A Streetfighter For The World

As featured on the #1 custom bike website www.bikeexif.com/nyc-norton/ In early 2014 we got a call from an overseas number on the shop phone.  On the other end of the call was a pleasant voice with an unidentifiable accent who introduced himself as "Joe".  He was calling from his home in a small country nestled in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.  He had just purchased a pristine Norton Commando in the States and asked if we could add some performance and reliability mods to it before ultimately shipping it across the seas to him.  Sounded easy enough.  This was the humble beginning of a relationship that has circled the Earth many times.  Having already in his stable a bone-stock Commando, as well as other vintage bikes of various marques, Joe wanted this Commando to have a bit more "oomph".  This is our specialty and we were very happy to [...]

2024-02-25T17:56:31-05:00October 7th, 2015|builds, commando, nycNorton, street|

NYC Norton goes Sturgis!

NYC Norton got some amazing press from Paul d’Orleans, who summed up so nicely our bike at Michael Lichter’s “Naked Truth” show at Sturgis this year, in a piece he wrote for Cycle World Magazine: http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/10/13/the-naked-truth-motorcycle-show-cycle-world-custom-and-style/ The story: One morning in July, a call came in from Michael Lichter, asking if we had a bike to put in his show at the Buffalo Chip at this year’s 75th-anniversary Sturgis rally. Michael’s Sturgis exhibitions are legendary, and I knew we’d want to be a part of this. This year’s theme was “Naked Truth,” and the criteria were that the bikes could have no paint, extraneous details, or fluff—just the meat of the matter. Michael rattled off a list of builders who were participating, and it was clear that we’d need to be on top of our game. As we talked, I looked around our shop, and, although there were a lot [...]

2024-02-25T17:56:32-05:00August 13th, 2015|nycNorton|

Naked Speed

One day in the spring of 2014 the shop phone rang.  On the other end of the line was Dave Austin, a British car collector from upstate New York.  He told a crazy story about finding a stash of cars deep in the back woods of someone's property, and after making a deal to purchase the lot was told the sale included a "rusty old motorcycle".  Turns out the bike was a 100% complete '71 Norton Commando.  Dave wanted NYC Norton to do the "resurrection" on this one.  The Cafe Racer TV folks got wind of this and asked if we could wait to do up the bike to coincide with their film schedule for their upcoming new season.  Sure thing.  We were busy anyway, so this would dovetail nicely into the shop schedule later in the summer. Now, as I write this, the show has already aired (February 4, [...]

2024-02-25T17:56:32-05:00February 8th, 2015|nycNorton|

Racing 2014

For years our closest race on the AHRMA calendar was Grattan, MI, clocking in at 750 miles from NYC.  So when the announcement came in last year that we would be racing in New Jersey we couldn't believe what we heard.  The notion of being able to load up and get to a track in 2 hours (125 miles), spend a weekend chasing the racing jones, and make it home to our own beds by Sunday evening was such an alien concept.  Because the track is centrally located to NYC, Philly, Baltimore, DC, the organizers have worked hard to target the eastern seaboard motorcycle world (not just racers) and make it a cornerstone event smack-dab in the middle of our racing season, picking up where Mid Ohio left off.  There are vendors, a swap meet, bike shows, bands, etc. and each year it grows in stature.  Plus, the Thunderbolt track [...]

2024-02-25T17:56:32-05:00December 31st, 2014|commando, G50, nycNorton, racing|
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