Norton motorcycles

  • 1929 Saltburn Sand Racing: Broken Handlebars, 100mph Speeds and a Dramatic Finish

    1929 Saltburn Sand Racing: Broken Handlebars, 100mph Speeds and a Dramatic Finish

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    A photograph published in The Motor Cycle on July 18, 1929, captured JG Parsons and his passenger tackling the Saltburn Championship on a Norton sidecar outfit. This archive feature revisits the racing, the extraordinary speeds achieved on sand and some remarkable incidents from the event. Spectacular style on the sand Organised by the Middlesbrough and…

  • Watsonian: From Folding Sidecars to World Championships – A British Motorcycle Success Story

    Watsonian: From Folding Sidecars to World Championships – A British Motorcycle Success Story

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    What began as one Birmingham builder’s ingenious solution to a common problem became one of Britain’s most successful sidecar manufacturers. Discover the remarkable history of Watsonian, from its pioneering folding sidecars to world championship success – and an ambitious attempt to build its own motorcycle. The idea for Watsonian sidecars came not from an engineer,…

  • Pa and His Pa: The Norton Founder, a 1921 Photograph and an Extraordinary Motorcycle Adventure

    Pa and His Pa: The Norton Founder, a 1921 Photograph and an Extraordinary Motorcycle Adventure

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    Though always known as ‘Pa’ Norton, this picture shows the company founder with his own pa. Plus, some famous faces look on. Simon Robinson reports… The Norton motorcycle company sprang from the Norton Manufacturing Company, which was set up in 1869 by James Lansdowne Norton to manufacture bicycle chains. It was in 1902 that Norton…

  • R A Jones Classic Motorcycles: a family passion for proper classic bikes

    R A Jones Classic Motorcycles: a family passion for proper classic bikes

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    For anyone with a love of British classics, restoration projects and interesting old motorcycles, R A Jones Classic Motorcycles is well worth knowing about. Based in Manchester, close to the Trafford Centre and M60, the business is run by Robert Jones and specialises in classic motorcycles, with a particular passion for British machinery. Whether it…

  • The Small Japanese Bikes That Changed Britain Forever

    The Small Japanese Bikes That Changed Britain Forever

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    They were only small at first, but they helped many discover two-wheels… The majority of a certain age owe our biking life to Japanese motorcycles, as they’re the ones that started us off. Before that, motorcycling was dominated by Triumph, BSA, Norton, and Royal Enfield. These makes were what the older brothers and dads were…


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