Over the past ten years, my biking had become a little familiar. The R80RT had travelled far and wide, the Supa 5 kept taking me to work without any problems. In short, I was bored with reliable, mundane bikes. What I needed was an injection of enthusiasm. The Jap toy rockets didn't appeal any longer - did they with anyone for very long? Then the idea came to buy a reliable British motorcycle, something pre-1960 as I had some experience of these in my early biking days.
I finally settled on a 1955 Norton 88 Dominator, after much searching amongst overpriced, overrated and over polished machines. The example in question seemed fairly original and mostly reliable after a brief test ride. For those ignorant few, the ‘88’ was the first Featherbed framed roadster, combining the Dominator 500 twin engine with the famous tubular trellis that was much copied by both independent frame makers and the Japanese.
The first longish run revealed the usual problems with British bikes. Oil leaks, general bodging and neglect, leading to all sorts of fettling jobs. For example, the cylinder block had a crack in it where the pushrod tunnel was located. This was drilled and sleeved. The carb had been adjusted by some cretin, had to be stripped and rebuilt using some old parts I had in the shed. The magneto had been set up all wrong and wouldn't fire when hot. Readjusting the points and cleaning the brushes put this right. The dynamo had to be overhauled as there wasn't an oil seal. This was done professionally for all of £50, which seemed reasonable.
Other sundry jobs got the bike working OK and off we set to North Wales... I’ve now had the Norton for eighteen months and have had no mechanical problems yet. The bike’s no road burner but will quite comfortably keep 65-70mph on the clock. The vibes aren't the problem they are on bigger stuff in a higher state of tune, so nothing has vibrated loose or fallen off. We've travelled to Wales a few times, visited the Peak District and the Dales, all in all around 3000 miles. The handling's very stable, braking’s excellent with an eight inch drum out front. Some friends have commented on the wideness of the tank and seat but for myself it’s no problem. Actually, quite comfortable. When everything comes together, the weather, the scenery and the right frame of mind, the glorious growl of the vertical twin’s tremendously exhilarating.
The bike's not a machine which you can just get on and ride, it needs regular maintenance. And I mean regular - every month! Checking oil levels, primary chain, clutch, bolts, etc. Starting is a first kick affair, once you learn to overcome the resistance of straight 50 oil. Fuel consumption’s at least 60mpg and usually more, 70mpg not impossible. It’s great in top gear, loads of grunt for overtaking and steep hills. The maintenance chores are actually quite easy as everything is a pleasure to work on.
Over the past few runs I've noticed some play in the front forks when braking hard. Perhaps next winter I shall rebuild with new spares - yes, new spares are available from the excellent Fair Spares in Cannock. I even picked up an original instruction. book/workshop manual for a fiver at an auto-jumble.
On occasion I've roared past sedate pilots on fancy Jap machinery, much to their dismay. And surprised more than a few in the rain with the stability of the bike. Also, due to the very sensible mudguards very little spray gets over the machine or the rider. The only downer I’ve experienced so far was in joining the local classic scene which was thoroughly boring - being dominated by fanatical collectors not riders, who always turned up for meetings in their cars and turned out for runs on their BMW's, VFR’s and Ducatis.
All in all, though, the Norton will probably stay in my possession for some time. A lot of pleasure can also be had in polishing the alloy, forks, cases, etc - it really does come up well. Next project, when money allows, is a pre-war Sports 250 - if I can find one.
S.L.