The Leicestershire and Northampton Branch of the Norton Owners Club present; Norton 100; Open Day at The Wharf Inn, Welford, Sunday 19th May 2024, from around 11am.
Building on our very successful Open Day in May 2023 in which 66 Nortons were on display, we aim to bring 100 Nortons to the event in 2024. We have called it Norton 100 for two reasons. Firstly, it is the 100th anniversary of The Year Of Firsts, whereby for the first time in the company’s history Norton machines won a huge number races both nationally and international with their newly designed bike, the Model 18, the first Norton with overhead valves and with the engine designed by James Lansdowne Norton. Secondly, the event celebrates the last whole year of James’ life, 1924, and hopefully brings together all the elements that have made the company so successful over the last 125 years.
We hope to have;
- Flat-tank machines and 1920s machines
- 1930s overhead camshaft machines and hopefully a rare 596cc International
- 1940s side-valve machines including, possibly, a War Department 16H in military trim
- 1950s Dominators and one of the last of the Featherbed International machines
- 1960s Dominators including at least one Mercury, hopefully an Atlas and also some Lightweight machines
- 1970s Commandos, including a unique Hi-Rider and one of the best JPS models in England
- 1990s Rotary machines
- 2010-onwards 961 models
We will have a very special guest, our own ‘Norton Royalty’, in the form of James’ granddaughter, Judith Morris, in attendance.
We hope to have our Club President, Mike Jackson, in attendance, as well as a significant number of Directors of The Club.
We will run a concours competition for machines that have been ridden to the event and also an award for the Best Norton.
We will make an award for the best branch turnout.
We will provide free tea or coffee on arrival for anyone arriving on a Norton. The pub serves a wide range of excellent meals and ales. Drinks and snacks, such as bacon baps [or cobs, or butties etc.] will be served in the garden area so you don’t have to spend time queuing at the bar for service. There is limited overnight accommodation available at The Wharf Inn, with some bed and breakfast and secure parking [contact the pub directly on 01858 575 075].
We hope to have marque specialists and also some input from the leading parts suppliers, Andover Norton and RGM Motors, and also some input from the current owners, TVS. We will invite participation from the National Motorcycle Museum.
We will also have a completely unique feature called ‘The Direct Link’, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for anyone who holds Norton motorcycles and their founder in the highest esteem; more details later, but you can’t stream or download this feature, you simply have to be there!
We would very much like to hear from you if you would like to bring your machine to the event, or better still, ride it in on the day. Even if your machine is a Dominator or a 1959 ES2 that runs well but you hardly ever clean, you would be most welcome. The venue is approximately 2 miles north of Junction 1 of the A14, virtually in the centre of England, and can be easily reached from all directions, being relatively near to the M6 and M1 motorways. The 2023 event was featured extensively in Old Bike Mart and drew Norton enthusiasts from as far away as Portsmouth, Bristol, Kent and County Durham - please put the date in your diary now to avoid missing out on this event as it is unlikely that we can run it to this extent on future occasions. We will also be inviting staff from Old Bike Mart and The Classic Motorcycle, Classic Bike, Motorcycle News, Classic Bike Guide, Real Classic and the local press.
Please feel free to contact me directly [up to 9pm only, please] on 07960 181 310 or by email to colin.cheney1@gmail.com. and let’s all work together to make this the one Norton event that you just don’t want to miss in 2024.
Very many thanks for your time in reading this - my colleagues and I and our many friends from the Branch look forward to meeting you on the day.
