1937 M30 Norton

This photo was lifted from Dennis' website. It depicts Keith Bryen on a 1937 M30 International Norton; obviously rebuilt for use as a scrambler. That's not a Norton tank.

Praise for the flat tank Model 18

Martin from the UK sent another contribution; "I am now prompted to send you a charming little cartoon of a lad and the object of his fantasies, a flat tank Model 18... This was published in 1963 in a book by a well known journalist, Maurice Wiggin, and included a chapter on his motorcycling exploits in the twenties. I attach a copy of the picture drawn to illustrate the section referring to this fine machine, and also a scan of that page to which the picture refers..."

Do click and read the text, it sums up completely why you should own a flat tank Model 18 Norton."...it was rough, noisy, intractable...the Norton was the great racer, the man's machine, the TT hero above all others...hairy, smelly and slightly piratical...the Model 18 was the king."

1912 3 1/2 HP Norton

One of the most famous Nortons ever, 'The Old Miracle'; again a brilliantly clear postcard contributed by Martin from the USA. As Martin remarked, little can be said about this bike that has not been said already. It's a 1912 3 1/2 HP model with a 500cc side valve engine and direct belt drive that secured some 112 speed records before the first World War with a top speed of over 80mph. Note the incorrect 'Curly N' logo on the tank.

Below a pictures of a similar 3 1/2 HP machine. 

Victor Horsman wins the 500 Miles Race for 500cc machines.

Victor Horsman and his 16H Norton after winning the 500 Miles Race at Brooklands, 2 july 1921; note that this 1921 machine has a gearbox and all-chain drive.

Horsman was one of the great tuner-riders of his time, winning races and breaking records, first on Norton and then on Triumph machines. He never did forget his Nortons though, see what Titch Allen writes about him in The Story of the Norton;

"After failing to get far with their Ricardo design, Triumph called in a practical tuner, Victor Horsman. Horsman, well versed in Brooklands lore and with an intimate knowledge of Nortons, had scrapped the Ricardo four-valve design and come up with a two-valve head. Already his reworked engines had gone very well at Brooklands, in fact they had put it across the Nortons. Which was not altogether surprising for the bottom end of the Horman Triumphs, as seen on Brooklands and in the Island, were remarkably like Nortons. There were unkind people who said they were Nortons but that was not fair although the idea of running the push rods straight down to the internal cam followers without intervening tappets was pure Norton."

Norton in Australia

The photo above was sent to me by an Australian, Leon, and depicts his approx. 1926 M18 Norton project. Leon casually informed me that he has five (!) 1920s Nortons, four of them flat-tank models and one of them that most coveted Norton, the M25.

It amazes me how many of these fine machines pop up in Australia. Only last sunday I was sent the photo below by another Australian; a very desirable Norton engine, a 1929 ES2 motor, note the dry sump lubrication. Holidays in Australia this summer!

More Norton posters

More Norton posters from Howard's collection; strictly spoken they are a bit too young to our our taste, but they are too nice to miss!

1939 Norton Model 50

A very nice and original 1939 "oily-rag condition" Model 50 from Andy Tiernan's website. This is the 350cc version of the Model 18. Note the inclined pushrod tubes and the absence of the oilpressure tell-tale. Priced at £5000.

Norton posters

Contributed by Howard from Australia. Two from 1929 and one from 1937.

c1925 Model 18 special

The picture above comes from a postcard found by Martin in the US; Martin had sent me an old postcard before but this one is really special.

The Norton is a 1924/1925 Model 18 and there are a few striking features about this machine. Careful viewers will see that the rake of the front forks is not correct; there is too much "air" in between the magneto and the mudguard. The reason for this is that the bottom fork yoke has been modified; the spindle in this bottom yoke should be in line with the headstock but it isn't; it has been moved almost an inch forward! Brooklands racers often used frames with a longer wheel basis; my guess is that while the modified forks do increase the wheelbasis, the effect on high-speed stability may be disastrous. The yoke could off course have broken but the machine would have landed on the magneto and no accident damage is visible on man or machine.

The Sturmey Archer box is lacking a kickstart mechanism; it has been blanked off where the axis should have been. Further, the rear mudguard is held by flat strips instead of the usual round bars. Both these modifications are typical for Nortons prepared for racing though any amateur could have done the same in his garden shed. And what are the boxes fixed to the oil and petrol tanks?

So what are we looking at; a pukka ex-racing machine or an amateurish attempt destined to fail? Does anyone know the story or recognize man or machine?

update added 13feb10; thanks Roger!

"The registration gives the date of mid 1926 but it is a Birmingham registration so it could have been a works bike. The separate oil tank and lack of kick starter could support this. The small front brake would not have been suitable for racing and an 8" one similar to the rear was used on the 1925 sidecar outfits. The Webb forks were an option but the increased trail certainly was not. It might have been modified for sidecar use but would have been an interesting ride as a solo."

Tim's 1935 16H Norton

Another set of photos sent to me by Tim. This is his unrestored, rusty, highly original and very useable 16H Norton. What strikes me about this 16H is how good these bikes look when everything is correct. Parts like the 8" headlamp, original handlebars and saddle make all the difference. Let's hope it never gets restored! Read Tim's story below:

"Attached pics of my fossilised 1935 16H. I got this Norton in 2001when I heard about it on the grapevine. I was told a guy had been to see it and had considered it too rusty to restore, so he had not bothered to buy it; I bought it over the phone 10 minutes later. 

It had been stood since the mid 1950s with only the rear chain and battery missing. The oil had run from the tank to the sump and had filled it up with the big end submerged in the oil. The engine was still free and had compression. I sent the magneto off for reconditioning, dismantled and cleaned the 3 brush dynamo and rewired the whole bike. New brake shoes, chains, tyres and new inner cables fitted, I like the look of the old frayed outer cables. Removed the top end and honed the cylinder and re ground the valves. Nice to see the engine number is also stamped on the cylinder base (see picture) not many Norton's around with matching numbers. Also note the correct saddle, handlebar, levers and tank fitments.

The Norton runs as it should and you can give it full throttle for long periods, as it it self governing. When the revs get too high the valves start to float, stopping any further revs, and this does no harm to the engine with it being a sidevalve. Not much of the original paint is left on the bike so I give it a coat of wax-oil every couple of years."