Norton Single's Performance

NoiseyNorton

NoiseyNorton

Joined
Jun 4, 2014
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Looking to find some people who are knowledgeable of Norton singles and are or have done performance to them. Looking to go a different direction from my original twin build idea. Shoot me a PM preferred or respond here if anyone knows of someone.
 
Mike Pemberton & Pushrod Performance is the man most often mentioned in this regard.
http://www.pushrod-performance.co.uk/
Can't say I've used him, but plenty of reports of him out there.

Someone sorta local to me raced a hot rodded ES2, they had taken it to the max and it used
to keep the good manxs honest. Not sure if it is still around though.
Not sure if you'd want to go that far with a road bike either, it began with fitting steel flywheels,
and went from there.

Tell us how it goes...
 
Thanks Rohan. I actually already sent him an email. Was wondering if others were out there but it looks like he may be my only option. And this is more of a fun play bike so I want almost not streetable.
 
I always thought the old 'rule of thumb' for making a pushrod single featherbed Norton go faster was...

Fit a Triumph twin engine !!
 
Fast Eddie said:
I always thought the old 'rule of thumb' for making a pushrod single featherbed Norton go faster was...

Fit a Triumph twin engine !!
Click to expand...
Nasty, just nasty Nigel. :D
 
Fast Eddie said:
I always thought the old 'rule of thumb' for making a pushrod single featherbed Norton go faster was...

Fit a Triumph twin engine !!
Click to expand...

Then it wouldn't be a Norton.
 
As Geoff Monty said to me decades ago as he explained to me the merits of Norton and Triumph twin motors ......The great advantage to Triumphs is the easy availability of go faster parts but the limiting factor is the combustion chamber design. With the Norton there are very few available go faster over the counter parts but with a bit of effort better performance can be obtained because they are not limited by the combustion chamber design.
We were talking about the old Triumph head.....did not Mr Hele change them to something that bought them into the 20th century when he followed Mr Hopwood to Triumph?
As for making Norton singles go fastER if less reliably with that crowded roller big end......rediculously heavy cam followers ....rockers that weigh tons.....valves of such rediculous size......the cast flywheels.... Some of us played with them to amuse ourselves many decades ago i our youth long before we learnt that doing so reduced their reliability....... BSA B44 high comp piston ...E3134 cam form.....Mod 50 head modified as per the 500T ...... but such lumps are no longer a Norton..... Norton 350/500 singles were designed to plonk around all day at 40-60 mph vibrating happily to themselves as they poodle around the back roads of the UK.....not for coming back from the IOM flat out down the M6 / M1 as my poor old ES2 did on the odd occasion.....and amazingly staying together in one lump. Actually a few months ago I handed it over to a friend (EX Pres. of the Triumph Owners Club??) who has poromised to fully restore it and never sell it. I really must cobble together the 3 friction plate diaphragm spring clu tch belt system for it...t. If I dont die first he is even going to pay for it but if I go first its his for free! Riding it should make a change to his two modern Triumphs...
 
It is well know that Mr Hele was employed before he moved to Triumph, at Norton’s Birmingham Bracebridge Street factory until 1962 in which he developed the 500 Domiracer , the lighten bucket cam followers he developed for that with eccentric rockers adjusters gave the engine an ability to rev to 10,000 rpm :!:

This is NOT the original 500 Domiracer;

http://clubmanclassics.blogspot.co.uk/2 ... racer.html
 
The way to make a Featherbed Norton go faster is to fit a Jawa Speedway motor into it. You need a return pump for the oil, and a new piston if you want to use petrol as fuel. If you look on Ebay in Europe you should be able to find a cheap motor fairly easily for less than $1000, or you can buy a new one for about $5000 from the factory. The advantage is they are a RACING MOTOR, not some jigged-up road motor.
 
Faster than a speeding Manx Norton :

Norton Single's Performance
 
acotrel said:
The advantage is they are a RACING MOTOR, not some jigged-up road motor.
Click to expand...

So you need to rebuild them on Monday after a Sunday ride ??!
 
You would be amazed at the usaes for Jawa flywheels and con rods which are /were a few years ago anyway available individually and at very reasonable prices.
 
Jawa speedway motors usually do a full season of racing without a rebuild. In fact many of the old Brit singles in Australian historic racing have Jawa internals. If you try to get an ES2 going, one of the weak points is the crank pin. And in any case where do you start and finish with an old Brit single motor ? After you done all your good work and spent your money, the Jawa engine would have been cheaper and better.
I gave this advice to one of our better historic racers, when he and his father were playing with 500cc Matchless singles. He fitted an unmodified two-valve Jawa engine into his featherbed and immediately beat the best guy who was riding a new Molnar Manx from Ken McIntosh in New Zealand.
A Jawa engine with low-comp piston and in a Featherbed frame would last forever when used on public roads. And it would be bloody fast.
 
Hi
As Rohan states Mike Pemberton & Pushrod Performance seem to know what he is doing.

Big problem with the Jawa it is not a Norton, other issue is to address the total loss oiling system?

My 500DT-89 Jawa engine cost less than $695 brand May 1976, (noticed one on Allen Ebay linkt for $1,500??) and replaced it for very much worked B33, there was no comparison for power and reliability.
Big ends were an issue and needed some work after around 12 meetings, rings also needed changing, valve springs, yes you could do a years racing with only top end work, if you didn't attend to them you just stopped running up the front.

Had an early iron head ES2 in a Aerial Huntmaster frame, high compression piston, hot cams and ported/reangled inlet and bigger carby, that also went very quick in the late sixties.

Regards
Burgs
 
Mike Farrell in Queensland sells a conversion oil pump to dry-sump a Jawa engine.
 
I have quite an inventory of Norton Singles stuff, both new & used. I also own Mike P.'s build video that I am happy to lend. I own a plunger frame ES2 myself & the best part is, I only live an hour North of you :)

Skip Brolund
 
NoisyNorton
I get 110mph out of my slimline Model 50 (350cc ES2)
I posted some info here: https://www.accessnorton.com/Norton...g-photo-upload-from-flickr.22101/#post-330164
Did all the work at home - other than some machining done by a friend
I did get a lot of information from Geoff Clatworthy (built the ES3 Rohan posted photo of, also ES4 - the next generation)
I'll give you whatever information you want if you're interested
Cheers
Rob
 
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