1923/24 Model 18 Norton

 Jeff from New Zealand is piecing together and working on this c1923 Model 18

Vintage Norton Auxilliary Oil Tank?

-JdK- Currently on eBay; what is suggested to be a 'Vintage Norton racing auxilliary oil tank'. It looks a bit like the oiltanks fitted to some Model 25s like this one; however, these always seem to have a much smaller and simpler filler cap and not an oilpump; these tanks were used to lubricate the chains and relied on simple drip feed.

-Roger- This patent explains exactly what this tank is. It is a separate tank inserted in a fuel tank as a totally separate tank. It certainly has nothing to do with an additional tank for a Norton - racing or otherwise. Given the extra cost I doubt is many were made and this one looks as though it has been inside a petrol tank as it have very few dents. Given the eBay prices for the cap and oil pump I suspect that it will be taken apart for these components.  Pity really as it is an interesting item in its own right.

1937 Model 40 Norton

-JdK- Juris sent a few pics of his 1937 Model 40 Norton. The frame had been in Juris' attic for 25 years while he was looking for suitable parts to complete the Norton. Then a Norton engine and many other parts were found by some youngsters, buried in the sand at a beach, 30 kilometers from where the frame came from.

You can clearly see the big hole in the tank where the sea salt corroded the metal. It was quite a surprise when the Science Museum later confirmed that this engine and Juris' frame are a matching pair and left the Works together!

1926 Model 25 Norton

-JdK- Juris's Model 25 has been on this website before but he has sent a few more pics. Juris: "I got my Model 25 Norton from the UK in a shady deal - I swapped it for a Russian 250 cc GP racer a long while ago.

The frame and tank are correct for 1926 as are the wheels with special rims and wired-on tyres and an integral Enfield rear brake drum. The mudguards are period racing type new-old-stock. The cams were worn out and I had them rebuilt using Stellite and then ground to IT profile. I have a master cam now and can remake such cams. The engine had a drilled conrod that I replaced for a standard undrilled Norton rod from a later model as I was afraid that it would break as many of them did... I rebuilt the cylinder head with chrome-moly steel valve seat inserts. I have now remade the rear brake rod to operate on pulling and not on pushing - the pushing arrangement may be original for the Model 25 but it looks unsafe..."

1927 Model 16H Norton

-Sent by Bengt-Olof in Sweden- This is my 1927 Model 16H Norton. I bought it in 1987 in very poor condition and it took me six years to get it done. It was imported by Swedish agent Nyström on the 16th of August 1927.

Machining errors?

-SG- Viktor has been busy checking dimensions prior to machining (above) some replacement castings for his twenties Norton engines. He was as surprised as I was to find there is quite a big discrepancy in the dimensions from the timing side main bearing to the cam wheel and cam follower centres of his 1925 engine.  From the little I know about such manufacturing matters (mainly gleaned from a few years with AEC, the commercial vehicle manufacturers, in the sixties), Norton crankcases and timing covers would have been machined using a jig or fixture and all one can assume at this distance in time, is that it wasn't very accurately produced by the tool room. Whether the standard of work was in any way influenced by the fact that - reputedly - the neighbouring associate company Shelleys machined some of the Norton components, is anyone's guess!  Shelleys produced items for car owners like jacks and adjustable spanners where a high degree of accuracy was hardly paramount. Viktor would like to hear from anyone else who has input on this matter.

Dimensions of the openings for main bearing,
cam wheels and cam followers. Note the discrepancies.

Note the discrepancy in the dimensions from main bearing
to cam wheels

Jimmie Simpson

-Sent by Tim- Jimmie Simpson, unknown year, either Ballaugh Bridge (before the railings) or Ballig Bridge but thats my guess.

Uncle Bob's Norton

-An email from Michael in Fiji- I attach a photo taken circa 1954 of my Uncle Bob Thoms competing on his International, in New Zealand in the town of Blenheim. Uncle Bob had this bike in the late 1940s so I am confident it is a pre war model; I say that as with the post war models only coming available around 1947 I doubt we saw them in New Zealand until later. Add to that, Bob was in his apprenticeship years in the late 1940s and could not have afforded a new bike.

The tank is one Bob made himself for such events. The MC tag at the rear wheel is a New Zealand motorbike registration from those days.

I went for my first ride on this bike in either 1947 or 1948 when Bob took me as a pillion rider to a hill climb he was competing in, started me on a love of bikes that still endures. I still clock up around 20.000 clicks a year on my 1990 BR 600. I am in 72 year myself, Bob is still alive and still talks about his riding days.

-JdK- Michael and Bob would like to know more about the bike. Who can date the Norton more accurately?

-Roger- I would suggest that it is a 1949 road International judging from the headlamp brackets on the forks and the aluminium lower sliders.  Otherwise it could be a standard post-war garden gate frame with the road Inter engine which had iron head and barrel

-Richard- Sorry to pour cold water on the story but the bike is post-war. The headstock is devoid of the Andre damper anchor fitted to pre-war spring frame Inters. Also the plunger carrier forgings are different before and after the war and this one has the later type. A centre stand is fitted to the bike and although you could specify a centre stand in 1939, most spring frames left the factory with the suicide forward facing version. It is difficult to put a definite date on the bike. The headlamp brackets were the same from 1947 to 1952 and the finish of the fork legs could be purely cosmetic. The major changes in the late 1940s were the handle bar clamping, the front mudgaurd bridge fitting on the forks and the front brake plate, none of which are visable. The bike is definitely an Inter as the frame geometry differs a lot from the ES2 and my best guess is 1947-48. We should not be to surprised to see an Inter' in the antipodes as it was export or die in Britain and I guess uncle Bob could get hire purchase, new or second-hand.

-And from Michael again- Have established the following through my cousin a son of Bob: The bike was purchased brand new from Aero cycles in Blenheim in 1948 by one Kevin Freith and purchased by Bob from him, date as yet unknown, it was a 500 , manufactured in 1947.

1935 CS1 frame rebuild

-By Juris in Latvia- I got my first Norton - a 1935 Model CS1 - back in 1973. The frame rear stays had been cut (above) and substituted with bolted on plunger suspension. The front fork was off a BMW - a telescopic affair with adjustable damping. The rest was more or less there, but I was not very enthusiastic about this project as it would involve a lot of hard work, know-how, parts and expensive materials, like silver brazing rod.

Last year I had a spell of enthusiasm and got down to work. I loaned the rear frame stays from a dilapidated 16 H Norton. Before those who know better start to argue that the rear stays from a 16H do not fit a CS1 - I hasten to add that I did notice that as I had a frame from a 1935 ES2 to compare! (The rear geometry of the ES2 and CS1 is identical bytheway). So some surgery was called for to shorten the 16H stays and to adapt them for use in the CS1.

I had to take out the old cut tubing from the saddle lugs. This I did by drilling out the alignment pins and then drilling larger holes in the tubing so that these could be turned and quickly screwed/pulled from the lugs when heated red hot. Remember that these lugs do not like overheating, the flame, if acetylene, must be carburizing with little oxygen.

The cut lower-frame tubes were shortened and pieces of seamless pipe were inserted inside the old tubes. I measured and remeasured the frame parts and joined everything together using thick mild steel wire. Then I used new pins in the holes in the lugs to further hold everything tight. Before putting the tubes into the lugs I took great care to polish everything bright with sandpaper and to introduce brazing flux. I used silver brazing rod for most joints and as a last thing I also added SIF bronze rod where more body was required as silver would run too thin and too quickly.

My friend who has a frame testing jig could not believe I had done the brazing without any jigs - just by measuring and testing by eye judgement. The frame came out straight in all respects! This must also be thanks to good luck as we can read that even after brazing frames in jigs in the factory they frequently required straightening...

There were some other minor issues with little bits cut from the frame which had to be rectified. Total time spent on this rebuild - 20 hours. So I now have a perfect CS1 frame and can rebuild the rest comparatively easy. If only I had the experience and know-how during my salad days when I was young and eager - this CS1 would have been rebuilt a long time ago... Pure nostalgia... Yet it is better late than never!

1939 Model ES2 Norton

This is Boo's 1939 Model ES2 Norton.  Boo: "This ES2 was offered in 1939: the plunger frame was a left-over from the earlier models and at a cost of £7-10 shillings was available for the camshaft- and ES2 models. The Inter type tank, with right hand filler cap and no pie crust was a pricely 30 shillings. These details are in the Works Records; it's not a Bitza, it left the factory like this."

R.S. Moorhouse, 1930 Model CJ Norton

Jumper under leathers

Jumper over leathers!

-Contributed by Tim- These pics show R.S. Moorhouse at the 1931 (above) and 1932 (below) junior Manx Grand Prix. Note the jumper he has on, could this have been a novice jumper? The Norton looks to be a 1930 Carroll type CJ - note the Webb forks rather than Norton's own. Moorhouse competed at the junior and senior MGP between 1930 and 1932; he came 8th in 1931 and 16th in 1932.

Jack Carr (8, Norton), Norman Gledhill (3, Norton),
 P. Harris (8, New Imperial), R.S. Moorhouse (17, Norton),
 two unknown riders (22, 48, Norton)

1931 Model CS1 Norton

-Roger- Piero Taruffi in 1931 on what must be a CS1 Norton. It has aluminium fairings on the forks, rear wheel and crankcase. The petrol tank looks odd so it too may well be made of aluminium. It also has a foot change unlike Bill Lacey's Norton the previous year.

1930s Norton rear frame lugs - For sale

-JdK- An email from Juris in Latvia that should be of use to owners with machines converted to rear suspension.

"I have for sale one set of Norton 1930s rear frame lugs, cast in steel using the “Lost Wax Method" and machined - ready to be brazed in. I once made a batch for my cannibalised Nortons and as I found a set of sawn-off original rear stays and lugs for my 1938 CS1, I now have one set surplus. Please see the attached photos. They were quite a hassle to make - I made the waxes and had them cast in a St Petersburg Russian military factory before Latvia became independent - that is more than 20 years ago! The asking price is €600 (plus post and package) for this set of two castings"

Norman Gledhill, 1932 Model 30 Norton

-Contibuted by Tim- Norman Gledhill after his win at the 1932 MGP; fag in mouth. Gledhill was a Yorkshire man and came from Huddersfield. Gledhill went on to race in the TT a few years later again on a Norton.

-SG- You are right about Norman Gledhill coming from Yorkshire: he had quite a good record in the Amateur and the MGP being 4th in 1928 (Senior) 3rd in 1930 (Senior) 10th in 1932 (Junior) 1st in 1932 (Senior) 5th in 1933 (Junior) and 4th in 1933 (Senior) - all on Nortons.