Norton Motorcycles
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History
- The Norton Company was formed by James Norton in Birmingham 1898.
- It was in 1902 that the first Norton motorcycles were produced, basically a bicycle with a Belgian Clement engine fitted to the front down tube.
- Norton’s were once sold by London’s world famous Harrods, eight models were offered for sale.
- In the late 1920’s Norton together with Arthur Carroll redesigned the OHC engine, resulting in one of the top racing engines of its time.
- World Famous Geoff Duke, who was awarded the OBE for services to motorcycling, rode for Norton in the early 50’s.
- Despite racing successes, Norton ran into financial difficulty and in 1953 was sold to Associated Motorcycles (AMC).
- Britain’s recession in the late 1960’s as well as competition from Japan forced the motorcycle industry into decline, as a result AMC collapsed
and was reformed as Norton-Villiers part of Manganese Bronze.
- 1967 saw the release of the Norton Commando.
- By 1972, the former giant BSA was also in trouble, with government help BSA merged with Norton-Villiers and in 1973 the new Norton-Villiers-Triumph (NVT) was formed.
Norton Clubs
Washington DC Norton Motorcycle club
The Nation's Capital Norton Owners is a club dedicated to the preservation of Norton motorcycles and the joys of Norton motorcycle
ownership. NCNO is located in the Washington, D.C. area, and is a local chapter of the United States Norton Owners and a chartered AMA club.
www.ncno.org
Northern California Norton Owners Club
The NCNOC was started in San Francisco in the early 1970's. It was the first American branch of the Norton Owners Club (NOC)
of England and grew geographically larger to become the Northern California Norton Owners Club. Still a branch of the NOC and also the International Norton Owners Association (INOA), it is one of the largest Norton clubs in the USA.
www.nortonclub.com
Norton Restoration Guides
