1910 Model 3 1/2 Norton

Sent by Andrew in Australia

This Norton is an original machine. It belonged to Eric Langton (brother of Oliver). It came out of South Australia about 40 years ago. It had corroded crankcases and Eric made a pattern and cast new ones but I have the original cases in my shed. I took these and lots more photos in the ally way behind the house where it is stored. I then took it home and fixed the magneto and rode it a few times. It went really well. I spent a far amount of time talking with Eric about pattern making and lots about riding for the Scott factory in the TT and then lots about world champianship speed way racing, all very interesting. I have just about finished a pattern for the cylinders for this machine if someone needs one.

1929 Model 18 Norton

Sent by Roger

This 1929 Model 18 is owned by one of the volunteers at Brooklands and he has brought it to the museum so that its restoration can finally be completed.  I am not sure of its history except that it was owned by the present owner's father for at least 50 years.

Tucker wins the 1929 200 mile sidecar race

By Roger

I have found the attached picture of Tucker immediately after the win in the 1929 200 mile race - the numbers are the same.  The engine is clearly an ES2 but the frame is earlier and the forks are certainly side spring braced Druids. A noticeable change is the loss of the tank lining or perhaps a new tank was put on for the publicity pictures!

Like other Brooklands riders of the period, George Tucker would have kept using his machines until they were no longer serviceable.  The mid to late 1920s were a period of severe shortages with a general strike in 1926 and the depression beginning to bite in 1929 - Pat was still using his 1925 TT machine in 1929 and possibly later.  Tucker's frame is likely to have been made around 1927 and the forks could even be the 1925 TT ones - the 1925 machines used the four speed cross over gearbox so it is not that one.  The rear brakes remained the V-block type until the end of the flat tankers at Brooklands presumably because they were lighter.

The frame would be a Model 19 to take the taller engine which also has the ES2 head with the angled exhaust port.  I suspect that Norton supplied the engine - or parts - for racing as Simon has told me that the Model 19 crank won't fit the ES2 cases and I don't think that Norton sold a bigger ES2.  Tucker probably would not have had the resources to make his crankshaft and that this would therefore have been done by the works as he was a tuner rather than an engineer much like Driscoll who had others do the engineering. George was a Norton main dealer in Bristol so he would have access to factory components even if he was not officially supported by the works by that time.  He did win a Grand Pix with Walter Moore in the chair in 1923/4.

The race report says that all three Nortons were 588cc which is what I would expect.  Tucker didn't use long (8 1/2") conrods in his 490cc engines (JdK: which makes the 490cc engines appear as 588cc models) as these were only used by the Spring/Driscoll team from what I have seen.  O'Donovan did try a long rod around 1926 but he used an 8" rod from the 588 as did Pat around the same time.

Simon: "There were a few 588 ES2 engines made/sold by Nortons.  It is only the differing main shaft diameters which means that standard 588 flywheels can't be used in ES2s."

Andrew's 1910 Big Four Norton

Sent by Andrew in Australia

This is my 1910 Big 4 Norton with a ROC 2 speed rear hub. I haven’t found any others of this model anywhere. The hub is the genuine Nortoroc, not just a generic Roc hub. It is missing the parts that work the hub but I am slowly making the bits. It is quite a bit different to hubs that were used by humber and Rex. I would dearly like a frame for a 1910 single speeder or even bits of a frame but I guess that is a long hope.

I have some crankcases that I cast if anyone needs some inclusive the timing chest cover and the chain case for the mag chain.

CS1 flat tank Norton

I've seen pictures of this Norton before and recently it surfaced in the Czech Republik. Walter Moore designed both this engine and the famous three stay cradle frame; both made their public appearance in the summer of 1927 and it's very unlikely the factory would have fitted the new engine in a frame that was outdated at the end of the 1920s. Who knows more about the history of this particular machine?

Several people (Simon and Richard) have suggested it was put together by the late Wilf Green in the 1960s.

1925 Model 18 Norton

Sent by Peter in Canada

This lady on board the 1925 Model 18 Norton is my late mother in law (who was born 100 years ago, on the 17th of January). The name of the dog is not known but it looks like a real ankle biter to me! We still can't figure out exactly when the pics were taken but suspect that it was the early 1930s.

This picture shows Peter's late father in law on the Model 18. The Norton may have been a few years old when the pictures were taken. Electric lights and racy rear mudguard stays had been fitted, the front stand has been removed and what happened to the rear stand? Note the clip on his trouser's legs.

Sturmey Archer positive stop mechanisms

A few blogs ago Colin sent a few pics of a positive stop mechanism he had just bought, wondering whether it would fit his Sturmey Archer box. A few people have suggested that the positive stop he bought is actually Albion. Rob now sent a few pics of early 1930s Sturmey Archer positive stops that can be bolted to four speed boxes.

Peter's Model 19 Norton

Sent by Peter in Hungary

This is my Model 19 Norton. The motorcycle has been used for vintage racing and that's why quite a few parts are not original. I would like to rebuild it to original condition. I have the original Sturmey Archer gearbox but it has been damaged and is not complete

1929 Model 18 Norton

This tasty Model 18 was recently sold by Verralls. The plate would have been issued by London C.C. (currently London Central), in May or June 1929.

1927 Model 18 Norton

This Norton is for sale at British Only Austria; perhaps not 100% original but the essential bits and pieces seem to be all there and look correct; overall the bike looks good to me.

1927 Model 25 Norton replica

-SG- This bike was once owned by Stefan Knittel and he told me in 2008 that when he got it in 1980, it was a Model 18. It was fitted with a one piece 'look alike pannier' tank but after a while, Titch Allen sold him a proper pair which in my view are on the bike now - from the photos thereof, they look genuine. The frame is for sure Model 18.

Despite the crankcase showing 79x120, the engine is now a 490cc unit. Stefan bought the engine now in it from Lancashire collector Eric Biddle and says that it was already a 490cc unit when he got it. What is unclear is whether this engine started life as a dry sump unit or not. Only taking it apart to check the internal numbers would confirm this. Possibly, it is drive side case from the 588 engine 39497 coupled up to a timing side from a Model 21 or 25. In the records, engine number 39497 is shown as being part of a Model 19 (no mention of it being dry sump incidentally) supplied, fitted with panner tanks, in August '28 to J W Shaw but in brackets it says (for de Gourley). It also says 'Tuned for the Ulster.'

De Gourley was an Irishman who I think rode on a few occasions in the Ulster - indeed he won the Unlimited Class in 1927 - but I don't have any more info about him. He seems to have ridden in the over 500 class and the date of despatch of the bike fitted with this engine would have been in nice time for the Ulster but he did not finish for some reason or another.

The gearbox in the bike now is not the one fitted to de Gourley's machine (different number) although it is a racing box or at least a racing shell. The wheel rims on the bike now are worth mentioning - these are the first of the wired-on rims - not quite the same shape as we are used to.

Back to the bike details as first acquired by Stefan - he gave the engine and frame numbers as 33233 and 26559.  These numbers match and the bike was a standard Model 18 supplied to Pike's of Plymouth in Jan 1927.

So basically it seems to be another replica Model 25 though quite tidy. Oil tank not very good. Also worth mentioning - the 588 engine will only fit with difficulty into a Model 18 frame and this is certainly not a 588 frame.

Nortons win the 1929 Brooklands sidecar race

Sent by Wim

A very nice 1929 poster celebrating Norton victories. Tucker seems to be riding a dry sump Norton in the 600cc class.

c1910 Model 3 1/2 Norton

Joan from Barcelona sent these pics. I'm not sure about the year or model, perhaps one of the readers knows more about this motorcycle?

Howard: "As soon as I spotted this Norton I knew what it was, or to be precise what it is not. And it's not a Norton! Take a good look at the frame lugs.....its a lash-up. This bike is a replica built up by the late Bill Fruin. Bill has been dead for many years and this bike was sold at auction along with all of Bill's other bikes (many Nortons as well), and it sold for reasonable money so someone was taken in at the time. I cannot find my copy of Bill Fruin's auction catalogue but I am sure it is the same bike. I know it did the rounds for a while."

John from the UK: "I think this was a ‘fake’ stuck together by Bill Fruin and sold in the Auction of his machines in the 1980’s. I seem to remember Titch Allen covering it’s somewhat dubious history in the VMCC magazines at the time."

Simon: "Not sure if this is the Fruin fake or not - his fake was a 350cc machine not a 3 1/2 hp (ie 500cc) bike."