Norton 850 COMMANDO
Real ownership data from 73 UK 850 COMMANDO motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common 850 COMMANDO problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | fail | 19.2% |
| Brakes | fail | 6.7% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 2.5% |
| Suspension | fail | 2.5% |
| Tyres | fail | 2.5% |
| Wheels | fail | 0.8% |
| Frame and structure | user entered | 0.8% |
| Controls and cables | fail | 0.8% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is brakes.
850 COMMANDO mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| Year | Examples | Median mileage | Miles/year | First-time pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 7 | 30,706 mi | 436 | 88.64% |
| 1976 | 8 | 43,680 mi | 104 | 90.91% |
| 1975 | 13 | 16,292 mi | 67 | 97.83% |
| 1974 | 17 | 29,802 mi | 152 | 86.3% |
| 1973 | 5 | 32,618 mi | 968 | 86.96% |
850 COMMANDO questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Norton 850 COMMANDO?
Across 73 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (19.2% of all recorded faults), brakes (6.7% of all recorded faults), steering and head bearings (2.5% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Norton 850 COMMANDO?
The median Norton 850 COMMANDO in the UK has covered 21,288 miles, and typically rides about 194 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 9,237 and 37,325 miles.
Is the Norton 850 COMMANDO reliable?
89.25% of Norton 850 COMMANDO MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.4 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 73 Norton 850 COMMANDO motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.