Brady Ingelse’s interest in classic motorcycles was sparked back in the mid-nineties, after he’d purchased his very first bike. It came in the form of a neglected 1976 Honda CB750 which hadn’t run for about a decade, and a full service was needed before it could even be considered roadworthy. With the UJM resurrected and ridden for a few miles, Brady was hooked for life.
He went on to attend the American Motorcycle Institute in Daytona Beach, Florida after finishing high school, so as to deepen his technical knowledge as much as possible. Having graduated in the year 2000, our protagonist spent the following six years working for a dealership in his home state of Wisconsin. Come 2006, Brady decided it was time to move on to greater things and establish his own bike shop with a focus on classics.
Retrospeed was thus founded in Belgium – the town in Wisconsin, not the European country. The firm specializes mainly in restorations, and it is nowadays home to three other employees besides big boss Ingelse. Concours builds may be their primary focus, but these folks won’t shy away from tackling a custom project on occasion. This Norton Commando 750 offers a nice glimpse of what happens when they do.
It was put together in 2019 for a client named Dan, who’d been keen on the Norton marque ever since he was in high school. However, he somehow only got his first Norton at 57-years-old, after owning more than 30 different motorcycles. With a 1971-model Commando 750 in his possession, Dan began considering whether to have it restored or customized, eventually opting for the latter.
Seeing some of Retrospeed’s previous projects on the web, he didn’t hesitate to give Brady a call and start discussing the details. Together they formed a clear idea of what needed to be done, and the antique British icon got taken apart as soon as it arrived at the shop. A full custom attire was on the menu, so Retrospeed enrolled the help of a California-based metalwork expert named Evan Wilcox.
Photo: Grant Schwingle
With aluminum as his material of choice, Evan shaped a stunning oil and fuel tank combo from scratch, following it up with a plain cafe racer tail. He came up with bespoke front and rear fenders, as well, while Brady’s specialists revised the motorcycle’s subframe to accept the new tail section. A circular LED taillight has been recessed into the cowl and an unobtrusive license plate bracket was attached underneath.
There’s a solo black leather seat placed in between the fuel tank and tail, along with an additional strap making its way onto the former. Retrospeed also made a sturdy side stand to replace the Commando’s centrally-mounted factory unit, then they moved on to the suspension sector. The OEM forks were kept in play, but they’ve been cleaned up externally and fitted with fresh internals from Lansdowne.
On the opposite end, you will now find a pair of adjustable Ohlins shock absorbers taking good care of suspension-related affairs. The swingarm gained some additional bracing for improved structural rigidity, while the front and rear drum brakes were retained and completely rebuilt. They’re now coupled with Buchanan’s spokes and nipples, which ultimately connect to shouldered alloy rims from Excel.
Photo: Grant Schwingle
Ample grip is provided by Avon Roadrider tires fore and aft. The Commando 750’s powertrain was in desperate need of some TLC when delivered to Brady’s crew, so the custom sorcery continued with a comprehensive overhaul of its parallel-twin mill. Retrospeed installed higher-spec crankshaft bearings, a new cam, and high-compression pistons, as well as an electronic ignition system for a pinch of modern-day reliability.
The gearbox was refurbished, too, and inhaling is now done via a premium aftermarket air filter. On the exhaust side of things, we find stainless-steel plumbing shaped to resemble the Commando’s original pipes. This makes perfect sense, because Norton’s legend had one of the best-looking exhausts you could find on a production bike of that era. High-grade oil and fuel lines feed the engine with all the juice it needs.
Up in the cockpit, we still see the stock twin gauges that came from the factory, but they’ve been reconditioned inside out. A fresh handlebar is located a bit further back, wearing the standard Commando 750 grips, Tommaselli control levers, and a tiny kill switch. The bike’s retro headlight is operated by way of a Lucas switch placed atop its housing.
Rounding out the ergonomic package are CNC-machined rearsets from Colorado Norton Works, and the last thing for Retrospeed to take care of was the color scheme. A lustrous, polished alloy finish was chosen for the bodywork components, while the frame was painted in a gorgeous shade of blue for contrast. Upon completion, Dan got invited to meet his new ride and was absolutely thrilled with what he saw.
A bit of an artist himself, Silvian sees two- and four-wheeled machines as a form of art, especially restomods and custom rides. Oh, and if you come across a cafe racer article on our website, it’s most likely his doing. Full profile
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