OUR CLASSICS: NORTON INTERNATIONAL M40

Julie has rebuilt this Norton Model 40 after retrieving it as a basket-case from a remote location. Hopefully she won’t have to wait too long to really enjoy the fruits of her labours...

Retrieved from halfway up a mountain, CB’S Julie can’t wait to get out on her rebuilt rarity

NEVER IN MY wildest dreams did I imagine that I would one day be riding a cammy Norton. That fabled creature of legend was way outside my world, let alone a pre-war machine, yet now I am the proud owner of a 1930s 350cc Norton Model 40.

I’ve never been one for poring over road tests and reviews to identify and evaluate that perfect machine. Most (in fact, all) of my assorted collection of bikes have been acquired quite by chance – and the little Norton was no different. Out of the blue, an email arrived from an old friend who was working overseas and in need of funds. Would I like to buy his Norton?

It didn’t take me long to reply. A deal was struck, the overseas money transfer made and then the fun began. The Norton was affordable because it was in approximately 4000 pieces and stored halfway up a Welsh mountain in a barn owned by a mutual friend. The barn was located