My Norton Clubman…

Well what can I say, my Norton “Garden Gate” Clubman came back home today, the motor is all finished with the later head fitted, now it is just a case of tidying things up a bit over the coming winter…

My Norton ES2 Clubman

My Norton Clubman Update…

My Norton is fast heading for the road, it is moving forward in leaps and bounds, but not without the odd compromise. The main problem right now, and one that I have agonised over is the use of the Inter oil tank. I have had this tank since I started the project, and it has been an integral part of the overall look I have been trying to achieve.

On the bench

The problem is the fact the ES2 frame is different from the International frame, and so no matter how I try I can’t get enough clearance to mount the inter oil tank. So I am going to have to use the standard ES2 tank, which is a shame as it detracts from the overall look.

Kempton Jumble, Narley Special…

Another fine Jumble put on by Eric, and the guys from EGP, if you have never been, you really are missing a good day out. This is the Motorcycle Jumble by which all others are judged, and so very often fail.

I will show some of the items for sale in another post, but first I will show you a special that was parked in the car park. You always get some bikes that are worth seeing, but this was a step above the average special, and almost looked like a factory build.

Norton/Harley special, Nice work indeed.

Narley, Norton Harley 45 special

Norton/Harley Special

Harley 750 “WL” series motor, Norton “Dolls Head” gearbox

Norton ES2/Model 18, Garden Gate plunger frame

Special? yes it is.

I wonder if the guy who owns it will see this, and drop me a line with a few build details? What a great build.

 

My Norton Clubman Project…

Just a quick update … as of yesterday (Saturday) the Norton was pretty much all bolted together, except for the top end that is. The rear end is all complete, rear wheel, brake, speedo drive all in and working, lower engine, gearbox, primary cases and chains all bolted together and changing gear, foot rests and pedals all on and connected,

I have had two problems of my own making, through choices I have made on how I want the finished bike to look, and go! the first headache has been the choice of BSA B50 piston and Norton model 50 alloy head. even with a 3/16th spacer under the barrel, the piston still hits the head. But the barrel is bored out to 84mm, so I either needed to find a piston with a flatter crown, or get the barrel sleeved down to standard again, and use a normal Norton flat top.

After digging around and talking to a few friends, I managed to get a Vincent piston of the right size, it only has a very shallow dome, so cleared the head, but the skirt hit the flywheel, so it has had to be shortened just a little, but it does now all fit. but that is not the end of the issue, now I need to find or make some new barrel studs, because these are now too short!

Norton oil Tank as found

The other problem is that damn oil tank!
Again this all comes down to the “look” that I am after, but now the whole engine gearbox assembly is bolted in the frame, I find that the main oil outlet at the bottom of the tank is obscured by the gearbox adjuster bracket, so I now have to risk ruining the new paint by getting a new outlet tig welded in. my fault again, because you should always do a dry build first before getting the paint done!

Norton oil tank now..

So now I am waiting on some studs, valves, and my magneto, and it may well be fired up.

It will be five years in the making next month!!

The Norton in the Lock-up…

Just in case anyone was wondering, I am still on the case, and doing a little when I get the time. always heading forward and the list keeps getting shorter….

Do you remember that old beat up oil tank with the big hole the side, well that is fixed, and the whole shooting match has now had a splash of paint too, along with tank…

Old Norton, New Paint

Norton Clubman

 

Norton Knucklehead…

I found these pictures on the internet the other day, whilst looking for information on Manx Nortons, the bike is apparently a 1951 Manx garden gate, with a fitted Harley Knucklehead motor, that is all I know. I could not find any other info on this bike. Who built it, where it was built, where it is now? all just a mystery at the moment.

But it sure does have that cool factor.

I wonder if anyone reading this will be able to fill in some of the spaces with regards this bike… Well, someone did and has replied, please read Fred’s reply below, it is great to have some of the back story. Thanks Fred.

Norton Harley Special

Knucklehead

A Tight Fit

 

Doug Kephart says:

February 20, 2020

As mentioned, the bike was built by a friend of my father, Bill Selby. However it was built 1964-65, probably using resources of Piasecki Aircraft (not to be confused with Piasecki Helicopter, that became Boeing-Vertol) where he was working in the toolroom at the time. Locally it was known as the “Norley”. He then sold it to Caleb Cressman of Ward, PA., though I think it was in the mid- or late seventies. One of the first things Caleb did was ‘blow up’ the engine, which probably was just a used engine Selby scrounged up for the project. Caleb got another engine, had it rebuilt, but no one cleaned out the oil tank from the first blowup. That trashed the second engine. I think it may be on its 4th knucklehead motor or rebuild! Caleb had no involvement with building or design, though certainly knew Selby.

The ‘story’ was it was one of the bikes brought over for the 1950 or ’51 Daytona. Recent checking shows it does have features of the machines built for Dayton to look like Norton International models (Internationals were eligible, Manxes were not), but using Manx hardware. Unfortunately the frame number had been ground away, so it is not possible to prove that. Caleb took the Norley with him to Nantucket where he moved to in the eighties. It was there that he had an accident with it. On encountering a bend in the road covered with gravel, he aimed for a gap in the hedge leading to a field straight on beyond. Unfortunately the gap was for a guy wire to a telephone pole. This caught the bike on the kickstarter and threw Caleb, knocking him unconscious. Fortunately the accident was witnessed and he got prompt help. The only damage to the Norley was to treat off the kickstarter and fracture to the end cover of the Sturmey-Archer dollshead gearbox. It got laid up for a awhile, moved back to Pennsylvania, then came to our place to have the gearbox repaired and the motor checked over as it had sat for a while. The gearbox end cover got replaced, and the peculiar tall 1st gear Dayton ratio replaced with a standard road going 1st gear set.

By the way, the wheel hubs are magnesium and the petrol and oil tank aluminum. I took some photos of it at that time, 1989, while it was apart and then assembled. Also some 8mm camcorder video of my brother and I riding it about. At that time, it looked just as you see it in the pictures above. After Selby sold the Norley, he started on another project, sticking a 1953 Panhead engine in a 1956 Norton wideline feather bead frame. No special race parts there, other than Grimica and Fotana hubs and a big Lyta alloy gas tank. That never got finished and Selby also sold that to Caleb, and then through another mutual friend I ended up with it. Naturally it was called the Norley Mk2, and the original became the Norley Mk1. Selby in quick succession also started installation of a late Indian Chief motor in a Norton slimline featherbed frame, and then the last a Sportster engine (not sure of year), the frames being 1965 and 1967. Caleb probably helped Selby find the parts, which may the source of the idea that he had a hand in designing/building the Norley. These would have been the Norley Mk3 and Mk4, but got even less further along than the Mk2. Just before Selby died, I bought those projects too for the Norton parts, as Selby had already sold the Indian and Sportster engines to raise money.

Fantastic, thanks Doug.

My Norton Clubman..

So where was I? due to being a little under the weather of late, I have been unable to wave a spanner in any semblance of anger, so things down in the lock-up have all got a little dusty, not helped by the strong winds we have endured recently.

But that being said, a little work has progressed on my Norton Clubman project, as you will see from the pictures below. overall I am really happy with how it is all progressing, sure I see things that I would change if I were doing it again, the front brake scoop is not quite how I would have liked it, but for a first go at this type of thing I am happy.

The fuel tank looks like it is white, but that is just where the sun was reflecting off of the aluminium.

My Norton Clubman

My Norton

Up on wheels

Making Progress

All Quiet In The Shires…

I have been laid up now for three weeks, since my trip into hospital, so as such I have not done anything motorcycle related, which I find frustrating. The weather is what you expect this time of year, wet, windy, and getting cold. But mixed in with that are some real nice chilly sunny days, days like today when you would like to get out for a ride, and get some pictures of what remains of the autumn colours.

So, I have things to do on all three bikes when I feel better, and able to do it. my R80st has been with me now for five or six years, I forget which, but it was bought as a project back on an October day, and dragged back here in the back of my van.  Right now it needs a couple of pushrod seals changing, this will be the second time I have done these since the bike has been in my ownership. But I might wait to do this until the new year.

My R80st

BMW R80st

My Moto Guzzi Ambassador also needs a little work right now, and I shall put this one at the front of the que. I am waiting on a couple of parts to arrive right now,  one being a used cylinder head for the right hand side, as the one fitted has lost the exhaust threads, so the exhaust is glued in place! it has been working Ok, but it is a job that I have wanted to do for a while.  So I am debating on whether to do the valves and guides on both heads at the same time? I shall see when the replacement head gets here.

I also have some new springs on order to fit in the distributor, the small springs that go on the throw out weights, this should be a fun fiddly little job. I also want to change the front brake shoes, as they scream loudly when applied, working better than a horn, and surprising all around.

Moto Guzzi 750

And of course my Norton project.

I still have a long list of jobs to do on this bike, and a long list of parts to find also.  But I have the wheels sitting here with new tyres fitted, so as soon as I am able to go and get it from the metal basher, I should at last have it up on two wheels. I can then set to with fitting the motor, and gearbox, and maybe even getting it all wired up. While I look around for the other main parts I need to get it somewhere towards being finished. I do however have a fairly long list of parts that I now need to concentrate on finding.

Chain cases, clutch assembly, headlight, switches, mudguards, stays, magneto, dynamo, carburettor brakes, both front and back, Now this may not seem a lot, but there are some tricky parts to find in there.  I also have some smaller parts that need making up on the lathe, steering stops, plunger caps, etc. I also want to get my oil and petrol tanks in to be painted, I have thought long and hard over this one, as there are so many different styles of paint on these bikes that have been done over the years. But I have scoured the internet for ideas, and I think I will go for something like one of these…

Norton Paint

Norton Paint

The Norton Project….

I have thought for a while now, that I want my Norton to look a little different from the standard ES2 & Model 18 singles that are out and about, there are to be fair some very nice bikes out there, and you have seen a few I have posted in this thread. But I would like mine to stand apart, so with this in mind I decided a while back that I would finish my engine in black, like they do on some Manx engines, and some of the Vincent models. I am going to leave the alloy heads and rocker cover silver, as will be the push rod tubes.

Now I know some of the purists out there will tut tutting loudly into their earl grey, but this bike was never going to be factory finish, lets face it, all the parts are coming from either ebay, jumbles, or other peoples sheds.

 

Norton Clubman

 

Coming Together Slowly

 

Norton Inter Brake Lever…

As I continue to make inroads into my Norton project, I am always looking out for those little parts that will set my bike apart from just another ES2, I really want my project to have the feel and look of a true clubman spec bike, and while I know that I have limitations caused by the frame and the motor I have to use(Inter frames are different, and expensive, and Inter motors won’t fit the ES2 frame)I can at least try to find some of the parts that will fit, like my oil tank.

So with a Kempton jumble looming this very Saturday, I mentioned to a couple of friends that I would like them to keep their eyes open for an International front brake lever. now these are hard to find, because they are long, actually they are 8″ long not counting the bracket. But the clutch lever is a standard 7″ long. This is because the Inter only had a single leading shoe front brake, and so needed the extra stopping power a longer lever could give.
So you can imagine my surprise when Mick went to his tray of odd levers, and pulled out just such a lever, complete with bracket, and said I could have it. I have to be honest here, I never thought I would find one. Just another little step in the right direction, at the end of the day, no one else may notice these things, but I will know I have tried my best.

Brake Lever