The actor who famously played Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, as well Cathy Gale in The Avengers, has died at the age of 94. Here’s a look back at her career
SUNBEAM S7 500 MOTO MAJOR 350 MOTO GUZZI GAMBALUNGA 500 GILERA SATURNO PIUMA 500 VINCENT HRD BLACK LIGHTNING 1000 RUMI SPORT 125 MATCHLESS G45 500 V
The Norton Commando 850 was somehow always more than the sum of its parts.
Norton Cafe Racer | Road Racer | 750 Commando | Norton Wasp | Belly Pan | Side Pipes
I’d wager many of us daydream about building a special custom motorcycle of some kind, combining bits and pieces of favorite bikes into something uniquely our own. Something like Delfour’s combination of a Norton and a Laverda that he calls a "Norton Ala’Verda."
Not surprisingly, the Norton advertised recently in the magazines has surfaced; it's in Malta and Tony is the lucky owner. It's in very nice condition; the petroltank and 'box are from a later model and I've never seen such an oiltank before but for the rest most of the hard-to-find bits seem to be there. Note the Enfield hubs, the correct girder forks (with later links), the three-stay frame and the left-hand exhaust. It still has the original engine to frame. It was sent to the agent Psalty, Paris, 11th December 1930. Dyno and foot change were fitted at the factory. Interestingly Tony bought the bike also in Paris 81 years later!
Norton Motorcycles announced a new 1200cc carbon-clad sportbike, claiming a maximum output of more than 200 hp and a dry weight of 395 pounds. The V4 RR is priced at £28,000 (US$34,777) while a special edition V4 SS version is valued at an even more posh £44,000 (US$54,651). The engine is a 72-degree V-4 with an 82mm bore and 56.8mm stroke. Peak power arrives at 12,500 rpm while torque tops out at 95.9 lb-ft. at 10,000rpm. Speaking with Britain’s MCN, Norton designer Simon Skinner says the company initially wanted a 90-degree V configuration to avoid the need for a balancer shaft but the 72-degree angle was a better fit for the V4 RR’s chassis geometry. Skinner also says the engine is about the same size as the Aprilia’s 65-degree V-4 used on the RSV4 as well as Norton’s own Isle of Man TT racer. The ride-by-wire throttle system allows for three engine mappings: Road, Sport and Pro-Race. The V4 RR also comes with a six-axis Inertial Measurement Unit and an electronics package including traction control, wheelie control, launch control and cruise control. The V4 RR also comes with both a slipper clutch and a quickshift system. The engine is mounted to an aluminum twin-tube chassis. The chassis offers swingarm pivot and rake angle adjustments. Öhlins provides its NIX30 fork and TTXGP rear shock, both fully-adjustable. Brembo M50s clamp down on the twin 330mm front disc rotors. There’s no mention of ABS however. Both the RR and SS versions come with carbon fiber bodywork, with the RR receiving a chrome-like paint finish resembling Norton’s TT racer. The SS version comes in a bare carbon fiber finish with matching carbon BST wheels. BST also produced the V4’s carbon fiber fuel tank, which has been reinforced with kevlar and chemically treated to safely hold gasoline. Norton is only producing 200 versions of the V4 SS, and they have already all been claimed. Norton is still, however, accepting orders for the V4 RR. 2017 Norton V4 RR Specifications Engine type Norton 72-degree liquid-cooled V-4. Chain-driven cams with idler gear for reduced engine height. Titanium inlet valves. Slipper clutch. Displacement 1200cc Bore x Stroke 82mm x 56.8mm Compression ratio 13.6:1 Power 200+ hp at 12,500rpm Torque 95.9 lb-ft. at 10,000rpm Cooling system Liquid-cooled Euro 4 Full compliance including oil thermostat, knock sensors, secondary air injection and EVAP Fuel injection Electronic fuel-injection system. Constantly variable inlet tracts. 8-fuel injectors. Full drive-by-wire system independent of front and rear banks of cylinders for ultimate control and feel Instruments: Full-colour 7-inch HD display with multiple functions. Engine mode adjustability including: Road, Track, and Pro-Race Quickshift: Full quickshift system and auto down blipper Electronic aids: Multi-setting traction-control, wheelie control, launch control and cruise control. Uses six-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Built-in dataloggers: Full data-logging capability including: lap times, max lean angle, max speed, max throttle and max braking force Engine modes: Road, Sport, Pro-Race Ignition: Keyless ignition system Lighting: Full LED lighting system including super bright low beam & high beam, angel eye DRLs, rear lamps and indicators Frame Aluminum twin tube shotgun chassis, cast outriggers and headstock, polished tubes. (tbc). Engine acts as a structural member Adjustable geometry: Chassis is fully-adjustable including swingarm pivot and adjustable rake angle. 23.9 degree steering head angle as standard set-up Swingarm: Braced and underslung single-sided cast swingarm. 570mm long, design developed in conjunction with SG5 TT race bike Front suspension: Ohlins NIX30 system front fork. Fully-adjustable Rear suspension: Ohlins TTXGP Norton bespoke fully-adjustable rear shock Steering damper: Ohlins damper Fork yokes: Billet machined Front wheel: Forged Aluminum Rear wheel: Forged Aluminum Front brake: 2 x 330mm full-floating discs. Radially-mounted Brembo monobloc calipers. Brembo discs and Brembo master cylinder Rear brake: Single 245mm disc. Brembo caliper and master cylinder Wheelbase: 1430mm Dry weight: 395 pounds (claimed) Bodywork: Full carbon-fiber Fuel tank: Underseat MotoGP-style 4.8-gallon fuel tank is all carbon-fiber, with Kevlar reinforcement and chemically coated internally to meet fuel resistance standards Footrests: Forged footrests, footplates and carbon heel guard. Cast sprocket cover Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Share on LinkedIn
Ad, 1972 Norton Commando
It’s hard to improve on the Norton Commando. But Bill Becker, creator of the lovely Aermacchi Sprint we featured a little while ago, has taken the iconic British motorcycle to a new level. Bill bought the Commando on eBay as a project bike with a rebuilt motor and powder coated frame. Everything else was in a state of disassembly and arrived in three boxes. “That was OK with me,” says Bill. “My intent was to build a cafe racer based on a 1970s superbike platform, but with contemporary improvements—with a ‘naked’ look fashioned after period-racers.” The details were to be
In addition to bringing you great bikes for sale on a daily basis, part of the Bike-urious mission is to educate on why certain bikes are interesting. Today we’ve got our first guest writer, …
Rocketgarage Magazine, Engine Fuel & Passion since 2007. cafe racer, scrambler, bobber, flat track, motorcycle, lifestyle, endurance, restomod
A Short History of the Norton Domiracer Norton Motorcycles was returned to England in 2008, after having spent 15 years in American hands. Norton is
Cleveland’s The GasBox have a distinctive style of build. They’re quiet and understated and usually built around a classic vintage
At first glance, the tank shape suggests that this is a classic Norton Commando, but the upright engine reveals the truth: this is a very well put-together Norton Atlas café racer. When building th…
Rocketgarage Magazine, Engine Fuel & Passion since 2007. cafe racer, scrambler, bobber, flat track, motorcycle, lifestyle, endurance, restomod
Restored Norton Commando Roadster - 1973 Photographs -
