Norton ES2 race bike .

There is a difference between a race motor and a road motor. The Jawa speedway motors are also race motors. My friend helped Ron Miles get into road racing, but Ron died very quickly when he got to Europe. In those days the Australian Nortons had Symco conrods and were able to rev reliably to 8000 RPM. I had friends who were into that garbage in the early 1960s - the costs were horrendous. A piston was 30 pounds, and a sodium cooled exhaust valve was 15 pounds. I don't know where they got the money. An ES2 probably has a fragile bottom end.
 
I was offered an ex Ginger Molloy 500cc 1961 Manx for $1300 in1973. I didn't buy it because there was no competition in which it would be worth racing. It was a very nice bike to ride, and I discovered the reason they were so successful - they oversteer if gassed when on a lean and their weight is in the front. It means they can be ridden very aggressively without crashing. That bike was restored and is now back in New Zealand where it came from.
 
johnm said:
Scary thought but actually this time Acotrel has got it right.

I have known Peter Lodge for over 25 years now. Not well but certainly well enough to talk with. He is a good bloke and when time allows he will help others with advice and even a bit of work in the pits.

I beleive he trained as a fitter and turner and eventually built up his own engineering company in Auckland. Service Engineers with about 50 staff and full workshops. I beleive they built things like tank farms, industrial piping systems etc.

Through the years he has completed very successfully in drag racing and then classic bike racing. He and his son Shane were both front row riders on the NZ classic scene some 20 years ago. He has developed his ES2 bikes for 30 plus years now.

So we come to Acotrels comment. For me one of the most remarkable thing about Peter's bikes is the reliability. I have friends who raced pushrod Velos and then moved on to the OHC KTT bikes. They were sooooo much easier to keep in one piece.

For many years the race class ES2 was pretty fragile but now is is very reliable.

To lap the IOM at around 111 mph with an ES2 is extraordinary. It's an amazing machine and Peter has done a great job.
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I would not like to ride an ES2 fast on the IOM, an engine failure at high speed on that circuit would not be good. If you race the risks need to be minimised to a tolerable level.
 
I think I may have posted this before.

But it's always worth remembering.

" Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?'
'Supposing it didn't,' said Pooh after careful thought."

I think you may find the crankshaft in the Lodge ES2 motor is not exactly what left the Norton factory.
 
johnm said:
I think I may have posted this before.

But it's always worth remembering.

" Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?'
'Supposing it didn't,' said Pooh after careful thought."

I think you may find the crankshaft in the Lodge ES2 motor is not exactly what left the Norton factory.
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Here's a true story
When my sister was little she was afraid of having a bath,and the reason was " if I was in the bath and there was a power cut there might be a spider on the ceiling that might fall down into the water and I wouldn't be able to see it " !!!!
How on earth these events could or would ever happen I've no Idea but to her it was real
I Guess some people worry more about what might happen than what actually happens
 
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Two Australian politicians have said 'we should address issues as they arise, AND NOT on the basis of what might happen' - what was their 'duty of care' ? If I race, I always know what is going to happen a very long way ahead. When my mate crashed me, I knew it was about to happen, but there was no way to avoid it. I was committed to a line in a corner, and he rode around me and braked in front of me. It is the reason that I followed the Seeley and bought it. I could not get the Laverda motor.
Motorcycling is all about risk management. I must be no fun being dead - crash safely.
 
There are two ways of managing - systematic or situationalist. The latter is sometimes necessary, but it can become a bad habit. I do not ride on reflexes alone.
 
When building any race bike, it is always wise to plan ahead. An ES2 engine is not a race engine, It would take a lot of work to get it to be as good as a two valve Jawa Speedway engine. Once you start down a path and you find the result is not good enough- what do you do. ? I have built several motorcycles. Often what works very well can be surprising. When you reach the point of riding it on a race circuit, you begin to rectify the problems.
The only reason I would use an ES2 motor in a race bike would be for the Norton name - or if there was a Norton race bike which used that motor and I wanted to build a replica.
 
acotrel said:
When building any race bike, it is always wise to plan ahead. An ES2 engine is not a race engine, It would take a lot of work to get it to be as good as a two valve Jawa Speedway engine. Once you start down a path and you find the result is not good enough- what do you do. ? I have built several motorcycles. Often what works very well can be surprising. When you reach the point of riding it on a race circuit, you begin to rectify the problems.
The only reason I would use an ES2 motor in a race bike would be for the Norton name - or if there was a Norton race bike which used that motor and I wanted to build a replica.
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Mate.

You do know this bike we are talking about has won many championships and races in NZ and Australia over about 30 years. Plus a championship series in North America and in the past three years two thirds and a fourth at the Manx Classic Senior in the Isle of Man.

In NZ these days Peter runs his bike against Supermono Ducatis and TZ 350s because there is no point in running against the other classic 500s. His bike is about half a lap in front of them in 3 laps.

Maybe you don't beleive it but I have seen myself.

And what on earth would make you think Peter cannot put a plan together? He has over 50 years of engineering experience. Created and ran a medium size engineering firm. Built and raced cars and bikes since he was a teenager. He is one of the best Classic bike builders in the world. He chose to build an ES2 to be different. He could have owned and run 10 Manx Nortons if he had wanted too. That's not the point.
 
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I cannot think of a reason to race an ES2 unless a certain race class particularly favors it. When I was racing my short stroke 500cc Triton, the intention was always to beat the Manx. However a B34 BSA was just as fast. I have only ever raced what I could afford - I did not deprive my kids to buy my fun. How much cheaper is an ES2 after you have developed it ? In the olden days Triumph parts were a dime a dozen.
 
Sorry I'm going to upset Acotrel on so many levels.

This Lodge ES2 riden by Mike Brown just set a lap at the IOM Senior Historic at 112.984 mph.

136.7 mph through the speed trap..

I beleive it is the fastest single cylinder and pushrod machine ever around the TT course.

And sadly it also has drum brakes.
 
johnm said:
Sorry I'm going to upset Acotrel on so many levels.

This Lodge ES2 riden by Mike Brown just set a lap at the IOM Senior Historic at 112.984 mph.

136.7 mph through the speed trap..

I beleive it is the fastest single cylinder and pushrod machine ever around the TT course.

And sadly it also has drum brakes.
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Almost 113m mph? That’s incredible.
 
johnm said:
Sorry I'm going to upset Acotrel on so many levels.

This Lodge ES2 riden by Mike Brown just set a lap at the IOM Senior Historic at 112.984 mph.

136.7 mph through the speed trap..

I beleive it is the fastest single cylinder and pushrod machine ever around the TT course.

And sadly it also has drum brakes.
Click to expand...
Bloody hell!!!!
 
My latest Tee shirt. Purchased from the man himself. Absolutely amazing bike and as I also have an ES2 it was must have.
Norton ES2 race bike .
 

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