Local Hero Piet van Wijngaarden

The original Assen racetrack, in the north of The Netherlands, was first used for the Dutch TT in 1925. Winner of the 500cc class in both 1925 and 1926 was Piet van Wijngaarden on a Norton. The pictures above show Piet (number 36) on the 26th of June 1926. The Norton most probably was a Model 18; the Model 25 did not really exist as a catalogued model until the autumn of 1926 but 'go-faster-bits' could be ordered from the factory and seem to have been fitted; note the very high filler neck. As the race was on public roads, fitting a horn must have made sense!

Going international in 1927, Stanley Woods joined the Assen TT and won the 500cc class on his Moore designed CS1. The photo shows Stanley working on his Norton; Piet van Wijngaarden watches. The flat tank Norton leaning against the wall on the right could be Piet's Model 18.

This photo shows Piet van Wijngaarden, Joe Craig, Walter Rusk and Jimmy Guthrie at the Assen TT in 1935; that year Rusk and Guthrie would win the 350cc class and 500cc class respectively.

2010 Spring Flood Run photos

What's that in that side Car?

A St. Bernard!



Wicked Cool old Sporty.





Gibson Les Paul guitar bike.




Up one end of the road


Down the other


How we roll

The Braid brothers in 1914

These are the Braid brothers during the 1914 TT on the Isle of Man.  The model numbering system has been in use since 1915, so while these motorcycles look like TT Model 9's they could be 3 1/2 HP models. Large boxes are fitted to the saddle tubes; are these oiltanks or toolboxes? The old Norton logo is still used.

Roger:"The Nortons have a two speed epicyclic gearbox on the end of the crankshaft. The lever changes between the two ratios without a clutch."

Stanley Woods and a Mousetrap carburetter

Sent by Dave; this is Stanley Woods, in bed, holding a Binks Mousetrap carburetter while over in Holland for the 1927 TT in Assen. Stanley won the Dutch Senior TT on the 25th of June (below) and he used a Binks carb. I am not sure why he would be looking at a Binks Mousetrap in bed as I am fairly sure that he would not have used one on his CS1.

c1937 596cc overhead camshaft Norton

More photo's of Ballazam's very rare 596cc International Norton. The Norton seems to be remarkably original; the front hub and forks have not been replaced by WD16H items and it still uses the 10TT9 carburetter. Note the lugs on the rear frame tubes where the rear set footrest were fitted. It has a wrap-around oiltank and Andree steering damper.

Model 30 International Norton

A nice period shot of a cammy Norton hitched to a sidecar, but what is it exactly? The forks look like early 1930s Webbs to me, without the adjustable dampers and check springs. The 21" front wheel has the drum brake on the left hand side and uses an obsolete speedo drive. The oiltank is of the later wrap-around type.

Roger: "CG366 is a London registration dating from 1930 so it is probably a later picture with subsequent modifications to the various bits"

Roger's Model 40 International Norton

This machine was supplied by the Norton works for the 1933 Grand Prix with a specially tuned 350cc engine. It was used in road races and was first raced at Brooklands in 1936 in the Hutchinson Hundred by JB Moss. By the end of 1937 it was becoming uncompetitive in road races so it remained at Brooklands where the rigid frame was not a significant disadvantage.

When war ended racing on the track it was sold to Ray Petty for use as a means of getting to and from the Vickers works at Brooklands. In 1947 it was sold to Denis (Jenks) Jenkinson who raced it in events at home and on the continent. At a race in Belgium Jenks blew up  the original 350cc engine which was replaced by the current 1950 500cc engine. This is where the confusion comes from; originally a Model 40 it may now be described as a Model 30 International.

Jenks loaned it to the Brooklands Museum in 1990. Still on permanent display in the museum, it was aquired by Roger Bird who uses it in special events like the Spring Motorcycle Gathering; the YouTube film below shows Roger storming Test Hill in fine style.

1925 Model 16H Norton outfit

More photo's from Howard. Not very clear but as it is a sidevalve machine, with a front drum brake and a dummy belt rim brake at rear I would suggest this is a 1925 Model 16H. Note the extra's: a magdyno, electric lights and a speedometer. And what a very strange sidecar.

I would like to think these are newly weds enjoying their honeymoon trip and the Norton.

Simon's 1927 Model 18 Norton

Simon from Bath in the UK sent these photo's of his Norton: "Here's my 1927 Norton 18, recently imported by me from New Zealand where it had been raced until the late 1940s. It's got a spare engine and a spare close ratio gearbox. I'm tempted to get it running and road-legal with the minimum of restoration"

JdK: It must have been built late in 1927; the small casting on the top frame tube to connect the steering damper is typical for 1928 machines though the square oiltank is 1927.

...and a comment from John in New Zealand: "Being from New Zealand I find today's posting particularly interesting. How the hell did Simon sneak that out of this country from under my nose? He is a lucky man, as are all of us who have a flat tank Norton of course. Mine is of a very similar age and also has the flat side oil tank and the stud on the top frame member for the steering damper. What a lovely example he has, mine had also been raced, rattled and rolled, the condition of Simon's being somewhat better than what I started with. I had mine dated a while back: mine left the factory on August 27 1927 as one of the first 1928 models, Simon's appears a couple of 100 or so later than mine number wise. But it would appear to be correct to date it as late 1927."

1931 Model 19 Norton outfit

Clearly a 1931 model; it has the magdyno behind the engine but the front- and rear hubs are still Horton and Enfield respectively. No cradle frame and as it is hitched to a sidecar it's likely to be a Model 19. The black-out mask suggests a wartime photo.

1926 Model 16H Norton

An almost biblical scene; and how did she get up there in that skirt!? She can't be very stable, standing on the sprung seats of a motorcycle, in high heels, with the main stand of the bike in the mud of an orchard...

The motorcycle is a 1926 Model 16H. The Enfield drum rear brake was first used on the 16H in 1926 but in that year the 16H still used a combined oil- and petrol tank and lacked an automatic oilpump.

(They told her not to touch the apples but off course she wouldn't listen... and we were sent from paradise (that is, flat tank Norton production would cease) and condemned to ride awfull motorcycles with parallel twin engines ever after). Thanks Dave.

c1926 Model 18 Norton outfit

Howard sent a few more pics of the Model 18 that featured in this previous entry; from which we find out how the electric lights were powered in the absence of a magdyno.

The Spring Motorcycle Gathering at Brooklands Museum

Last sunday we visited the Spring Motorcycle Gathering at Brooklands Museum; glorious sunshine, the smell of Castrol 'R' and the noise of Brooklands cans. Quite a few Nortons were present and pics of these are to follow. Above, from left to right: Roger, Rob, yours truly and LPD1.

1938 M40 Nortons

When this photo was sent to me the caption read: "The RAC motorcycle racing team in Llandrindod Wells, Wales, UK, for the International Six Day Trial in 1938".

The motorcycles are Internationals and by the height of the camshaft tunnels could be 348cc M40's. With the exception of the knobbly tires the Nortons should be more suitable for fast road racing! The bike on the right has a wrap-around racing oil tank fitted.

c1925 M18 flat tank racer

Sent by Dave this picture shows a successful Model 18 flat tank racer, judged by the size of the trophy on the tank!

The photo was taken in Sydney at the speedway track; cinders were used on the track in these days, hence the bike and rider are still relatively clean.The rear brake drum has been removed; this was common practice at Brooklands to save weight but even then a dummy belt rim brake would be fitted to provide at least some means of braking in emergencies; apparently there is very little need for braking in speedway.

The Swastika and the chopper cult

Not only do bloggers blog, they read others blogs. I guess that is the point.
In doing so myself, I frequent a lot of blogs that do not much more than post cool pictures of bikes. Mainly choppers, specifically bobber style choppers, Jap. style bobbers, and Brat style bobbers.

Of these many sites, several pictures are posted that show Swastikas. Particularly what appears to be the Nazi Germany Swastika. So I have to ask myself, WTF? WTF is with the chopper cult and the Nazi Swastika?



This has been on my mind for quite some time. While going on the internet to find a picture to post, the first place I went was Wikipedia. There, I learned a ton more information is available on the history of the Swastika, and it was widely used prior to Nazi Germany taking it as their symbol.
As much as I love visiting and looking at these pictures, I still wonder why the chopper cult has latched onto the Nazi Germany symbol. Do they think it is cool? I think people sporting Swastikas look like prejudiced uneducated dumb fucks myself. What the Hell does it have to do with riding motorcycles anyway?



I just don't get it.

Jon's 1936 M30 Norton

Jon from the UK sent these photo's and words: "This is my 1936 M30 Inter. I'm the 4th owner from new and I got it in its present condition a couple of years ago from 'Norton George'. It runs on Castrol 'R' and is the best smelling bike I've ever owned, not the most oiltight but more important it goes as well as it sounds.

It's at it's best out on these smaller roads of North Yorkshire, spring photo's taken last weekend. It was also featured in the Dunhill Pursuit TV advert!"



Careful viewers will have spotted the little fellow on the tail light!

1924 Big Four Norton outfit

Another great photo from Martin in the USA, where does he get them!?

Martin: "Since you have been posting sidecars I thought you might like this one. Not a very good pic of the Norton but I feel there is enough information to make an identification. The Rudge sidecar looks special. What should we call this? A "fore and aft"? I love the man's jacket and gauntlets! The back of this unused card only says, "the family" handwritten in pencil. It sure looks like a happy Norton family"

The shape of the tank identifies the machine as a Big Four model and by the look of the handlebars and the size of the front break drum I would suggest it was made in 1924.

Roger: "1924 could be quite right as the Fife registration is from late 1924. The tax disc is visible and isn't banded but this probably means that it was a quarterly one as only the annual ones were banded. The sidecar looks as though it has grown with the family and that may be why they needed to step up from a Rudge to a Big Four."

Martin S.: "The SP registration number was issued in Fife, Scotland and the last such number (SP9999) was issued in April 1925, so the Norton is probably a 1924 model. As a long standing Rudge owner as well as Norton owner, I checked and scanned (below) the relevant page from an original 1922 sales catalogue which shows a tubular chassis and body very similar to the one shown in the photo, even down to the Rudge logo on the side of the nose!! The flat steel strip chassis was introduced from approximately 1925, whereas this one would of course be earlier than 1924 as it probably is on its second motorcycle! The extra seat in the nose is definitely a modification, with extra footwell as well... Cosy!!"

...and Howard: "This Big 4 outfit has P&H lamps fitted including a pair of P&H side wings to the headlamp. I can also see the top of a Cowey horn bolted to the top tube of the frame. Both of these accessories are fairly rare and very expensive nowadays."

Giulio's c1924 M18 racer

Finally we found out that this Norton lives in Italy and is owned by Giulio who now sent me a photo of the left hand side of the machine; clearly a very nice Norton! The colors of the bike and the wall are amazing.

Giulio made a modification that I have been thinking about for a while; the inlet valve guide may wear at an alarming rate and diverting the crankcase breather to the valve guide should get enough oil mist up there for proper lubrication.

Note the early type of cylinder head; the photo below compares an early head (on the right) to a later one.

...and a comment from Martin:

"This is a nice picture of an attractive early Model 18 although quite a lot of it is not 1924, as I suppose happens with such bikes. But dating the head is an easy task as Norton conveniently stamped the date of manufacture in small numbers beside the inlet stub, on the thick part where the inlet rocker support is bolted. This is the year and month of manufacture. I have an early head stamped 2310 which is October 1923... This is often not very visible as the numbers are small and often obscured by the black coating on the head, but a polish with a Dremel or similar will reveal it."