As a fellow biker, I've been following this with interest, particularly since the Visordown article last year.,

The two best reports I've seen thus far about the present problems are in The Guardian, and The FT Advisor.

A good friend of mine has one of the earlier ones of the new Nortons, and I think/hope, recently cancelled his order for one of the latest ones.

It almost seems to have shades of De-Lorean.

For the record. 1979 Bonneville 750, 1983 Guzzi LeMans3, 1989 Yamaha XT600 & 1977 Ducati 900GTS in the garage at the moment. All nominally on the road, but the Duke needs a bit of work due to an oil leak.

Also '74 Landrover Lightweight (3.5V8 auto), Disco-1, Peugeot Expert van for a house move, and a Marlin Berlinetta 2l Pinto (plus a small fleet insurance policy.)

Bill

For a bit of levity I attach the true story of Clarence Clutterbuck from my student days:

I'd change his name for this story but no-one ever believes he was called Clarence so there's not a lot of point.

Clarence and I shared a room in Bayswater around 1968/9. Clarence was a non-entity with big ambitions. He had started out in working life matching the left shoes from the left shoe factory with the right shoes from the right shoe factory. True. It was an anti-theft precaution and for Clarence that was a challenging occupation. It was also a lot safer than his short foray into welding which usually meant him coming home with another jumper turned to a colander and assorted spark marks over most of his visible skin.

But i digress. Clarence, as I have noted, had high ambitions. His hobbies included drawing with a 4-colour biro and making up tattoo designs; although the short welding course had lead to him being branded like a paper doily. His other ambition was to be a biker. In that regard he felt he was a bit held back 'cos the only bike he had was a BSA 125 and that didn't quite cut the street cred at the 69 club so he used to have to park several streets away and walk the rest claiming his Norton 650 was in pieces being souped up.

He was also the only member of the 69 club without black leathers and biker boots and his plimsoles and second hand jeans jacket and slacks set him apart from the rest. But Clarence always had 'a plan'

'A Plan' In Clarence's mind was always a simple scheme to help him fit in. His last plan had been to make his Bantam look like a Norton and he'd just spent several days shredding newspaper and mixing buckets of 'Tapwata' to papier mache his bike into the shape of a Norton. Clarence, of course, was not put off by the practicalities of the exercise and one has to give him credit for determination. Even if the result looked like someone had just thrown a bucket of cold porridge at a Moped. Clarence voiced his conviction that a bit of paint and it'd look the business.

Clarence really felt his only outstanding issue was the lack of leathers and came up with his latest 'Plan'. Simple really..dye the jacket and slacks and plimsoles black to look like leathers.

He bought some dye.

Now Clarence wasn't too good at instructions – he was having trouble at work with 2 left shoes as it was. So he asked me to explain the dye process. I had to point out to him that he'd bought hot water dye and living in one room with a gas ring this wasn't really going to work. He ought to swap it for some cold water dye.

I was late home the next evening so I suppose it was all my fault. I came through the door getting on for midnight to find Clarence stirring his jeans and plimsoles in a bucket of dye on the gas ring. Now at first sight that doesn't sound quite so terrible but this was Clarence. Clarence was using a plastic bucket!

As I came through the door the inevitable was just starting to happen..the bucket was turning Salvador Dali and starting to slump down around the rim. I was too late. The rim sagged and the dye poured forth..black, thick and never-ending.

It left the bucket. It crossed the carpet. It seeped under the door and started it's way down the stairs..

'Leg it' Shouts Clarence, packing his few possessions and precious tattoo book and off down in the wake of the black torrent. I packed my stuff as fast as possible and hurried down too.

Outside it was a filthy night. Rain was lashing down, it was cold and dark and I was dragging my one trunk of stuff and wondering where to spend the night. Clarence was on his bike. It looked like he had finally had a go at painting it. Clarence must have used the paints he was used to at school. As the rain lashed down the paint was starting to run and rivers of Norton 650 colour-scheme was puddling in the gutter.

The last I saw of Clarence Clutterbuck he was disappearing through a veil of torrential rain astride a soggy collapsing mass of wet painted papier mache turning into Bayswater Road.

I was alone.

Isn't it a case of 'oh no again'? (as the petunias thought).

This failed company is really not materially the same one that made the classic bikes.

The ill-fated name will be one the main asset, and sooner or later someone capable of making decent bikes will buy it.

It will be ironic if it is Indian-based Enfield, chiefly because they would no doubt make some really excellent modernised versions of the classic bikes…

Obviously little consolation to the pensioners, people with deposits and employees…

Neil

Norton folded many years ago, the name has been applied to all sorts of failed projects since. In some ways it is a shame that names can be bought and sold, we have Bentley on Volkswagens and Rolls Royce on BMWs, Brough Superior on some French creation. John Bloor made a success of Triumph but he did the sensible thing of starting from scratch with a clear plan and proper budget and costing. The motor industry is a big badge engineering business, a familiar name can be applied to almost anything.

Mike

Well! A host of posts about bikes and even one Clarence Clutterbuck, but nary a mention of Ogri! (And Malcolm)

**LINK**

Norton has folded more often than a Moulton pedal cycle. The firm's owners since Manganese Bronze, the last 40 years, have generally been dodgy to say the least. The one who owned the company when it was at Shenstone, when it built and raced rotaries, was done for fraud.

All the old British motorcycle company names have a high value and most, A.J.S., Enfield and Triumph excepted since they are in the motorcycle business, attract fraudsters, hucksters and chancers.

The British motorcycle industry in its glory days was something of an illusion. The investment was low, for a few years the shareholders did well and the directors, generally, were rubbish. In the 1950s Lord Docker ran BSA which made BSA, Triumph, Ariel and Sunbeam motorcycles – enough said.

And I own 4 British bikes.

JA

Hi Geoff talk of Ogri i found this in the back of a cupboard this week a Ogri toilet roll still very shiny and slippery

The Jawa name is being revived in India too. Four stroke retro bikes with that communist era styling, so ugly its kind of cool **LINK**

They have also shown some images of some pretty cool prototypes looking more like the Jawa fouir stroke singles of the 1930s but whether they will go into production, who knows.

And the Chinese are making four cylinder sport bikes with the name Benelli on them.

I think Indian set the precedent for dodgy multiple reincarnations. Floyd Clymer tried with Velocettes rebadged. There was even a pair of Vincent powered prototypes made, one with the Vinnie engine in Indian frame and running gear and one was a Vinnie with new tank badges and buckhorn handlebars. Then over the following years there was a string of new owners of the name with various plans in the 80s and 80s, including one with a Harley engine and maybe running gear. Finally they seem to be doing well in a small niche market today. Pretty impressive machine in the flesh.

I have a couple of Norton machines in my collection and am a member of the Norton Owners Club and it does sadden me to see the end (again) of this once great motorcycle manufacturer and race winner.

Colin

even now still fancy an old Norton……

would like a modded Commando……(just poss)…….

but I'll stick with my Indian Scout and the Ace 4 cylinder special…..

Brit motorcycles companies NEW n OLD, to many pub lunches for the morons at the top…..

Men in Suits………!!!!!!!!!

and made with CRXP materials on rubbish equipment……with a few exceptions……