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Touring Motorcycles

1985Norton Commando Interpol 2

23 fields on record

The 1985 Norton Commando Interpol 2 is a British touring bike with a 588cc parallel twin. It has a 5-speed gearbox and a 23-litre tank.

Capacity: 588.0 ccm
Engine: Parallel Twin
Gearbox: 5-speed
Dry weight: 235.0 kg
Seat height: Not on record
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Power: 85.0 HP (63.4 kW)

⇄ Compare with another bike ＋ Add to garage All model years

Other years 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

How it rides

Editorial estimate from the spec sheet - not lab tested

Off-road & trail10%

Cornering35%

City riding35%

Daily riding55%

Touring90%

Two-up65%

Track10%

Best for: Touring motorcycle built for its class - distance comfort and touring.
Built for: A touring motorcycle from Norton, built around a 588cc engine - a real production model, but this profile is formula-generated from its class and spec sheet rather than individually reviewed.
Not ideal for: Not for aggressive off-road or track use.

Scores are derived from the spec sheet using the same model across every bike, so they compare like for like.

Reliability & safety

Bike Reliability score, safety recalls and owner complaints

Bike Reliability

How the score works →

out of 100Excellent

The Norton Commando Interpol 2 passed its annual roadworthiness test first time 95.8% of the time, 12.0 points above expected for bikes of the same age and mileage. That beats 97% of models.

Bikes first registered in 1985 have 70 tests, too few for their own score, so this covers every year.

95.8%Passed first time

2.3%Failed outright

1.9%Fixed during test

23,000Typical miles

216Tests

Pass rate by miles ridden

0-10k

96.7%

10-20k

95.3%

40-50k

93.8%

50k+

93.2%

All years of this model.

Against its rivals · ranks 1 of 6

#	Model (all years)	Score	Tests
1	Norton Commando Interpol 2	97 Excellent	216
2	BMW R 65 LS	75 Good	192
3	Kawasaki Z 650 SR D-4	49 Average	541
4	Kawasaki Z 650 F	48 Average	278
5	Triumph TSX	35 Below average	178
6	Yamaha XZ 550	34 Below average	183

Rivals are the most-viewed bikes on MotorcycleDB in the same category and engine size, from within three years of this model.

From British annual roadworthiness tests, 2005-2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (DVSA MOT test data, Great Britain). How Bike Reliability works.

Full specifications

Engine

Capacity: 588.0 ccm
Power: 85.0 HP (63.4 kW)
Torque: 75.3 Nm (7.7 kgf-m)
Engine type: Parallel Twin
Power/weight ratio: 0.3617 HP/kg (dry)
Compression: 8.8:1
Starting: Electric

Transmission

Gearbox: 5-speed
Transmission type: Manual
Final drive: Chain

Dimensions & weight

Wheelbase: 1486 mm
Dry weight: 235.0 kg
Fuel capacity: 23.00 litres
Seat height: Not on record - add it

Chassis & suspension

Front suspension: Ø38 mm Telescopic forks
Rear suspension: Twin Girling gas units, 3-way adjustable for preload.
Front wheel travel: 130 mm

Brakes & wheels

Front brakes: 2 x Ø265 mm discs
Front brakes diameter: 265 mm
Rear brakes: Single Ø265 mm disc
Rear brakes diameter: 265 mm
Front tyre: 100/90-18
Rear tyre: 110/80-18

Specs last verified against published sources: November 2026.

Compiled from manufacturer documentation and user contributions, corrected on an ongoing basis. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

What changed, year to year

Differences highlighted

Specification	1984	1985	1987	1988	1989
Capacity	588 cc	588 cc	588 cc	588 cc	588 cc
Dry weight	235 kg	235 kg	235 kg	235 kg	235 kg
Fuel capacity	23 L	23 L	23 L	23 L	23 L
Bike Reliability ⓘ	Too few tests	Too few tests	Too few tests	Too few tests	Too few tests