1968
Norton Commando 750
Colours used
in this example.
Racing green and gold set the main colour direction. Softer background tones keep the motorcycle in focus.
Suggested pencil shades, not exact factory paint matches. Test colours on your paper before building richer layers.
Keep gold edging narrow.
Keep the saddle centre lighter than its edges.
Reserve white strips for reflections.
Use loose short strokes for rough grass.
Keep the background lighter than the motorcycle.
Look a little closer.
Explore the details from different angles.
1970 Fastback, left
Later 750 Fastback side profile. Tank and tail shapes remain useful references.
Photo: Yesterdays Antique Motorcycles · Source · CC BY-SA 4.01970 Fastback, right
The same later Fastback from the opposite side.
Photo: Yesterdays Antique Motorcycles · Source · CC BY-SA 4.01970 Fastback instruments
Handlebar and instrument detail of the later 750 Fastback.
Photo: Yesterdays Antique Motorcycles · Source · CC BY-SA 4.01970 engine, right
Timing-side details of the later 750 Fastback.
Photo: Yesterdays Antique Motorcycles · Source · CC BY-SA 4.01970 engine, left
Primary-drive and crankcase finishes on the later 750 Fastback.
Photo: Yesterdays Antique Motorcycles · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0Period colour reference
Green with silver side covers is the supported early 1968 reference. Later Fastbacks also used red, including the 1970 motorcycle in this gallery. The photographed red is shown separately because its year differs.
- British Racing GreenTank and Fastback tail
- SilverSide panels
- BlackFrame and cylinder barrels
Screen swatches are a colouring guide rather than exact paint matches.
The evidence is a specialist reconstruction with conflicting later-year records. Do not read this palette as proof that every motorcycle produced during calendar 1968 was green. The exact red shade on the gallery motorcycle is unverified.
In the photographs
All five photographs show details of the same later 1970 Fastback: red tank and tail with silver side covers. Red is a documented later Commando option but these photographs do not prove a 1968 finish or the exact red paint name. Green with silver side covers remains the supported early reference.
- Red, 1970 comparison
- Silver
Visual colour guide only. These are not additional factory paint options.
In the coloured example
The example uses dark green with gold lining and a green side cover. The supported early reference has silver side covers, so change that area to silver for a closer period interpretation. The gold outline is an artistic choice.
Make the details count.
Carry the same deep green from tank to tail to unify the long body.
Leave a narrow pale line along the top of the exhaust.
Use short olive and straw strokes to suggest the rough moorland grass.
Follow your curiosity.
Model history and further reading.