Norton Motorcycles Live On
After a chequered history, Norton motorcycles move
into a new era.
James Lansdowne Norton, the father of the company, began the story in 1898 with a factory that made cycle chains in Birmingham, UK, but by 1902 he was importing engines from Switzerland and France to create his own motorcycles, and success followed quickly with a Norton ridden by Rem Fowler winning the twin-cylinder class at the first Isle of Man TT race. This was the start of Norton's long lasting love affair with racing, which didn't end until the 1960's. The prize that everyone coveted was the 'Isle of Man Senior TT''; a race that Norton's went on to win ever year from 1947 to 1954 to add to their ten titles claimed between the wars. Norton built their own side-valve, single engine in 1908, which served them well until the 1950's.