Norton Twin
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Norton T win 1907
1907 NORTON TWIN. The name "Norton" has more links with the
T.T. series than any other. Amongst the marque's claims to fame there is one
that cannot possibly be equalled by any rivalthere has been a Norton in every
year's T.T. race since the series started in the first decade of the twentieth
century.
The original race for the Tourist Trophya name that seems particularly
inappropriate for the racers of the sixtieswas in 1907 over ten laps of a
course that started and finished at the village school at St. Johns in the Isle
of Man.
The roads were primitive. This first race included an award
for the best performance by a twinthese were generally expected to be slower
than the singles although if the first machine to finish had been a twin it
would have won the Tourist Trophy. As it happened, a Matchless single wonbut
Rem Fowler had rushed his Norton round to make fastest lap at over 40 m.p.h.
Punctures and other troubles slowed him and he had to be content with the honour
of winning the twin-cylinder race at 3622 m.p.h.
His machine employed a French Peugeot engine of an alleged 5
h.p. Induction was by automatic inlet valvesthat is, the depression in the
combustion chamber caused by the piston descending sucked the valve, held by a
light spring, open and mixture in. The exhaust valves were provided with a cam!
Front forks were reminiscent of a bicycle's, with small coil springs, giving
about ij-in. movement, and stiffening blades from top to spindle. A bicycle-type
brake was used on the front rim. Rear springing was almost unheard of thenand
comfort, with 2j-in. section Clincher tires and a Lycett cycle-type saddle, must
have been poor. They call this machine's grandson a "Featherbed"!
SPECIFICATION
Engine: Peugeot Vee-twin 5 h.p. (726 c.c), automatically operated overhead inlet
valves, side exhaust valves. Ignition: Bosch magneto.
Transmission: direct drive by Lycett leather "Rawhide" Vee-belt from engine to
rear wheel; no clutch, no variable gear; pedalling gear fittedand useful.
Frame: diamond pattern with single down-tube to front engine plates; rigid rear
frame section, Prices rear stand.
Forks: Druid strutted girder.
For the British, racing along the rocky road over the Isle of Man was comparable to repeating the splendid first edition of the London-Brighton race, the famous Emancipation Run. In 1907, after years of negotiations with national and island authorities, permission was obtained to hold a major international race, the Tourist Trophy, on the island. Almost all the British manufacturers entered motorcycles, including Norton, Triumph, and Matchless. They entered specially prepared racing models that could stand the strains of the race. The steep ascents presented a new challenge to mtotor-cyclists of the time. Norton entered a sturdy streamlined motorcycle with a four-stroke, two-cylinder V engine built by Peugeot. Although the engine was rather outmoded in concept and generated relatively low power, the chassis was extremely light and well balanced. Rem Fowler rode the vehicle to win the two-cylinder trophy, traveling at an average speed of about 37 m.p.h. The Norton triumph has gone down in history because this was the first running of the most famous race in the world, rather than for any technical achievement. Nevertheless this success led James Norton to commit himself further in speed racing. In 1908 the company produced its first single-cylinder vehicle. Motorcycle: Norton Two-cylinder T.T. Manufacturer: Norton Motors Ltd., Aston, Birmingham Type: Racing Year: 1907 Engine: Peugeot two-cylinder V, four-stroke, with automatic intake valves and side exhaust valves, mechanically operated. Displacement 726 cc. Cooling: Air Transmission: Direct, from engine to rear wheel, with a belt Power: About 5 h.p. Maximum speed: About 62.5 m.p.h. Chassis: Single cradle, tubular, open below. Front, elastic suspension Brakes: Front, skid