Norton Manx

Not to be confused with the Meyers Manx, a desert-racing dune buggy based on the Volkswagen Beetle.

Norton Manx
Pre-1962 Norton Manx
ManufacturerNorton Motorcycles
Also calledNorton 30M and 40M
Production1946–1953 (long stroke) 1953–1962 (short stroke)
ClassRoad racing
Engine499 cc (30.5 cu in) 2 valve DOHC air cooled single
(Also in 348 cc (21.2 cu in))
Bore / stroke1947: 79.62 mm × 100 mm (3.135 in × 3.937 in)[1]
1960: 86.1 mm × 85.6 mm (3.39 in × 3.37 in)[2]
Top speed500 cc: 130 mph (210 km/h)[3]
140 mph (230 km/h)[4][5][6]
350 cc: 115 mph (185 km/h)[7]
Power500 cc: 47 bhp (35 kW) @ 6,500 rpm, [3][5][6] 54 bhp (40 kW) @ 7,200 rpm,[4] 52 bhp (39 kW) @ 6500 rpm[8]
350 cc: 35 hp (26 kW)[7]
TransmissionFour speed, chain final drive
Frame typeSteel, twin loop full cradle
SuspensionFront: telescopic fork
Rear: Swingarm
BrakesDrum
Wheelbase56 inches (1,400 mm)
Weight140 kg (310 lb)[4][6][7] (dry)

The Norton Manx or Manx Norton is a British racing motorcycle that was made from 1947 to 1962 by Norton Motors Ltd. Norton had contested every Isle of Man TT race from the inaugural 1907 event through into the 1970s, a feat unrivalled by any other manufacturer, and the development and honing of the Manx racing motorcycle was another step in this racing achievement.

New Manx Nortons, built to various specifications are still available to buy new, from various suppliers around the world. These should not be confused with Norton production motorcycles even though they suit different categories and definitions of Classic Motorcycle Racing and Historic Motorcycle Racing in different countries around the world.

Norton's first use of the name 'Manx' was applied to the 'Manx Grand Prix' model available from 1936-1940, a special racing version of their 'International' roadster, with telescopic forks and a plunger rear suspension, magnesium for the crankcases and cambox, and no provision for lighting. Just after WW2, the 'Grand Prix' was dropped, and Norton named their 1947 racing model the 'Manx'. It was a lightly redesigned prewar racing Norton International, an overhead cam single-cylinder machine available as a 350cc or 500cc. The Norton factory race bikes under team manager Joe Craig were experimental models, and a version was available for sale from the factory in Bracebridge Street - to selected customers. Fitted with the McCandless brothers' Featherbed frame for 1950, the Manx gained a new lease of racing life as a racing machine, the new frame giving the fine steering necessary for high speed navigation of some very fast racing circuits of the time.

The last Bracebridge Street (the original home of Norton) Manx Nortons were sold in 1963. Even though Norton had pulled out of International Grand Prix racing in 1954, the Manx had become the backbone of privateer racing.[9] The Classic Motorcycle Racing movement from the 1970s onwards has seen relatively large numbers of Manxs return to the track, and a flourishing supply of parts and services has appeared all around the world to nourish this demand.

  1. ^ Woollett, Mick (1992), Norton, Osprey Automotive, p. 200, ISBN 978-1-85532-202-8
  2. ^ Brochure, Factory (1960), Norton Factory brochure 1960, Ripley, Preston & Co Ltd, p. 3
  3. ^ a b Cameron, Kevin; Guggenheim Museum Staff (1998), "Norton Manx", in Krens, Thomas; Drutt, Matthew (eds.), The Art of the Motorcycle, Harry N. Abrams, p. 277, ISBN 978-0-8109-6912-4
  4. ^ a b c Brown, Roland; McDiarmid, Mac (2000), The Ultimate Motorcycle Encyclopedia: Harley-Davidson, Ducati, Triumph, Honda, Kawasaki and All the Great Marques, Anness Publishing, p. 212, ISBN 978-1-84038-898-5
  5. ^ a b Carroll, John (1997), The Motorcycle a Definitive History: A Comprehensive Chronicle of Motorcycles Throughout the World, Smithmark, p. 120, ISBN 978-0-8317-6292-6
  6. ^ a b c Wilson, Hugo (1993), The Ultimate Motorcycle Book, Dorling Kindersley, p. 70, ISBN 978-1-56458-303-1
  7. ^ a b c Gardiner, Mark (1997), Classic motorcycles, MetroBooks, p. 55, ISBN 978-1-56799-460-5
  8. ^ Setright, L. J. K. (1976), Motorcycles, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, p. 57, ISBN 978-0-297-77234-7
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kemp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).