Bennett's 1925 TT Norton ?

From "The Classic Motorcycle, July 1991, pp 53-57''. Sent by Hans. Click the images for a full-page version. Refer to this blog entry for more info on this bike.

...and Simon's comments. From "The Classic Motorcycle, August 1991, p 26". More comments in this blog entry.

Why Guthrie, White and Frith did not compete in Australia

A letter from the Norton works dated 10 July 1937.  Sent by Dennis

The Motorcyclist Review

From "The Motorcyclist Review, August 1927". Sent by Simon.

The Motorcyclist Review was a monthly paper which ran from about 1925 to 1930. There is a full set of them at the British Newpaper Library in North London, where many other periodicals of interest can also be viewed - free! The CS1 on which Stanley was 'snapped' after his Dutch TT win carries the registration number OP8644 which is the number of the CS1 featured in the Motor Cycling road test of 9th November '27 and the 'Racer in the Rough' article from the Motor Cycle of 17th November '27.

Jock Muir, 1933, Model 40 Norton

Sent by Dennis. Text by Simon.

This is Jock (also known as Spug!) Muir. Jock never competed in the TT - only in the Manx, every year from 1930 to 1933 inclusive. His best result was the '31 Senior win, on a Norton. He also came second in '32 on a Velo in the Junior and 5th in the Senior on a Velo in 1930. In '33 he rode a 350 Norton as well and finished 13th on it.

T.T Toffee!

By Simon

There is a small paragraph in the May 31 1928 edition of The Motor Cycle to say that Stanley Woods had just started up the "TT Toffee" venture. Above is a copy of Stanley's letter head from his toffee manufacturing venture in Dublin about 1930. It folded after a short while however due to the depression.

Elsie and Mairi go to War

By Martin Shelley

I thought you might be interested to hear about a show in the Edinburgh Festival I have been involved with using the faithful 1920 16H Norton. Before the show opened, I took the author round Edinburgh to do some promotion of the show, (photo above, spoiled only by Di Atkinson's bright red sneakers, which should have been photoshopped to a dark brown to disguise them!!) and she then asked if she could use it in the actual show as a prop. This involved emptying the tank and giving the bike a thorough clean, which was actually quite a chore but has been beneficial otherwise as the bike hasn't had a 'proper' clean for a long time!

The show was called 'Elsie and Mairi go to War', a stirring true tale about two WW1 motorcyclists who had an amazing time nursing right on the western front near Ypres and who survived to tell the tale unlike many who perished... Take a look by following this link. Although the girls didn't actually ride Nortons, they were delighted to have the bike for the show, and it performed admirably as a static exhibit onstage, occasionally with one or other or both of them acting out a story in animated fashion. I had strapped the rear stand down so the bike couldn't roll off with disasterous consequences. After the last show, I refilled the tank and she started first kick and I rode her home!! What a performance!!

Remarkably, the My Royal Enfields blog has a post on this same subject today!

Alf's 1929 Model CS1 Norton

More photos of Alf's stunning 1929 CS1 that has probably been untouched since 1932. A unique opportunity to find out what they really looked like when they left the works. Don't bother asking, Alf won't sell!

Reece's c1925 Model 18 Norton

By Reece

About 12 or so years ago I bought an ever so slightly modified flat tank Norton. The previous owner was very short and modified it to suit him; have a really good look at the modifications including the rocker oil “troffs”! The fuel tank is an original that has been messed with, funny what people will do. Believe it or not, this bike started, ran and was rideable (if you were keen enough) when I bought it. It ran so quietly, amazing…Below as it is now.

Another Best & Lloyd automatic oil pump

By Nick Harrison

The "Best" automatic oil pump as fitted to this and this Norton.

I first came across these pumps as part of my research into Duzmo Motorcycles. I have a 1922 500cc OHV engine that I am building into a complete motorcycle, which uses this type of pump. I have an example on loan, but as the casings are made of Mazak they have disintegrated. Duzmo first used these pumps in around 1920, which seems to be when they first hit the market. They used them right up to the end of production in 1923 and it doesn't look like the pumps stayed in production for much longer after that.

I have been 'reverse engineering' the pump over that last couple of years and am close to testing first prototype with ‘dummy’ Perspex outer case. I am a mechanical design engineer by trade and I am in awe of the designer who invented this pump ninety years ago on a drawing board (see images above).

In the case of the Duzmo, the pump is driven at half engine speed. Internally it consists of a 'planocentric gearbox'. This consists of an external ‘gear’, which really has 59 cups rather than gear teeth around it’s perimeter. This is rotated on the eccentric input shaft and as it sits in an internal ‘gear’ which has supported pins rather than teeth, 60 in number, it orbits around. For every revolution of the input shaft the internal gear moves around by 1/60 of a turn. Therefore the designer has produced a gearbox with a 60:1 reduction in one step - quite an achievement (above).

The internal gear has a peg, which drives a disc with another eccentric on it. This is used to drive a plunger and seal of around 5/16” diameter. However the designer was not content with his neat gearbox alone and by means of an external lever and ‘wedge’, has devised a way of varying the stroke of the plunger.

A single oil pipe is connected to either a T piece with two one way valves, which is fitted between the standard hand oil pump and sight glass or to a single pump/sight glass that has the one way valves fitted in it (above).

As the plunger in the automatic pump is withdrawn, the oil in the connecting pipe (which must be filled with oil at all times) is drawn down the pipe displacing the same amount of oil at the one way valve from the reservoir. As the plunger returns, the same oil is pushed back up the connecting pipe, but this time is forced through the one way valve en route to the engine. (above)

Once I have established that my reverse engineering is up to scratch and the pump is reliable, I will be making a small batch. The hair spring I have in my example is broken and I only have part of it. If anyone has a complete spring or is interested in one of these pumps please get in touch. You can find out more about Duzmo and some of my other interests on my website.

Contact Nick Harrison at nick.harrison@@oakingtonplane.co.uk (please remove one @ - hopefully this will stop the spammers!) 

The 2010 West Kent Run

Rob and I went to the West Kent Run last week; rather disappointing as there were very few Nortons around but we had a great time visiting Verralls and Alf (fettling the Beemer in the pic below) and riding the Model 18's down the country lanes in Kent and Sussex.