the fully faired Commander rotary utilised Yamaha XJ900 wheels, suspension, brakes and sundry electrical components. With 80bhp on tap, the Commander was good for a top speed in the region of 120mph, while a commendably flat torque curve - 50lb/ft-plus between 3,500 and 8,500 revs - smooth, almost vibration-free engine, excellent handling, protective fairing and two 25-litre integral panniers made for a tourer to rival BMW's K100. "On a hideous winter's eve, what should have been a windswept 80mph became a cosseted cruising speed," marvelled Bike magazine's tester back in 1989. "The twin chamber rotary really is smooth and the much chewed-over engineering merits of the rotary translate to tireless comfort and a crystal-clear mirror image." Sadly, for Norton, the Wankel rotary's inherent deficiencies - excess heat and high exhaust emissions - meant that it had no long-term future as a motorcycle power unit for road use.
This particular Commander was first registered on 5th March 1991 to the Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL), a body that had been established by the British Government in 1933 as the Road Research Laboratory. As motorcycling grew in popularity during the 1970s, the TRRL turned its attention to motorcycle safety, conducting experiments, among others, into anti-lock brakes and deformable structures that could be built into motorcycles to protect the rider's and passenger's legs in the event of a collision. The latter concept caused a storm of controversy at the time, as the vast majority of motorcyclists were appalled at the prospect of future models being rendered hideous by such appendages. In the event, the experiments showed that although the legs were protected, the impact damage moved up the spine to the neck. This Commander's black and yellow stripes highlight these experiments. Currently displaying a total of 26,115 miles on the odometer, the machine is offered with an old-style V5 registration document.
