Photo: Mecum
One of the oldest names in motorcycle manufacturing – albeit one that is currently struggling to come back into the spotlight – is Norton. The British nameplate has made a name for itself in racing, especially on the Isle of Man, the place where each year since 1907 one of the biggest and most dangerous motorcycling events is being held.
Having been on the starting grid since the race’s inception more than a century ago, Norton became a feared name on the island roads, but also on the battlefields of World War 2, were some 100,000 of its bikes served the troops. That didn’t last very long though, and the company’s decline started in the second half of last century.
This fact alone makes Norton motorcycles very difficult to find. Not impossible, but difficult, and that should increase the appeal of such machines. Yet, during the Mecum Las Vegas motorcycle sale last week, no one seemed interested in buying a 1956 Norton Manx.
Manx was the name given by Norton to production race bikes since 1936. This line was in production for the next 26 years, and most of them were tweaked or rebuilt by Ray Petty, one of Britain’s top motorcycle tuners. So is the case of this particular Manx Petty himself worked on.
The bike is powered by a 350cc engine linked to a 4-speed transmission, and thanks to the large, aluminum dustbin that covers the entire front end seems like it’s been teleported into our age from a time long gone.
The number 22 inscribed on the aluminum is a reference to the fact this bike cannot be legally ridden on public roads. Also, there are inscriptions attesting to its racing pedigree – true, one that does not impress, as of the four races etched on its side (in 1955 and 1956), the bike and its rider only managed to finish once, and they came in the 15th place.
This fact alone makes Norton motorcycles very difficult to find. Not impossible, but difficult, and that should increase the appeal of such machines. Yet, during the Mecum Las Vegas motorcycle sale last week, no one seemed interested in buying a 1956 Norton Manx.
Manx was the name given by Norton to production race bikes since 1936. This line was in production for the next 26 years, and most of them were tweaked or rebuilt by Ray Petty, one of Britain’s top motorcycle tuners. So is the case of this particular Manx Petty himself worked on.
The bike is powered by a 350cc engine linked to a 4-speed transmission, and thanks to the large, aluminum dustbin that covers the entire front end seems like it’s been teleported into our age from a time long gone.
The number 22 inscribed on the aluminum is a reference to the fact this bike cannot be legally ridden on public roads. Also, there are inscriptions attesting to its racing pedigree – true, one that does not impress, as of the four races etched on its side (in 1955 and 1956), the bike and its rider only managed to finish once, and they came in the 15th place.
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