Introduction of colours other than silver and orange
- Thread starter frankdamp
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Rohan said:
The Norton Villiers shop in Wentworth Avenue in the city was directly across the road from Hazell and Moore, the long long long time Triumph dealers, from whom my dad bought his Triumphs many years before.
I bought my brand new 72 Combat from the Wentworth Ave shop in March 73. Headquarters for Norton Australia was 25 Moxon Road Punchbowl. The manager of the whole operation was an Englishman whose name still escapes me. A very nice quietly spoken chap with blonde hair who had been sent out from Norton in England. He inherited an absolute friggin nightmare with the combat. I felt sorry for him.
He accepted responsibility for the combat engine mess (obviously under instruction from England) and they rebuilt my engine at Moxon Road.
I have only ever owned one new Commando, that was the 72 combat the reliability of which was a serious piss off. But riding the machine was addictive, to say the least. Every other Commando of mine has been post what was my 73 new purchase. And all second hand of course, from a very early 68 Fastback to a hybrid (just like pete.v) combat spec Roadster. And now a Fastback MkIII with another on the way. I have loved them all.
I am a little bit surprised Rohan you were not aware of the Wentworth Ave Norton shop, but you probably had no reason to go there if you were fiddling around with a Dominator. They were there purely to sell Commandos.
Phil
You got me Phil, I've not heard of this place. I wouldn't have been there before 1974 though
Will have to dig out some old bike magazines and see if it gets a mention.
I thought I knew most of the places along there.
Must have been a real mecca for bikes in earlier years.
Old dommies came through H&M in the early 1950s - in Campbell St. ?
Wonder if we can find a color pic with Commandos in the showroom ?
Will have to dig out some old bike magazines and see if it gets a mention.
I thought I knew most of the places along there.
Must have been a real mecca for bikes in earlier years.
Old dommies came through H&M in the early 1950s - in Campbell St. ?
Wonder if we can find a color pic with Commandos in the showroom ?
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Rohan said:
It was a VERY small shop. Like sandwich shop size. I only know of H & M being in Wentworth Ave. Never Campbell St that I know of.
It later became Action Suzuki. The street was THE place to be if you were a bike shop. Tom Byrne BMW were also there. But his son Ed (a solicitor) moved it out to St Peter's then later sold out. A piece of history gone forever.
Not a bike shop left in Wentworth Ave anymore, that I know of. I rarely go near the city these days. All Parts were just up the road a bit but gone also.
Omedies also gone. I bought my megaphone mufflers for the Domi 99 from them.
Phil
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Whilst I'm thinking of it Rohan, Tom Byrne did not have their workshop at Wentworth Ave. It was at Ultimo in a rickety
old building with an ancient lift that they would wheel your bike onto and hoist it up to the next floor for servicing. Then lower it back down when finished. This existed until the 90's when everything was finally moved to the new shop at St Peter's and then finally Ed Byrne sold out. The name was lost forever.
And to stay on track re thread, BRG was also used by BMW but a pale version. Nothing like our Norton BRG. I owned one back around 95. It ran parallel with my BRG Roadster painted by Alan Keed, though I think the spelling was Keid, could be wrong.
A beautiful bike but oh so heavy compared to my "nippy" combat. And nowhere near as pretty.
Phil
old building with an ancient lift that they would wheel your bike onto and hoist it up to the next floor for servicing. Then lower it back down when finished. This existed until the 90's when everything was finally moved to the new shop at St Peter's and then finally Ed Byrne sold out. The name was lost forever.
And to stay on track re thread, BRG was also used by BMW but a pale version. Nothing like our Norton BRG. I owned one back around 95. It ran parallel with my BRG Roadster painted by Alan Keed, though I think the spelling was Keid, could be wrong.
A beautiful bike but oh so heavy compared to my "nippy" combat. And nowhere near as pretty.
Phil
Sydney City Motorcycles and Motorcycle Accessory Supermarket (MCA) are still in Wentworth Ave.
On the previous sites of H&M and Tom Byrnes, if I'm not mistaken.
I only recall H&M in Campbell St, although by then they may have been a Suzuki store.
As I said, dommies came through them in the 1950s.
Can't link direct to the pic, but this 1929 pic is still how it looked in the 1970s...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/flattank_ ... 114626949/
Haven't found anything yet on the Norton Villiers shopfront.
Think I know the place you mean.
Would have been part of the former P&R Williams shop, and part of where Sydney Motorcycle Wreckers was for a time. ?
On the previous sites of H&M and Tom Byrnes, if I'm not mistaken.
I only recall H&M in Campbell St, although by then they may have been a Suzuki store.
As I said, dommies came through them in the 1950s.
Can't link direct to the pic, but this 1929 pic is still how it looked in the 1970s...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/flattank_ ... 114626949/
Haven't found anything yet on the Norton Villiers shopfront.
Think I know the place you mean.
Would have been part of the former P&R Williams shop, and part of where Sydney Motorcycle Wreckers was for a time. ?
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Rohan said:
It was almost right on the corner of that street that runs off at 45 degrees or so. I'd look that up but you probably know the one. I don't know what the shop was before. And it came and went as Norton Villiers very quickly. Well I assume it went quickly. I spent my time at 25 Moxon Rd thereafter, getting the combat repaired under warranty. Lucky they didn't ask me how I blew it up. I was doing 110mph through the Wakehurst Parkway in T shirt, board shorts and thongs, with a mate following (or trying to) on his Bonneville. It was a very silly and dangerous thing to do. A thong coming off at that speed could have knocked my mate clean off his Bonneville.
Also, 19T combats blow up at anything over 107mph, which is redline. I found that out.
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Rohan
The English guy who headed up Norton Villiers Australia in 72-73 was Roger someone. It just came to me
whilst scratching my ………
Your mission is to find his surname.
Maybe Roger Bum??
But I am serious, it was Roger and I will keep going on this. Like you, I can find no internet record of NV Wentworth St.
Not surprising though. They were not there very long. Came and went as fast as a combat.
Roger M….
The memory is digging deep.
Mirams, maybe?
L.A.B. any idea?
For some reason I assume you know all about the Norton company.
Phil
The English guy who headed up Norton Villiers Australia in 72-73 was Roger someone. It just came to me
whilst scratching my ………
Your mission is to find his surname.
Maybe Roger Bum??
But I am serious, it was Roger and I will keep going on this. Like you, I can find no internet record of NV Wentworth St.
Not surprising though. They were not there very long. Came and went as fast as a combat.
Roger M….
The memory is digging deep.
Mirams, maybe?
L.A.B. any idea?
For some reason I assume you know all about the Norton company.
Phil
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Mirams or Merams. I feel I'm getting close Rohan. Memory can be very frustrating and play tricks on you.
The story about the potato up Morrie's EH exhaust was added to yesterday by my MkIII owning brother, he
also worked in the service station. The two mechanics also removed a spark plug and attached (sealed) an
acetylene filled balloon to it and closed the bonnet. When Morrie started the EH there was an enormous Kaboom
which unseated the bonnet. Morrie drove home noticing nothing, on five cylinders chuffing down the road.
The Avalon intersection was right in front of Morrie's service station and I would take it every time real hard
with the right peg on the road. It drove Morrie nuts and he ordered John the mechanic to teach me not to lean
so hard. But Nortons love to lean hard and I refused advice from John. I just laughed and pushed the Norton
harder. In those days there was no bum off seat crap. it hadn't even been thought of. Morrie didn't like motorbikes,
he thought they were nasty unsafe devices. I did nothing to dampen his concerns.
But all he was really worried about was me being in hospital, not on the driveway pumping petrol. He would have
to forgo his long pissy lunches at the RSL.
Sorry Les, I had to correct the story.
And the Norton was BRG, as ever I have owned bar this red one.
The story about the potato up Morrie's EH exhaust was added to yesterday by my MkIII owning brother, he
also worked in the service station. The two mechanics also removed a spark plug and attached (sealed) an
acetylene filled balloon to it and closed the bonnet. When Morrie started the EH there was an enormous Kaboom
which unseated the bonnet. Morrie drove home noticing nothing, on five cylinders chuffing down the road.
The Avalon intersection was right in front of Morrie's service station and I would take it every time real hard
with the right peg on the road. It drove Morrie nuts and he ordered John the mechanic to teach me not to lean
so hard. But Nortons love to lean hard and I refused advice from John. I just laughed and pushed the Norton
harder. In those days there was no bum off seat crap. it hadn't even been thought of. Morrie didn't like motorbikes,
he thought they were nasty unsafe devices. I did nothing to dampen his concerns.
But all he was really worried about was me being in hospital, not on the driveway pumping petrol. He would have
to forgo his long pissy lunches at the RSL.
Sorry Les, I had to correct the story.
And the Norton was BRG, as ever I have owned bar this red one.
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