A superb and rare
photo of the great Robert Dunlop.
The original Norton
company was formed by James Lansdowne Norton (Known as Pa) in Birmingham in 1898. In 1902 Norton began building motorcycles with French and
Swiss engines. In 1907 a
Norton ridden by Rem Fowler won the twin-cylinder class in the first Isle of Man
TT race, beginning a sporting tradition that went on until the 1960s – The Isle
of Man Senior TT, the most prestigious of events, was won by Nortons ten times
between the wars and then every year from 1947 to 1954. The first Norton engines were made in 1908, beginning a line of
side-valve single cylinder engines which continued with few changes until the
late 1950s. In 1913 the business declined, R.T. Shelley & Co., the main
creditors, intervened and saved it. Norton Motors Ltd was formed shortly afterwards
under joint directorship of James Norton and Bob
Shelley. J.L. Norton
died in 1925 aged only 56, but he saw his motorcycles win the Senior and
sidecar TTs in 1924. Designed by Walter Moore,
the CamShaft One (CS1) engine appeared in 1927, based closely on the ES2
(pushrod) engine and using many of its parts. On his departure to NSU in 1930,
an entirely new OHC engine was designed by Arthur Carroll,
which was the basis for all later OHC and DOHC Norton singles. (Moore's move to
NSU prompted staff to claim that NSU stood for "Norton Spares Used")
That decade spawned the Norton racing
legend. Of the nine Isle of Man Senior TTs (500 cc) between 1931 and 1939 Norton won seven. Up to 1934, Norton
bought the excellent Sturmey
Archer gearboxes and clutches. When
Sturmey decided to discontinue production, Norton
bought the design rights, and had them made by Burman, a manufacturer of
proprietary gearboxes. Nortons also appealed to
ordinary motorcyclists who enjoyed the reliability and performance offered by
single-cylinder engines with separate gearboxes. The marque withdrew their
teams from racing in 1938, but between 1937 and 1945 nearly one quarter (Over
100,000) of all British military motorcycles were Nortons, basically the WD 16H (solo) and WD Big Four outfit (with driven
sidecar wheel). After the War, Norton
reverted to civilian motorcycle production, gradually increasing the range. A
major addition in 1949 was the Dominator, also known as the Model 7, a pushrod 500 cc twin
cylinder machine designed by Bert
Hopwood. Its chassis was derived
from the ES2 single, with telescopic front and plunger rear suspension, and an
updated version of the gearbox known as the 'horizontal' box. Post war, Norton struggled to reclaim its pre-WWII racing
dominance, since the single cylinder machine was facing fierce competition from
the multi-cylinder Italians, and AJS at home. In the 1949 Grand Prix motorcycle
racing season, the first year of the world championship, Norton
only made fifth place, and AJS won. That was before the Norton
Featherbed frame appeared, developed for Norton by the McCandless brothers of Belfast in January, 1950, used in the
legendary Manx Norton, and raced by riders including Geoff
Duke, John Surtees and Derek
Minter. Overnight the featherbed
frame was the benchmark by which all other frames were judged. Nortons
were winners again. Norton also
experimented with engine placement, and discovered that moving the engine
slightly up/down, forward/back, or even right/left, could deliver a "sweet
spot" in terms of handling. In 1951 the Norton Dominator became available
in export markets as the Model 88 with the Featherbed frame. Later, as
production of this frame increased, it became a regular production model, and
was made in variants for other models, including the ohv single cylinder
machines. The racing successes were transferred to the street through Cafe
racers, some of whom would use the feather bed frame with an engine from
another manufacturer to make a hybrid machine with the best of both worlds. The
most famous of these were Tritons - Triumph twin engines in a Norton feather-bed frame. Despite, or perhaps because
of the racing successes, Norton was in
financial difficulty. Reynolds could not make many
of the highly desired featherbed frames, and customers lost interest in buying
machines with the older frames. In 1953, Norton
was sold to Associated Motorcycles (AMC), who also owned the brands AJS,
Matchless, Francis-Barnett and James.
The Birmingham factory was closed in 1962 and
production was moved to AMC's Woolwich factory in south east London. Under AMC ownership, a much improved
version of the Norton gearbox was
developed, to be used on all the larger models within the corporation under the
AJS, Matchless and Norton banners.
Again, the major changes were for improved gear selection. In late 1955 a 600 cc Dominator
99 appeared.
In 1960,
a new version of the featherbed frame was developed,
with the upper frame rails bent inwards to reduce the width between the rider's
knees for greater comfort. The move was also to accommodate the shorter rider,
as the wide frame made it difficult to reach the ground. This frame was made
in-house by AMC, and is known as the 'slimline' frame - the earlier frames then
became known as the 'wideline'. The last Manx Nortons were sold in 1963. Even
though Norton had pulled out of racing
in 1954, the Manx had become the backbone of privateer racing, and even today
are quite sought after. In January 1961 a new Norton Manxman
650c was launched for the American market only. One year later a Norton 650SS appeared,for the UK market along
with the Norton Atlas 750 in
1962. For the American market more power was desired. Featherbed frames were
still used, but the increases to the vertical twins engine capacity had caused
a vibration problem at 4500 rpm. A 500 cc vertical twin is smoother
than a single cylinder, but if you enlarge the vertical twin's capacity,
vibration increases. The 750 Norton
Atlas proved too expensive, and
costs could not be reduced. Financial problems gathered. There was an export
bike primarily for use as a desert racer, sold up until 1969 as a Norton P11,
AJS Model 33, and as a Matchless G15, which used the Norton Atlas
engine in a modified Matchless G85CS scrambler frame, with Norton wheels and front forks. This bike was reputed
to vibrate less than the featherbed frame model. AMC singles were also sold
with Norton badging in this era. By
the late 1960s competition from Japan
and a rapidly declining home market had driven the whole British motorcycle
industry into a precipitous decline. In 1966 AMC collapsed and was reformed as
Norton-Villiers part of Manganese Bronze. The 750 Norton
Atlas, was noted for its vibration. Rather than change engines, Norton decided to change the frame, and the
isolastic-framed Norton Commando 750 was the result. In 1969 the Commando was
introduced; its styling, innovative isolastic frame, and powerful engine made
it an appealing package. The Commando easily outperformed Triumph and BSA, and
was the most powerful and best-handling British motorcycle of its day. The
"isolastic frame," derived from the Featherbed, made it much smoother
than the Atlas. It used rubber bushings to isolate the engine and swingarm from
the frame, forks, and rider. As the rubber bushings wore, however, the bike
became prone to fishtailing in high-speed turns. The customer could choose
between single and dual carburettors, and the bike came in several different
styles: the standard street model, a pseudo-scrambler with upswept pipes, and
the Interstate, packaged as a tourer. Electric start was introduced in 1974.
Sales were respectable, but the company declined financially and went into
liquidation in 1975. In
1976 a Norton with a US-flag theme on the tank could be
purchased for $1976. The 'Combat' engine was released in January 1972, with a
twin roller bearing crank, 10:1 compression and making 65 bhp
(48.5 kW) at 6,500 rpm. Reliability immediately proved a problem.
(Older engines had used one ball bearing main, and one roller bearing main.)
This fragility did not show up well, especially when compared to the
reliability of the Japanese bikes. In 1972, the former giant of British
motorcycle manufacturing BSA was also in trouble. It was given government help
on the condition that it merged with Norton-Villiers, and in 1973 the new
Norton-Villiers-Triumph (NVT) was formed. The Triumph Motorcycles name came
from BSA's Triumph subsidiary. In April 1973 an 8.5:1 compression 828 cc
"850" engine was released with German SuperBlend bearings, which made
51 bhp (38 kW) at 6,250 rpm however the stated power does not
give a true picture of the engine performance because increased torque seemed
to make up for the lower horsepower. In 1974, the outgoing government withdrew
the subsidies, although the incoming government restored them after the
election. Rationalisation of the factory sites to Wolverhampton and Birmingham (BSA's Small Heath site) only caused industrial
disputes at Triumph's Coventry
site; Triumph would go on as a workers cooperative alone. Despite mounting
losses, 1974 saw the release of the ‘828 Roadster’, ‘Mark 2 Hi Rider’, ‘JPN
Replica’ (John Player Norton) and ‘Mk.2a Interstate’. In 1975 this was down to
just two models, the 'Mark 3 Interstate' and the 'Roadster', but then the Government
asked for a repayment of its loan and refused export credits, further damaging
the company's ability to sell abroad. Production of the two lone models still
made was ended and supplies dwindled. During the 1990s, Kenny Dreer
of Oregon
evolved from restoring and upgrading Commandos to producing whole machines. He
modernised the design and in the early 2000s went into series production, but
then suspended operations in April 2006. After fifteen years of US ownership
the Norton brand has now been secured
by Stuart Garner, UK
businessman and owner of Norton Racing Ltd. Garner plans to develop a new 15000
sq foot Norton factory at Donnington Park. In the UK a number of firms such as the
remnant of the Shenstone Norton factory, Norvil, Unity Equipe and Norman White,
a former team racer and mechanic, supply parts for various generations of Norton motorcycles.
This is your rare
chance to own this non period photo that reflects a very
interesting and historic piece of motorcycle and Norton ’s history. Therefore
it is printed in a nice large format of ca. 8" x 12" (ca. 20 x 30
cm).
Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you
buy. For 5 or more photos, shipping is free!
(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear on
photo, for ebay purposes only)
No copyright
expressed or implied. Sold as collectable item only. We are clearing out our
archives that we have gathered from various sources.
All items always sent well
protected in PVC clear files and board backed
envelopes.
We have
photographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from the
original photographer or press studio! They are all of professional and
excellent quality.
After many decades
of professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out our
archives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They
will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a
border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace,
restaurant, bar or club!
First come -
first served. And you can always contact us for your requests. Please ask any
questions before the auction ends.