There's a hole in my fueltank, dear Liza dear Liza !

Hi Dave, I can confirm it isn’t a Navigator feature, Standard or DeLuxe of any year.   I’m no expert but I’ve not seen that on any other Norton with a similar tank.   My guess is it either isn’t a Navigator or any other Lightweight Norton tank or it is a Lightweight tank that has been adapted for some reason.   Is the rest of the tank standard?   Nick

Can you send a photo of the tubular feature in the fuel tank that you are asking about?

Mike

Cup holder? 

Hello playmates  well since I have pull some dings out of my tank I could then carry one and do yours as well  all you need to pay for is the postage  ether way  Does this sound like a safe bet    one of the best welders around, yours   anna j  

I'd love to see the it restored at a concours. And hear you tell the judges that the hole is a special very rare factory feature. And when they ask what it is for and get the reply. If you are an expert, you'll know.

Maybe someone in the future can explain it. Anyhow you'll get a lot of funny explanations.

Was it adapted for the local Zulu bikers so they can carry their Assegai safely?

Hi Dave,

Send me your Frame & Engine numbers (to Lighttwins@nortonownersclub.org ) and I'll look into it for you.

The hole you have was not a normal option - but who knows? The factory may have made a one-off for something - or 60yrs have passed and any number of owners could have played with it. As you say - it looks like a normal tanl otherwise.

Very interesting - cheers

The frame No is ofter hard to find: Look at my attached picture

From the photos it seems like a job by a skilled craftsman. Can't even figure out how he managed to make it. Might it be for an oil pressure gauge? If I had a hole like that, I'd fit a cigar lighter in it, a feature lacking on all my Nortons.

Another wild guess, did the SA police use Navigators? Some kind of attachment for a bike used professionally? In that case, Norton might have made it. Have you checked if factory records can give a clue?

Edit: Sorry, rereading the thread found that most is already suggested.

I don't visit the forums much now unless someone draws my attention to something, so had missed this until Andy got in touch, It wasn't something I thought the records would give an answer to, however, a quick check revealed in the 'Extra equipment' column: C/case, F & R Crash Bars, and....... Oil Pressure Gauge! There are several other machines listed as having this option, all of them despatched to South Africa, and looking at the pictures, the cross piece at the bottom would provide the perfect location for the single mounting stud of a Smiths gauge that were very common at the time. So it would seem it was a factory mod and not unique? Not sure where the pressure feed would be taken from though?

So, 10 out of 10 for Mikael for what seems to be a very good guess.

Regards, 

Tim 

Twins records and dating.

If the bike in question was supplied to the police forces or army forces in SA would it be possible that the hole in the tank was for electrical connections for tank mounted radios, etc?

Mike

Dave:

Let us know what Davwe has to say.

Mike

Hi, recently aquired a 1962 Navigator with the same hole in the tank, my bike was an export model and spent it`s first 30 years in South Africa. I think maybe an oil pressure gauge was fitted, not sure about Police or Army use that would be interesting. 

The hole was for fitting an oil pressure guage - he goes on the say:

"There are several other machines listed (in the factory records) as having this option, all of them despatched to South Africa, and looking at the pictures, the cross piece at the bottom would provide the perfect location for the single mounting stud of a Smiths gauge that were very common at the time. So it would seem it was a factory mod and not unique? Not sure where the pressure feed would be taken from though?"

There is only one place where engine oil pressure is available - that is opposite the end of the crank. That is in a very vulnerable position - so a different/modified timing cover must have been used. Is there anything odd about your timing cover - where did the oil feed come from?