Shown is the absolutely magnificent Geoff Duke and his equally magnificent works Norton 500cc factory racer . He is seen in WINNING action in the rain during the 1951 500cc Ulster Grand Prix,
which was ridden on the Clady circuit near Belfast
on August 18, 1951. Geoff won the race and
would become 500cc and 350cc world champion that year!
Even though
the wet conditions Geoff Duke would win the race with an average speed of 95.18 mph
(153.18 kph), runner up was his teammate Ken Kavanagh on Norton, third finisher
was Umberto Masetti on the Gilera 4.
In those
days, Masetti and Duke on their Gilera four and Norton single battled out long
fights on the circuits and Ulster
1951 was not different! Geoff Duke would become 500cc World Champion in 1951,
with the Norton that is visible on the photograph. He also won the 350cc World
Championship that year with a similar machine, yet 350cc.
Geoff Duke , OBE (born
29 March 1923
in St. Helens, Lancashire)
was a British multi-time world champion Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. The
name of Geoff Duke is synonymous with motor sports, for he dominated motorcycle
racing in the 1950s, winning six world championships and five Isle of Man TT
races. Duke came to prominence after winning the 1949 Senior Clubmans TT and
the Senior Manx Grand Prix and was to become the very first post-war
motorcycling 'superstar', popularly known amongst the racing fraternity simply
as 'the Duke'. He was signed up to the Norton works team for the 1950 TT,
finishing second in the Junior and breaking both lap and race records in the
Senior. After winning three World Championships for Norton he surprised
everybody by moving abroad to Italian motorcycle manufacturer, Gilera in 1953.
With Gilera, he had a string of three consecutive 500cc world championships.
His support for a rider's strike demanding more start money led the FIM to suspend
him for six months, dashing any hopes for a fourth consecutive title. In 1955
he was declared the first rider to lap the Isle of Man TT course at 100 mph, though
this was later corrected to 99.97. As a consequence the official first 100 mph lap is
credited to Bob McIntyre, also on a Gilera, in 1957. Duke was a non-starter due
to injury. His final race was the 1959 Junior when he finished fourth on a
Norton. In 1963 formed Scuderia Duke with Gilera to race the 1957 Gileras
against the might of MV Augusta. Duke cut a distinctive figure on racing
circuits as he was the first rider to wear one-piece leathers - he had enlisted
his local tailor, to make the first of his now famous one-piece race suits. He
was named Sportsman of the Year in 1951, awarded the RAC Segrave Trophy and, in
recognition of his services to motorcycling, was awarded the Order of the
British Empire in 1953. Highly honoured by the Isle
of Man, where he made so many of his world record
breaking rides, a point on the Mountain Course has been named after him. Three
sharp bends at the 32nd Milestone between Brandywell and Windy Corner now carry
the title 'Duke's'. The FIM named him a Grand Prix "Legend" in 2002.
Duke is seen
riding the works Norton 500. Norton also had a production race version, the Norton
Manx 30M (500cc) and Norton Manx 40M (350cc). The Manx
has a very interesting history. Even though Norton had pulled out of racing in
1954, the Manx would remain the backbone of privateer racing for years to come.
It was developed to win the Isle of Man TT from single overhead cam
international racers by Norton racing team engineer Joe Craig. The double
overhead cam configuration was developed in 1937 and after many problems
perfected one year later. The Manx was delayed by the outbreak of World War II
but reemerged for the 1946 Manx Grand Prix. The motorcycle was upgraded with
new telescopic forks and in 1948 gained twin leading shoe brakes. In 1950 the
innovative Featherbed frame was developed, giving the Manx a significant
competitive advantage through a low centre of gravity and short wheelbase that
was perfectly suited the challenging island TT course. The all-welded, tubular
featherbed frame was light and trim, without the usual forgings that added
unnecessary weight. In 1950 the featherbed Manx recorded a double hat-trick of
podium positions at the TT. The Manx engine was redesigned in 1953 with a much
shorter stroke of 86 mm
x 85.6 mm to improve the rev range. 1962 was the last full year for the
production Norton Manx. In July AMC announced the transfer of production from Bracebridge
Street to Woolwich in London.
42 Manx Nortons were produced between November 1962 and January 1963. In
1966 Colin Seeley purchased what remained of the spares and tools and which he
eventually sold on to John Tickle in 1969. John Tickle took over the Manx name when
Norton ceased production and acquired a large quantity of spare parts. He also
manufactured complete racers, called the Manx T5 (500) and T3 (350). Both used
the short-stroke Manx engines in a frame designed by Tickle but he could not
compete against the Japanese racers and sold his stock and the rights in the
late 1970s. The stock was bought by Unity Equipe who produce specialist spares
and have a complete Triton cafe racer build to order service. In 1994 Andy
Molnar purchased the rights to the Manx name and some original tools and spares
from Unity Equipe and the Norton Manx is now in complete production again. In
January 1961 a
new Norton Manxman 650cc was launched for the American market only. British
racer Les Archer worked with frame specialist Ron Hankins and engine tuner Ray
Petty to develop a Manx Norton motocross motorcycle. The double-overhead-cam,
short-stroke Norton Manx road racing engine was fitted into a Hankins frame and
finished with an aluminum tank and titanium axles. The Manx MX was successful,
winning the 1956 F.I.M.
500cc European Motocross Championship, but not able to compete with the
emerging two-stroke bikes. Manx Nortons also played a significant role in the
development of post war car racing. At the end of 1950, the English national
500 cc regulations were adopted as the new Formula 3. The JAP Speedway
engine had dominated the category initially but the Manx was capable of
producing significantly more power and became the engine of choice. Many
complete motorcycles were bought in order to strip the engine for 500 cc
car racing, as Nortons would not sell separate engines. Manx rolling chassis
were frequently sold on and paired with Triumph 500cc twin engines to create
Triton cafe racers.
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.
The 1946-1953 Long Stroke Manx Norton was 79.6 mm x 100 mm,
initially sohc, the dohc engine becoming available to favoured racers in 1949.
The Short Stroke model (1953-1962) had bore and stroke of 86 mm
x 85.6 mm. It used a dry sump 499 cc single cylinder motor, with two
valves operated by bevel drive, shaft driven twin overhead camshafts.
Compression ratio was 11:1. It had an Amal GP carburettor, and a Lucas racing
magneto. The 1962 500 cc Manx Nortons produced 47 bhp (35 kW) at
6500 rpm, weighed 142 kg
(313 lb),
and had a top speed of 209 km/h
(130 mph).[6]
The new price was £440. Manx Nortons also played a significant role in the
development of post war car racing. At the end of 1950, the English national
500 cc regulations were adopted as the new Formula 3. The JAP Speedway
engine had dominated the category initially but the Manx was capable of
producing significantly more power and became the engine of choice. Many
complete motorcycles were bought in order to strip the engine for 500 cc
car racing, as Nortons would not sell separate engines. Manx rolling chassis were
frequently resold, and equipped with Triumph engines. These motorcycles were
known as Tritons. 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. In the 1980s, the company went through
several incarnations – mainly because, both the name was popular, and now owned
by several parties: in liquidation from NVT, the global rights were split
between (at least) Norton UK, Germany,
America
and Rest of the World. The name was relaunched on an ambitious scale in Lichfield
in 1988. The new models have succeeded on the race track – winning the Senior
TT in 1992 – but they have moved rather more slowly in the commercial market. The
British company had some success making the Wankel-engined Interpol 2
motorcycle for civilian and military police forces and the RAC. This led to a
civilian model in 1987 called the Classic. Subsequent Norton Wankels were
water-cooled. The Commander was launched in 1988 and was followed by the
Spondon-framed F1. This model was a replica of Norton's RCW588 factory racing
machines which won many races including the 1992 Isle of Man TT. The F1 was
succeeded by the restyled and slightly less expensive F1 Sport. At this point
the Department of Trade and Industry stepped in to investigate improprieties in
the investment web of financier Philippe LeRoux and his associates. LeRoux
resigned his position as Chief Executive. Norton is now a small entity dealing
with the approximately 1000 Norton Rotary motorcycles. 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.
It is a very
nice non period photo that reflects a wonderful era of Norton’s rich history in a
wonderful way. This is your rare chance to own this photo, the size is 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.