Jimmy Shaw, 1922 Model 18 Norton

From the Motor Cycling Ireland website

Jimmy Shaw riding a Model 18 Norton at the first Ulster Grand Prix in 1922. Is that a bicycle pump in his left boot and a spare tyre wrapped to his belt?

c1924 Model 19 Norton and sidecar

From the Motor Cycling Ireland website.

"Dene Allen and his passenger, Jimmy Bryant, who were virtually unbeatable in Sidecar racing during the 1920's, in action on Portmarnock Strand in 1924." The Norton is a 588cc Model 19.

Very early OHV heads

We've seen early OHV heads, identified by the sloping fins, and now Reece seems to have found a very early OHV head. Reece: "I have come across an interesting early cylinder head. If you look carefully at both heads (above) you will notice that the one on the right has conventional sleeve-head nut recesses while the one on the left does not and would have originally have had nuts or dome nuts to hold the head down. It has never been drilled for recesses. Both heads do not have dates stamped. I thought it must be a very early head."

Joe Craig, 1924 Model 18 Norton

From the Motor Cycling Ireland website.

Joe Craig with his 1924 Model 18 Norton.

Simon: "I had a feeling I had seen this bike before and I have run it to earth in Dennis Howard's Norton book published in 1972 and marred by very poor photographic reproduction/print quality. The shot of Joe which was included in that book shows him at the end of the 1924 Ulster with the inevitable cigarette clamped firmly between thumb and forefinger, mounted on IA4906. This view shows the triangular engine plate extension on the timing side which carried the exhaust valve lifter cable stop etc. This seems to have been dropped on the 1925 bikes so the photo above probably dates from 1924."

1930 Norton ad

Sent by Marcel

A 1930 Norton advert by the Dutch Norton agent Piet van Wijngaarden. The Norton is a CS1.

c1925 Model 19 Norton

By Simon

Here's another from the Mansell box of pics - shows Geoff Studdert, a Dublin university student with a 588 preparing to have a good time on the sand. Note the bits and pieces that were deemed too heavy and were removed from the bike. It has a single spring clutch and these did not become standard wear until late 1925 so the photo probably dates from 1926 or 1927.

Roger: "I've done a fin count and there could be too few so the bike could be a 490cc Model 18, not a 588cc Model 19".

Vintage Norton connecting rods

By Simon

Vintage Norton connecting rods - with 5/8" diameter gudgeon pins - have a reputation for fragility but I suspect they were no worse than any others at the time. Here's a Barimar publicity photograph showing before and after views of a repaired 1930 Model 19 crankcase. The damage looks typical of that caused by rod breakage. And in case anyone thinks this was a high milage elderly machine let me add that the photos were taken in 1932 or 1933 at the latest. The engine number 47348 belonged to a Model 19 supplied in April 1930 equipped with a ribbed front tyre and 3.50 x 19 rear tyre so presumably it was for solo use. The unlucky owner - if he still had the bike at the time of the blow-up - was a Mr H S Norton of Kings Heath, Birmingham......a member of the family? Or perhaps not: Norton is not that rare a surname!

Roger: "I am not convinced that the damage to the nearside crankcase was caused by a broken rod poking through the side. Although I could accept that a short rod (as in broken) could punch a hole at the front of the engine I am less sure that it would generate enough upward force to fracture the case in that way. Perhaps there is a different explanation for the damage and the clue might be the broken lug on the bottom of the offside casting.  If the machine had been involved in an accident with the main impact on the nearside top of the crankcase it would cause the damage shown in the pictures including breaking the nearside case in half as there would have been a horizontal component to the force."

Simon: "Whether or not rod breakage caused the damage is difficult to tell nearly 80 years later.  I can tell you that this is the third crankcase I have seen with breakage across the drive side main bearing and one of them belonged to me - and was caused by rod breakage, not gudgeon pin, just below the gudgeon pin. My breakage also shattered the lower rear of the barrel and wrenched it from the c/case. It was left hanging on the exhaust pipe! The chap folowing me at Brands Hatch complained afterwards he was showered with bits of hot metal as the piston disintegrated also!  For what it's worth (not much) the third crankcase broken in this way belongs - still - to a 1926 Works engine belonging to a former Norton team member from the Duke era.  It has also been welded up but not as neatly as the Barimar job.   I did some work on it for the owner about thirty years ago...."

Stanley at the 1929 Assen TT

By Simon

Here's Stanley at Assen in 1929 with the works Model CJ Norton. Looks like a publicity photo as one of the upper words is 'Valvoline.' Does anyone know who the chap is in the trendy waistcoat? A CJ with the same number plate (no proof it was the same bike!) was used in 1929/30 by Graham Goodman, one of the works trials riders and a very good one, by all accounts. He was - of all things - a manufacturer of pins and retired from trials at the end of 1932.

The brakes are 7 inch back (Enfield) and front: the front seemingly like those used on the works CS1s at the time, made by HORTON. See this blog photo for a front view of this brake.The rear brake rod angle is a bit odd but you will find that most of the late twenties work bikes (like this one) had the brake arm on the rear brake pointing upwards while the standard CS1 and CJ machines had it pointing downwards. The other production saddle tank bikes (like the 1929 Model 18) had upward pointing brake arms. I have been told that the reason for the works bikes having the arm pointing upwards was simply that there was slightly less likelihood of locking the wheel with it mounted this way than when pointing downwards. If the front eight inch Enfield brake is anything to go by, it is not that good with the brake arm trailing (the standard set-up) and vastly improved by having it leading instead.

The fork bump stops were made by Webbs and appear in their literature. They seems to have been used on most of the works Nortons in the late twenties/early thirties.

Roger: "There is a very odd lug bolted on the front down-tube just below the steering head which looks silver in colour and I have no idea what that was for. Trial around 1930 were more long distance reliability trials than the mud plugging that became the standard after the war. I have some pictures of the AJS team at Brooklands at the end of the ISDT where the machines look more like Brooklands racers than trials bikes. I am not surprised that OX9041 was used for such trials, all that would be needed would be a different cam, carburation and a compression plate. Jimmie Simpson was still competing in trials on a Norton in the very early 30s"

1928 Norton pricelist

Sent by Viktor

The 1928 Czech Norton price list; many of the models sporting a 4-speed gearbox. Let's assume that the model labelled CS1 is an ES2 and that ordering a CS2 would get you a CS1!

Stanley on a c1928 CS1

Sent by Alf

Clearly Stanley Woods, don't know the other rider. Lucien Psalty (Norton's agent in France) is on the left. The picture was taken in France c1929. The machines are CS1 Nortons. Note the right hand exhausts and extra long footrests as fitted to the racing machines.

-SG- Having had a look at photos on the Internet and elsewhere, I think the unknown rider may well be Pietro Ghersi.  Ghersi, famous as a racing driver in the thirties, also rode bikes with considerable success in the twenties and towards the end of the decade seems to have ridden in a few events on works Nortons.  Indeed, against one of the 1928 TT machines listed in the records  (all shown as being 'despatched' to Norton Motors on 22 May 1928) is the note: '21 June 1929 - sent to Mototecnica (Norton's Italian agents) for Ghersi.'

c1924 Model 18 Norton

A c1924 Model 18 Norton; with a few extra bits and pieces fitted that may have to do with the electric lights? Martin: "The ER numbers were first issued by Cambridgeshire in July 1922, and finished in September 1928 when the VE series started." Simon: "Note the usual Best and Lloyd oil pump but the outlet from it does not go to a Y-piece for dripping onto both inlet and exhaust cams - as later - but just goes to a single union above the exhaust cam..."

1930 Model 18 Norton

A Dutch registration and a very Dutch scenery. The registrations ("H") are from the Amsterdam area ("Zuid-Holland"). The Norton is a 1930 Model 18.

Simon: "What a good photo - interesting to note the tank lining, cast alloy magneto shield and cast alloy primary chain cover. Difficult to see if the latter is two piece (as in '29) or only one piece like Patrick's bike. I had one of the cast alloy magneto covers when I first bought my Model 18 in 1956. The securing bolts fell out as I was riding along the road one day, the cover fell into the road and was promptly squashed by a following truck into a myriad of irreparable pieces.............."

1926 Model 18 Norton

A nice shot of a circa 1926 Model 18.