Is it ok??

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May 23, 2013
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Hello , my name is Peter and i am new to Norton.. but i like the history!!

I can buy this bike..

The guy is saying that it is a 650 from 1950, what do yout think about this bike? Is it worth to restore it? I was looking for a Commando but this looks also great?!

Sorry for the big pictures!, :shock:

Is it ok??


Is it ok??
 
Styllisimo said:
The guy is saying that it is a 650 from 1950, what do yout think about this bike? Is it worth to restore it? I was looking for a Commando but this looks also great?!

Yes it is certainly worth restoring, but it is later than a 1950 model.
 
It would make a perfect project bike and well worth the time to restore it, it mite not be as powerfull as a Commando but it is a Wideline Featherbed frame that will certenly handle better than a Commando.

Ashley
 
"Is it worth it" can only be answered by you, as it is only YOUR wallet that will be affected.

I'd say if you can get it for less than $2,500, it's not a bad deal. Even better if it runs and has a title!

If you want to share how much the seller is asking, and if you can possibly note the serial number stamped on the left rear web of the frame and just below the cylinder fins on the left of the engine, it would help to I.D. the bike and get a better idea of it's approximate value.

Does the engine (crankshaft) rotate when the starter is kicked? Does it have good compression? Spark at the plugs?
 
That Norton is definitely worth it. And I would love to have it. It's surely a mid to late 50's wideline featherbed. Most likely a 500cc Dominator, but hard to tell from the photos all the exact details.

And it certainly has some nice looking bits bolted onto it. Many will debate it's value as a project bike, and certainly condition is everything. In my opinion, the wideline featherbed framed Nortons are by far the most beautiful and classic motorcycles of all time. Very few of us are lucky enough and wealthy enough to afford a Manx Norton, so the wideline Dominators are the obvious choice.

Of course, any restoration can get expensive and eat up a big chunk of your life and sanity. I always tell people that unless you absolutely love it, you'll end up absolutely hating it. But don't let that deter you. Saving and rebuilding a Norton such as this, is a noble task in my book.

If you need any help, or just want to chat about it, please PM me.
Jeff
 
Chassis is worth $1,000

Engine & tranny are worth $1,000

Tank is worth $750

Front end is worth $500

You are already over $3K (at least) just for those parts.
 
An engine number that begins 18ss would tell you the engine is a 650SS, which would be just about the perfect engine for this bike, should that happen to be the engine in place. The 650SS makes around 50 bhp in stock form and is relatively smooth.
There was a big jump in performance when Norton went to the 650SS, mostly due to Doug Hele's head design work. A 650 ss engine would make the bike considerably moe valuable as a project, in my opinion.

Glen
 
I suggest you should think about what the bike actually is. It seems to be a sixties cafe racer and is very original. It represents an era when men were men. I would really love to have it for $2,500. I get that old buzz just looking at it, I would like to get it and wring its neck. The rear sets, swept back pipes and tank are great. The bike is worth much more than the sum of its parts, and it is much better than any commando, however you would have to learn to live with it. it is now 2013, not 1963, but the bike really does it for me. A lot of these old bikes are really undervalued. As a Sunday bike it would be excellent. I'd love to ride it around our town and let the kids see it, they would flip. And so would the cops. Have look at the fifties cafe racer videos on Youtube :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvWBXHRIauA
 
I agree with everything that acotrel posted. Spot on in every regard. A man after my own heart as they say.

Something doesn't add up, the paperwork says 650cc, but that head is definitely not a 650 head. I can at least tell you that from the photos. Vertical fins right behind the exhaust nuts is a dead giveaway. And Norton never put a 650 motor into a wideline featherbed. So unless it's a non matching numbers (motor and frame) bike, with some weird situation having 500 head on a 650 cylinder? Likely a 500 Dominator. Which is perfectly fine in my mind.

$3800 is a great price. Again, my opinion, and even if it needs a rebuild, you're still in it just fine. If motor turns over, frame is straight and title is good, you've got yourself a nice deal on a great Norton.
 
Can you let us know what number is stamped in the cases next to the oval Norton brass badge? And also the number stamped into the back of the cases next to the breather?

Originally it probably would have had a single carb. Or could have had a single carb, I should say. Either way, the splayed twin carb manifold was an option and made for all the early Dominators to be converted to twin carbs. A cool period addition in my opinion.
 
I'd sure like to have it running and with title at $3,800 but it is your decision to make now!

Very nice period cafe racer; many would say it is a TRUE cafe racer, unlike those with newer bits like disc brakes.
 
Peter, $3800USD is a lot of money for what you're looking at, in my opinion. I got my Atlas for free and will still have a very substantial investment in it when complete. $3800 is halfway to a very nice, good running, titled Norton. At least in the USA... As pointed out, the sum of the parts doesn't appear to be worth the asking price. Unless this is a very rare model or has sentimental value (a lot of it) I'd keep looking. That's just me. What you do is a very personal decision and as its said: "Your mileage may vary." Sincere good luck on your quest! H
 
$3800 is a good deal. If I had $3800 to spend and that Norton was for sale in my neck of the woods, I'd buy it, and not even haggle on the price.

I guarantee that you couldn't buy the parts on that Norton as they are for anywhere near $3800. Anyone that has a Norton like the one that Styllisimo has posted, please contact me. I'd gladly pay that price for it.

He's shown the photos, shown the title and confirmed that the motor kicks over. What else could you possibly ask for with such a cool piece of history.
 
Styllisimo said:
Here is the number on the engine..

That would make it either a 1957 or 1958 model.

Does the number on the engine match the number on the frame. ?

In theory, if they do, makes it 'better'.
Whether it makes it worth any more is another question...
 
There are a lot of things not quite right with the numbers and supporting documentation.

Does that V5 (UK Vehicle Registration Document) relate to this motorcycle and is the number R14 91380 stamped on the frame ?

R14 indicates a 1960 600cc Model 99 and as I understand it, 1960 model year twins were slimlines.

The engine number 73161 would relate to a 1957 machine.

Most worryingly, the engine number shown on the V5 (C A7 55 6074 ?)is from a 1955 BSA A7 (500cc).

The Swansea record gives no extra information.

Date of Liability 01 04 1977
Date of First Registration 01 04 1974
Year of Manufacture Not Available
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 650cc
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type PETROL
Export Marker N
Vehicle Status Unlicensed
Vehicle Colour BLACK

It could of course be that the former Featherbed A7 has been refitted with a Norton engine (but then the documentation should have been changed). It was clearly re-registered as a new machine in 1974 and last used in the UK in 1977.

I think that you have to regard this as a vehicle without documents...and if a wideline frame is stamped R14 then I'd want to do a lot more specific research to be certain that it is not a faked number and most worryingly possibly stolen and sold abroad using incorrect paperwork.
 
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