1971 Norton Commando “Type 16” By Auto Fabrica

Auto Fabrica is one of those custom bike shops where you don’t really know what they’re going to come up with next. But you’re not worried one bit, because without fail, they put out something incredible each time.

Suffice it to say that everything Auto Fabrica touches turns to gold, and the decked-out 1971 Norton Commando you see above is an example of why this British is a bright star in the motorcycle community.

So, what happened here? Well, they replaced the legendary 1971 Norton Commando’s body with a brand-new aluminum one. In addition, they threw in a new amplified boat tail especially made for the bike. As such, the fluid aesthetic shines. The result is a bodywork that flows smoothly with the air-cooled parallel twin engine, which Auto Fabrica rebuilt using a high-compression head and a two-in-one stainless manifold integrated into a carburetor from Amal.

Originally, the client wanted a “Type 6,” which is a custom Yamaha XS650 built three years ago. But Auto Fabric didn’t want to do a repeat job. As a compromise, they simply added “Type 6” styling cues to the 1971 Norton Commando. The result is, as you can see, a stunner. But it was a challenge to finish.

The shop had to strip the Norton down to nothing and built everything from the ground up, and the image you see above is the result of excellent craftsmanship and a little bit of madness, just like the work of true artists.