Norton 850 Commando By Federal Moto

The guys at Federal Moto, a new workshop out of Canada, have jumped right into the deep end with their first build: a 1974 Norton 850 Commando.

This particular bike was discovered on a farm in Rimbey, Alberta, and it was not in great shape. After stripping it down to its frame, Federal Moto cut the rear section of the tube out and shortened and reshaped the frame to leave one clean line intact. In order to slice off nearly 30 pounds, every piece of excess metal was removed from the frame, from the fender mounts to the rear foot peg mounts. The original engine remains, but the new wheels are 19” Coker Diamond Treads, while the fenders are mid-50s Triumph models taken from a junk pile, reshaped and repainted matte black. Overall, it’s a really impressive build, and a serious bid by Federal Moto for rookie of the year award.