36 MOTORCYCLE CLASSICS September/October 2017
the Combat engine and as a result never
blew up — continued to sell well enough
to make it into 1973. All Nortons for
that year had an improved engine with
Superblend bearings that did not fail, and
a better auto ignition advance unit.
At the end of 1973 the poor old vertical
twin engine — originally a 500cc when
first introduced in 1949, and steadily
enlarged because Norton could not afford
to replace it — was bored out to 77mm,
raising the cubic capacity to 828cc. The
compression ratio was lowered, a spin-on
oil filter was added and engine breathing
was improved. All models got the front
disc brake that cured the poor stopping
that many testers had repeatedly com-
plained about. Hi-riders built between
1971 and 1973 have the 750 engine, while
later Hi-riders have the larger engine,
referred to as the 850.
Against all odds, the Hi-rider still con-
tinued to sell reasonably well and lasted
until early 1975. The 1975 Nortons were
significantly upgraded, but it was a last
gasp. Chronically cash-strapped, Nortonwas going down the tubes. Unable to
afford the retooling to build an engine
competitive with the products of its
Japanese rivals, the Commando was
looking increasingly archaic. In 1975 the
Industry Minister recalled a loan for £4 mil-
lion (almost $9 million U.S.) and refused
to renew the company’s export credits.
That was the last straw, and Norton went
into receivership. Commandos were built
— sparingly — through 1977, when the
factory finally shut down.Commandos live on
Archaic or not, the Commando con-
tinued to be popular. By this time, there
were Norton owner’s clubs all over the
world. Most of the people who continued
to be interested in Nortons were the sport
folks, and as a result a lot of Hi-riders
were bought secondhand, stripped of
their chopper bars and seat and turned
into Roadsters for the better pursuit of
canyon carving excellence. As a result,
Hi-riders in their original garb are seldom
seen. Chuck Bohn’s is one of the few instock condition.
Chuck didn’t set out to buy a Hi-rider. In
2002, he had a 1971 Commando and was
looking for a later model. A friend said
his uncle was the second owner of a low-
mileage 1974 machine that was parked in
his living room. Chuck pursued the deal
— and stopped dead in his tracks when
he found out it was a Hi-rider. “I was a lot
less excited.” The owner then sent photos
of the extras that came with the bike — a
Roadster seat and Euro-style bars with
nice bar-end mirrors. He also had photos
of the bike set up with the low bars and
standard seat. Chuck chewed over the
deal. “I thought, ‘It doesn’t look that bad,’
and handed over my cash. I rode the bike
set up as a Hi-rider on a club ride shortly
after I bought it, and found that people
either love it or hate it. People who know
Nortons say, ‘Oh, it’s a Hi-rider.’ People
who don’t say, ‘What did you do to that
beautiful bike?’”
The uncle who kept the bike in the liv-
ing room had ridden it 10 miles once a
month. Although he owned it for years,Norton’s famous “Norton Girl” ads included the Hi-rider 750.