Piston wanted!

-JdK- Gary in the UK is looking for a +0.040 piston for his 1929 Model 19 Norton. In his own words: "I have owned the Norton for nearly 15 years and it has been a brilliant bike traveling to the Isle of Man many times and numerous local trips. It always starts with in a couple of kicks but recently has got a bit noisy and an investigation of the top end found a worn out piston with 60 thou ring gaps. I am looking for a plus 40 thou piston for this Norton; please contact this website if anyone is able to help"

Sturmey-Archer 4-speed HW gearboxes

 

-JdK- Now here's a nice challenge; I've had the gearbox in the photo above for many years and after a long time found the positive stop mechanism for it and aimed to fit it to my 1931 CS1. To my surprise it did not fit! The bolt and 'cam plate quadrant lever' foul the frame.

This was a surprise at the gearbox shell is clearly labelled EIV 30F which identifies it as a Norton box according to the S-A catalogue.

Then last week I got the photo's below from Thomas in Germany who has two S-A 4-speed gearboxes and they differ in the position of this 'cam plate quadrant lever'. It can be in a high or low position. Note that inside the box, the 'cam plate' and 'indexing plunger' will also be at a different postion.

Now the question is; as both boxes are clearly for Norton motorcycles, which models do they fit to? My guess is that the box with the lever at the lower position will fit the 1931 and later models with the heavier frames. And is the box with the lever on the top position meant for the 1927-1930 models?

Please contact us when you can help.

More on belt drive Nortons

 

-JdK- Martin in the UK read Adam's post on his belt drive Norton and in return provided us with the words below:

"As regular readers of this blog may recall, I have been a fan of these fine machines [belt drive Nortons] for years but have suffered declining health in recent years which frustrated my own project to restore and ride a derelict one acquired whilst working in Australia in the 1990s.

My unfinished project was passed on a few years ago to an enthusiast half my age to complete, but as yet it remains a project.  Meantime I stumbled across a letter (below) from the late 1920s written by a CS1 owner who had bought an old belt driver and rediscovered the pleasure of riding such a simple bike fast.  I sent this article to Adam to ignite his interest knowing he was already a CS1 owner.

He was lucky to find and buy a good early model in a recent auction and I have helped him get it into shape for road use after some years gathering dust in a private collection. Lacking a good exhaust valve to replace the burned original, I machined him a new one (pictured) from a 1909 car valve which has restored the “pep” of the original without risking damage to the relatively fragile valve seat of its antique barrel. Modern valves can easily damage softer cast iron valve seats.

A pair of Continental 22” x 2” wired-on tyres (replacing the tired beaded edge tyres fitted when bought) have given a measure of confidence for modern road use, and Adam is now really enjoying the delights of fast road riding in the manner of Henry Williamson who also loved his own several belt drive Nortons. (See my article on Williamson and his Nortons elsewhere on this blog.)

The belt drive Norton is unquestionably a young rider’s machine which can still deliver performance most modern onlookers can’t believe, as witness his recent experience in Belgium.  Well done that man! Just don’t overdo it!!"

Wanted - Moore CS1 cylinder bolts

 

-JdK- I've finally started assembling my Moore CS1 Norton and off course one of the bolts holding the head to the barrel snapped. These are rather special and while they can be made it should be done using high grade steel which my cheap Chinese lathe doesn't like.

So, does anyone have one or two of these bolts (see the photo) or perhaps a complete set that you are willing to part with; please let me know. I don't mind if they are a bit chewed up.

Adam's 1915 Model 9TT

 

-JdK- Adam sent us these pics and words: "I've just done over 100 miles on the bike in Belgium at the 'Where is Anna?' event and then onto the 'Oude Klepper Parade'... it didn't miss a beat all weekend.

I can honestly say a single speed, belt drive Norton is the most fun I've ever experienced on a motorcycle. These bikes are fast and handle beautifully. The lack of clutch, gearbox and working brakes really add to the feeling of 'being connected to the bike' and being completely 'In the presant' whilst riding.

Aesthetically (in my opinion) there are no finer machines, the simplicity of a model 9TT is truly a motorcycle at the pinnacle of automotive design."

Dad's Nortons

 

-JdK- Kim in the UK contacted us and sent us the attached photo's of his dad's Nortons.

A genuine 1938 Norton sidecar chassis

 

 -JdK- An email from Alain in New Zealand: "I have a 1956 Norton 19S 600 single, a genuine barn find. Due to age/balance/ailments, etc. I tried to find a suitable sidecar, as you well know the 19S was designed to lug one. After a number of false starts, I found the chassis pictured above, in the North Island. Turns out to be a genuine Norton chassis. Barry Stickland from the NOC has one on his girder Inter. He found another, as well as knowing somebody else with one.  In other words, a grand total of three in UK (at least known of), plus mine here. Barry has the numbers of the other three and mine falls in between those from which we can make out mine is approximately 1938. It's a bit grim, but hopefully some TLC will revive it. The 19 inch tyre has plenty of tread and on the side wall is stamped "Reid Rubber made in NZ for Avon Tyres". My sidecar wheel is painted silver in the middle with the usual two red pin stripe lines. The agricultural lumps and lengths of angle iron have been removed and a very good friend of mine is repairing the odd hairline crack or two. Unfortunately, have no idea where the sidecar body, if there was one, has gone."

Dad's Norton

 

-JdK- David in the UK sent us this photograph and provided the text that follows: "I have a photograph of my father taken in 1938/39; he would be about 19 years old. He is sitting astride a Norton Inter. I think it is a lovely period image, it is black & white, he is dressed in collar and tie, tweed jacket and baggy trousers, and he looks as pleased as could be.

The story goes that he collected the bike from the “Low Level” railway goods station in Wolverhampton and rode it to his parents home in the suburbs of Wolverhampton. He was and remained until his death a fanatic for things motoring."

Richard had a look and comments: "It's always good to see photos from the time these bikes were used daily. The bike is either 1932 or 1933 but the interesting thing is it has a racing end-feed cambox. These were only fitted to the competition engines in the early 1930s so the cambox was probably fitted at a later date. I also see the front tyre is a trials pattern, so possibly used for grass track or sand racing before David's father bought it. The registration number is for Edinburgh, Scotland so it seems the bike had moved around. Note that it has a few non-standard bits and seems to have a dynamo run from the crank like the Moore OHC engines."

1929 Model 19 Norton barrel - wanted

 

-JdK- Dan in Australia is looking for a barrel for his 1929 Model 19; please contact us when you can help. In his own words: 

"The project is a basket case. Engine number 423xx and Frame number 588 S392xx. According to Chris Streather the engine was despatched to Australia in Jan 1929 and the frame in Sept 1929. So a bitsa.

I have a good frame, engine mount plates, tank, oil tank, Magdyno, guards, footpegs, brake pedal, levers, seat frame and handlebars. Webb forks are incomplete, front wheel has been sourced but I haven’t got it yet, engine came with some bits of barrel but none of them are any good. Besides the barrel I need pushrods and all the nuts and bolts. I have a later model big end (1” mainshafts) in good condition and a rusty big end with the correct 7/8” mainshafts which I’m hoping to resurrect. Piston I can get from JP Pistons in Adelaide, they have the pattern

The gearbox and clutch are missing various bits, but I’m hopeful I can source those locally or fabricate them myself from a pattern.

Apart from that its all the little bits, fuel and oil lines and fittings, cables, nuts and bolts, chains and sprockets etc etc etc.

But the biggest hurdle is the barrel. 1929 Model 19. Bore 79mm x stroke 120mm"

Moore CS1 Norton

 

-JdK- Klaus was clearing out old paperwork when he came across a pile of VMCC magazine from the 1980/90s. Inside one of them he found this little article containing workshop pictures of (probably) Mr Moore and his CS1 engine.