If I had the money and could find one for sale, I would dearly love to have a 1952-1962 30M Manx.

WITH kick start so I could make it street legal and ride it anytime.

SO COOL, a 500 DOHC featherbed, THE ultimate racing motorcycle of that era.

What might be the rarest Manx of all?

How about the 1951 30M that Geoff Duke won that years Isle of Man on? The first Featherbed Manx.

Wonder if there is any historical record of what happened to all those glorious full Works Manxes?

Ok, Commando racer? How about Peter William's 1973 Isle of Man Formula 750 winner? YES!

Ron Wood/Axtell/Jorgenson flat track AMA racer.

1up3down wrote:If I had the money and could find one for sale, I would dearly love to have a 1952-1962 30M Manx.
WITH kick start so I could make it street legal and ride it anytime.
SO COOL, a 500 DOHC featherbed, THE ultimate racing motorcycle of that era.

Classic Bike in the UK about 20 years ago had an issue featuring roadgoing Manxes.
Rather expensive, but quite do-able.
Remember that manxes had externally oiled valve guides - that is tough to get around, unless you want the authentic oily look.

Bear in mind though that any modern Rotax or Jappa trail bike is a DOHC usually 650cc, with more ponies than a Manx - off the showroom floor, with warranty. And 6 speed box. You sometimes see them dressed up as a Manx or G50 - shops in Tokyo had alloy tanks and dress-up bits in dichromate (gold) color to bolt on to complete the look. A FRACTION of the price of the real thing. With warranty...

The cover story in the Sep./Oct. edition of Motorcycle Classics is a brand new, road legal, 5 speed Manx Norton. Made by Steve Tonkin. The article states that the engine is a brand new 1961 replica Manx engine built by Andy Molnar from original tooling with a modified crank to carry a Lucas alternator. It uses a 5 speed Norton AMC gear box and has what looks like a Norton Commando primary drive case but it is actually a custom casting that adds two inches to the over all length. It has kick start and a compression release. Total price $54,000 dollars. The engine alone was $16,000. So there ya go. All it takes is money and you can have one.

Jim, your gold frame looks great with your black Commando!

Are you sure you want one of these old things









perhaps one of these would be better...



or the Rotax with some more appropriate tyres...



hehe.

No fair.
At least show a pic of a Rotax road bike dressed as a Manx.


One of the magazines a good while back had one, made from bits-n-pieces - the alloy tank cost more than the rest put together. Think about that...

But half the stuff in magazines is drivle .

We'd have to have a 61 Manx , with a Vincent 1000 , Combat commando , or the 61 Bonne engine , twin Fr Discs ,
road equipment And a Magneto .

There is an elderly gent near me, that I first saw pobbling about the streets on what looked like a smallish manx norton. Sounded like one too !

Took a long time to catch up with him, and the bike turned out to be just a small H*nda dressed up like a manx norton - tank, seat, clipons, megaphone. All home made, on a budget. From a distance you couldn't tell the difference. Looked like he was having fun...

P.S. He also had a little 'G50' in preparation, same theme. The 'tank' was just a fibreglass cover over the original tank, homebrewed. And the race seat a neat fibreglass work. You start to realise that half the recognition of a G50 is in that red tank, and a cafe shape fills in the rest of it ...

You might call that drivel, but thats what motorcycling is made of.

I always liked the Norton Singles but considering the astronomic price of a Manx Norton I did the next best thing and picked up a 1983 Honda FT500 Ascot for the price of hauling it from San Antonio to Dallas. After getting it back in one piece and making it go "varoom" I can honestly say that it is a great make believe Manx for a lot cheaper. It makes all the right sounds plus it has electric start and it idles too. It also leaks oil (they all do) so ya gotta love that.

Yes, there are whole fleets of bikes that are obviously modern remakes of gold stars and manxes and KTT velos, when you look around. Not to mention the cafe versions and bobbers that owners have done to them.
http://farm4.dealernet.com.au/stock/201 ... F1D2ED.jpg

Even modern Royal Enfields apparently appeal to owners because they make the right noises.
And they do it at 40 mph, no need to be doing 140 mph....
And with a whole range of go faster goodies available, can dream of being Mike Hailwood or John Surtees - without breaking the bank or the sound barrier. ???

If it said "Norton" on the tank, how many would be any the wiser ?
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_AJ9aDihyvkE/S ... G_0306.JPG
"Since I was bored and wasn't riding the bike as it was, so I decided to tinker with it a bit".
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_AJ9aDihyvkE/S ... before.JPG
Not sure I like black engines and that wrapped exhaust, but its not my bike...

I too would love a Manx, but I would have to sell a kidney and both my testicles to afford one!
However there is a cheaper alternative and it's still a Norton, what about a tuned, caféd ES2 ?
Have a look here http://www.pushrod-performance.co.uk/service9.htm

Webby

Let's see, if I had the money for any Norton and could find one for sale, I think I would shoot for one of( in order of preference):

1. One of the three 1962 Daytona 88 racing bikes put together in the works racing department under Doug Hele's supervision.

2. 1959 Manx Norton 500, has the strong lighthouse cam drive but still the old-look bodywork that does not resemble every poorly restored/ repo-manx and boutique cafe-bike out there.

3. 1962 88ss (super-rare roadster)

4. 1962 650ss (a Norton icon)

5. 1961 650cc Norton Manxman serial #3 (another piece of Norton history)

6. 1966 Norton 650ss(not Bracebridge street, but someone would trade it to me for a bunch of basketcase-triumphs I had next to nothing in).

The prototype Jack Moore postwar design of Norton twin would be pretty cool.
http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k50 ... design.jpg
Ancestor of all postwar Norton twins.

Apparently the engine has recently turned up in Austria.
So its not just an artists impression...

Wonder how long before its in a frame and out and about ?