Use 'em! 1930s International Norton

 

-JdK- This is my 1930s International Norton, bought in September last year. I took the bike to B.O.M's Veteranen Tour in Belgium last weekend and as I hate to carry bikes on a trailer I rode the bike to Berlare, near Antwerp, did the tour on Saturday to Houffalize near Luxembourg and rode the bike back home near Utrecht on Sunday. All in all I did 585 miles - 940 km in three days without any issues. These pics were taken on Sunday evening and I did not clean the bike. Off course we've seen oil tight Nortons before but for a Carroll engined Norton this is pretty OK. Most of the oil it leaks now comes from a breather throwing oil in the magneto chain case and I guess it was designed to leak out this way as later Norton have a small tube in this chain case to drain excess oil. It runs on Castrol R40 bytheway.

What is it? The Norton came from the factory in 1933 as a Model 40. There's no mention of special tuning but it had no kickstart, racing footrests and racing chain guards and large tanks fitted. The engine currently fitted comes from a 1938 CS1 and has been in this frame at least since the 1960s according to the old green registration book. The girders are 1946, the gearbox late 1930s. Previous owners were James Gardner (1966), Henry Ormonde Gurr (1973, below) and Dennis Butler (1987). I think Butler had it sold by Andy Tiernan in 2021 to Dave who sold it to me in September last year.

There is a movie on YouTube (above) where Andy Tiernan talks about the bike and it's pretty funny. He remarks:  "it was used by someone who went to Scotland on it, cruising at 70 and seeing 80. The engine was done by a well known gentleman in the engine world connected to Ricardo, but can't remember his name. It was done to a very high standard". I like Andy, he probably means Ormonde Gurr who was known to work on Ricardo Triumphs but it sounds a bit silly. If anyone knows more about any of the previous owners (except for Dave off course) then let me know!

Dave liked the bike a lot and did 3000 miles on it in one year which to me suggested the bike should be in decent condition and it ran OK when it arrived. But as always I expect to find plenty wrong with a 90 year old bike and I therefore took it to bits and rebuilt most of it over the winter.

I thought it would be nice to list what needed doing:

The engine was partly disassembled. The crank was left in situ, mainly because the pinion is stuck on the crankpin and I did not feel like applying a lot of heat and using a big hammer. The big end and mains feel fine and everything inside the engine looks clean. The standard CS1 piston looks unworn but the rings were stuck in the grooves which were cleaned. The small end bush was scored and therefore replaced. The guides and valve stems have some wear but were cleaned and reused as were the springs. The cam box was cleaned and new rubber and cork seals fitted. I did not change the timing while this seems to be a mixture between Model 30 and CS1 timing; inlet opens 45 BTDC, closes 60 ABDC; exhaust opens 85 BBDC, closes early at 30 ATDC. Compare this to the tabulated data we compiled. Perhaps this was the genius of the well known gentleman and Ricardo.

The gearbox needed a few new bearings and a thrust washer

Both wheels needed new bearings and new brake drums. The old drums had been skimmed which sounds like a good idea but the downside is that all standard size shoes are too small now giving a very spongy feel to the brakes. New drums fixed the problem.

The girders were rebuilt using new spindles. The headlamp was fitted with new brackets to position it somewhat lower. The 22 mm handlebars were replaced by proper 1" bars which cured the vibration. Numerous holes were welded in the guards and new brackets fitted. Weird-threaded bolts and nuts replaced everywhere. The internals of the dynamo were thrown away and the lights replace by energy efficient LEDs. The magneto was rewound. All petrol and oil hoses replaced. New tires fitted. New brackets and springs fitted to the saddle. New petrol taps.

Not too bad and it was worth it, this has quickly become one of my favorite Nortons. Not sure if it will do 70-80 MPH in Scotland but it was very happy cruising at 55-60 MPH in the Ardennes yesterday.

Early Norton Inter

-SG- Tom has sent us this nice period photo from Spain. As he writes... 'There are interesting travellers on board this old car. One Norton on the outer running board, maybe two more inside where the rear seat used to be.'

The model on the running board seems to be an early thirties International - still with Sturmey Archer footchange gear box and Dance knee grips on the tank.

Several people have commented (and many thanks for that) that this is the Spanish rider Fernando Aranda on the way to the Italian GP. Inside the car is a KTT MK IV. He won in Italy with the 350 cc race with the Velocette. The next race was the German GP in Sachsenring where was seriously injured. After 8 month in German hospital he had to finish his career.

Spare parts list for 1933 Models 50 and 55

-SG- It seems that only two Spare parts Lists specifically for the 350s were produced, as, subsequent to 1933 parts for these models were included in the main or supplementary lists. Thanks again to Ian, here's the second 350 list (Models 50 and 55 only) - undated and, again, with no illustrations, but from the parts descriptions, it appears to cover 1933 Models.

The 1933 brochure

-SG- The 1933 brochure is entitled 'The Road-holder' and the contents cover 1932 highlights as well as the new range of course. Thanks again to Ian for the loan.

The 1933 leaflet

-SG- Here's the 1933 leaflet showing - briefly - all models in the range. A cleverly designed leaflet but the layout is such that it is difficult to know best how to scan it. Again, loan courtesy Ian.

1933 Norton Model 19 - A Basket Case

-By Olav in The Netherlands/Belgium- In the winter of 2015-2016 I restored this pretty rare machine for a friend of mine. The frame (# 498xx, i.e. 1933) he bought a few decades ago containing a Big Four engine. He sold that engine and later found a 1933 model 19 engine (# 551xx, 82x113). He didn't have much else for the bike but gathered bits and pieces to complete it over the years. A NOS pair of (correct type) girders came from someone in the far north of Holland, correct upper fork yoke from a friend in the UK, the beautiful petrol tank was found on a WD16H for sale at a Dutch trader, and he was able to make a deal and exchange it for the correct tank to suit that bike, etc. etc. To sum up: all the bits and pieces came from different sources and places and to me was the challenge to turn it into a complete and authentic looking bike.

The petrol tank had fantastic patina: all the chrome had come off but it was solid and the grey panels and norton logo looked original while the black striping had long ago been restored using red paint, but that gave it a nice individual touch. So there was no doubt that it should remain that way, and the rest of the bike made to suit that authentic appearance.

The oil tank had been painted black but underneath the paint some original chrome plating had been conserved, mostly where the striping had once been. When cleaned up and after application of red striping it matched the petrol tank beautifully.

Two other parts were left mostly in their original paint: the number plate bracket, which on top still had a very nice logo from a dealer, although illegible now, and the primary chaincase. Allthough that needed some repair and a modification (the hole for the footrest didn't match up). I just dabbed the repairs with a brush and some paint.

All the other parts were cleaned to bare metal and repainted. The mudguards were brand new, so they really needed a few tricks to make them look old (like hammering dents, using a blowtorch, 'dusting' fresh paint, etc.). I had an old saddle cover which was servicable again after restitching most parts. I made clamps from spring steel strip for the wiring, etc etc. Lots of work but it makes for nice details on the bike. Everything just had to match up to that petrol tank in style, that was the objective. The only mismatch is the brand new exhaust pipe and silencer: no alternative for that alas, but if someone has some faded originals he might sell: yes please! As the bike is used often, they hopefully will quickly gather some wear and tear.

I completely rebuilt the engine. A new BSA piston was used: fits perfectly and adds a bit to the compression ratio. The engine is highly modified by the way: bigger valves, hairpin springs, and also a positive oil feed to the guides. Someone made a hole just behind the inlet pushrod tube, tapping into the feed to the rear of the cilinder. From there a copper line is going up to the head were it attaches to a splitter with seperate feeds directly into the guides, with the flow adjustable using screws and shims. Very nicely made, I think it must have been done in '50s, probably not much later  because by then replacing coil springs by hairpin would have been a bit backwards?

The guides are made from bronze by the way, technically/theoretically not the right material to use in cast iron heads; heat transfer between these two metals is not optimal. But in practice it may be adequate enough, especially when cooled a bit by a positive oil feed. So I left them in place. Clearance was fine so I didn't expect the valves to seize easily. And it's easy enough to replace them should they wear quickly.

The hairpin springs were chrome-plated and all four of them broke within the first few 100 miles of riding. Maybe because of the plating? Or just from old age? Anyway, I replaced them with new ones, of the same type as used on the cammy Nortons.

After completion I used it for around 600 miles, as was agreed upon with the owner. To assure reliability, for one thing. There's always some kind of technical issue showing up within a few hundred miles (like those hairpin springs), but also to properly run in the engine. This takes, in my experience, at least about 600 miles, and it makes a big difference. At the start, with everything still new, the engine feels rough and stiff, while after several 100's of miles you will really notice it freeing up and getting smoother. Only after running in you can really properly adjust the carburation, and then, by considering fuel and oil consumption and performance you can assess the state of tune of the engine and consider how well the rebuilt went.

My apologies to elaborate a bit on this, but I often wonder why people spend so much money and effort on rebuilding an engine when it will take many years for them to get the bike run-in properly as most people rarely ride their bikes. They would be better off to quickly run-in the engine or even maintain the worn condition of the engine as it will often be much easier to start an much smoother in that condition, providing it is set-up properly.

Anyway, oil consumption was hardly noticable (except for a bit of waste in the first few hundred miles), also helped, I guess, by the second oil scraper ring on the BSA piston. Fuel consumption is around 1 liter per 25 km (71 miles/imp. gallon), which is quite OK for a 'tuned' 600cc thumper. Top speed isn't revolutionary (didn't try, but it speeds up easily to around 110 kmh / 70 mph), but the way is stomps around like a brutal beast is of course impressive. The engine, with it's huge flywheels and long stroke, was made for sidecar use and that's how it feels like: torque galore, not hammering but smooth, realy easy to ride. It has four gears, but ridden solo, two would have sufficed. Acceleration is good, but my '38 ES2 is quicker (as you would expect).

Anyway, I'm quite satisfied about how the bike turned out, and so was my friend to whom I had to hand it over again after enjoying it for a few months. But that's how it goes, on to the next project!

1933 Model 50 Norton

-JdK- Bas in the Netherlands just got this 1933 Model 50 Norton and Simon looked up the numbers:

"Pleased to say engine and frame match!  It is listed as a 1933 Model shipped October 1932 to Petersens Denmark. Originally had a specially tuned engine, dynamo, gate change on tank, speedo and control panel. Gearbox was 6761 and forks 6942."

Tim Hunt, 1933 Model 30 Norton

-JdK- Tim Hunt and his 1933 Senior Norton; note the left-hand twist grip.

Model 30 Norton

On the back of this photograph there is an inscription
“my first race Thruxton 1949” 

Clothes completely inappropriate for riding an oily Inter:
smart shoes and smart suit.
Note the clip on his trouser legs!

-Alain- These photo's are of one of my father's friends. The photographs directly above and below have a "UK Air Ministry" stamp on the reverse.

-JdK- This originally was a 1933 Model 30. ALO353 was issued in August 1933 by London C.C. (currently Stanmore London NW). It has some interesting bits fitted; rearset footrests, steel levers on the handlebars, parallel check springs, left hand fillerneck on the oiltank and a home-made gearshifter on the Sturmey Archer 'box.

-Richard- The bike looks like it has been rebuilt and changed quite significantly. The frame is a post 1935 CSI or ES2 type with the curved bottom cradle which with the Inter' wheels (21" front and 20" rear) gives a much higher ground clearance than an Inter' frame does. The forks are also post 1935 and the racing petrol tank looks from the same period. Most of the the other components look to date from 1933, so it's possible the bike may have been in an accident and re-framed at sometime in it's life.

1933 Model 40 Norton

-JdK- Thomas in Germany took delivery of a very nice 1933 Model 40 Norton. It's a matching number machine that was delivered in March 1933 to a Mr Nick Schmitt in Nürnberg, Germany.

The petrol tank is not correct and will be replaced. Further, the original Sturmey Archer gearbox has been fitted with a later cover and Thomas is looking for a correct one; he has an original early Norton rear wheel to swap.

1933 Model 30 Norton

-SG- Christian in Germany recently acquired this 1933 Model 30 Norton. The machine has matching frame and engine numbers and was delivered new to Denmark. Christian would like to have our opinion on the bike.

First a few markers regarding Norton International development according to Phil Heath.

1933 Check springs to forks but still wide forks for detachable brake drum wheel.
1934 Narrow forks introduced and narrow front wheel with integral brake drum.
1934 Oil bath chain case and Norton's own clutch.
1935 Norton's doll's head box first fitted following Sturmey-Archer discontinuing gearbox production.
1935 Hairpins fitted to heads of production Inters.
1936 Alloy cylinder heads.
1936 Steering damper anchor point to frame instead of top of tank.

Christian's bike looks very nice but updated. The tank is later and has the later filler cap.  The Andre damper is not anchored to the tank and should be. Also the tank should have George Dance knee grips.  The gearbox is Norton and should be Sturmey-Archer.  The carburetter is 1935 or later - 1933 versions did not - according to my literature - have the outer bellmouth lock ring. The primary chain cover looks to be the correct plain - not oil bath - type as it has quite a large dimple on the front to clear the engine shaft shock absorber which it should and I assume still does have. Not sure the central stand is correct; I thought they came in about 1937.  Coil springs on the head are OK.

1933 Model 40 Norton

Another photo from the collection of the Technisches Museum Wien. This one is labelled "Emanuel Völkl (16) next to his 350cc Norton at the Ödenburger Länderkampf in 1933".

1933 Model 30 Norton - SOLD

For sale SOLD at Venture Classics and in their words: "All correct and original numbers. This machine was supplied new to "Motor Cycling" magazine in April 1933 and used as their "Editorial Hack" attached to a well known & documented sidecar known as "HMS Insufferable" for around four and a half years and therefore being featured in many if not most of the magazines for that period. It looks as though the bronze head was fitted from new and this would be correct for the period. We do know that the "TT" front brake was definately fitted from new because  the feature in the magazine introducing the machine to the readers mentions it. The machine has had some modifications over the years as you would expect including the removal of the kick-start mechanism and lighting equipment also the fitting of a BTH Magneto. £28,500"

JdK: "Certainly a nice machine, perhaps a bit over-restored. It would look better with a 20" rear wheel. The clutch is from a later model. I can't see the "TT" brake."

Jimmy Guthrie, 1933 Model 40 Norton

-JdK-A fantastic photo of Jimmy Guthrie push-starting his Norton at the 1933 Junior Isle of Man TT races; Guthrie came 3rd. There are another Norton and a Velocette in the background (pic sent by Howard).