John Player

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fiatfan

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Found some old pics I took, probably in -81 or -82 on a British Bike rally here in Sweden. Took 2 pics of 2 different looking JP Nortons, one of them I think belong to a friend, don´t know which one though.....He had that bike a year or two, it was really a different looking bike and not many knew what it was.
 

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Both good looking bikes I like the cambray wheels on the second one
 
Hi

I agree with GP, first picture looks like a café racer'd MkIII Interstate with JPN fairing versus the second one of a genuine (or good replica) JPN.
 
There were a very small number of MkIII with the Player body work. It was after John Player no longer sponsored Norton so these were just called 850 cafe racer. I have poster on the wall in my man cave of this machine with the jockey’s foot on the front tire.
 
There were a very small number of MkIII with the Player body work. It was after John Player no longer sponsored Norton so these were just called 850 cafe racer. I have poster on the wall in my man cave of this machine with the jockey’s foot on the front tire.
I don't think they actually made themo_O. Not super sure though
 
It has been said that this was just a promotional photo, but I have no real evidence of that claim.

Also, many folks know and have first-hand knowledge that dealers would jump through hoops to sell bikes that sat too long (like painting them silver)

John Player
 
I don't think they actually made themo_O. Not super sure though

Some were, apparently, but likely not all that many.

There was "a bunch" of Mk3 JPNs according to Joe Seifert in a previous post but that must have been a little bunch and not a big bunch? :)


https://www.accessnorton.com/NortonCommando/mk-3-engine-numbers-help-needed.11278/#post-156409
What I believe are production bikes started indeed with 325001 , built 18-11-74, Red, which went out to Berliner. The first ever built, however, was 325005 built 13-11-74, colour white (?), to Berliner.

Interestingly, amongst the early ones are a bunch of "JPN"s. I know the brochure for the Mk3 shows a JPN Mk3, but I thought they were never built. I have never seen one in the flesh, but then they all seem to have been shipped to the USA and Canada.
 
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First bike in the picture doesn't look like the Mark III brochure bike (e.g. seat, side panel, tank, colour scheme). I still think it is a cafe'd bike with JPN fairing.
 
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