1930 Norton engines - SOLD

An email from Jiří in the Czech republic

"Dear Norton friends, I have SOLD for sale two 1930 engines and an early barrel and head.

The first engine is a Model 19 - engine number 47874 for € 2000 (above).

The second a Model 20 - engine number 47941 for € 2000 (above).

Then a 1925 barrel and head for a Model 19 - number 12979 for € 750 (above). The engines and parts can be delivered at Netley Marsh, 8-9 September."

-SG- The Model 20 engine was shipped to Weigel in May 1930 and the Model 19 engine going to an outfit I have not heard of called G K and G Cassavetty in February 1930. The earlier 588 head and barrel - number 12979 - formed part of one of the earliest production Model 19s and was shipped out in March 1925 to yet another agent - Horak Hlava. It formed part of a very sporting combination fitted with Webb forks, steering damper and a Hughes sidecar. Note the head with short valve springs and spring retainers for use with the so-called straight rockers, one of which remains.

Contact vintagenorton.com when you are interested and we will forward your email to Jiří

Per Nystrom again

Another Nystrom picture from the late twenties - is it the same bike? Looks in sprint set-up with dropped bars etc.

1922 Model Big Four Norton frame and forks

Just sold on eBay; 1000 GBP and 1800 GBP for the Druid forks and frame respectively.

1930 supplementary parts list

Owners of 1930 Nortons may have discovered there is no specific parts list for the 1930 range. All that was published was seemingly the short supplement to the 1929 list above.

Douglas Lamb, 1929 CS1 Norton

Photo sent by Noisy Norton

This professional photo (not by S R Keig) shows Douglas Lamb who rode works Nortons in 1929. Note the big oil tank and r/h pipe head although it has the regular 8 inch Enfield front wheel. Sadly Lamb died as a result of a serious crash at Greeba on the first lap.

1932 Model 30 Norton

From the MCN website

Mr Dury on his OHC Norton; likely a 1932 Model 30. The numberplate GX76xx was issued in 1932; the picture was probably taken in the 1950s.

1927 tank lining

By Alf

I came across these detailed drawings that were given to me by my friend Geoff Morris many years ago; as you can see they show detailed measurements for painting a 1927 petrol tank and oil tank. He had a very original flat tank 16H that I would think he took the measurments from.

-SG- These two photos (above) I received from a friend in Ireland of his April 1926 Model 18 Oil Tank, which is believed to be original.  He confirm the lining sizes etc as the sketches above but points out the top line - behind the filler neck - is slightly different.  Probably depended who was wielding the brush on the day!  

c1935 Model 30 Norton

Sent by Howard

No idea who this is, but what a great photo!

Dene Allen, c1925 Model 19 Norton and sidecar

The recent photo of Dene Allen and passenger larking around on the sand reminds of this slightly more formal photo which appeared in the 1926 Norton Achievments brochure. It appears his machine was a 588. The Tailteann Games were held in Phoenix Park, Dublin and Dene Allen won his class in both '24 and '25 while solo winner - no surprise - was Jimmy Shaw.

The brochure concerned - all fifty pages of it - covers all aspects of Norton activity during 1925 and much stress is laid on the 'same as you can buy' theme, which bearing in mind the rather special nature of TT and Brooklands machines by this date, is, I feel, rather 'over the top' - to use a modern phrase!

Jimmy's and Stanley's factory CS1 Norton

By Simon

Back in June 2010, we had a photo of Stanley Woods and a Moore CS1 with registration number KS3900 (reproduced above) and here is another - courtesy Motor Cycling Ireland. Stanley's letter to Paul Adams, also reproduced last June,  mentions this particular machine although he does not give the registration number. Then we hear indirectly from David Crawford in Ireland that KS3900 was a favourite bike and that when Stanley left Nortons in 1933 he was a bit upset at having to give it back! Perhaps Nortons were peeved at his leaving because a five year old and fairly standard CS1 would not have had a great value to the factory at the time and it does seem rather mean-spirited to ask for its return.

However, a further link to this machine is the comment in Stanley's letter that, before it was 'issued' to him in September 1928, the bike had been given to Jimmy Guthrie - a new boy to the Norton team in 1928 - so that he could learn to ride a Norton! Stanley also mentions that it was an ex-show machine.  However a search of the records did not come up with any CS1s from the tail end of 1927 with any indication that any of them had been show bikes nor could I find one with Norton Motors shown as the Agent in the relevant column in the despatch books -  an occasional method of entry used when machines were recorded in the system but remained Norton property.

I therefore decided to check on the registration number - issued in Hawick, Guthrie's home town. After an initial set-back (Hawick Museum records stop with KS3748) I finally got to the frame and engine number from brief records held by the Kithead Trust. These were engine number 378xx and frame number 311xx, and a copy of the Kithead record card is below. Note the last owner! What happened to the bike after its return is anyone's guess - it may have been sold to one of Norton's more favoured dealers and re-registered, or just scrapped.

So, back to the despatch records again and there it is  - in a section written by someone with the most diabolical writing which is my only excuse for failing to find it before - despatched 11 Feb 1928 to J Guthrie, Hawick. No extra notes that it was anything other than standard, apart from a ribbed front tyre.  No mention that it was an ex show bike either but the short cryptic comment 'For practise prior to TT', thus confirming what Stanley said in his letter to Paul some fifty eight years later!

1920s Model 18 Norton

From the web

"Peter and Bob Gale prepare to take their flat-tank Norton to the Knatt's Valley Hill Climb in the 1950s."

The shape of the oiltank suggests a 1928 model; the steering damper clamp on the frame and the saddle suggest a much earlier Norton. Being a racer it was probably built from whatever was available.

c1935 Model 20 Norton

Sent by Howard

Clearly a Model 20 but difficult to date accurately. Note the vintage speedo-drive fitted to the outside of the front brake drum.

Norton or Harley...?

By Simon

When is a Norton not a Norton? When it's a Harley! This photo from Peter Roydhouse shows a late twenties scene in New Zealand where a certain amount of measuring seems to be going on. The cycle parts into which the Norton engine has been fitted are Harley Peashooter. No one has yet been able to identify any of the individuals concerned, nor, precisely when/where so come on, Kiwis, put your thinking caps on - someone must know!

Stanley Woods, 1932 Model 40 Norton

Sent by Howard and Alf

Stanley Woods on a Model 40, winner of the Junior TT. Joe Craig stands on the left. Roger: "The picture is 1932 as the check springs are present but plated. This was seen at the TT in 1932 but not 1933. 

Alf: "Another photo from a different angle; I wonder if it is Walter Handley shaking hands with him."

1929 Model CS1 Norton - SOLD

Coming up for auction in the USA. The description below comes from the auctioneer's website. It may have been at the Isle of Man at one stage of it's life, but there is little to suggest this is a works machine.

- 1929 Norton CS1 Overhead Cam TT Racer
- Engine #CS41859
- Frame #30323
- This is a TT model racer with close ratio gearbox
- Probably competed in the Isle of Man

Simon: "This is not a TT bike and has no connection with the event as far as I can see from a quick look at the records. The frame and engine do not belong together for a start - engine nuber 41859 originally formed part of a very standard CS1 (equipped with dynamo) supplied in December 1928 to a dealer in Kendal (now in Cumbria) who in turn supplied his customer in Feb. '29. Customer's name is illegible. Frame number of this bike was NOT 30323! A look for the frame number 30323 shows it dates from January 1928 when it formed part of an ES2 supplied to Yorkshire dealer Dan Bradbury. So all in all, a composite bike which looks quite well presented even though the restorer has given way to temptation and plated the brake arms!"


Sold for approx. € 35.000.

Bailey's 1929 Model 16H Norton

Bailey from Australia sent these photo's; he's still looking for the correct headlight.

Alec Bennett, 1927 Model CS1 Norton

By Simon

There are several photos in existence of Alec Bennett and the CS1 at the end of the 1927 TT.  One has appeared on the blog already.  The one above is the only one I have come across  taken from the side, the others being mainly three quarter front views.  As a result it is the only one where one can - just - pick out the  jury-rigged rear brake anchorage with bolted on clips on the two lower rear stays.  Graham Walker in his 'Seen from the Saddle' series originally published in Motor Cycling in the war years and now being re-printed in The Classic MotorCycle, mentioned that the 1927 works Nortons suffered from bent frames where the rear brake  anchor was initially located and this was the solution to the problem.

More early heads

By Simon

I have been looking for photos of early OHV heads. The head on the prototype which appeared at Brooklands (top) differs from that shown in the lower pic, although the rocker set up is similar so the date must be close. The Brooklands head (top) does not have the tension springs fitted although the hooks are in place. It is not possible to see if the heads are held down by sleeve nuts or plain nuts unfortunately. It is interesting to note that both have a total of 19 fins on head/barrel and the Brooklands head has the vertical saw cut mid way through the fins - as do the later production versions. Also note that the sloping fins are not present at this early stage and that the barrel of the Brooklands pic. has a flat boss on it - perhaps in anticipation of the push rod return spring bracket. And both have the dummy plug hole on the push rod side of the head.

Per Nystrom and his factory racer

Pic sent by Wim

This photo comes from the Swedish 1930 Norton brochure and shows Per Nystrom (on the left), most probably with the c1926 Norton that featured on this blog before; note the slim petrol tank, the TT Webbs and the straps holding the George Dance knee grips.

1937 OHV Model Norton

Above a photo of a Mr Allen West from Brentford, Middlesex, and passenger on an OHV Norton.

Martin: "The FMF registration series was first issued by Middlesex County Council in December 1936 and finished in March 1937, so that dates the bike quite accurately as early 1937."

Henrik Moller, c1924 Model 18 Norton

By Simon

The recent photo of H.Moller and the works 1926 Norton ON6793 has prompted a comment from Ken in New Zealand regarding Moller, accompanied by another photo (above) taken somewhat earlier (probably 1924-ish) showing an 'oil in the fuel tank' Model 18, which was possibly one of the earlier imports of an OHV Norton into NZ.

The H initial apparently stood for Henrik - although sometimes shown as Henri and sometimes as plain Henry - and Moller is sometimes Moeller. Be that as it may, Mr M was of Danish extraction and a keen Norton rider as well as a successful businessman. His enthusiasm for the marque may be gauged by the fact that one of his children was christened Norton! It appears that his racing activities in NZ in the twenties were centred on grass track events - which at the time were held on horse racing courses. He achieved some pretty good times too, for instance ten miles at the New Plymouth course in 8 minutes 41 seconds in the 1926/7 season while a year earlier he had managed 8 minutes 40 seconds for the same distance at Opotiki. His business prospered and ultimately represented Jaguar, Citroen and Yamaha.