Surrey Branch at the Ardingly Classic Bike Show 24 March 2024

Surrey Branch at the Ardingly Classic Bike Show 24 March 2024

The Surrey Branch represented the NOC at The South of England Classic Bike Show on the Sunday 24 March 2024.18 members of the Surrey branch brought along their bikes for our display. This display ranged from Dominator twins, to Commando’s, and OHC and OHV singles. David Carpenter could not bring along his two Manx Norton models due to a flat tyre on his trailer. David Cooper our secretary could also not make it due to a very bad cold that prevented him from riding to the show. We could have had 25 bikes on our stand, but there were the two racers that went over to the Mike Braid display, and the two West Kent members who had to put their bikes on a location opposite us.

Some of the Surrey Branch Members

For the Sunday event, the weather Gods smiled on us, as the sun was out all day. The last four events at Ardingly we have had very heavy rainfall, which did not help with the attendance of these wonderful events. The show opens to the public at 10am, and the Surrey branch stand was as per usual a hive of very intensive activity. There was Graham Holcombe, Bill Plummer, Malcolm King, Max Groves, Simon Smith, Phil and Robert Tuck, and the ever-industrious David Brown, erecting the gazebo and setting up our stand. With out Simon Smith and his pickup truck and the trailer the Surrey branch would not have a gazebo and any stand to erect and would be unable to show at any event. We had a table laid out for our tea and coffee along with the kettle, and the biscuits were laid out for us all. Our members had to make many trips to the toilets to refill the kettle with water.

Sadly, Dave Croxford was unable to attend, and so the JPN Norton theme had to be scaled down. However, there was still some fantastic race-bred machinery for us all to see and hear on the day. There was the Fire-Up paddock that was out side adjacent the Queens Jubilee show hall at 11am and 1pm. There were many racers that were started to the merriment of those that came to observe this momentous event. All those that brought along a bike could collect a 2024 souvenir from the exhibitor’s desk after the prize giving had finished.

Paul Smith with Malcolm King and his Commando Roadster

Paul Smith the chairman of the NOC rode his blue Norton Commando Roadster, to be put on display on our stand. There were four Commando’s in all with two Roadster, and two Interstates. Howard Robinson our treasurer brought along his MK2A Commando Interstate.

I do like to at these events to talk to our members about their bikes, and get their own stories and any history associated with the bikes that they now own and bring along.

David Brown and his newly acquired Model 50

David Brown displayed his newly acquired 350cc 1957 Model 50 that he has been restoring, along with his ex racer, a Dominator 99. The Model 50 is a one-owner bike, and he acquired it after the owner had sadly passed away. His wife kept this Model 50, as she did not know what to do with it. She gave it to a friend of her deceased husband, who after leaving it for six years, in a damp shed decided to sell it. David then was able to buy it, and he restored, all the parts that it required. He rebuilt the Amal Monobloc carburettor, and did the paint work. The bike has a damaged petrol tank lining that will have to be attended to, as David will not be able to ride it until this situation has been sorted. The inside of the tank has the lining, which is beginning to peel off the inside of the petrol tank. Dave has ridden the Model 50, and attended to the mechanical parts of the engine. He has changed the rocker box gaskets, as well some gearbox gaskets. The bike has direction indictors that the previous owner added while he owned it.

Max Groves 1964 Norton Atlas, which he bought from a school caretaker, who then lived about 20 miles from where Max now resides. It was for sale at a NOC rally in 2010. It was all black when Max bought it, and it had 18000 miles on the Speedo, and it now has done 30000, miles. Max has never had the engine apart, and it is still as it was built at the AMC premises in Plumstead. All he has done is change the oils and check the tappets. The only failure that the bike has incurred was due to the electronic ignition. There are two Amal 389 Monobloc carburettors, and one of them is a chopped one with out a float chamber. Max has a added a float chamber extension to the one that has the float chamber on it.

Simon & Lindsey Warren and Simon’s Manx

Simon Warren brought along three of his amazingly restored OHC racers. Simon has nine OHC single Norton’s. He has an ex Bob Macintyre Scarbourgh Gold Cup winning 1957 Model 40 racer. This must have been one of the Joe Potts prepared bikes that Bob Mac rode for him. He has an ex Keith Campbell 1957 350 Manx and this particular bike has won many races in Australia. He was the 1957 350cc World Champion for Moto Guzzi. There is the Desmond Craig Manx who was one of the sons of Joe Craig. Simon is at the moment building some of his other OHC racers, as he does the work himself and Andy Savage does his engine building for him. His 1934 500 that he bought at auction, and the previous owner was the late and very much lamented George Cohen. It has since been completely restored, by Simon. Simon’s wife Lindsey is a beach racer of a very high standard. She has raced on Margate beach in the Molley Mile, and she has been winning in these beach races against some very stiff male opposition.

Phil Hannam the renowned Dominator historian, on that Sunday morning, following a last minute ‘go or no go’ decision headed off to the Ardingly Classic Bike Show, in cold but clear blue skies. The plan being to add his Norton to the other Norton’s that had gathered for the display on the Surrey Branch stand. The yes / no issue had dropped on his shoulders, the previous Friday, when returning home from work in Chichester. His Norton 650 deciding to splutter intermittently while cruising along the A27 towards Portsmouth. That Friday evening and the following Saturday evening with a check of the wiring system that had indicated a few dodgy connections and some dirty earthing connections but nothing serious. The spark plugs were then examined, then the single Amal 930 carb checked and finally his Wassell Electronic Ignition Unit was given a once-over. At which point he discovered that one of the magnets from the trigger rotor was now a collection of chewed up metal fragments stuck to the surviving magnet.

A clean up sorted out the debris problem. The unit was then re-assembled with an estimate being made for the ignition timing. The bike started first kick but was reluctant to rev. In deference to the late hour, further engine running and adjustments were delayed until the next morning. Therefore, early Sunday morning, he kitted up then he headed out to a nearby quiet spot to warm up the engine and fine tune the ignition. This is where the Wassell kit is so user friendly. Two short screws hold the outer cover and the pick-up can be adjusted using a small spanner. Fine-tuning can be done while the engine is running and takes just a minute or two to adjust the timing. The Dual Output coil solved the worry concerning the missing rotor magnet, so with a smooth sounding engine he set off for Ardingly, and got there and back home, with out any further problems with the engine or the bike.

John Duplain brought along for display his incredible Dominator café racer; with a 99 engine of 600cc. John then gave me the story that was associated with this machine. The bike was re-imported from the USA in 1984, and it was then first registered in the UK in 1985. It was purchased by John in May 2007, as a part finished project bike, and he recreated it as a custom style of his younger days. The most difficult modification was removing the tin-ware primary chain casting and replacing them with a set of early Commando alloy castings. The timing side and oil delivery was a challenge, as the top end the cylinder head, was totally flooded with oil after travelling a few miles. A 650cc downdraft cylinder head with twin carburettors, and a set of swept back pipes, with large bore silencers have been fitted. This along with an alloy Slimline petrol tank and a custom made oil tank. The rest of the machine is down to hours of polishing to produce a sixties café racer. John covers over 500 miles a year, going to and enjoying Norton rallies at both home and abroad.

During the day, we had many visitors to our stand, with many enquires, as well as owners of Norton’s wanting our advice and help with their technical questions. We have had SNOC  branch cards printed so that we can hand out to any prospective members who want to join us. One such show goer was intrigued by my prototype Unified Twin engine in the N15CS frame. He saw the petrol tank on the bike and assumed that it was a Norton N15CS desert racer. When he came up close and personal to the bike, he was amazed to see not an Atlas engine and gearbox in that chassis, but this odd looking unit engine there instead. He came over to our stand and asked about that odd bike on displayed out at the front. My colleges on the Surrey stand pointed me out to the inquisitive show goer, to give him an in depth explanation. I explained to him about that engine and its history, and how I had had it recreated to look like what may be Norton, and the then AMC Company may have built and exported to North America to the Berliner Corporation, back in the 1960’s.

This show was very well attend, with packed auto-jumble halls and the bakery stall always doing a huge trade in their amazing bakery items. Julie Diplock and her staff of helpers are always there to help and assist us all. Julie now having a pedal bike to travois the large distances involved with this event.

We had Andy Neal, and John Summerfield who came along to our stand, support us. Andy Neal is at present restoring an ex WD Norton 16H, and John Summerfield is very involved in restoring a 1920’s single cylinder Norton.

The Surrey branch did not come away with any rosettes this time, for winning machines or for our stand, but it is not about winning any thing, but to putting the Norton name and the NOC out to the hearts and minds of those that attend these shows. To show the show goers that Norton did make some amazing bikes, both for the road and also for the racetrack. Therefore, we can say with justifiable pride that we rocked it totally.

The Surrey branch committee are always working very hard to give the branch so many different events for us all to attend. To all those that came to the Ardingly show event for the Surrey branch I give you my heart felt thanks and that on the day we had a display that we in the Surrey branch can be very justifiably proud of. To all those helped set up and take down our stand, your hard work on behalf of the branch is valued to a very high degree.

These are the Surrey Branch members who brought along their bikes for our display

The racing Commandos were on a stand opposite us were as follows, and two of them were brought along by Mike Braid were the ex-works Norton racers.