Founded in 1901, Norton is one of the most famous names of a once thriving British motorcycle industry. Alongside a wide range of successful road machines, Norton enjoyed many racing sucesses particularly throughout the 1940’s and 50’s with the now legendary Manx Nortons which were 350 and 500cc ‘production racers’ in the truest sense, and the first choice of many club racers and international stars alike.
Throughout the 1960’s the Norton road bike range included 650 and 750cc twin cylinder bikes including the famous Commando, a bike which remains popular amongst classic Norton enthusiasts to this day. By the early 1970’s the British motorcycle industry was facing strong competition from the Japanese factories and Norton became part of the Norton Villers Triumph (NVT) group of companies. Always forward thinking, the company started development of their own rotary engined road and racing machines, culminating with a famous win in the 1992 Senior TT for the late Steve Hislop.