lcrken
VIP MEMBER
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2009
- Messages
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According to AN's latest newsletter, Joe has just purchased an original Norton Thruxton Club Racer. In this description of his acquisition, he includes some intoresting history and comments on it. I'm particularly taken with his statement that it's the only Norton ever officially sold with the short stroke 750 engine, a topic of much discussion here on the forum. Also interesting that he gives his source for saying only 10 were built.
"The 1975 “Thruxton Club Racer”
Ever since I read about the “Thruxton Club” racer I wanted one. Not only are they rare- according to a letter I have from Frank Perris, and Norman White confirms the number is realistic, only ten were built- but they are the only Nortons ever officially sold with the short-stroke engine. Those who know our old “Norton Motors Ltd” homepage may remember I was looking for one of these bikes even before I bought Andover Norton. A bike I had already heard of was recently offered on various internet platforms. It was in Vienna, and offered at a rather high price. I was contacted by the seller through a mutual acquaintance and we started a long row of e-mails which led him to grudgingly admit I was the only serious suitor, the others being from the usual “I’ll give you a couple of thousand for it” brigade. In the end we agreed on what I had seen as a fair price right from the start. The seller’s handicap, which I told him immediately, was that nobody knows these bikes. Even Richard Negus and Nick Hopkins had never heard of them when I first mentioned my yearning for one. The bike has reputedly not been run since around 1980. It was entered in some local races (the Greater Vienna Suburbs Championship?) and then blissfully forgotten. Some modifications were carried out at the time, not all sensible.There are some features on the bike “Production” Thruxtons don’t have- but Norman White’s prototype Thruxton did. Though Norman cannot confirm if this is the actual machine- he was not involved in the “Production” Thruxtons, having left at the time- all details
indicate it is. I will try to fully rebuild the bike over the winter and hopefully test it at Pannoniaring in May. I will also do more research in the meantime."
There's great picture of it in the newletter, but I haven't figured out yet how to capture it from the .pdf document and post it.
Ken
"The 1975 “Thruxton Club Racer”
Ever since I read about the “Thruxton Club” racer I wanted one. Not only are they rare- according to a letter I have from Frank Perris, and Norman White confirms the number is realistic, only ten were built- but they are the only Nortons ever officially sold with the short-stroke engine. Those who know our old “Norton Motors Ltd” homepage may remember I was looking for one of these bikes even before I bought Andover Norton. A bike I had already heard of was recently offered on various internet platforms. It was in Vienna, and offered at a rather high price. I was contacted by the seller through a mutual acquaintance and we started a long row of e-mails which led him to grudgingly admit I was the only serious suitor, the others being from the usual “I’ll give you a couple of thousand for it” brigade. In the end we agreed on what I had seen as a fair price right from the start. The seller’s handicap, which I told him immediately, was that nobody knows these bikes. Even Richard Negus and Nick Hopkins had never heard of them when I first mentioned my yearning for one. The bike has reputedly not been run since around 1980. It was entered in some local races (the Greater Vienna Suburbs Championship?) and then blissfully forgotten. Some modifications were carried out at the time, not all sensible.There are some features on the bike “Production” Thruxtons don’t have- but Norman White’s prototype Thruxton did. Though Norman cannot confirm if this is the actual machine- he was not involved in the “Production” Thruxtons, having left at the time- all details
indicate it is. I will try to fully rebuild the bike over the winter and hopefully test it at Pannoniaring in May. I will also do more research in the meantime."
There's great picture of it in the newletter, but I haven't figured out yet how to capture it from the .pdf document and post it.
Ken