Norton JPS
White Knight
In truth, had it not been for the giant-killing performances on the race tracks over many decades, Norton itself would have been a bit player in the market, with a tired range of models and little cash or enthusiasm to expand. Even when Norton withdrew their official racing support in 1955 (by which time they were part of the Associated Motorcycles group), the famous singles continued to win races in private hands, and formed the bulk of the grid, at least in the traditional 350cc and 500cc classes, for years after.
The marque’s glory days may have been behind them, but in the early ‘seventies Norton, now owned by Manganese Bronze Holdings Ltd under chairman Dennis Poore at least had a high profile sponsor to support the racing efforts that Poore deemed necessary for the famous brand. Even at this stage, the anti-tobacco lobby was rapidly gathering momentum, and motor sport in most forms was awash with the logos of cigarette companies, including the very British John Player brand, established in 1877. John Player and Norton were a neat fit; both long established brands in the Bulldog breed, as British as Big Ben.
John Player had hit the headlines when in 1968, the works Lotus 49 team cars competing in the Australia/New Zealand Tasman Series, somewhat controversially ditched their traditional green and yellow for a red/white/gold livery branded Gold Leaf – a Players cigarette brand. It began a positive stampede by rival Formula 1 teams to secure sponsorship from the tobacco industry, and in 1972 Players switched to a handsome black/gold colour scheme for the Lotus F1 team with JPS (John Player Special) branding, a relationship that lasted until 1986. However in the early ‘seventies, racing played a relatively small part in the overall Norton picture. The American market was still buoyant for the brand, and the US distributors regarded racing as a vital marketing platform. And so, with John Player money, Norton’s track presence was maintained, not to the scale it had once been, but it was better than nothing. As well as selected British events, Norton sent a team to the Daytona 200 in 1971; the bikes finished in the blue and white décor of John Player, which forked out around half of the race team’s budget. In 1972 Phil Read joined the team and gave the struggling squad an encouraging fourth place at Daytona. These motorcycles still basically resembled the production Commandos, with steel tube frames, but for 1973 a new monocoque chassis, using 22-gauge sheet steel, was constructed. Peter Williams took out the Formula 750 TT at the Isle of Man, with team mate Mick Grant second, and Grant went on to win the multi-round Motorcycle News Superbike Series in Britain.
In April 1973, the already lean workforce was further trimmed when Norton-Villiers moved production of the Commando from Andover to Wolverhampton, resulting in a sit-in strike by workers who had been made redundant – well prior to the more well-known strike at the Meriden Triumph works. Meanwhile, racing continued at the Isle of Man and in the European Endurance events, with the bikes finished in a patriotic white, red and blue with prominent John Player graphics. The Endurance models used an abbreviated fairing with twin large diameter headlights and oversized
pannier-style fuel tank. It was this look that inspired what became known as the John Player Norton.
A face lift
Conceived in late 1973 after a mock-up was cobbled together on a standard chassis with the addition of spare Endurance racer parts, the JPN did not make its public debut until the Milan Show in late 1974, using a basic Mk2a Commando as the donor. It was the bodywork, not the mechanical specification, that made the JPN such a visual standout.
The fairing, which like the Endurance racers extended halfway down each side, sitting just above the primary chain case on the left, with the familiar timing case exposed on the right, contained the twin seven-inch Lucas headlights. These may have been a unique styling cue, but created major problems because the Lucas alternator and the standard battery struggled to cope. The alternator’s output was beefed up and an additional Zener diode fitted. The tight fitting fairing also created overheating problems in the top end, as well as reducing steering lock.
The swoopy lines of the fibreglass ‘fuel tank’ were also a façade, because the real tank – a slightly enlarged standard steel job, sat underneath, out of sight. At the rear, a boxy single seat contained the battery in the substantial tail section (adorned with a patriotic Union Jack motif), which could be accessed by removing the padded seat section. According to road tests of the day, the riding position didn’t seem to fit anyone all that well, especially tall riders who found the layout cramped. These accoutrements apart, the JPN was basically a standard 850 Commando, pumping out just shy of 50 horsepower at the rear wheel. Slightly taller final gearing enhanced the top speed, nudging it to a claimed 185 km/h. The JPN handled quite well, with the single disc front brake that Norton had developed in conjunction with Lockheed doing a reasonable job of arresting progress. The familiar Commando drum rear brake did the duties at the rear. Instead of the racing-style exhaust system that may have been expected, the black-chromed silencers were of the type that Norton referred to as “annular discharge”
(a challenge for the Marketing Department if ever there was one), as fitted to the Mk2a.
Nevertheless, few, if any major manufacturers were offering a road-going ‘Endurance Racer’ at this period, and, following a warm reception from buyers and distributers at the Milan Show, a limited production run commenced. Rather than being a single specification, 1974 Production was actually split between 850s and the short-stroke 750 engine.
A dose of reality
Initially, Norton planned to build one thousand of the JPN model, but this turned out to be extremely optimistic. The JPN sold for $2,995 in the USA, or $500 more than the standard Commando. It is
believed that only around 200 were built (around half going to USA), and customers were divided as to whether the JPN was a Café Racer or a Super Tourer. It was the semi-crouching riding position, clip-on handlebars, rear set footrests, gear lever and rear brake lever that dictated that the JPN would fall into the first category, and the Americans certainly spurned it as a tourer.
Not unexpectedly, a number of after-market firms produced similar tank/fairing, and foot control kits, which sometimes adorned tricked-up standard Commandos. Electric starters, once they became more readily available from manufacturers such as Alton, also found their way onto many of the ‘genuine’ JPN models, including the one featured here. Other mods that became reasonably common place included belt primary drives, electronic ignition systems (mainly from Boyer), and adjustable ‘Isolastic’ engine mounts.
Regardless of the fortunes of the JPN, the days of the long-serving Norton twin, which had begun life in 1950 as the Model 7, were numbered. The Commando struggled on until 1977, the final incarnation being the Mk3 850.
A showroom success the JPN certainly was not, its sales life spanning just 12 months. This was not entirely due to the shortcomings or inadequacies of the model itself; more that Norton-Villiers, and the entire British motorcycle industry, was standing at the edge of a cliff, with no safety net.
However, almost half a century later, its ephemeral existence has made the JPN a very collectable motorcycle indeed. Few examples are seen for sale, and few of those that do are in original specification.
The featured motorcycle was auctioned by Shannons Sydney in August 2020, achieving $35,500. An excellent and original example with matching engine and frame numbers, this JPN was comprehensively restored by well known Norton expert Paul Hibberd. Apart from the Alton electric starter, it is in entirely as-delivered condition, with just over 20,000 miles on the odometer.
Ironically, the Norton/John Player relationship had another card to play. Once again under new owners, and using a Wankel rotary engine, Norton took to the tracks with JPS sponsorship again in the late ‘eighties and achieved commendable success with riders such as Ron Haslam, Robert Dunlop and
Trevor Nation. And once again, a road-going JPN spinoff was produced. Today, these are fairly collectable too… ■