1928 Norton 490cc CS1
Registration no. VW 4172
Frame no. 32623
Engine no. CS39055

Like the majority of their contemporaries, Norton relied on the sidevalve engine until the introduction of its first overhead-valve design in 1922, and the resulting Norton Model 18 was a big success on the road. On the racetrack however, Velocette had shown the way forward when its overhead-camshaft KTT romped away from the field in the 1926 Junior TT, and Norton responded with its own similar engine the following year. Designed by Walter Moore, the Norton motor retained the firm's traditional 79x100mm bore and stroke dimensions, employing bevel gears and a vertical shaft to drive the cams in KTT fashion. The cycle parts too were new, a cradle frame and saddle tank appearing for the first time on the works CS1 racer, which scored a debut win in the 1927 Isle of Man Senior TT with Alec Bennett riding. The production version of the new CS1 duly appeared at the Motor Cycle Show later that same year and continued as Norton's top-of-the-range sports machine until the introduction of the International. Today this rare landmark model is one of the most sought after of all Norton motorcycles.

This matching numbers (frame/engine) CS1 was purchased by the current vendor's father in 1967 and comes with the bill of sale showing it was bought for £10! The Norton was restored in the 1970s and used subsequently for VMCC runs and suchlike. When the elderly owner could no longer start the machine, it passed to the vendor (his son) in 2008. The last tax disc, expiring in April 1997, is still in place in the holder. Described as in generally good/very good condition, the machine will require the customary re-commissioning before returning to the road. Accompanying paperwork consists of three old MoT certificates (most recent expired 1995), an old-style logbook, V5C registration document, copy parts list and some supporting correspondence.