If history really does repeat itself, all we need now is for a Mr Smith to design and mass produce a durable little four stroke step thru, whilst Japan Inc. fights itself into bankruptcy in a battle for a largely irrelevant big bike market share.
All of which is but a vague preamble for what I'm now going to say: British bikes, for good or ill, are making themselves felt where ever wallets are inspected throughout this sceptred isle. Of all possible buys, getting a 2nd (or 22nd) hand Brit is probably the one most fraught with peril. Part of the problem is the, by now at any rate, highly uncertain parentage of these old machines, but this has not prevented classic bike prices rising to silly levels - anyone fancy a '69 Bonneville for a mere two grand?
The mass nostalgia which has gripped many motorcyclists, and many more ex-motorcyclists and lured them back onto two wheels must be to blame for this. Frequently, the mania for restoration gets contracted and what may have been a cheap, reliable, hack transport is dragged kicking and screaming back to its year of origin, shedding as it departs decent tyres and brakes, modern switchgear and electrics in favour of 6 volt Lucas or Wipac horrors, the original (read ineffective) brakes and a probable existence involving a plinth and a trailered insurance policy.
Given that the over-restored ornaments are more likely to be in the price range of the more flush of us, it follows that most affordable Brits are likely to be in working condition. This means, of course, that they will need rebuilding. With the preceding ringing in your ears, let me wheel forth exhibit A The Norton Dominator 99, fire breather of its day and still a good match for a 250LC. The more perceptive amongst you will have already guessed that I own one of these arcane machines, and therefore the following is a frank and fearless expose not only of riding, but living from day to day with one.
The day of the affordable Norton twin, except the truly awful Jubilee and its descendants - a very different proposition to the big 'uns - is sadly nearly over. Mine came to me as a sorry looking rat/farm bike - a unique interpretation of the legend (The Unapproachable Norton). For the record the bike is a single carb, 600cc 360° OHV, dry sump parallel twin housed in a Slimline Featherbed frame.
The motor itself is the touring version, which was slower but cheaper than the SS (Sports Special) version that later appeared, but the lowly state of tune (34bhp at a pinch) does bestow ‘some advantages, as will become clear. The basic design, compared with contemporary rivals, is fairly tough and well thought out. The two bearing crank running a chain driven magneto and camshaft to the rear and front of the engine respectively.
Alas, the vertically split crankcases are by now probably in the sort of condition which will ensure all sorts of interesting conservations from well meaning on-lookers endlessly pointing out the various oil leaks. Rule one is, therefore, to get the cases as oil tight as possible, even if it's only for a quiet life. Inside the cases the lowly state of tune will ensure that the mains and big-ends will clock up many thousands of miles before replacement is necessary. Fitting the later Commando Superblend main bearings makes the bottom end just about bullet proof on a single carb motor.
The rest of the engine, however, will not tolerate ill treatment in the same way as a Jap four. You cross the red line at your peril and seeing as the rev counter was an optional extra you have to wait for valve bounce to become audible as it revs out before changing up. The valve gear is in fact the weak link, so exercise common sense unless head rebuilds are your idea of fun.
The motor makes all its grunt well down the rev range anyway, the touring cam and pistons translating into useful acceleration 'twixt 30 and 80 mph with a top speed slightly above or below the ton, depending on which 1957 magazine you read. Starting the beast calls for none of the quirky heroics evidenced by Velocette owners, but like most Brits requires a little practice to make first or second kickstarting the norm. If it kicks back its your own damn fault.
By now most Norton gearboxes and clutches have many thousands of miles of abuse heaped upon them and reconditioned ones are very expensive. Neither unit is very complex, however, and assembling the best set of plates and springs should keep clutch slip or drag at bay, as long as you don't indulge in drag racing from each set of lights.
To be fair, a well set up Norton transmission is a pleasure to use, being slick and smooth with little need. for the clutch on up changes. Their widespread use in specials and racing bikes proving their resistance to abuse. The primary chain case, by contrast, is one of the most efficient ways of shedding oil known to man. A single large nut holds on a pressed steel chain case. A little extra tightening of this nut and the chain case distorts. Resign yourself to an oil leak here if nowhere else.
Once on the move the real qualities of the bike become more clear. The engine feels torquey, responsive and blessed with a fair amount of civility. Pottering around at 60mph or so enables you to savour the handling and steering. The stock flat bars may restrict the steering lock slightly, but it's easy enough to manoeuvre, trickling through traffic helped by its narrow profile, low C of G and light weight.
Away from the lights on a rolling wave of torque and onto out of town A roads. The (on our example) rather worn clutch is for Bullworker fanatics only. It shakes a bit and generally is a bit noisy.... nah, who cares. On the open road the vibration gets worse to around 70-75 and then fades out, only to return as ferocious buzz as the magic ton looms up. All perfectly understandable and, indeed, part of the therapeutic massage that makes young women prey to the unstable characters that own these devices.
Being only a 600, the shakes never become excruciating, but ride a long distance and you'll certainly remember it for a while. The riding position can be improved by fitting rearsets as per the Manx racers, but the temptation to fit clip-ons should-be avoided as not only do long journeys result in nagging back pain and seized muscles, but the sight of an old, loud racing bike inevitably brings forth endless challenges from bored executives in Porsches whose penile mentality demands that they must immediately race you or presumably suffer from the motoring equivalent of impotence. In the cut and thrust of busy A roads or (better still) empty B roads you'll probably beat them but. on motorways you're not really in with a chance. The same is true against other bikes. What you lack in speed is more than made up for by the Featherbed chassis.
I haven't dwelt on the handling; suffice to say that as long as the forks are in good condition and properly braced, and the rear shocks are in working fettle, the limits of cornering are defined only by your bravery, the quality of the tyres and by the, for want of a better word, brakes. It is very, very solid indeed at any speed the motor can struggle up to.
But, oh those brakes. Dominators come equipped with an 8" SLS front brake which is simply not capable of stopping the bike from anything above forty, at least not when you're in a hurry to do so. My despair at my own front stopper led via an accident to the purchase of a TLS brake. The rear rod operated 7" SLS is efficient without being intrusive and needs little attention. However, the front end must have a twin leader (the Commando and John Tickle brake plates go straight in) at least if you wish to ride safely at illegal velocities. If you find a Norton thus modified it's a fair sign that the bike gets ridden fast, since few sane riders relish being out-braked by CG125s) This, along with 12V lighting, is really a must.
On the electric front, Joe Lucas, The Prince of Darkness, supplies a weedy 6 volt system as original equipment. Again, masochists may prefer such a system, but on mine it means a Commando alternator, zener diode and halogen headlamp, all of which equals instant daylight on the darkest night. It must be the only bike I've ever ridden where cars flash me when the headlamp is on dip and like the modified front brake, your continued wellbeing depends on it.
Dominator 600s are, by and large, reliable bikes. Most engine failures can be detected in the early stages, but quite honestly they'll run even if appallingly neglected. It's a wise man, however, who dumps the engine oil every 1500 miles - or if you leave it standing for a week. Wassat? Oh yes, a funny trick they pull concerns the oil pump. Unless it's brand new it allows oil seepage from the oil tank through its gears until the crankcases are full, making it perilous to start. Shot bearings, blown oil seals and Mr Castrol lubricating the rear tyre can result from this. The fitting of a tap on the feed pipe is not recommended for the absent minded, but it is less time consuming than draining the sump every time you let the bike stand.
The other main bugbear is the gradual self-dismantling tendencies due to vibration. Whip round the bike once a week or so with a spanner and see what's fallen off. I've had almost everything fall off gear lever, brake switches, choke lever, swinging arm nut - you name it. Vibration also wreaks havoc with the wiring - bulbs, ammeters (4 dead so far) and switches. Keep an eye on them and, as you go round the bike laboriously tightening up bolts and wondering where half the nuts have gone, sing merrily and remember that Bonneville owners have to do this nearly every day.
Fortunately, the daily trip of the Jap stroker to the petrol station now becomes a thing of the past, since with the standard 3 gallon petrol tank, non stop range is 200 to 220 miles. All the time liberated by such frugality can now be used on oil top-ups (not less than 500mpp) and ringing up dealers for spares, which you hopefully won't need... Norton spares are, compared to BSA/Triumph bits, not cheap, but compared to Jap prices reasonable enough in both price and availability. Plus, there's another advantage to running a Dominator as the Norton twin, in the guise of 750/850 Commando, was still in production up to the late seventies, newer, improved parts can be fitted (the front brake is just one example of advancement in design).
So, in the final analysis, is the Dominator a practical proposition? This is almost impossible to answer, depending on how rough or costly the bike is that you are considering. A rough, cheap Norton is a quick and expensive route to heartbreak and poverty - and should be avoided unless you really know your bike and you are a strong believer in the idea that some bikes possess what is known as character. On the other hand, Dommies in good running condition don't come cheap any more and character seems a fairly hollow reason to fork out up to and into four figure amounts. In the end, the answer is with the buyer, who if he has any sense will have pulled the plug on the reminiscing waffle and erroneous legends surrounding the Dominator. Underneath the veneer lies a usable and attractive bike, but for the unwary buyer underneath that can frequently lie heartache.
Simon Carter