Norton resurrection team

baz · Saturday at 12:00 PM

Apologies if this has been posted before
I know it's quite old but I hadn't seen it

acotrel · Saturday at 12:11 PM

There are a couple of twin-cylinder four-stroke Japanese motorcycles which I find interesting - the Suzuki TL1000 , and there is an 850cc twin cylinder four-stroke which is made by Yamaha. The retro Royal Enfield Interceptor also looks good.
I suggest the Norton Commando is excellent - for what it is, and always has been. It is the type of motorcycle which I have always preferred. To me two-strokes and four cylinder four-strokes do not evoke anything like the same sort of feeling. I like a genuine adrenaline rush when I ride a motorcycle. High speed thrills many people, but the feel of a motorcycle is also important. If it was smooth and comfortable, it might be better to drive a car.

Fast Eddie · Saturday at 12:28 PM

Great Baz, thanks for posting.

Can’t not respect Norm and those boys can we? Superstars !

Very interesting to keep hearing Norman say that they built the originals ‘30 years ago’ whereas even the video is now over 20 years old !!

baz · Saturday at 1:45 PM

acotrel said:
There are a couple of twin-cylinder four-stroke Japanese motorcycles which I find interesting - the Suzuki TL1000 , and there is an 850cc twin cylinder four-stroke which is made by Yamaha. The retro Royal Enfield Interceptor also looks good.
I suggest the Norton Commando is excellent - for what it is, and always has been. It is the type of motorcycle which I have always preferred. To me two-strokes and four cylinder four-strokes do not evoke anything like the same sort of feeling. I like a genuine adrenaline rush when I ride a motorcycle. High speed thrills many people, but the feel of a motorcycle is also important. If it was smooth and comfortable, it might be better to drive a car.

Totally agree
You stick to your car driving

BERT · Saturday at 1:51 PM

baz said:
This is an amazing story. The skill and craftsmanship of that team has profoundly opened my eyes to a realization that these skills with machinery are getting more scare in today's world. Thanks for posting.

ashman · Saturday at 2:45 PM

acotrel said:
To me two-strokes and four cylinder four-strokes do not evoke anything like the same sort of feeling. I like a genuine adrenaline rush when I ride a motorcycle. High speed thrills many people, but the feel of a motorcycle is also important. If it was smooth and comfortable, it might be better to drive a car.

Gee Al that must have been a long time since you have had an adrenaline rush as it's been so long since you been on a motorcycle or even raced your Norton, I get an adrenaline rush every time I go out on the bikes, I get my fix regularly, that's the good thing having 2 road going motorcycles, one classic hot rod and one 1200 Thruxton always set on sports mode, so much fun.
By the way the Thruxton is smooth and comfortable for me but open up the throttle and it's a different story so much fun.

BERT · Saturday at 4:43 PM

To take on a historical project of molten scrap, separate, and reuse what could be, these boys deserve a medal for the preservation of Norton

jseng1 · Saturday at 6:30 PM

Here's a couple intresting images I came across in the resurection vid.

Norton Cosworth pistons - note the modern design.

Here's a cracked case from the Norman White racer he called "the Norton smile". It was a common occurrance.

acotrel · Saturday at 7:44 PM

ashman said:
Gee Al that must have been a long time since you have had an adrenaline rush as it's been so long since you been on a motorcycle or even raced your Norton, I get an adrenaline rush every time I go out on the bikes, I get my fix regularly, that's the good thing having 2 road going motorcycles, one classic hot rod and one 1200 Thruxton always set on sports mode, so much fun.
By the way the Thruxton is smooth and comfortable for me but open up the throttle and it's a different story so much fun.

The Queensland government probably needs more contributions from people who get adrenaline rushes on their public roads. - Open up the throttle, then look at the speedo - BULLSHIT ! - You have not even lived. My wife had a lady friend who lived in southern NSW. She had a Mustang to which she used to give the berries in the back roads - the bloody thing had an automatic gearbox - that is not even driving - it would have been as slow as a wet week. I drove a V8 hotrod from Melbourne to Bathhurst one Easter - on the way we had a 100 MPH road race with a Triumph Bonneville and an MGB. The guy in the MGB missed a turn in the highway, and spun it up a gravel road. When I was a kid there were no speed cameras. In NSW there were no hot-rods - we were a big hit at Bathurst. I am not proud of what I did on public roads in Victoria with motorcycles. My Ford Mercury would only do 90 MPH flat out on Nepean Highway. I did not get booked even once. By the time I was 23, I could name 20 guys who had died on public roads in motorcycle crashes. I was not one of them. I know how to stay alive. There are not many motorcyclists whom I cannot outride - I don't like cars,

acotrel · Saturday at 7:49 PM

Ashley, I appreciate what you do, but do not bullshit to me - I know exactly what you do. I gave it up and stayed alive. Yesterday I turned 84, When I was 24, I did not expect to reach age 29. Yesterday came as big surprise.

acotrel · Saturday at 8:23 PM

I watched the resurrection video some time ago. The John Player Nortons really made a statement. I am surprised that the Commando engine can be so good. My problem was I never believed in it. To me, it looks like an alternative concept - it is very different from the norm. It's main limiting factor seems to be carburetors. It needed Japanese or German input.

ashman · Saturday at 10:27 PM

So you think I am full of bullshit Al, then you don't know me at all, so you think you exactly know what I do, you don't, I have no reasons at all to BS and I have nothing to prove, I enjoy my road bike times, I risk being caught when I do things I shouldn't be doing, all part of riding motorcycles as well cars for that matter, I ride all year round, out on the bike when I feel like it, if I get done for speeding I have to accept that, but depends where I do it and when and where.
But at lease I am out riding and enjoying what I been doing for over 52 years, I am not sitting on a couch or in bed watching YouTube about MC racing, but I do watch YouTube sometimes and know what is BS and what is not.
I still ride with mates I grew up with, I built my Norton Commando/Featherbed when I was young and no experiences at all building a bike, must have done something right as its still going and not in the shed in bits, yes I had my times off the road, 3 left knee injuries 2 from bike accident and one jumping off the top of a fence post (4 month each time) and 3 times from license suspensions (3 months each time) other than them times have never been without a bike on the road or in the dirt, so if I am full of BS then all good, everyone has an opinion, I say things as I see it and how I read things without the BS, anyway I say no more, I be out on the Norton tomorrow before it gets too hot early start and home by 11, enjoying my motor cicles.

Ashley

acotrel · Saturday at 10:35 PM

Ashley, the mates with whom I used to ride are now either all dead or in jail. I never liked droning down long roads on a motorcycle which was capable of going 3 times as fast, and watching out for cops. The sense of freedom is just another illusion. For me, road racing is not about ego, it is about developing the motorcycle. It is similar to what I did for a living. I always have a project. My worst boss never knew what I was about - the job he gave me was smorgasbord - I would pay to do it these days. I pressed only one button and frightened the shit out of him.

Norton resurrection team

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