Tales
from a Somerset Shed
all the LATEST NEWS
a sort of BLOG
or perhaps it is a BLAG
see new stuff at the top and older tales by scrolling to the
bottom.........
To see a very funny video click on TheKnack.mpg
Please scroll down the page……… it is long, but packed full
of good stories!
"We
desire to emphasize, as we have done in the past, that
Norton machines are not built to a price. The finest possible materials
procurable and the highest quality workmanship are used throughout in the
manufacture of theses".
A quote from the 1926
catalogue.
Click here for a couple of great BikerChicks_0.jpg
2012 EVENTS ITINERY
In 2012 I plan to:
Go to the Classic le Mans 24 hour race as grease
monkey for a couple
of mates who are racing a Aston Martin DBR1
Go the Manx Grand Prix to act as grease
monkey for John L-P
on a works Manx Norton
Go to Coupe de Legends with Daytona Manx and Short
stroke special
Attend both Shepton
Mallets, both Stafford shows
Hopefully get invited to race at the Goodwood Revival
Get invited to put on a display at the Festival
of Speed
And build some bikes.......................
And watch Somerset at Cricket, drink some wine and
ride my bikes and drive my cars...........
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Selling Spares on EBay through out
January and February.
My ‘Handle’ is Nortongeorge
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Here are 4 NEW project specials.....
I had already built a 350 OHC machine for number 2
daughter, Camilla, called ‘Cam-Cam’; so now was the time to build another for
my youngest, Tom who is 13 and has been riding bikes since he was 5 and is now
showing interest in the workshop. I have called this one ‘Tom-Tom’! He is helping me build it.
It has a works Daytona 1950 engine and gearbox, disc
brakes and lots of aluminium and titanium parts. Plan is for 40BHP and 250lbs
weight; so should be good for about 120mph! In the background is Camilla’s
Honda 500 which has lost all oil pressure. Click on the links for pictures:
Tom Tom
1.JPG
tom
tom 2.JPG
I have also been finishing off a 1933 Racing Inter;
note the Bronze cylinder head.
inter33a.JPG
inter33b.JPG
inter33c.JPG
The other 3 specials are coming along and an update
will be posted next year.
click on pictures for a
bigger one!
This is called the ‘Rat’
It is a 16H frame, an ex-works trials 500 OHV
motor
Parker tanks and a nose cone from a
fifties airplane.
This is a Dommie
Special
I know I am only meant to do single
cylinder machines, but I fancied something different.
An early fifties cradle frame, 600
Dominator motor, laydown box
I am going to try and fit an electric
start........
This is a Manx Special
Tony Dunnel chassis, which
will house a 1950 Daytona Manx SOHC engine
Note the high level exhaust and exit under the seat.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
I get
dozens of e mails every day from people asking very different questions about
their Norton motorcycles;
“Where
can I get gasket material, where can I get this part or that, how do I do this
etc etc?”
PLEASE
look at my EXPERT ADVICE PAGE and the LINKS page, BEFORE you write.
MOST of
your answers will be found.
I do not
like spending my time tapping at a keyboard!!!!
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1948 Daytona Manx
This Billy Mathews 2nd place Manx
from the 1948 Daytona Race.
From
1937 the beach at Daytona, Florida, USA hosted a 200 mile motorcycle race until
1961, when the venue was moved to a purpose built track with steep banking,
some 15 miles inland. The seaside circuit was basically a 4 mile loop with a
two mile straight on pavement linked to
a two mile beach straight on damp sand by North and South banked turns; a track
for tough guys and strong motorcycles!
The last race before the Americans
entered the arena of the 2nd W.W. was in 1941 and the Canadian Billy
Mathews won against all the odds and the factory Harley Davidsons,
it was the first victory by a foreign rider and the
first win for a non-American motorcycle, a 1939 International, to Manx
specification. This victory at Daytona was totally unexpected since the
Harley-Davidson and Indian factory efforts were at the race in full force.
Harley was debuting its new WRTT model and was on a
three-race winning streak at Daytona. Mathews took the early lead in the race
on his Norton, but crashed in the early stages and fell behind the leaders.
Fortunately for Mathews, his motorcycle wasn’t damaged and he continued the
race. He charged back through the field and worked his way back up to second
behind Indian’s Jimmy Kelly. Kelly looked to have a safe lead, but with just
four laps to go his engine quit and Mathews moved ahead and cruised to victory.
Despite crashing, Mathews set a new record speed for the 200 averaging 78.08
mph. His Norton Manx's 500cc engine was the smallest to win Daytona to that
point.
After World War II, Mathews accepted an
invitation to race in Great Britain for a speedway team called the West Ham
Hammers for the 1947 season. He returned to Daytona in 1948 and nearly won
again on a Single OHC International built to Manx specification and run under
the careful eye of Steve Lancefield, who used J.M. McGill, the Norton
distributor for Canada and North America as his pre-Florida base. In that race,
he battled with Floyd Emde, on an Indian riding out
from Springfield Massatuchets, for the lead until
having trouble during a pit stop. Mathews had difficulty finding his pit stop
among the crews of the other 154 entries. One of his crew spilled gas while
fuelling and Mathews had to shut off the Norton. The team had trouble getting
the big single restarted on the wet sand and Mathews fell behind. Towards the
end of the race Mathews closed in on the leader Emde.
The fans came to their feet in the closing laps. Rarely did they ever get to
see riders battling so closely for the lead in the closing stages of the 200.
At the finish there was confusion over who had taken the victory spoils;
initially the winner was deemed to be Mathews, but the Indian team made a
protest and after 7 hours of deliberation and argument and numerous checks on
the lap scoring charts, the final results gave the victory to Emde and the gallant Canadian accepted second place with
honour.
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ANOTHER SPECIAL
Assembled
from a collection of parts I have had lying around for many years, this machine
has been built for a good friend of mine who races Historic Aston Martins. It
is a 1938 16H frame with Manx type forks from Norton guru, Mick Hemmings. The engine is an ex-Shane Lockley
VMMC championship winning
unit that has very few Norton parts inside. The flywheels and rod
are steel JAP, the piston is BSA B44 slipper type (C.R. is about 9.5 to 1), the
cylinder head is worked, the cam timing is close to Manx, and all moving parts
are lightened.
The petrol and oil tanks
are my own design (inspired by the ‘chopper brigade’), the clutch and primary
are from Bob Newby, the rear hub is modified Triumph conical and the rest is
made in my shed. Click here for a couple of pictures: dc1.JPG
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SHORT STROKE SPECIAL
This Norton is a complete “bitza” and I have called it the “Short Stroke Special”.
It is made from a 1948 ES2 frame, slightly modified to International form, Short Roadholder forks, 18 inch rear and 19 inch front wheels rims and a John Tickle front brake plate. The seat is pushed back which gives a height of just 26 inches above the dirt; a real scratcher’s mount is the aim.
The engine is a 1948 Manx Model 40M bottom end and a shortened 500 barrel bored out to 85 mm to accept a BSA Gold Star piston; C.R. is 11 to 1. With a stroke of 88 mm, this gives a neat 500! The cams are Manx, the inlet tract is big and the fuel and air are mixed in an equally large Amal GP. All the bits that rotate and reciprocate are lightened, polished and fettled.
The gearbox is Manx close ratio, the primary drive is from Bob Newby, the tanks are aluminium and the whole machine weighs just 300 lbs.
I poured in a 50/50 mixture of super unleaded and AVGAS into the brand new, but distressed tank and fired her up for the first time, with a Foxley mobile starter, and she sprang to life with more blue oil smoke than the worst two- stroke you have ever seen! Not only were there huge plumes of oily blue smoke, but Castrol ‘R’ was dripping out of the exhaust port and the silencer!! Why was there so much oil getting to the top end, I wondered? I scratched my head, rub my balls and hey presto the answer came to me like a flash of lightning from a distant God.
For those of you familiar with the Cammy Oiling system, you will know that the top rear crankcase stud carries a small, and adjustable, oil feed to the rear of the cylinder bore (and on ally barrel engines to the front as well) and BENEATH the piston. The job is to lubricate the piston to bore interface. I had shortened the barrel so much from the top, that the bleed holes in the barrel were ABOVE the piston when it was at the bottom of its stroke. Consequently every time the piston went up and down, a squirt of Castrol R was deposited into the combustion chamber! How stupid was I? I had spent so much time looking at the piston when it was at the top of its stroke (to set up the squish band and CR) that I never once studied the barrel with the piston at the bottom of its stroke.
Anyway, I solved the problem by blanking off the oil holes in the crankcase stud with JB Weld (an American two part epoxy metal resin).
The bike runs fast and smooth, the front brake is fantastically powerful (better than a Manx twin leader) and its off to the MOT garage this afternoon. I will have the bike at the VMCC Festival of 1000 bikes this summer, along with my two Daytona Manxes.
Here are the pictures
Latest
projects being built in my shed are 4 more ‘Cammy
Specials’; here are four pictures to show that I have been very busy making
parts and hence why sometimes I do not reply to e-mails
immediately.............
shed1.JPG shed2.JPG shed3.JPG shed4.JPG
Further pictures will appear as
the builds progress.................
Oldest Norton in the world
1902 Energette.
Click on jpg link for pictures.
In 1898 James Lansdowne started his own business in
Bromsgrove Street, Birmingham. The Norton Manufacturing Company specialised in
making chains and other parts for the bicycle industry. Within his circle of
friends, ‘Jas. L.’; as he was initially known, and well before the ‘title’ of
‘Pa Norton’, became acquainted with a local business man, Charles Garrard in 1902. This latter gentleman was an entrepreneur
who saw the new world of motoring as an opportunity to make his fortune and he
befriended Messr. Clement,
who in turn was a skilled Frenchman, producing small capacity single cylinder
four stroke engines. Garrard imported the Clement engines and instructed Norton to fit them into
‘beefed-up’ bicycle frames and they were sold as ‘Clement-Garrard’
motorised bicycles. Apparently, Clement-Garrard’s
workshop was next door! Production was very limited and by November of that
year, Norton had infact made and sold his first
‘Norton’, which was basically the same as the Clement-Garrard.
It was called the ‘Energette’. The first advert appeared on the 19th November
1902 in the Motor Cycling; why it was ‘ideal for a Doctor’ is any ones guess!
But since I am a Doctor, it is in the right ownership!
The Clement engine was 55 X 60mm bore and stroke (
about 140 cc) and had an atmospherically controlled inlet valve and a
mechanically operated side exhaust valve. The crank, drive side main shaft and
pin were all forged as one piece out of tough steel and case hardened and
ground dead true afterwards. The aluminium crankcases were clamped to the
inside of the front down tube and to the right of centre. The drive side
main-shaft held a 7 ¼ inch O.D. flywheel which had
either a sprocket or pulley bolted to the inside and consequently balanced the
motor within the frame; so the theory goes! The pulley (or sprocket) then drove
another pulley or sprocket, situated below, but in front of the pedal crank,
and this, in turn drove the rear wheel pulley by the period leather belt. There
were variations on this theme that sometimes included a jockey wheel to
maintain the rear belt tension. The rest of the machine was basically a period
bicycle and consequently pedals drove the rear wheel by the usual sprocket
arrangement including a free-wheelin’ rear hub. A
small petrol tank was suspended beneath the top frame rail, ignition was
‘electric with positive “make” trembler’; and ‘A coil, giving a strong spark
and accumulator of 20ampere hours capacity’ (ref: Supplement to Motor Cycling
7.5.1902) The whole machined weighed about 70 lb (32kg) and was probably not
much faster than a good athlete on a sports bicycle! I guess that there were
very few made and perhaps only a couple of survivors; the 1903 machine I
rebuilt for the National Motorcycle Museum, a few years ago and the 1902 model
I have recently purchased from a museum in Holland. This machine is fitted with
a two speed gearbox of unknown manufacture.
With just a day fettlin’
the little machine in my shed, I poured in a pint of petrol through the tiny
filler and wheeled her out into the yard. Petrol tap on, tickle carb, fiddle with a few levers, engage second of the two
gears by pulling back on the large lever and peddle away. Bop Bop Bop Bop.
The engine fired up perfectly and I went for a spin down the lane. About as fast as Raleigh ‘Runabout’, with very poor braking and
some LPA (light pedal assistance) required on the hills.
The grin factor was very high indeed and I am
pleased that I have a machine eligible for next years
Pioneer run.
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Chassis
Click for great picture chassis.JPG
And two pictures from the dunhill
drivers club at 2010 Goodwood FoS:
fos10a.JPG
fos10b.JPG
Dunhill have you new range of leather goods, bags,
wallets etc called the ‘Chassis’.
This is a high tech leather
that looks like carbon fibre and has water resistant and many other desirable
qualities.
For many years dunhill
have kindly asked me to display my motorcycles for them at various venues and
this year I was back at the Goodwood FoS.
1936 Norton ‘diamond frame’, forks and gearbox
1948 500 OHV all alloy competition trials blue print
motor.
Tallon hubs, wheels
and disc brakes.
Brembo claipers
Newby primary drive
And a lot of aluminium and trick parts. Weight
244lbs (standard was about 400)
To be displayed at the dunhill
Drivers Club at Goodwoood FoS 2010.
Already SOLD, a few more being built
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WANTED
My
next book will be about Cammy Nortons
from 1927 to 1963.
My book on Flat Tank Nortons was
made possible because I collected over 100 photographs, many articles and
numerous stories, which were all previously unpublished.
I am currently working on my new publication, called ‘Cammy Nortons’. All OHC machines from 1927 to 1963. I need unpublished period photographs,
stories and any relevant literature and information pertaining to this subject.
For material supplied, you will receive an acknowledgement in the book and a
complimentary copy. I will buy, beg, borrow or steal. I would also like to talk
to anyone who worked at Bracebridge Street, to listen
to their recollections and stories.
I want pictures like this one of Ted Sturgess on an Inter at a dirt track meeting in the late
forties.
Picture courtesy of Barry Brown.
ted.jpg
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Two Nortons just finished
For the Vintage Motorcycle Club, a c1928 CS1 which
was kindly donated to the club by the spouse of a late member. It had been in
the Donnington Park museum for many years and
requires careful re-commissioning; what ever that means! It goes very well and has a 4 speed
box. The other machine is a same year ES2, which shares the 3 stay frame with
its ‘Cammy’ sibling. It took almost 200 hours of work
to turn it from a wreck to a beauty. After its second test ride, I thought this
to be the smoothest running OHV motor I have ever ridden.
Click on the jpgs for pictures, the third one shows my New 1934
Inter and the ES2
CS1 VMCC.JPG
CS1 VMCCa.JPG
Inter ES2.JPG
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New Manx
Norton wins again
See
links page for new web site
Glenda’ and the Works Norton
back on top at Brands Hatch 7/8th August 2010
Round 6 of the Bonhams British Historic GP Championship saw the Works-Norton team return to Brands to support the ever popular BSB. However, such was the quality of the two classic races; it looked a little as though it was the BSB races that were the support.
The success of the Works Norton 30M this year has certainly upset the establishment and consequently the opposition wheeled out their big guns, in the form of super-quick riders Luke Notton and Steve Tombes, for what is probably the premier round of the season. Race 1 started in damp conditions, but Glen ‘Glenda’ English cruised the early stages holding 2nd place while the track dried. He was cannily saving himself for the inevitable last lap show down, and what a show down it was. Tombes showed his hand on lap 5 of the 6 and allowed English to get the measure of his bike. Lap 6 saw the pair in a full on dog fight with absolutely no quarter given. As they entered the final corner, Tombes was a couple of bike lengths ahead and looked to have it in the bag, but English used the shear grunt of the Works engine to drive straight past and win by 0.011 seconds at the line!
Overnight tweaking, with the team’s super new King Dick equipped paddock workshop, ensured the Works-Norton was ready for more of the same in Sunday’s race 2. And that is exactly what it got, only this time it was a 4 or even 5 bike race long scrap. The final lap was an epic of Rossi/Gibernau proportions, with English and Tombes fitting for every inch of track, pushing their super-sticky Avons to the limit. Again the pair entered Clearways with Tombes ahead, and again Glen and the Works-Norton simply powered past to win by 0.093 seconds this time.
At the Easter meeting (4/4/2010) at Brands Hatch,
Glen English won both races of the opening round
of the British Historic
Championship aboard the New Manx. And two weeks later at Oulton
Park, another two wins. 4 out of 4, not bad eh! Pictures and
further details soon.
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New Manx Norton at Mallory Park
Today,
March 24th 20010 saw the first track outing for the New Manx Norton.
After many months of intensive testing on the engine bench and dynamometer,
Patrick Walker, the design engineer and builder of the new motor, and world
renowned engine tuner Fred Walmsley are happy their
new baby is ready for cut and thrust of the race track.
Ridden
by current Lansdowne Champion, Glen English, the new machine took to the tarmac
of Mallory Park today. Built to much the same specification of the last batch
of ‘square’ bore and stroke Manx engine to leave the Birmingham factory in
1963, these new units incorporate the advantages of 21st century
engineering, CNC design and machining, and of course great advances in
metallurgy. There are subtle changes in the oil pump, oil system and a few more
top secret places. With plenty of British Horses on tap, Mr. Walmsley keeps the Norton tradition of never giving his
power figures. James Lansdowne, himself, always used to say: “The speed is the
difference and the difference is the speed”
With
the engine warmed up to the correct temperature, English took to the track, but
after just 2 laps an incontinent petrol tank curtailed the initial session.
After a few more teething problems with the clutch and carburation,
the machine began to really fly and within 10 laps the new Manx Norton was just
as fast as other machines from rival camps. In the post practice de-brief,
English confirmed that the super smooth
engine gave plenty of power and with a few more ‘tweaks’ from the grease
monkeys, should see the machine a winner in the near future.
The
first round of this year’s Lansdowne race series, now renamed as the ‘British
Historic Championship’, takes place at Brands Hatch on Easter weekend, as part
of the British Super Bike meeting. I bet Mr. English will only be a few seconds
slower per lap than Ji Sung Takamati
on his 4 cylinder Kawasukiondahaha!
For
further details on how to order one of these new machines or just an engine:
Please contact Patrick Walker at worksracing@hotmail.com
The
jpeg pictures show:
a. English and Walker with the Works
development machine; Mallory 2010a.JPG
b. The first new ‘customer’ engine, ready for
delivery; Mallory 2010b.JPG
c. Walker’s tatty van with the bike, the
customer engine and a new cylinder head, ready for the Walmsley
‘magic wand’. Mallory 2010c.JPG
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A couple of machines I have just finished; a 1937 TT
Model 40, ex-Bryant and
a 1953 Manx with Beart barrel and Jackson con-rod
Bryant.JPG
manx 53.JPG
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Brasier Car
bra
1.jpg bra
2.jpg bra
3.jpg bra
4.jpg bra
5.jpg bra
6.jpg bra
7.jpg
THIS MOTOR CAR IS:
1908 Brasier Voiture de Course
• An impressive
recreation of one of the three 1904 and 1905 Gordon Bennett
Trophy
cars.
• Built around the
chassis and substantial remains of a 1908 50hp Brasier.
• Powered by a freshly
rebuilt thundering Hispano Suiza 220 hp V8 Aero
engine.
• Currently geared for
around 105mph with a set of longer cogs purporting to
propel you to 140mph.
Charles-Henri Brasier was an ambitious ingenious and cultivated man. A
brilliant scholar
he graduated second in his year at the elite École des Arts et Metiers, at Chalons.
His first
brief employment was with Pannard et Levassor and then the Paris-Orleans Railway
before securing permanent employment as a designer for the Mors
Company in 1886.
Already successful in the
developing electrical industry Mors were seeking to exploit
other new technologies and commissioned Brasier
to design a small steam tricycle.
Encouraged by the attention
this drew at the 1889 Universal Exhibition in Paris the Mors
brothers commissioned Brasier to go on
and design a V4 engine with contact breaker
ignition and a ‘vis-à-vis’ bodied car. These beginnings led to the
decision by Mors to use
their cars in competition. Brasier had
finally found his real vocation as Mors rapidly
became one of the leading sporting names of the early years of La
Belle Époque.
Even with victories in the
1901 Gordon Bennett Trophy and prestigious 1105km Paris-
Berlin the treasury and
board of the Mors Company took a dim view of the huge costs of
preparing their racing cars and decided to part with Brasier’s services.
Brasier was promptly snapped up by the Société
Georges Richard and in 1902 he
designed for them a range of 8, 12, and 16hp cars with larger
models being added the
following year. A team of four 2.2-litre cars were entered into the
1903 Paris-Madrid
race.
They scored a 2nd, 4th and
16th in their class while the final car driven by George Richard
himself hit a tree while trying to avoid a spectator near Angouléme badly injuring his leg.
His prolonged recovery
effectively left control of the company in the hands of Brasier.
Brasier seized this opportunity to create a team for the next
Gordon Bennett race. In 1904
Léon Théry drove one of the new
Richard-Brasier racing cars to victory in the French
Gordon
Bennett eliminating trial. Powered by a
9.8-litre four cylinder engine running
through a chain drive Théry went on to
convincingly win the event itself held in
Germany.
The impact of this
significant French victory in a huge international event meant that
Léon Théry and Henri Brasier were treated to a magnificent reception by the
president of
France and were feted on
the streets of Paris. Great friction had built up between Brasier
and George Richard causing the latter to leave the company,
later to set up the Unic
company. Brasier wasted no time
preparing for the 1905 Gordon Bennett race that was to
be held at the challenging course in the Puy
de Dôme region to the west of Clermont-
Ferrand. He entered a team
of three cars. Superficially the same as the year before but
with the engines enlarged to 11 ¼-litres producing 90hp at
1200rpm. They took 1st and
2nd in the eliminator race
and Théry went on to beat the Fiats to victory in the
main event,
which turned out to be the last running of the Gordon Bennett
Trophy meaning France
retained the title for good.
Brasier continued to run factory race entries through to 1910, in
1906 they finished 4th in
the first ever Grand Prix held at Le Mans but due to
increasingly harder times for the firm
they never recovered the brilliance of their Gordon Bennett hay
days.
The racers were eventually
sold into private hands with one being acquired by an
Englishman Clement Hobson
who with Bablot at the wheel took the car to Brooklands on
the 31st of October 1908 set the 60hp class record for 10 laps
at 101.78mph, a record that
was to stand until 1913. Brasier
engines were sold for boats and planes taking the world
water speed record of 73kph in 1910 Prince of Monaco Cup.
At the outbreak of the
Great War the factory was turned over to war work making light
trucks, small lories and proving their engineering skills by
making the complex and
costly Hispano Suiza V8 Aero engine
that powered the fighters planes such as the SE5.
This car is a recreation of
one of the three Gordon Bennett team cars. In 2003 the
substantial, though incomplete, remains of a 1908 50hp Brasier were found in Australia.
These customer cars were
very similar to the works 1904 racing cars, but with a smaller
six cylinder motor. The parts included chassis, front axle,
steering box, steering wheel,
gear and brake levers, cross shafts, and pedals and other minor
parts. In Switzerland a
suitable chain-drive greabox/transaxle
was sourced, in France an original radiator,
complete with its original enamel badge, and a suitable rear beam
axle, manufactured by
the Le Moine foundry, as supplied to
Automobiles Brasier. All that was missing was an
engine.
The original 90 hp engine
was 11 ¼-litres with four cylinders. None of those seem to
have survived, though they were also used in boats, racing on
the river Seine. As Brasier
was one of the companies contracted to manufacture the Hispano
Suiza 220 hp V8 Aero
engines during the First World War. Remarkably one was found in
the USA where it had
been used in competition in a speedboat in the 1920s and 30s.
Also of 12-litres this
seemed the perfect engine for the car.
Mike Holt was the inspiration for the car, which was originally constructed by Oliver Way
and more recently Mike New has re- engineered many items including the fitting of Ross pistons.
I bought it because it will be an ideal
car for the school runs, trips to Tesco and maybe some
more prestigious
motoring events. I am driving it down to Classic Le Mans in July.
I still like and ride Norton
motorcycles!
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Ralph Cawthorne was the first man to ride an OHV
Norton in the TT in 1922.
His son Roger has kindly given me his father’s
photographic album which contains many great pictures;
They would have been a great addition to my book.
Anyway, one of the best is this shot of Ralph at Cronky Mona (just after Hillberry)
Just LOOK at the road SURFACE!
rough road.JPG
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New 30M Manx Norton
Made by Patrick Walker, who was trained by the great
Doug Hele and
is now a superb engineer in his own
right, for Norton Motorcycles UK Ltd
A brand new Manx, click to picture
Best.jpg
More details will appear soon; see Machines for Sale
page
this is not a Molnar, not a Summerfield, but a genuine
NEW Works factory 30M Manx
Orders being
taken now; email me for
further details.
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Two pictures from the Stafford Show, April 2009
stafford-nortons025.jpg
stafford-nortons026.jpg
and a couple of pictures from the dunhill Drivers Club at Goodwood FoS 2007
Goodwood-Dunhill-Flyer1.jpg
Goodwood-Dunhill-Flyer-2.jpg
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‘Cam-Cam’
Made from a 1946
Es2 frame, 1930 front forks, 8 inch post war front brake, 350 International
motor, dolls head box, Newby clutch, BTH electronic sparks and many hours on
the lathe and milling machine; this is the result, built for my second
daughter, Camilla, this bike is named ‘Camilla’s Cammy’
or ‘Cam-Cam’ for short....................click on the
html jpeg links for stunning pictures.
cam-cam1.JPG
cam-cam2.JPG
cam-cam3.jpg
cam-cam4.jpg
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Sensational Somerset Shed Find
Lying in a Farm shed in Somerset for about 80 years, a
unique racing Norton motorcycle has been found. Thought to be ‘Nickel-Knob’,
this old Flat Tank Norton was once raced at Brooklands
by Baroness Lil Bacey in the late twenties and early
thirties.
The
all silver machine glistens with aluminium, and nickel plate and subtle touches
of black, brass and copper. The 500 cc OHV engine has special flywheels, a
later type conrod, hot cams, lumpy piston and tuned
top end. A later 4 speed gearbox and minimal weight give a top speed of over
100mph.
As with
all stories about pioneer vehicles and despite the evidence that this machine
is an old historic racer, there is a rumour that this motorcycle was built in
2008. From a collection of NOS (New Old Stock) Vintage Norton parts, newly
fabricated bits and bobs and a lot of hours in the shed, this machine could
have been built at Brooklands, but in fact was
built by me in Somerset!
Click on
image to see the display at the dunhill drivers club
at Goodwood 2008; the painting is by Conrad Leach.(see links page for details)
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1952 Daytona Manx
My latest bike is one of the 3 Works bikes for the 1952
Daytona 200.
It is Dick Klamfoth’s winning
machine.
Features a double knocker motor and magnesium bits
everywhere, including a magnesium NTT1 magneto.
Full story to come sometime!
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This is a picture of me
posing with “Rem” in May “007 (photo
courtesy Paul Dickson)
and, this is a picture I took at
Mallory Park on a very wet day in July 2007.
Two Nortons separated by 100
years of development.
Brian Crighton’s fabulous rotary
machine, funded by Roy Richards and the National Motorcycle Museum,
this rocket has 170 BHP, carbon fibre
wheels and other bits, fly-by-wire everything and more gizmos and electronics
than your average space ship!
Unfortunately it pissed down all day (slicks on the 2007
bike and ‘sweet fanny adams’ on t’other
mount) and when the sun finally came out at tea time, not had the medical
services buggered off but so had the famous motorcycle riders who were present
to test them!
Still, Alan Cathcart and his intrepid photographer, Naka
were present to conduct a photo shoot and the road test of both machines will
have to wait for a drier day!
Isle of Man TT centenary.
3 pictures at the Centenary, click on images for better
ones.
First picture is courtesy of Ian Allen and is taken at the
Devil’s elbow.
Second is at the start at St.john’s
Third is finishing line; first machine home just as in
1907!
Celebrating
100 years of TT racing in the Isle of Man.
On the 28th May 2007,
exactly one hundred years after Rem Fowler sat
astride the V twin Norton, waiting to start the first ever TT race, I was doing
the same. Many of the large crowd and the officials at St.John’s
were dressed in Edwardian attire and the atmosphere was electric. Everyone was
excited and I was just a little apprehensive. I had rebuilt the National
Motorcycle Museum machine a few years previously and had practiced around the
narrow and very bumpy lanes of Somerset over the previous six weeks. I knew the
engine was strong and the brakes useless, the handling a tad wobbly and the
throttle response unpredictable, but I was ready for the ‘Race’.
Next
to me on the start line was Mr. Chris Read with his 1907 Vindec,
the very machine which came second to Fowler in the original race and which was
piloted by the American, Billy Wells; he was 30 minutes adrift in 1907! The Vindec used the same engine as the Norton; a 684cc Peugeot
45 degrees V-twin. Chris had fitted a later two-speed hub and a clutch
mechanism, and this meant he was able to line up with a running motor. My direct
drive mount was to be pushed into life by Dave Roper (the only American to have
ever won a TT race). Behind us, were 98 other machines, spanning a period from
1908 to 1938; the last away was to be Manxman, Milky Quale,
a multiple TT winner, aboard his George Fornby ‘Shuttleworth Snap’. Pairs were sent off at 30 second
intervals. My only criticism of the whole event was that there were not more
Edwardian machines in keeping with the period of the original TT course (the
mountain circuit was first used in 1911).
Geoff
Duke dropped the starting flag and we were away! The Vindec
sped off in front of me and I followed well behind. As the engine chimed in and
I adjusted the twin handlebar levers to give the carburettor its optimum
setting, I slowly caught the Vindec by Ballacraine corner, a 90 degree left on this course. I was
in front and round the sweeping bends of Laurel Bank and Glen Helen, the long
wheel base of the Norton provided me with a surprisingly stable ride. I soon
realised that the smooth road surface compared with my local Somerset lanes was
extremely significant and my initial apprehension was replaced by a growing
confidence. I approached the sweeping uphill left hander at the bottom of Creg Whilys Hill with the thought
that many of the pioneer riders had to resort to ‘LPA’, Light Pedal Assistance
or dismount here and run along side their machines to
climb the steep gradient. Apparently Fowler had climbed the hill easily, but
this motorcycle was 100 years old. I need not have worried, because I roared up
past Sarah’s Cottage and onto the long Cronky Voddy straight ,
where I had time to play with the twin levers to give me maximum performance.
Approaching the end of the straight, I looked over my shoulder to establish
where the others were; not a soul in sight!
Now was
the time to give the engine some oil; about 60 cc delivered by a petrol tank
mounted ‘syringe’ which needed to be slowly pushed in by the right hand. Along
the bumpy lanes of my practising in Somerset, I had either stopped or performed
this operation with my foot. Taking a hand off the handlebar was certainly not
an option because of the tendency for the machine to either violently wobble or
‘tank slap’. I tried removing my right hand away from the handlebar grip by an
inch, then two and finally well away and enough to give the spectators a wave.
I could ride this one handed! So there was plenty of time to plunge the plunger
and give the engine its ‘life blood’. I also recollected the story of how James
Lansdowne Norton, himself, had shown a board to Fowler at the end of the first lap with the word’ OIL’ scribbled on it. This
is the first report of the ubiquitous ‘pit signal.
Through Handley’s Bend, the top of Barregow
and down the fast hill to the bottom……. Would I make it without throttling
back and pulling on the valve lifter? My mind was in perfect harmony with Rem, the machine running like a thoroughbred and we sped
through like a true racer. Tearing into Kirkmichael
at well above the 30 mph speed limit, I throttled back and pulled in the valve
lifter for the very sharp downhill left-hander. As I zoomed around the corner,
I caught glimpses of the crowd waving as we sped out of the village. Along the
next straight I was passed by a speeding Triumph Speed Twin; “who was that”, I
thought. With the rich blue sea to my
right and the grassy banks to my left, I tore along the narrow coast road
towards the ‘Devils Elbow’, a sharp left-right-left bend, akin to the numerous
chicanes on modern race circuits. With a reduced throttle, the left peddle in
the ‘UP’ position, I negotiated the first left hander, forgetting to rotate the
pedals by 180 degrees, meant that the right pedal grounded the tarmac as I made
the right but I was sailing again for the next left! Phew!
The adrenaline was coming on
strong now, my confidence in the machine and my riding technique growing, and
the sheer thrill of what was happening was close to nirvana. Into Peel, I came
down the hill to the acute left hander at the chip shop. The crowds were waving
manically and I caught the moment with a period foot down and banked slide to
round the corner in just the style they used to do it! Another right, then out
of the village and back towards the end of the lap and as I rounded the next
corner I could see a Marshal frantically waving a Red Flag. Fortunately I had
ample time to close the throttle, lift the valve decompressor
and slide to a halt with two large leather boots on the tarmac. Next to me was
waiting, Guy Martin (later to lap in the proper races at a 129mph average speed!);
I had no idea why we were being stopped.
With 100
riders leaving in pairs at 30 second intervals, this meant that it took 25
minutes to start the event and Guy and I were only a
mile from the finish of the 16 mile course. For what seemed like an eternity,
and with a couple of other riders arriving at the stoppage point, I was
eventually allowed to proceed. With a slight uphill gradient, I demanded the
assistance of a push from a bewildered Marshall and I was away at full pace.
I swept
into St.John’s and with the huge crowd waving
enthusiastically and the V-twin engine spinning like a turbine, I crossed the
line. First away and first home, what a thrill, what a race…………… I was ready
for the second lap, but to my horror another red flag! With 50 mph on the go,
no brakes and this crazy Marshall waving his flag at me I gesticulated for them
to get out of the way. I eventually stopped some yards past them to learn that
our second circuit had been cancelled due to a technicality relating to the
closed roads permit.
It was
great fun and a privilege to be involved and I thank Roy Richards for lending
me his very precious motorcycle.
P.S.
Fowlers fastest lap in 1907 was 21 minutes; average speed of almost 43 mph. I
was about the same. In 1907 the roads were terrible, loose stones, horse shoe
nails everywhere and even acid sprayed on them to curb the dust!
George
Cohen. 12th June 2007
The c1903 Energette, Norton’s first motorcycle.
Click on the thumbnails to see the latest restoration.
The story of this machine and others are to be found
in my book.
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National
Motorcycle Museum Tragedy
Click
here to Download Video of the Rem Fowler Norton
at the post-TT meeting at Mallory Park in June 2005. I am in the leathers with
no head and ex-sidecar world champion, Stan Dibben,
is helping.
Roy
click on the thumb
nails
Progress at 22.4.2004:
My first impression, when
seeing these burnt wrecks was of sadness and despair; it looked as if nothing
could be saved. A few months down the road and my initial attitude has
dramatically changed. With the help of a few friends who are experts with
welding torches, hammers and dollies, wire brushes, polishing mops, and magic
wands, we have managed to salvage parts which looked as if they were only fit
for the scrap yard. All three frames are now straight and I reckon the Fowler
frame now has more straight tubes and perpendicular alignments than it ever
had!
When
the motorcycles arrived, they were covered in ash and the tool I used most frequently
in the first few days was the vacuum cleaner! Everything was dismantled and
methodically put into dozens of labelled boxes. So far I have taken over 100
photographs, which has proved invaluable now that I have started to
re-assemble, and I have also made a research of the relevant literature at the
Beaulieu Museum Library.
One
of the most remarkable findings was related to the nickel plated parts. It
appears that the shiny nickel had ‘reflected’ the heat away and both the
underlying metal and the plate are preserved, although it has taken a lot of
‘elbow grease’ to return them to their former glory. I tried various methods of
cleaning; vapour blasting, with and without different types of ‘grit’,
different solvents, different cleaners, different polishing mops and their
complimentary ‘pastes’. Eventually the best result achieved was using a
combination of well used ‘scotch bright’, a small amount of ‘Solvol Autosol’ and a
considerable amount of the afore mentioned elbow grease. Components such as
girder fork links which looked like barbecued ribs have not only come up like
new, but the old nickel has retained a beautiful patina of age; they look
superb.
The
Fowler machine, as most of you surely must know is powered by a Peugeot V twin
engine and is, fortunately, not too badly damaged. There are a couple of cracks
on the D/S flywheel and the T/S crank case half is also cracked. These faults
are not as a consequence of the fire, but are as a consequence of hard use in
the past. Rem gave this machine a jolly good
thrashing, both in the 1907 TT race and other competitive events in 1907 and
1908. The flywheels are very heavy, the main shafts tiny in diameter (running
in main bearings which are just bronze bushes) and the crankcase walls are
unbelievably thin. Remember this is very early automotive engineering and they
were yet to comprehend the forces involved in anything rotating faster than a
stationery engine! Apparently Rem was revving this
engine to 4,000 rpm! No wonder it is cracked. I hope to repair both the cases
and the flywheels, but if any ones knows of a spare set then please let me or
Roy know.
Some
parts on the Model 21 and Brooklands racer are well
beyond repair, Best and Lloyd oil pumps have melted away, alloy gearbox casings
disappeared, and petrol tanks vanished! I have been able to find some
replacements at autojumbles, but I am looking for
some real ‘rocking horse manure’ in the form of dry sump crank cases, gearbox
shells and petrol tanks.
The Rem Fowler machine,
click
on thumbnail for pictured at the post TT meeting, Mallory Park, June 2005.
in
background to the right is Stan Dibbens, world side
car champion with Eric Oliver in 1953
Update at on August 8th FINISHED!!
Made up some new parts for the Brown & Barlow Carb
and fitted it to the machine. To my utter amazement not only did it fire up
first pedal with this old carb on but it ran more
sweetly than with the Amal and even had a tick over!
This
machine is now back at the museum.
Update
at July 27th The
video clip, shows the engine running. There are air
leaks on the rear pot inlet manifold which means she alternates between a
single and a twin! I
have now repaired these and the bike runs superbly. Very fast and
with no brakes it is quite a challenge! To be returned to the museum on August
10th.
Update
at 7th May 2005 FIRED UP &
RUNNING TODAY!!!
I have temporally given up with trying to fix
the circa 1907 Brown & Barlow carb’ and have
fitted an Amal 276……….
Primed
the crank cases with Castrol ‘R’ and with a help of a couple of friends to spin
the rear wheel………..dropped the valve lifter and the engine fired up immediately
and on both cylinders. Despite fitting a much larger crankcase breather the
pressure in the cases builds up and oil was spurting from everywhere! I need to
make a few adjustments. I took her for a small jaunt down the lane but the
engine was missing on the rear pot.
Update
at 8th April: the hardest
part, the engine is almost finished and with a bit of luck should be running by
the Stafford show. There was very little fire damage, but the engine was in bad
shape and John Griffiths never got it to run. If he had it would have gone with
a big bang! Both flywheels were cracked where the main shafts located and on
one side the big end pin location was also cracked. Consequently the main
shafts were well out of true. This meant that the crankcases were subjected to,
when it last ran, to massive stresses and were seriously cracked.
Although, my overall philosophy was to retain as much of the components
as possible, in accordance with ‘conservative repair’ ideal and the concept of
originality, I decided that I wanted to make the machine a runner. Hopefully,
if I can persuade a few bods, I will demonstrate the machine at the Post TT
Mallory Park meeting at the beginning of June.
New cases have been cast, using the originals as patterns and machine
by the Wizard of the Bridgeport mill, Denny Able, who has also made new
flywheels from En 8 billet and shafts from En24. We have replaced the phos’ bronze main bearings with new ball bearing races,
made new big end bushes while retaining the original pin, which was round, true
and hard!a few other bits have been machined to fit
perfectly. The con-rods, pistons and barrels have not been replaced.
More news soon.
Click
on the thumb nails….
This is what it looked like after the fire
…..and this is what it looks like now.
Not
Rem Fowler, but your scribe at the re-opening of the
NMM…….
click
on the thumb nails
I have learnt a considerable amount
about Edwardian Nortons in the last six months and I
am now beginning to piece the story together. This machine (with two other
veterans) was discovered in
Rem’s 1907 TT machine is not
entirely the motorcycle in my work shop, but what racing machine retains its
components? From 1907 to the current day, racing motorcycles get crashed,
thrashed and bashed. Engines blow up and are replaced by updated units, frames break and are also replaced, leaky petrol
tanks get replaced by new ones and so on. Rem,
himself , told John Griffiths in 1957 (reference: Motor Cycling 16.5.57) that
the frames used to break on the 1907 models at the steering head, and were
often replaced by the stronger 1908 types which had extra bracing around the
steering head. Rem recognised the engine as being
from his 1907 mount and both Griffiths and myself have
spotted the “07” on the fork crown lug.
I
have recently spoken with Titch Allen about the
machine and he agrees with me that there are very many stories about this
famous machine: “it was run over by a bus”, “it was sold to Australia”, “it was
run over and then burnt”, “it was a fake by Bill Fruin”,
“it was broken up at the factory”, “it was a replica……..”. Rem
is no longer with us, but he told Titch and he has
told me!
As I repair and fettle every single component in my workshop, research
the literature in the motoring libraries, and listen to more stories, I am
getting to know the ‘Rem Fowler Norton’ very well. I
feel quite honoured to be involved with its history and I am very excited about
the fact that I will be riding
it this year!
Fired up
the Brooklands machine three times now and all
appears to be well; staccato, staccato, staccato……blat-blat-blat…..and
a good waft of Castrol ‘R’!!! Need to do some carburettor/float tuning and then
a test run this weekend. I have returned the OHV machine and the Brooklands to the Museum.
click on the thumbnail
Testing
the carb, float, tap and piping for leaks prior to
final fitting on the Brooklands bike. The carb is a TT Amac and is entirely the one rescued from the fire. The
solder had melted from the float bowl, which was consequently in two pieces and
the body of the carb was bent, bashed and distorted.
Inevitably the slide was well stuck and the top ring threads on the piss! I
have managed to repair it and the photo shows the final test. I like to use
‘Old Virginia’ rather than petrol for this operation. More often than not the
system usually dribbles from somewhere and instead of getting smelly petrol all
over your hands, you can just lick those fingers and
slurp down the spills! In this case, I only needed to ‘lap in’ (using solvol autosol) the bottom of the float bowl union to ‘carb
jet holder bolt’.
click on the thumbnail
Close detail of the Brooklands machine, compare with the ‘burnt out wreck’
photo lower down the page.
click on the thumbnail
The engine fired up
after a good flooding on the float, but died after a few seconds; repeated the
scenario again, so I guess I need to look out the float height. This is now
sorted.
click on the thumbnail
OHV and SV at the recent
Stafford Show
click on the thumbnail
Brooklands machine being bench
tested
click on the thumbnail
Finished!!!!
All six wheels have now been completed and this has
been one of the hardest jobs. The rim supplier, a chap to drill the holes in
the correct place, to the nickel platers, to the paintman for striping, to the wheelbuilder,
to the tool maker, to the tyre man and back to me! I have retained the original
rim, belt rim and spokes from Rem’s rear and even
retained the spindle, cup and cones. Just some new balls, a splash of paint and
a true up! The other five have new rims, spokes, spindles and a update on the bearings.
The
Brooklands machine will be the first finished. All
the parts for the engine have been done and it looks like new inside! A new big
end from EN36, has been machined, then sent for carburising, then thread
cutting, then heat treatment, then grinding………..all work is perfect (the heat
treatment done thru’ the ‘back door’ by the chaps who do Formular
One cam shaft heat treatment!!!!)..........only the best! Also
a new small end, pin and piston. This engine is to total Dan O’Donovan
specification! and I will assemble it soon. Next main
job is to make/buy/borrow/steal all the various nuts, bolts, washers,
fasteners, do-das and little bits which I have been unable to retain from the
machines and send them off for nickel plating.
I have made it my philosophy to retain as much as I
can and have only replaced parts which were either worn out from previous use
or too badly fire damaged. I hope to
have this machine running at the Stafford Bike show in October.
The Model 21 has become a Model 18, because I was
unable to find a replacement for the dry sump cases. This was by far the most
fire damaged machine of the three and is consequently proving to be the most
difficult.
Please click on the thumbnails to see the
progress…………..sorry they takes so long to down load
Brooklands rod and new
ends…..
Engine should be a flyer!!!!!!!
Just
some of the Cammy engines currently in my workshop.
CJ. Model 30s and 40s. a 40M and a 30M.
Every time I rebuild an engine I learn something new. It is amazing how
many variations appear on the common theme, a consequence of both factory
specifications changes and
years of abuse from mechanics who know how to bodge things!
Beware to those who are trying an
OHC rebuild for the first time……….. there are many
traps!
The crash helmet is important
workshop safety equipment used to avoid injury from falling spare parts.
click
on the thumb nail
Click on thumb nail to see
the fabulous “Easy Two” Special
on show at dunhill’s,
My long time friend, Dickeo Mileo de Raceo, ( alias Dick Miles ) is featured on this page. Dick lives in
Coatesville , PA. U.S.A.
click on thumb-nail to see how
Dick takes
at
the Isle of Man on his 1932 Norton in 1998!!!
ULSTER
GRAND PRIX 2001 ( click thumb nail )
The three Nortons in this picture:
No.26 is a 90
bore Molnar Manx, kindly loaned to us by Andy Molnar of "Stainless Eng.
Co."( see links page to get to his web site where you can buy
everything for a Manx Norton; from a single nut to a complete machine ). This
machine is the ultimate development of the Manx and was ridden by my friend
John Leigh-Pemberton. He was 3rd fastest in practice but unfortunately the race
was cancelled, for various reasons. No.30 is my long-stroke Manx and I rode it
in the parade laps. The third machine is the Steve Spray championship winning
rotary The chap in the hat is me!!!!
I was kindly invited, by Mike
Jackson (new president of the NOC), to the Louis Vitton
classic on 3rd June 2000. This is me pretending to be Tazio
Nulvolari with my 1926 TT Norton. Click on image for
larger picture!
BARRY
SHEENE MBE 1950 - 2003
Motorcycling has lost one of the all time great
British sporting heroes, with the passing of Barry Sheene
MBE, on the 10th of March 2003, following a 12 month illness of
cancer of the stomach. Although, associated with Suzukis
during his all conquering years, Barry rode Manx Norton’s for the past four
seasons and he rode them very fast and with great style. As a very young
motorcyclist, Sheene was my hero and I used to read
about his early racing successes every Wednesday in the motorcycling papers. I
watched him during the seventies, when he had his epic battles with Kenny
Roberts in the world championship races and when he won most of the
transatlantic match races. As a track side Medical Officer, I would see him
flash by, just a few feet a way, and I recall our
horror when he had his big Silverstone crash in 1982. Barry was a frequent
visitor to the orthopaedic (bone-man) departments, at hospitals all over the
world. He must have been close to death on at least two occasions. Barry told
me, last September, that his body was so full of metal
bits that that the diagnosis of cancer, should be changed to ‘rust’!
About
five years ago, Barry returned to his ‘nadir’ and started competing in a few
Classic races on a Manx Norton, a type of machine he had never ridden before;
four stroke and one pot, vis a vis,
two stroke and a lots of pots! Watching him lean a Manx over on the approach to
Woodcote, at Goodwood last
year, was breath taking. Barry won his last race on a Norton, just six months
ago, at the famous Sussex circuit. I knew he was ill and I guess Barry did as
well, but nobody would have guessed he was so close to death. He was laughing,
joking, the very personification of the ‘cheeky Cockney’, and signing
autographs by the thousand. Barry was the BIG attraction at a meeting which was
swarming with famous motor racing stars. Most famous people are distant;
success and all its trappings move them onto a different wave length from ‘Joe
Public’. Barry remained on the same ‘channel’ from his first motorcycling days
to his last; he entertained the crowds on the track and in the paddock.
A top
man in every way, Barry we will miss you very much.
Click on the thumbnails…
Barry and Me! At Goodwood 2002
My Engine in Barry’s
bike.
TEAM NORTON MANX GRAND PRIX 1989
Guss Buttler,Guss Cohen,Geo
Cohen,Dick Miles,Flash
Gordon
A
LINE UP OF CAMMY NORTONS AFTER THE 1997 TT IOM PARADE LAP; IT COULD ALMOST BE
FORTY YEARS AGO.......IF YOU WANT TO JOIN IN THE FUN THEN PLEASE LET ME KNOW!
NOC
team of pre-war cammies win Moto Challenge of GB Classic
trophy
Norton
Owners Club ‘pre-war cammy’ team win
Moto Challenge Trophy
Glorious weather
greeted the entrants to Nick Saunder’s ‘Moto
Challenge of Great Britain’ arriving at Santa Pod Raceway, near Bedford, for a series
of timed quarter mile sprints. 61 modern ‘bikes’ and three
REAL MOTORCYCLES.
Myself, 1937
Norton CS1; Simon ‘Kipper’ Fisher, 1933 Model 30 and Miles ‘Slapper’ Robinson,
1934 Model 30, had entered this gruelling challenge aboard a trio of Bracebridge Streets finest sporting mounts. These were
basically the same machines which the likes of Woods and Guthrie were winning
all the TT and GP races of the era. Lovingly prepared and after weeks of
intensive practicing and training, the NOC team repeatedly thrashed their
machines down the black strip at the ‘Pod’. All the modern bikes looked a lot
faster, but we were the centre of interest. After
the ‘racing’, we topped up the oil and petrol tanks and consumed vast
quantities of IPA and look forward to the following day.
Up at the crack of dawn, we left the
Pod at 7am and 170 miles and four hours later we were at the Bryn Bach Parc Hill Climb, near Merthyr Tydfil. We would have done it
in three, but there were numerous breaks to replenish Nicotine levels and my
gear box change return spring had to be replaced; fortunately we had a spare
and the job took as long as brewing up a cuppa! We then each made four runs up
the hill and after lunch took the machines back to the public roads. An
outstanding route, with all three ‘Cammies’ on full
chat, took us through mid Wales to the Bwych-y-Groes Pass, which is the highest road pass in Wales. With
an average gradient of 1 in 7 and a maximum of 1 in 5, and 1 ½ miles in length,
it remains a Challenge to this day, just as it was to the competitors of the Maudes trophy and the pioneer motorcyclists. A few runs up
the pass, one of which was filmed by Mr. Saunders, riding pillion ‘back to
front’, the scenery was outstanding and our machines
ran perfectly. Over 300 road miles, and two events in one day was a good
challenge and we completed it without mishap. The three OHC Nortons
were well and truly thrashed and at the end of the day our efforts were
rewarded by winning the BIG trophy, presented by Holden’s! The 61 riders of modern
machines were amazed at both the speed and reliability of machines, which to
the majority of them were looked upon as museum pieces. We were noisy, we
polluted the air with Castrol ‘R’ fumes and we had a great time!
Dr.
‘Norton’ George Cohen.
click on thumb nail to
see big picture of the winning team
Four
photographs of 1926 model 44, which was the OHV, 588cc, four speed mount used
to pull a chair; in this case a Norton Sports Special. The outfit is built as a
Tourist Trophy Replica and the action shots are taken during the VMCC closed
roads run at the Manx Grand Prix in 1994
George Cohen with Sarah Pearce in the hot seat at Ballaugh Bridge and the approach to Braddan
Bridge.
This web-site has been fired up
since November 1997 and I have already made many new friends from all over the
globe.......and we share an enthusiasm for noisy, oily and old Nortons. They are, quite simply, one of the best ways to
have a good time. All the best friends that I have made in the last thirty
years have been via a motorcycle connection...........howdy to you all!!!!
PLEASE can I remind you be specific
about your email enquiries; no more questions about Commandos (they have TWO
cylinders and my area of knowledge is about SINGLES).
It is also useful to know from what part of the universe you are calling from
and if you have the time, to let me know how you located my site. Thank you.
