‘IT WAS LAST ON THE ROAD IN THE MID-’90S, BUT THE FRAME, FORKS AND THE ALL-IMPORTANT LOGBOOK WERE PRESENT’
in picturesque Withnail and I surroundings and was accessible only by wheelbarrow via a 45° slope.
Last on the road in the mid-’90s, the Model 40 was in bits – but the engine was largely in one lump, with the frame and forks present, along with the all-important logbook. The rest of the bike was in a selection of crates and top-boxes, and looked decidedly the worse for wear. Rick Bailey, my long-suffering husband, gave me a quizzical look... but it was already a done deal.
Back home we surveyed what I’d bought. Some fasteners, brackets and the top gearbox mounting bolt were missing, but apart from that it was complete. Time to get it back on the road. Firstly, I started my research to find that the engine was an early 1932 example, while the frame dated from ’34. I wasn’t surprised about the mismatch, as it’s not uncommon for pre-war bikes to have needed an engine change.
Much to Rick’s disappointment, I decided to commission Ron Lewis, our local Norton guru and engine expert, to rebuild the engine. I didn’t want to take any chances with such a rare engine, and I also knew that if any spares were needed they would be hard to source. Plus, we would have enough on our hands getting the rolling chassis ready. Out-sourcing the engine work would get the Norton back on the road more quickly.
Ron stripped the engine, and announced that a lot of work was needed. “It’s ’ad a bit of previous,” he announced in his gravelly tones. He set to work on the bottom end, making a new crankpin and replacing the big-end bearings. A new oil pump was bought from Stu Rogers, while Ron reprofiled the worn-out rockers, repaired the cambox, made a cylinder liner and located a new standard piston from his secret network of old boys. Finally, after a run-up on Ron’s test-bed, the engine was ready to go.
Meanwhile, we’d been working on the rest of the bike. Most of the paint, the petrol tank repairs and the gearbox re-bushing were farmed out, but the chassis still took us longer to complete than the engine rebuild. Rick rebuilt the wheels, using the supplied new rims, spokes and the cottonreel hubs that came with the project. The missing gearbox top bolt was turned up on our lathe – but without an example to work to, it was only just adequate and had to be regularly tightened to prevent the gearbox twisting in the frame. Luckily, we found an original to replace it at our Ardingly Autojumble, but it’s still awaiting fitting. I find it’s the discipline of entering an event that ensures I get these jobs completed, and the first run of the year for the Norton was to be the East Sussex VMCC Snow-mann Hillclimb.
Now fully run-in, the Norton is pretty minimalist without a lighting set or speedo, and has great charm and character. It’s very purposeful to ride, and the handling is superb but definitely not geared towards rider comfort. The bike sounds fantastic on the road, and I run it on straight