Saturday 23 March 2024

Sunbeam Centenary

 


-SG- The Sunbeam Motor Cycle Club was formed in 1924 and to celebrate its centenary an event was held at Brooklands on 17th March. This was well attended with nearly three hundred participants, virtually all with pre-war machines.


I was slightly entertained to see the  illustration on the programme cover - none other than Noel Pope at the track on one of Beart's NORTONS, dating I think from 1938!

Friday 22 March 2024

1929 Adverts from "The Motorcycle"


-SG- John from the UK has recently sent me a couple of 1929 advert scans.  These are on a two page spread - must have been a bit of a drain on the advertising budget! He was pleased to see the Model 18 on the second page, as he has one himself - recent photo attached!



Friday 15 March 2024

Norton belt driver !

 


-SG- Thanks to Martin for this 1928 'Motor Cycle' article about riding single speed belt drivers! The author has only mentioned the magic word Norton once in his text but even without that it would be pretty clear that is what he is talking about. From a single speed Model 9 in about 1920 to his new OHC machine in 1928 ... re-learning old techniques on the one hand and the march of progress on the other!

Thursday 14 March 2024

Original!

 


-JdK- An email from Gary: "Hello there Simon and John. My 1926 tank looks original to me. What do you think. Got a surprise when I took the knee pad mounting plates off. Norton logo is different to some in that it has a little hook at top left on the N. The scroll along the top is well above the lower case letters and the t has a little leg to the right. The pie crust has been silver which I think makes it really stand out and the red pin stripes stop either side of the Norton logo. Looks to be the same logo as you have recently pointed out Simon but without the regd trade mark under it" 

-SG-  I would say extremely original!  I am not 100% sure when they first started putting the regd trade mark bit on - but probably after the 1926 legal changes following Pa Norton's death the previous year. My original 1929 tank - see web site - has the trade mark bit and probably was a transfer when first made.

Wednesday 13 March 2024

Some help needed!

 


-SG- Wanted: Circa 1927 Norton engine/gearbox/chainstay frame casting for a 1927 Norton Flat tank project. Anything considered from the part or to a whole frame. Needs to be the type with the small uplift at the front with straight chainstays at the rear. Any condition WHY Beg, Buy, Borrow (so I can make a pattern and return) or exchange flattank/saddletank and post 1930 parts. Tel Robert 07712676534 or email r.collins255@btinternet.com

Tuesday 12 March 2024

Hector Dobbs


-SG- Back in May '22 we had a brief posting about Hector Dobbs and his 1925 win in the Amateur.  Included were a few words about his 1926 Amateur TT Norton - which seems to have been quite special - and I have recently managed to obtain a copy of a photo of it in action, before Dobbs came to grief in the poor weather.  This is attached - pity it was not taken from the other side - it would have been nice to know if it was a dry-sump machine!

Sunday 3 March 2024

Grass track bonus or what!


-SG- It was 1960 and I had already owned my 1930 Model 18 for all of four years. I took part in various Vintage Club competitions and decided to try my hand at grass track - the VMCC having organised such an event at Cassiobury Park, Watford.  Preparation consisted of fitting a used 'knobbly' rear tyre and riding over carefully as I had no fourwheeled transport at the time.

As far as I recall the track was a dusty bumpy oval - bumpy to such an extent that the forks clashed onto the front mudguard several times per lap during practise and the handlebar clamps moved and clouted the tank top.  Having tightened everything up as much as possible, the machine was a bit more controllable during the heat and final, in which I think we finished fourth and fifth!  If nothing else this dabble with grass tracking convinced me that road racing was more in my line!

However the Watford event resulted in two unexpected 'boni' - certainly outweighing the event itself.

Bonus number one came in the form of an introduction by J W Anstice Brown - very much into Vintage racing Douglases - to a young acquaintance who dealt in scrap metal. And right then he was in the process of dismantling a Norton engine and gearbox like mine. His method of dis-assembly involved use of a large sledge hammer and he told me proudly he had already shattered the gearbox. However, given a small financial incentive of £2, he agreed to desist from further assaults on the Norton remnants until I had had a chance of collecting them from his garden at nearby St Albans!

Bonus number two was better still! It came from a small Welshman, to whom I was chatting while re-adjusting the handlebars. " I've got a Norton much like that," he said. "it's pretty well complete and you can have it if you want - for nothing.  Only problem is - it's down in Wales."

Anyway, it transpired that he worked as guard for Britsh Rail Western region, and he kindly arranged to move the Norton as his personal luggage to the 'left-luggage' office at Swindon station. A week or so later, he gave me a ring to say it was there and awaiting my collection. So I borrowed my mother's Morris 1000 van and drove down to Swindon.  With the front passenger seat already removed the 'new' Norton was squeezed in without too much of a problem.

Apparently, when my new Welsh friend finished his shift at the London end of the run, he used to stay in digs at Ashford, Middx.  I dropped him a line to tell him I had collected the bike and to repeat my thanks. I was surprised to get my letter back in a few days marked 'GONE AWAY.'  Unfortunately I did not have his address in Wales and thus lost contact with him almost as soon as I had met him.

And the Norton?  What a find! It was a 1929 Model 19 frame, forks, wheels etc. to which had been fitted a nice mid twenties LS Sturmey Archer gearbox, and better still, a dry-sump engine - never did check if it was Model 21 or Model 25 - dating from 1927.  In those distant days I did not have access to the Norton despatch books which were probably still held by the Police ...

Friday 1 March 2024

S A Sorensen: The post war pics


-SG- Once the war was over, it did not take long for motor and motorcycle sport to start up again. S A Sorensen was soon out riding one of his pre-war Excelsiors with considerable success in dirt track events. By 1947 road racing was almost back to pre-war levels and SAS started a run of 17 TTs (see scan of post-war TT entries) as well as numerous European events.   His IOM efforts, both Excelsior and Norton mounted, resulted in some good placings - his best being fifth in the 1949 Lightweight.

He appears to have discarded his pre-war Nortons and initially moved on to a 350cc garden-gate Manx which he bought new in 1949, and then, in the early fifties, he acquired a 500 Featherbed Manx as well.  He fitted one of his Excelsior engines into this from time to time. 

In 1949 he had the misfortune to have a serious crash in Holland which put him out of action for a while but not that long!  He had to wear plaster from his waist up to his ears! However, he was soon back in the saddle, and did not actually stop racing until 1954. 

 He died in 1980 and will long be remembered for his outstanding and lengthy career.



A 1949 shot of Sorensen with his Manx, and a younger friend on Sorensen's 1939 Excelsior Manxman.

 


The start of a dirt race at Charlottenlund in 1948. Charlottenlund was the best known trotting course north of Copenhagen.

 


S.A.S with his Excelsior receives the winner's wreath - another trotting course event, this being at Armaget.

 


The 350cc Garden-gate Manx bought by S.A.S in 1949 survives - now owned by a collector in Scotland. Here's a shot of it dismantled prior to a full re-build.


 

And here's a further shot of the Manx after the rebuild was completed.



A couple of mystery holes in the lower frame rail of the re-built Manx - apparently they stemmed from 1952 when SAS fitted a new Featherbed Manx engine into the earlier frame for an event at Hedemora, Sweden.

 


A 1947 shot of Sorensen crashing at Hem Odde's dirt-track course. Miraculously he was unhurt. A couple of years later he crashed at the Groote Prijs van Nederlande event and broke his neck - necessitating a plaster cast from waist to ears for several weeks.

 


SAS on his then new Garden-gate 350 in the 1949 Junior TT.  He finished 24th.

 


SAS and Allan - then aged seven - pictured at Hedemora, Sweden in 1950.



Another shot at Hedemora in 1950 on his 500 Manx.  He won!



Another Hedemora shot of SAS on his 500.  The race numbers were the same for 350 and 500 classes but a different colour.


 

SAS at the 1952 Lightweight TT - with an Excelsior engine in his Manx frame.


 

A close-up of the Excelsior/Manx readied for the TT.

 


SAS in action in the 1952 Junior TT.  He finished 27th.

 


Back at Hedemora in 1952 - in practise he hit a fist-sized stone and bumped his nose painfully on the tank!

Monday 19 February 2024

1928 Show Advert


-SG- Thanks to Ian for this 'high res' scan from the October 1928 Motor Cycle.  Note that the CJ and JE models are not listed, neither are any of the four speeders. The fact that many 1929 models were supplied to end users in November/December 1928 was a result of the Autumn timing of the Olympia Show.

 

Sunday 18 February 2024

A 1925 Amateur TT 'also-ran!'

 


-SG- I was recently sent this photo of one of the more lowly finishers - J. Robinson. But all credit to him - he persevered and did actually finish! Thanks to David who has checked then current editions of Motor Cycle and Motor Cycling for me and his comments follow: 

"J. Robinson of Preston and Dist MCC certainly had an eventful race. He finished 14th after 3hrs 55mins and 36 seconds averaging 48mph. Troubles began between the depot and the start, then he stopped for ”lengthy adjustments” at Quarter Bridge on the first lap. He fell at Quarter Bridge on lap 2 landing on his head with his feet over the parapet and  needing medical treatment but managed to convince the marshal he was fit to continue. Finally he carried Parkinson (AJS) on his pillion from at least Ramsey to the finish on the final lap. He received the well deserved York Trophy for the most meritorious performance. The photo appears in Motor Cycling of 16th September ’25 captioned  “A nasty skid at Governor's Bridge .J Robinson  (Norton) just saves himself”