Can anyone can help identify some featherbed frames and a garden gate, I'm new to Nortons and don't know what to look for as far as lgs numbers etc.

Any help greatly appreciated, most of it's going to be sold, thanks!

eviesevielevie said:

Any help greatly appreciated, most of it's going to be sold, thanks!

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wideline road going frame, with added-on rear loop, no original centre stand lugs on bottom tubes, no swing arm, and non-standard centre stand, by the look of it. Tye forks look like good Italian ones, like the drum brake adjacent to them.

The black featherbed is a standard road-going Wideline, circa '54-60. The left side frame webbing should have some numbers stamped into it. Those would help narrow it down, but it really doesn't matter. It's been poorly modified with that rear loop, some brackets, and that centerstand(?).

The blue one looks again like a standard road-going Wideline, but heavily modified. Sidecar use?

The rusty (two piece) one is an early (pre-54) bolt-up frame. Could be a genuine Manx? No trouser gusset at the headstock, and what looks like bronze welding. Road going frames are arc welded, heavier tubing.

The black one with the flat lumps welded to the headstock is almost certainly a Manx. That one looks to be the best of the bunch.

Don't know enough about the plunger frames to take a swing at that one.

Hard to tell for sure without the stamped numbers, and values are wild guesses without checking for rot or real tubing damage. The modified Widelines could possibly fetch $300-500 each, best case scenario. Really clean ones sit on ebay for $1000. The blue one looks pretty beat up, but they'd both require a lot of work to get to a good, usable state. The Manxes are probably worth more, depending. They certainly look less poorly modified.

Any of them would be more valuable with a title than without, to avoid a bureaucratic doom spiral. There's really not that many people out there looking to acquire Norton frames, with no other associated parts.

Except me of course!!! thanks, Incredible knowledge, I may look into the numbers. Mostly got them for the two better frames, always wanted to do some featherbed projects. Also when do you find a garage full of featherbeds, it'll give me something to tell the nonexistent grandkids.

eviesevielevie said:

Except me of course!!! thanks, Incredible knowledge, I may look into the numbers. Mostly got them for the two better frames, always wanted to do some featherbed projects. Also when do you find a garage full of featherbeds, it'll give me something to tell the nonexistent grandkids.

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100% me too. It's just that the value of the complete ends up far less than what you'll spend on the parts, and the potential buyer pool and value is shrinking by the day. You mentioned that you were a reseller, so that's why I mentioned values. What you've stumbled into, as far as many of us here are concerned, is a goldmine of plans and schemes; to hell with the money. Featherbed bikes are very fun, capable bikes, so zero justification needed.

You just gotta get at least one Manx motor in one of those frames!

THIS would be a perfect fit in that bolt up frame!

There must still be a few replica frame makers around - Ken McIntosh in New Zealand for example. I would not play with the old stuff. A genuine 1962 Manx frame would be gold. And should not be used to build a non-genuine bike. A genuine Manx with a Molnar motor might be best - my friend kept his original motor in a nice dry place.