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1928 Norton CS1 Is the Oldest Bike Racing Regularly in the UK

Ever wondered about really old bikes which are still raced on a regular basis? Here's the UK's oldest bike still being ridden regularly and still winning vintage races: Ian Bain's Norton CS1.
1929 Norton CS1 6 photos
Photo: Brian Maher
1921 Norton CS1, UK's oldest bike still raced regularly1921 Norton CS1, UK's oldest bike still raced regularly1921 Norton CS1, UK's oldest bike still raced regularly1921 Norton CS1, UK's oldest bike still raced regularly1921 Norton CS1, UK's oldest bike still raced regularly
This Norton is one of the iconic 500cc machines built only between 1927 and 1929, and you get to meet rather few of them in full working order, let alone speeding like it's the last race on earth. The bikes was salvaged in 1957 from a scrapyard by Ian's father Geoff, who also had to push it about 15 miles (~24 km) home. However, given the actual pedigree of the bike it looks like good old Geoff's efforts have been paid in full.

Liverpool-bases Ian races with support from helmet and accessories manufacturer Davida and the bike has already won more than 400 victories. With such demanding use, it's small wonder a lot of parts need replacement, but with the Bains owning a foundry, things area lot easier. With most of the engine parts perfectly replicated by the Bains, the Norton CS1 is still running great.

In fact, with more than 8 years with no major engine rebuilding, it looks like the Bains are are great at manufacturing Norton parts, too. The carburetor is Ian's handmade project and minor modification to it and the exhaust line have triggered massive performance improvements as Ian himself adds. A BSA 8-inch front brake was installed because the old one was becoming more of a hazard than safety implement.

Via Bike Exif.
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