OHV pushrod / rocker covers

 

-SG- What you may ask, has a 1928 photo of a chap on a Francis Barnett got to do with Nortons? The answer is simple - not really him but his dad! 

I knew John Newman back in the seventies, when he was running the local garage in Chobham, Surrey. He still had an early two-stroke  (I think a Velocette) and was interested in my 1930 Norton - by then fitted with a 1929 engine, with of course exposed valve gear ... this led to his recollections of his father's early OHV Norton in the twenties which was fitted with the first inverted cup rockers - see scan. These of course did not retain any lubricant as originally supplied and John's dad used bits of rubber tube to try and remedy the situation! 

Move on to November 1928 and Norton's had seemingly woken up to the needs of pushrod end lubrication and mentioned it in their publicity material! Again - see scan. None the less, they do not appear to have mentioned any seals in the 1929 Parts List.  Meanwhile the Desmo Company had started selling  'Flexi -Lubricovers.' While Desmo did not mention any specific brand they considered to be in need of the Lubricovers, the engine outlined in their ad. is without doubt......a Model 18!!  Thanks to John for the 1928 stuff!