1965 Norton barn find!

novadose74

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Apr 25, 2012
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I just came across a 1965 Norton, sitting in the barn for over 25 years. It has 64k miles on the odometer, it looks like it has an electric start on it. The guy that owns it is going to be junking it real soon! I need to know how desirable the 65 is, and what would be a realistic going price for a barn find 65, and a restored 65. I need some quick responses on this one guys, or this thing may be junked!! Tom
 
Well, if he's going to junk it anyway, you doing the hauling, 100 bucks and a case of Pacifico should make him happy!
 
64000 miles on a '65 Norton? that's probably more than all the other Electras put together.
 
It is assumed you are looking at an Electra because...tah dah..."it might have an electric start". Are you familiar with magnetos? You are not confusing a magneto for a starter perhaps? Man...haul it away and post some photos. I live in nowhereville Alaska and even here I can take metal to the recycler for free. The Electras are not particularly on the hot list...but then I guess nobody has made a cool cafe racer out of one to get a craze started. Maybe you can be first! It is probably the bike I should be building for my wife...maybe a bobber project. Now you have me thinking...
If nothing else there are probably parts on it that somebody would like to have. Or is it such a piece of junk that there is nothing there that is useful? Where the hell is it, I'll go pick it up!
 
PS-are there any major identifying elements of the frame? What do the down tubes in front of the motor look like?
 
It was in a barn with tons of stuff. It was hard to get a good look. I'm far from a norton expert, actually more like a novice, it was hard to tell what identifieing things I should look for. If I get another chance, I'll take some pics. Thanks for the info so far. Why aren't the Electras sought after? Tom
 
novadose74 said:
. Why aren't the Electras sought after? Tom
Click to expand...

The girls wouldn't ride the lightweight (350cc) Navigators because they were relatively heavy, gutless and the engine was a shapeless mass of metal. The update, the 400cc lectric start Electra was heavier, still gutless and had an even more shapeless lump of metal. !

Now that we've offended all lightweight owners, they were said to be quite a pleasant ride (I know nothing about their longevity).

A lot of Norton owners have wondered why they weren't just built as a smaller (350cc) version of the 500 Dommies ?? Triumph did just that, the 350cc twin is barely distinguishable from the T 500cc, and they seem to have sold fairly well ??
 
Rohan said:
novadose74 said:
. Why aren't the Electras sought after? Tom
Click to expand...

The girls wouldn't ride the lightweight (350cc) Navigators because they were relatively heavy, gutless and the engine was a shapeless mass of metal. The update, the 400cc lectric start Electra was heavier, still gutless and had an even more shapeless lump of metal. !

Now that we've offended all lightweight owners, they were said to be quite a pleasant ride (I know nothing about their longevity).

A lot of Norton owners have wondered why they weren't just built as a smaller (350cc) version of the 500 Dommies ?? Triumph did just that, the 350cc twin is barely distinguishable from the T 500cc, and they seem to have sold fairly well ??
Click to expand...

People own and enjoy the Lightweights nowadays. Some people anyway. At the time, they weren't much of a saleable product. What UK learner wanted a throbbing 250cc four stroke twin that couldn't keep up with a Villiers on the road? Also, most owners and many dealers were not capable of setting the timing.
 
Norton did put some of their singles into featherbed frames. But by '65 they were done. There is a 350 for sale on Ebay right now. I have to wonder what kind of ride they are, seems like they would be terrific bikes. The singles were certainly well developed by then, but maybe they vibrated so bad that nobody wanted them either.
 
Well, if it's a 65 and it has an Electric start, than it's definitely an Electra. If the starter is coming out of the primary side, than you'll be able to identify it from say an Atlas where the magneto is obviously coming out of the timing side. The Electra is a unit motor where as anything else from Norton would have the separate gearbox. Also from around that time frame, Norton made the Navigator and the Jubilee. Which were 350cc and 250cc respectively. Neither of those 2 would have an electric start though. The Electra is a 400cc. I've got an Electra that I bought about a year and a half ago, and it's in pieces getting sort of a sympathetic restoration. They're strange little bikes, that's for sure. I've yet to have it running, so I can't comment as to how it rides. I can tell you that the frame comes apart into 7 different pieces and it's a bit of a pain. That being said, I haven't had any trouble yet getting parts / gaskets etc for it. I've seen running examples sell for between $1500 - $3500 depending on condition.
In all honesty, I probably wouldn't think a barn find Electra with that many miles would be worth that much. But if you're looking for a semi rare Norton to restore and ride, that is definitely one of them. I'd guess it to be slow as a dog, and the motor is pretty unsightly, but it's still a Norton, and the tank, fender set up is pretty nicely styled.
Best of luck if you decide to buy it.
 
wilkey113 said:
In all honesty, I probably wouldn't think a barn find Electra with that many miles would be worth that much. But if you're looking for a semi rare Norton to restore and ride, that is definitely one of them. I'd guess it to be slow as a dog, and the motor is pretty unsightly, but it's still a Norton, and the tank, fender set up is pretty nicely styled.
Best of luck if you decide to buy it.
Click to expand...

It is important though that the full range of bikes from the past are preserved, and the Electra is a NORTON after all, so has some collector value just for that alone - maybe not big $$ though, as mentioned above. The road tests showed they had reasonable performance, so they weren't that slow - maybe not keep up with the fast crowd (back then). Do folks still ride their old iron like that ?

7 frame pieces, eh ? (Now where did I store that last piece of frame ?)
Any chance of a pic of this, that is a curiousity for sure.
Make repairing any damage easy....
 
Come to think of it, I had a Francis Barnett (2 stroke) that the frame came to pieces - I never had it apart. Wonder if the frames are related, they were both out of AMC, and not dissimilar eras. Hmmmmm.
 
I agree, that all of the Norton model range is good to preserve. And that's the very reason that I bought the one that I have and am working to restore / ride it. I only offered up the price ranges that I've seen them sell for as a gauge. While they are rare, and collectible, I just don't know if it's one of those motorcycles that fetch high dollar. One could easily spend more money restoring it than they could ever sell it for.
I've always felt that buying a Norton and restoring it should be done out of the desire to own it and enjoy it. Rather to to sell if for profit. The vintage motorcycle thing is pretty inflated right now, and i's unfortunate that these bikes are priced out of the range for lots of people that wish to enjoy them.
If the Electra is a motorcycle you like, then by all means, buy it, restore it and ride it. But I don't think there's much profit to be made if the end goal is to sell it.

My frame is at the painter right now, but I'm sure I'll have it back in a week or so. If someone is interested, I can take photos and share them.
 
Thanks for the great responses, very much appreciated. Yes, I was able to see the starter coming out of the primary side. I will see the bike again soon, and take a few pics. Can anyone tell me some key things to look for? I will try to take as many pics as the guy will let me. I still have the 72 750 commando chopper to get running, but if I can get a nice original Norton to ride, I will have the best of both worlds!
P.S. if I do buy it, and it is an Electra, are there any known problems associated this bike? Tom
 
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