Garside had been enthralled by the air-cooled, single-rotor Fichtel & Sachs Wankel rotary engine used in the Hercules W2000 motorcycle, and he realized it could provide the technological leap forward that the British motorcycle industry so deeply needed. This is the earlier Norton Classic model, it’s powered by an air-cooled two-rotor Wankel engine and just 100 were made. Countless research projects were launched to leapfrog the Japanese designs, one of which was led by an engineer named David Garside at BSA’s Umberslade Hall research facility. In the early 1970s the British motorcycle industry was starting to realize it was losing out to the Japanese, with their advanced new motorcycle designs and low pricing. The twin rotor Wankel engine makes 85 bhp at 9,000 rpm, enough for a top speed of 125 mph and a cruising speed of 100 mph – only on the autobahn of course.With its full fairings and built-in pannier cases the Commander was ideal for touring, and many owners used it in this capacity, some still do.The Commander was the successor to the earlier Norton Interpol 2, unlike the air-cooled Interpol the Commander had a liquid-cooled engine which offered more power and better reliability.The production run was separated into two lots, the P52 bikes that had a single seat and were for police use, and the P53 which had two seats and was intended for civilian touring use. The Norton Commander was released in 1988 and built until 1992.At the time of its release the bike was lauded in period reviews for its power and smooth operation, but its high price and lack of dealership support hampered sales. The Commander is powered by a 588cc twin rotor, liquid-cooled Wankel rotary engine that produces 85 bhp at 9,000. They were developed for use by the police, and this one was sent to Dubai where it was evaluated by the Dubai Police Force. This is one of the original Norton Commander P52s from the 1980s, it’s an exceptionally rare motorcycle with just 253 PS2 models made in total.

Norton commander macos