Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Norton Motorcycles shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Norton Motorcycles offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Norton Motorcycles at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Norton Motorcycles? Wrong! If the Norton Motorcycles is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Norton Motorcycles then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Norton Motorcycles? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Norton Motorcycles and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Norton Motorcycles wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Norton Motorcycles then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Norton Motorcycles site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Norton Motorcycles, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Norton Motorcycles, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{{Infobox Defunct Company| company_name = Norton Motorcycle Co Ltd| company_logo = | fate = bankrupt| successor = Norton Villiers Triumph, [West Midlands (county), United Kingdom
[Norton Atlas
Norton Commando| subsid =-->Norton is a [United Kingdom motorcycle marque from Birmingham, founded in 1898.

By 1902 they had begun manufacturing motorcycles with bought-in engines. In 1908 a Norton built engine was added to the range. This began a long series of production of single cylinder motorcycles. They were one of the great names of the British motorcycle industry, producing machines which for decades dominated racing with highly tuned single cylinder engines under the Race Shop supremo Joe Craig.

Postwar a twin cylinder model was added to the range for 1949, and this evolved into the 1970s through 500 cc to 600 cc to 650 cc to 750 cc to 850 cc models with the Dominator, 650, Atlas and Commando, all highly regarded road motorcycles of their time.

History Beginnings The original company was formed by James Norton in Birmingham in 1898. In 1902 Norton began building motorcycles with French and Swiss engines. In 1907 Norton 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 Isle of Man TT, the most prestigious of events, was won by Nortons ten times between the wars and then every year from 1947 to 1954 J.L. Norton died in 1925 aged only 56, but he saw his motorcycles win the Senior and sidecar TTs in 1924. IanChadwick Britbikes Histories (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

The CamShaft One (CS1) engine appeared in 1927, with a redesign in 1930, and that decade spawned the Norton racing legend. Of the nine Isle of Man Senior TTs (500 cc) between 1931 and 1939 Norton won seven. Is-it-a-lemon Norton CS1 (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

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). NortonMotorcycles 1940-1946 (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

Post war 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 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, gifted to 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. Is-it-a-lemon Norton Manx (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

These racing successes were transferred to the street through Cafe racers, who 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. Originally used in the Manx model, Norton produced variations of the frame for other models.

In 1952 the Norton Dominator 88 500 cc gained a Featherbed frame.

AMC Despite the racing successes, Norton was in financial difficulty, and 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 Southeast London.

With the change to AMC came a better gearbox, which was used on Norton motorcycles from 1956.

In 1956 a 600 cc Dominator 99 appeared.The 1962 500 cc Manx Nortons produced 47 bhp at 6500 rpm, weighed 142 kg, and had a top speed of 209 km/h. It used a dry sump 499 cc single cylinder motor, with two valves operated by bevel drive, shaft driven twin overhead camshafts. The Short Stroke model (1953-1962) had bore and stroke of 86 mm x 85.6 mm. The 1946-1953 Long Stroke was 79.6 x 100 mm. Compression ratio was 11:1. It had an Amal GP carburettor, and a Lucas racing magneto. MotorbikeSearchEngine Norton 500 Manx specifications (Retrieved 23 October 2006) The new price was 440 pounds.

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 1962 a Norton 650SS appeared, followed by the Norton Atlas 750 in 1963, still using featherbed frames, but the increases to the vertical twins engine capacity had caused a vibration problem. 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 were not able to be reduced. Financial problems gathered. BestMotorcycleGear Norton Motorcycle (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

There was an export bike sold up until 1969 as a Norton P11, RealClassic Norton P11A on Display (Retrieved 25 October 2006), AJS Model 33, and as a Matchless G15, which used the Norton Atlas engine in an AMC Matchless G85CS 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. Ian Chadwick Matchless (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

Norton-Villiers By the late 1960s competition from Japan 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, though a brilliant bike and a wicked handler, 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 Norton Commando was introduced; its styling, innovative isolastic frame, and powerful engine made it an appealing package. Despite different variations and respectable sales, the company declined and would go into liquidation in 1975. Is-it-a-lemon Commando Fastback (Retrieved October 23)

The "isolastic frame" used rubber bushings to keep the engine and swingarm from direct contact with the frame duplex, forks, and rider, thus damping contact between the rider and engine vibration. This worked as long as the bushings were kept set to tolerances, and were replaced before becoming hard or damaged. If kept maintained, the system worked.

The 'Combat' engine was released in January 1972, with a twin roller bearing crank, 10:1 compression and making 65 Horsepower#Brake horsepower (bhp) 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. RealClassic Dominator 99 Build (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

Norton-Villiers-Triumph Norton Commando Interstate Mk3In 1972, the former giant of British motorcycle manufacturing Birmingham Small Arms Company 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 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. NTNOA Combat Questions & Comments (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

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.

Wankel engine on the rotary engined NortonIn 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 engine-engined Interpol 2 motorcycle for civilian and military police forces and the RAC plc.

This led to a civilian model in 1987 called the Classic. Subsequent Norton Wankels were water-cooled. The Norton Commander (motorcycle) 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. With high prices and possibly some customer suspicious of the Wankel engine, the factory suffered from low sales, and production ceased in the early 1990's

Replica revival During the 1990's, Kenny Dreer of Oregon evolved from restoring and upgrading Commandos to producing whole machines. He modernised the design and in the early 2000's went into series production, but then suspended operations in April 2006.

In the UK Norman White a former team racer and mechanic is still restoring and rebuilding race and road machines. Also remanufacturing original and improved parts.

Trivia One famous rider of a Norton motorcycle was the medical student and future socialist revolutionary Che Guevara, who along with his friend Alberto Granado, famously toured South America on a 1939 Norton 500, nicknamed 'The Mighty One'. Unfortunately the bike did not complete the journey with them, as it was wrecked somewhere along the route.

Shawn Spencer, the fictional protagonist of the USA Network original series Psych, rides a Norton 750 Commando on the show.

In the first season of the 1991 syndicated series Dark Justice,Judge Nick Marshall rides a 1969 Norton Commando. Both actor Remy Zada and the Commando were replaced in the second season.

See also

Sources

External links

{{Infobox Defunct Company| company_name = Norton Motorcycle Co Ltd| company_logo = | fate = bankrupt| successor = Norton Villiers Triumph, [West Midlands (county), United Kingdom
[Norton Atlas
Norton Commando| subsid =-->Norton is a [United Kingdom motorcycle marque from Birmingham, founded in 1898.

By 1902 they had begun manufacturing motorcycles with bought-in engines. In 1908 a Norton built engine was added to the range. This began a long series of production of single cylinder motorcycles. They were one of the great names of the British motorcycle industry, producing machines which for decades dominated racing with highly tuned single cylinder engines under the Race Shop supremo Joe Craig.

Postwar a twin cylinder model was added to the range for 1949, and this evolved into the 1970s through 500 cc to 600 cc to 650 cc to 750 cc to 850 cc models with the Dominator, 650, Atlas and Commando, all highly regarded road motorcycles of their time.

History Beginnings The original company was formed by James Norton in Birmingham in 1898. In 1902 Norton began building motorcycles with French and Swiss engines. In 1907 Norton 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 Isle of Man TT, the most prestigious of events, was won by Nortons ten times between the wars and then every year from 1947 to 1954 J.L. Norton died in 1925 aged only 56, but he saw his motorcycles win the Senior and sidecar TTs in 1924. IanChadwick Britbikes Histories (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

The CamShaft One (CS1) engine appeared in 1927, with a redesign in 1930, and that decade spawned the Norton racing legend. Of the nine Isle of Man Senior TTs (500 cc) between 1931 and 1939 Norton won seven. Is-it-a-lemon Norton CS1 (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

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). NortonMotorcycles 1940-1946 (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

Post war 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 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, gifted to 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. Is-it-a-lemon Norton Manx (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

These racing successes were transferred to the street through Cafe racers, who 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. Originally used in the Manx model, Norton produced variations of the frame for other models.

In 1952 the Norton Dominator 88 500 cc gained a Featherbed frame.

AMC Despite the racing successes, Norton was in financial difficulty, and 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 Southeast London.

With the change to AMC came a better gearbox, which was used on Norton motorcycles from 1956.

In 1956 a 600 cc Dominator 99 appeared.The 1962 500 cc Manx Nortons produced 47 bhp at 6500 rpm, weighed 142 kg, and had a top speed of 209 km/h. It used a dry sump 499 cc single cylinder motor, with two valves operated by bevel drive, shaft driven twin overhead camshafts. The Short Stroke model (1953-1962) had bore and stroke of 86 mm x 85.6 mm. The 1946-1953 Long Stroke was 79.6 x 100 mm. Compression ratio was 11:1. It had an Amal GP carburettor, and a Lucas racing magneto. MotorbikeSearchEngine Norton 500 Manx specifications (Retrieved 23 October 2006) The new price was 440 pounds.

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 1962 a Norton 650SS appeared, followed by the Norton Atlas 750 in 1963, still using featherbed frames, but the increases to the vertical twins engine capacity had caused a vibration problem. 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 were not able to be reduced. Financial problems gathered. BestMotorcycleGear Norton Motorcycle (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

There was an export bike sold up until 1969 as a Norton P11, RealClassic Norton P11A on Display (Retrieved 25 October 2006), AJS Model 33, and as a Matchless G15, which used the Norton Atlas engine in an AMC Matchless G85CS 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. Ian Chadwick Matchless (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

Norton-Villiers By the late 1960s competition from Japan 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, though a brilliant bike and a wicked handler, 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 Norton Commando was introduced; its styling, innovative isolastic frame, and powerful engine made it an appealing package. Despite different variations and respectable sales, the company declined and would go into liquidation in 1975. Is-it-a-lemon Commando Fastback (Retrieved October 23)

The "isolastic frame" used rubber bushings to keep the engine and swingarm from direct contact with the frame duplex, forks, and rider, thus damping contact between the rider and engine vibration. This worked as long as the bushings were kept set to tolerances, and were replaced before becoming hard or damaged. If kept maintained, the system worked.

The 'Combat' engine was released in January 1972, with a twin roller bearing crank, 10:1 compression and making 65 Horsepower#Brake horsepower (bhp) 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. RealClassic Dominator 99 Build (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

Norton-Villiers-Triumph Norton Commando Interstate Mk3In 1972, the former giant of British motorcycle manufacturing Birmingham Small Arms Company 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 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. NTNOA Combat Questions & Comments (Retrieved 23 October 2006)

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.

Wankel engine on the rotary engined NortonIn 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 engine-engined Interpol 2 motorcycle for civilian and military police forces and the RAC plc.

This led to a civilian model in 1987 called the Classic. Subsequent Norton Wankels were water-cooled. The Norton Commander (motorcycle) 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. With high prices and possibly some customer suspicious of the Wankel engine, the factory suffered from low sales, and production ceased in the early 1990's

Replica revival During the 1990's, Kenny Dreer of Oregon evolved from restoring and upgrading Commandos to producing whole machines. He modernised the design and in the early 2000's went into series production, but then suspended operations in April 2006.

In the UK Norman White a former team racer and mechanic is still restoring and rebuilding race and road machines. Also remanufacturing original and improved parts.

Trivia One famous rider of a Norton motorcycle was the medical student and future socialist revolutionary Che Guevara, who along with his friend Alberto Granado, famously toured South America on a 1939 Norton 500, nicknamed 'The Mighty One'. Unfortunately the bike did not complete the journey with them, as it was wrecked somewhere along the route.

Shawn Spencer, the fictional protagonist of the USA Network original series Psych, rides a Norton 750 Commando on the show.

In the first season of the 1991 syndicated series Dark Justice,Judge Nick Marshall rides a 1969 Norton Commando. Both actor Remy Zada and the Commando were replaced in the second season.

See also

Sources

External links



 

Norton Motorcycles



 
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