That's a shame. On all my trips to the salt there have always been at least a couple of Nortons. I was hoping to be able to run mine again this year, but couldn't get it together in time.
One of the reasons for the reduced attendance is probably the cost. Our minimum team budget for going to the salt with just a rider and one other team member is $2,500. That covers entry fee, pit passes, fuel cost for a van pulling a trailer (from SoCal), lodging (one room), and food (including beer, of course!). In actual practice, it's usually more, particularly if it includes a frantic run to Salt Lake City for parts. When we were running the streamliner, with a larger crew and more vehicles, the cost was much higher.
If you are young and healthy enough to camp out in the heat and passing thunderstorms, and willing to prepare your own meals instead of eating out, you can cut the cost significantly. But the entry fee is still $550 per class for pre-entry and $800 for post-entry, plus another $100/week each for pit passes for rider and team members. Add food and transportation costs to that, and it's still a good bit of change.
For some of the entrants, the cost isn't so significant, but for many it is. You'll always see the mega-budget teams there, but if you look around you'll also find the guys living out of the back of an old van and cooking over a camp stove. The rest of us are somewhere in between. But we're all there for the same thing, the exhilaration of running down the salt at full throttle for several miles. Back in 2001, my first ride at Bonneville, the cost was a lot less, and it was worth it to me just for the experience. Now, it's expensive enough that I want to be sure I have a good shot at a record before committing to the trip.
In any case, I do plan to be there on a Norton for 2018. I just talked to Paul (Son of Siredward), and he's also planning to run next year, so we should have at least two Nortons there.
Ken