Simpson's 1930 Swedish TT winning CS1

From Simon: "Here are a few more photos of this historic machine. The first shows A. Nystrom with it in 1931, the second shows the new owner Rolf Gullick, after it was sold by the Nystrom firm in 1934, while the third shows it receiving some frame surgery in 2002.

This last shot is quite important: here we have a machine of September 1930 with a downdraught head and flange mounted carburetter. I don't think the head comes from a later model. First, Woods' 1930 Ulster GP winner had down draught carburetter and coil springs. Second, because of the 'intermediate' dimensions of cylinder studs, cam box etc. of the early Carroll engines, it was not possible just to fit a later head and/or barrel. One really had to change the whole engine.

Note too the strange gearbox end cover with the unusual (for Sturmey Archer) clutch wihdrawal mechanism. This style of box also appeared in Lacey's '30/'31 Brooklands mounts and was almost certainly still a three speed unit."

Grandfather's c1926 Model 18 Norton

An email from Paul in Australia:

"I have a soft spot for Nortons. My grandfather had several in his collection including a Manx that raced at the IoM in the late 40's. His collection was sold of after he passed away and I lost track of where the bikes ended up. Recently I came across the attached photo of him in what I believe to be the 1920s on a bike he rode to the Victoria/New South Wales border here in Australia. I was hoping you may be able to identify the bike for me? Kind Regards, Paul"

JdK: This is a mid-1920s Model 18 equipped with a later set of electric lights. The rear carrier disappeared and someone fitted flat mudguard stays. Not sure what the bulge is that I see behind the carburetter. He lost a rubber knee grip. Great photo!

Simon: "I think it is a 1926 Model 18 (or even 1927 if that is a wing nut type adjuster on the fork damper - not too clear) - the rockers are the arched type first used on the 1925 Works bikes and pretty well standard from the end of  '25 through to end '29. None the less, they could have been changed along the way for the later type though it means changing the pushrods and push rod return springs as well."

Roger:  "There are some indications that the picture was taken much later than in the 1920s as the machine is in a well worn state and the pork pie rear lamp is more mid 30s. The manual oil pump feed does not appear to be connected to the crankcase but there is a feed from the bottom of the tank with a tap. The gear change lever has been shortened like the one on LPD1 so that it can be operated by foot. The rear stand has been changed and is no longer held up by the over centre spring. The electric lights would need either a generator or a battery so that is probably what is sitting behind the carburettor. I don't think that the kneepad is missing, I think another one has been placed on top of it."

The Norton Scrapbook - a Curate's Egg?*

A book review by Simon Grigson

The latest glossy offering from Morton's Group by James Robinson, Editor of The Classic Motorcycle.

I have just received a copy of the Norton Scrapbook and from my view-point as one who has a considerable interest in the pre-WW II era, I find it disappointing, especially so as the Editor has access to what must surely be the best possible archive of motor-cycling history in the world.

Whilst I appreciate the scrapbook theme may have some merit, excessive use by the layout designers of the theoretical adhesive tape to 'attach' the photos to the page has been vastly and carelessly over-done - to such an extent that some images of complete machines, or machines and riders, are seriously impaired.

As regards the overall make-up of the collection, I find it hard to understand why we are presented with eight pages relating to the 1939-45 WD 16H and Big Four machines - a couple of pages would have sufficed - yet there is but one, yes ONE photo relating to Nortons at Brooklands. Bearing in mind that Nortons were probably the most successful marque to be raced at Brooklands in the 1919 to 1939 period, with dozens of wins and world records, this is a fairly serious omission by any standards. Incidentally, the somewhat uninspired print selected is that much used photo of J.L.Norton, D.R. O'Donovan and R. Judd with the 1922 prototype OHV engine crudely shoe-horned into one of O'Donovan's sidevalve Brooklands steeds.

I suppose it is inevitable that there will also be errors in the text and captions and in the section covering the period up to 1939 there are certainly a few which sprang to my attention. Possibly someone with more in-depth knowledge of the Edwardian and thirties periods might pick out a few more. And last but not least, concerning the early Moore-designed OHC CS1 engine, of which a photo taken in 1960 has been selected (see Built for Speed/John Griffith/Motor Cycling), the 'cricket bat' nick-name has been used yet again - a relatively modern invention which was not current pre-war, according to my sources. The earliest mention of it in print I have seen is in Bob Holliday's two Norton books, which came out in the seventies. If it's any consolation to James Robinson, Bob's books contained considerably more errors than the Scrapbook!

Summing up, this is not a book to which I shall refer very frequently but equally, it is cheap and cheerful and will be retained rather than sent to the nearest charity shop.

*For those unfamiliar with the phrase, have a look on Google and all will be revealed!

Rob's 1928 Model 18 Norton

Rob's 1928 Model 18; he plans to refit the original mudguards and build a new rear carrier. Rob restored it in a cellar many years ago, and has used and abused it ever since (he rides it on the fast lane of the motorway). It never let him down. Note that the engine already has the 1929-type of lubrication, without the external oilpipes on the timing chest.

Stanley Woods, TT Assen, 1933

Stanley on a 500cc Model 30 International Norton at the Dutch TT, 24th of June 1933.

Mark's 1929 Model ES2 Norton

Seen at Brooklands, this 1929 ES2 is not completely correct; the original Sturmey Archer gearbox, Webb forks and Enfield front hub have long ago been ditched and replaced by (most likely) WD16H Norton parts. The magneto is a later Lucas, the carb a 1930s Amal 76. Still, it looks great and let's hope it never gets restored.

Mark cared about the environment, note the little container that collects the oil rom the breather, complete with a tap; he probably reused the oil!

Nortons in the 500cc Dutch TT races, 23th of June 1934

Piet van Wijngaarden with number 2 and Swiss rider Georg Cordey with number 38; both on Model 30 Internationals.

Piet again, being chased by P.Ruttchen on an NSU.

...and Vidal, on an over-the-counter Model 30, chasing a Sunbeam.

...and Jimmie Guthrie. The race was won by someone called Pol Demeuter.

An Inter's underside

How often do you see an old picture of the underside of a cammy Norton? This rider (I don't recognize him) dropped his Norton in a corner during the TT traces at Assen on the 23th of June 1934.

The motorcycle is a Model 30 or Model 40 Norton. Note the tyre profile.

Jimmie Simpson, 1930 Swedish Grand Prix, CS1 Norton

From Simon: "The recent Assen photos reminded me I have another which may be of interest, recently sent to me by a Swedish friend. It shows Jimmie on the Works 500 during the 1930 Swedish Grand Prix doing a quick spot of front brake adjustment. Jimmie won the event and the machine concerned reputedly remained in Sweden with the Norton agents, Nystrom of Trollhatten. It was initially raced by one of the Nystrom brothers in the early thirties before being sold. It has been owned for many years by the same chap but is currently in a semi-dismantled state. I also received a copy of the entry form for the event which shows that the bike had 21 inch (front) and 20 inch (rear ) tyres, Amal carb., Sturmey Archer gearbox and clutch and ML magneto. The bike weighed 350 lb and the relatively lightweight Jim a mere 9 stone 10lb.

Incidentally, I was taken to task a few years back by Jimmie's son for spelling his father's name JimmY. His son said his dad always used JimmIE! See the text below, written by JimmY Simpson junior in a 1998 VMCC magazine"

1935 Model 20 Norton

Another one sent by Dave. This is a c1935 Model 20 Norton; open diamond frame, parallel pushrod tubes, 8" headlight and the lock on the toolbox at the bottom of the lid; and off course a two-port head, look carefully and you'll see the additional exhaust pipe on the left hand side of the machine that distinguishes this Norton from the Model 18. No silencers and a very American scene.

Stanley Woods, TT Assen, 1927

Stanley Woods working on his CS1, 25th of June 1927, TT Assen. The other Nortons were raced by Bertus van Hamersveld from Bussum (number 29) and J.G. Broers from Soest (number 49). See this photo too.

1939 M30 International Norton

Talking about unsavoury types; meet Franz Vaasen. He raced at the Isle of Man in 1939 with his Model 30 International Norton but did not get far as his frame broke after four laps. Note the Nazi emblem on his leathers; he could have been the model for this poster. Why did he race a Norton...?

Jimmy Simpson, 23th of June 1934, 350cc TT races Assen

Jimmy Simpson won the 350cc races at Assen on the 23th of June 1934. His motorcycle is an M40 International works racer.

Pushing the bike into the paddock. Note the poster advertising the German Grand Prix ("Grosser Preis Deutschland"). An unsympathetic bloke, wearing a helmet with a swastika, seems to be pushing a British rider into the gutter; Simpson is not impressed but this is a sign on the wall if ever there was one.

Dylan's c1937 Model 18 Norton

An email from Australia: "My dad and I aquired what we believe to be a 1937 Model 18 Norton; this is it's story.

My dad and I were visiting one of his friends to look at buying a classic car and when we arrived there were cars all over the place! Dad's mate said 'take a walk and see if you like anything', so while dad and I were looking at cars in several sheds we saw the front wheel of the Norton sticking out from under a cover. We pulled it back and found we had discovered gold! We didn't know what model it was but we knew it was good. Right behind it was a 50's BSA sidecar outfit. We asked dad's mate if he would sell them and he said that he had had the BSA since he was a teenager and he wasn't really keen to let the Norton go either - bummer.

So we left empty handed (no car either) but everytime dad saw his mate after that he always asked 'are you ready to sell the Norton yet?' Dad's mate kept saying No until one day he needed cash to buy another car so he and dad worked a deal and the Norton was ours!

We have had it about a year now and established that it was probably what we call a 'paddock basher' as everything is worn out and loose, and it is missing all its road lighting. It doesnt start but it kicks over and is missing the Amal carb in the photos as dad took it off to try and clean it to get it started. Dad and I plan on doing a full rebuild of the gearbox and engine as a project we can share. The engine number is 70610, it would be great to know the history of this machine. I better tell you that the bike was found in Queensland, Australia.

sincerely, Dylan

 ps this last photo is of dad (Trevor) in full race trim!"

The accident

A woman is driving through an intersection and gets into an accident with a biker. It's a pretty bad one. She claimed she didn't see him.

His bike is toast and her car is also hurt pretty badly. Amazingly neither of them is physically injured; just his leathers and her pride.

God works in mysterious ways.

After they get their wits about them, the biker starts cursing about people not watching out for motorcyclists.

Trying to lighten up his mood and the intense atmosphere the accident has created, the woman says, "WOW, just look at my car and your bike! So much damage but yet both you and I are completely unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should be friends and live in peace for the rest of our days."

The biker replies, "Oh yes, I agree completely, this must be a sign from God!

But you're still at fault. "

The woman continues, "And look at this, here's another miracle. My car's front end is completely demolished but this bottle of wine didn't break.

Surely God wants us to drink this wine and celebrate our good fortune."

The biker nods his head in agreement, proceeds to take the wine from the woman, opens it for her and say's "Here, out of politeness, I'm going to let you have the first drink, even though you are still at fault".

The woman takes the bottle, drinks about half and hands it back to the man.

The biker puts the cap back on and the woman asks, "Aren't you having any?"

The biker replies, "No. I think I'll just wait for the police..."

350cc Model 40 Nortons

Spanish rider E. Vidal and his father at the TT races in Assen, the 23th of June 1934. His motorcycle is an early 350cc Model 40.

In this photo, on the left, we see Vidal's Model 40 again. Number 37 is Jimmy Simpson's Model 40; Jimmy is wearing a helmet; next to him Piet van Wijngaarden. Jimmy Guthrie and Joe Craig can be seen in the background. Jimmy Simpson won the 350cc race on his factory racer.

Simon's words:" A mr J Vidal rode a works Norton in the Isle of Man in '25 and '27. He was connected with the Spanish Norton agents; he retired in both races. Their Model 40 looks to be one of the first - ie 1932 - note Lucas racing magneto, forks with no check springs, Best and Lloyd filler cap on tank, two knee grip studs on the tank for Dance knee grips etc. And it looks quite well used, to say the least of it!"