C.A.V magnetos

This is the C.A.V magneto that was fitted to my 1927 flat tank Norton. Produced by CA Vandervell & Co Ltd. they were fitted to many vintage Nortons. The CAV has a strange reputation; some would not touch them with a stick while others have used them for years without any trouble.

The issue is the little fibric wheel that opens the points. It looks a bit flimsy and one can imagine that when it wears unevenly the points gap may vary constantly which is not a good idea for a magneto. For the rest though, it looks very well made and it sparks beautifully. Does anyone have any comments on this?

Martin: "Interesting views on old magnetos... For what its worth my own experience of early magnetos has been surprisingly good, as the early makers didn't know about how to make acceptable electrics cheaply, so the earlier mags are generally very well made and work well. The early Bosch mags are wonderful, particularly the DA2 open magnet design found on pre 1912 veteran Triumphs. This was replaced by the enclosed magnet ZE1, which is lighter and more waterproof but not as good in the sparks dept.

Another German manufacturer, Ruthardt, developed a compact design of mag in about 1910, and this was copied by CAV in the UK and is an excellent device. Early Rudges used Ruthardts with a long splined shaft so they are easy to spot in an autojumble, as they fit nothing else. 


The secret to all mags is having them in good condition, particularly windings with good insulation and a good capacitor. Good bearings too of course and a strong magnet help to keep a good spark. However magneto rebuilding is an art which does not come cheap and not all rebuilders offer comparable service, so you can spend a lot of money and still have a poor mag... Unfortunately there are some unscrupulous people in this business, but word soon gets around and you can avoid using them if you ask advice about who does good work from fellow enthusiasts. If your CAV is well rebuilt, I would have no hesitation using it."

Bas's 1935 Big Four Norton

Bas has been riding his 1935 Big Four Norton for a decade and it never let him down. While he is in the habit of completely dismantling motorbikes and storing them in little boxes he hasn't even looked once into the primary chain case of his Big Four; some say that his lack of spanner work on this bike is exactly the reason why Bas can still join us on trips on his Norton.

The Norton is a 1935 model with a few bits and pieces, like the front mudguard, that are not correct. It does have a very nice panel tank and because it probably still is on sidecar gearing it can keep up with a Model 18 on acceleration.

The Senior TT Assen, 6th of July 1935

All time hero Jimmy Guthrie on his factory Model 30 International racer who was to win the Senior that day. Note the enclosure of the rear wheel and the flanged aluminium rims. A very Dutch scenery, the names of a few villages are on the signpost.

...and someone completely unknown to me by the name of mr A. Binz from Switzerland (number 24). He gives a ride to Jack Schot from Holland who's motorcycle broke down. Standing by the side of the road is mr W. Hess from Germany with his Rudge. Binz's motorcycle looks like a very new and standard Model 30 International.

Martin's 1920 16H Norton

From Martin in the UK:

"Attached are some pics of my 1920 16H. This is a very original machine. I bought it to rob it of the genuine original belt drive tank that was fitted, as it was clearly not correct for the machine. Now it has a nice replica tank with a Best and Lloyd semi-automatic oilpump and the original belt drive tank is soon to be adorning my belt driver... It goes rather well for such an early machine and makes one understand how they nearly scooped the pool in the 1920 Senior TT. Its such a lively performer, and so easy to ride but does have very delicate steering, so light it wanders if you try and grip the bars too tightly but is fine if you just let it find its own way.

We had a VMCC vintage training day at the Grampian Transport Museum at Alford near Aberdeen in the north of Scotland last weekend. I took the 16H and it was ridden by maybe thirty people keen to experience the thrills of riding a hand change, lever throttle early machine through the arrangements made by the Vintage Motor Cycle Club. The bike ran faultlessly all day despite the many different riders and the unexpected heat of the day, and was judged one of the most desirable bike present by most riders I spoke to."

Simpson's 1930 Swedish TT winning CS1

From Simon: "Here are a few more photos of this historic machine. The first shows A. Nystrom with it in 1931, the second shows the new owner Rolf Gullick, after it was sold by the Nystrom firm in 1934, while the third shows it receiving some frame surgery in 2002.

This last shot is quite important: here we have a machine of September 1930 with a downdraught head and flange mounted carburetter. I don't think the head comes from a later model. First, Woods' 1930 Ulster GP winner had down draught carburetter and coil springs. Second, because of the 'intermediate' dimensions of cylinder studs, cam box etc. of the early Carroll engines, it was not possible just to fit a later head and/or barrel. One really had to change the whole engine.

Note too the strange gearbox end cover with the unusual (for Sturmey Archer) clutch wihdrawal mechanism. This style of box also appeared in Lacey's '30/'31 Brooklands mounts and was almost certainly still a three speed unit."

Grandfather's c1926 Model 18 Norton

An email from Paul in Australia:

"I have a soft spot for Nortons. My grandfather had several in his collection including a Manx that raced at the IoM in the late 40's. His collection was sold of after he passed away and I lost track of where the bikes ended up. Recently I came across the attached photo of him in what I believe to be the 1920s on a bike he rode to the Victoria/New South Wales border here in Australia. I was hoping you may be able to identify the bike for me? Kind Regards, Paul"

JdK: This is a mid-1920s Model 18 equipped with a later set of electric lights. The rear carrier disappeared and someone fitted flat mudguard stays. Not sure what the bulge is that I see behind the carburetter. He lost a rubber knee grip. Great photo!

Simon: "I think it is a 1926 Model 18 (or even 1927 if that is a wing nut type adjuster on the fork damper - not too clear) - the rockers are the arched type first used on the 1925 Works bikes and pretty well standard from the end of  '25 through to end '29. None the less, they could have been changed along the way for the later type though it means changing the pushrods and push rod return springs as well."

Roger:  "There are some indications that the picture was taken much later than in the 1920s as the machine is in a well worn state and the pork pie rear lamp is more mid 30s. The manual oil pump feed does not appear to be connected to the crankcase but there is a feed from the bottom of the tank with a tap. The gear change lever has been shortened like the one on LPD1 so that it can be operated by foot. The rear stand has been changed and is no longer held up by the over centre spring. The electric lights would need either a generator or a battery so that is probably what is sitting behind the carburettor. I don't think that the kneepad is missing, I think another one has been placed on top of it."

The Norton Scrapbook - a Curate's Egg?*

A book review by Simon Grigson

The latest glossy offering from Morton's Group by James Robinson, Editor of The Classic Motorcycle.

I have just received a copy of the Norton Scrapbook and from my view-point as one who has a considerable interest in the pre-WW II era, I find it disappointing, especially so as the Editor has access to what must surely be the best possible archive of motor-cycling history in the world.

Whilst I appreciate the scrapbook theme may have some merit, excessive use by the layout designers of the theoretical adhesive tape to 'attach' the photos to the page has been vastly and carelessly over-done - to such an extent that some images of complete machines, or machines and riders, are seriously impaired.

As regards the overall make-up of the collection, I find it hard to understand why we are presented with eight pages relating to the 1939-45 WD 16H and Big Four machines - a couple of pages would have sufficed - yet there is but one, yes ONE photo relating to Nortons at Brooklands. Bearing in mind that Nortons were probably the most successful marque to be raced at Brooklands in the 1919 to 1939 period, with dozens of wins and world records, this is a fairly serious omission by any standards. Incidentally, the somewhat uninspired print selected is that much used photo of J.L.Norton, D.R. O'Donovan and R. Judd with the 1922 prototype OHV engine crudely shoe-horned into one of O'Donovan's sidevalve Brooklands steeds.

I suppose it is inevitable that there will also be errors in the text and captions and in the section covering the period up to 1939 there are certainly a few which sprang to my attention. Possibly someone with more in-depth knowledge of the Edwardian and thirties periods might pick out a few more. And last but not least, concerning the early Moore-designed OHC CS1 engine, of which a photo taken in 1960 has been selected (see Built for Speed/John Griffith/Motor Cycling), the 'cricket bat' nick-name has been used yet again - a relatively modern invention which was not current pre-war, according to my sources. The earliest mention of it in print I have seen is in Bob Holliday's two Norton books, which came out in the seventies. If it's any consolation to James Robinson, Bob's books contained considerably more errors than the Scrapbook!

Summing up, this is not a book to which I shall refer very frequently but equally, it is cheap and cheerful and will be retained rather than sent to the nearest charity shop.

*For those unfamiliar with the phrase, have a look on Google and all will be revealed!

Rob's 1928 Model 18 Norton

Rob's 1928 Model 18; he plans to refit the original mudguards and build a new rear carrier. Rob restored it in a cellar many years ago, and has used and abused it ever since (he rides it on the fast lane of the motorway). It never let him down. Note that the engine already has the 1929-type of lubrication, without the external oilpipes on the timing chest.

Stanley Woods, TT Assen, 1933

Stanley on a 500cc Model 30 International Norton at the Dutch TT, 24th of June 1933.

Mark's 1929 Model ES2 Norton

Seen at Brooklands, this 1929 ES2 is not completely correct; the original Sturmey Archer gearbox, Webb forks and Enfield front hub have long ago been ditched and replaced by (most likely) WD16H Norton parts. The magneto is a later Lucas, the carb a 1930s Amal 76. Still, it looks great and let's hope it never gets restored.

Mark cared about the environment, note the little container that collects the oil rom the breather, complete with a tap; he probably reused the oil!