1968 Norton Atlas 750cc 'Café Racer' Motorcycle

Description

Founded in 1898 by James Lansdowne Norton of Birmingham, the Norton Manufacturing Company initially supplied components for the bicycle industry and the first motorcycle to bear the Norton name was fundamentally a bicycle with a Clement engine attached to the front downtube. Norton continued to use a variety of proprietary engines until success came at the first Isle of Man TT race in 1907, when Rem Fowler was victorious on one of his machines. Norton's first engine was the Big Four single of 633cc, first exhibited at the 1907 Stanley show. Over the ensuing decades Norton established a fine reputation as a quality builder of motorcycles, primarily singles and twins, with a long history of involvement in motor sport. During World War Two, Norton made over 100,000 motorcycles for military use, principally the Model 16H and Big 4, after which post-war civilian production gradually resumed. The post-war history of Norton begins with Bert Hopwood's fabulous Model 7 Dominator, originally a 497cc vertical twin designed with the American market in mind. The Dominator evolved through the 1950s, expanding in both capacity and power, with a 750cc derivative, dubbed the Atlas, first making an appearance in 1962. Employing many features found on Norton's competition Manx models, including the famous Slimline Featherbed frame, the Atlas featured an engine tuned for reliability, fitted with a single Amal 376 Monobloc carburettor and lowered compression ratio of 7.6:1, to give a power output of 55 horsepower at 6500rpm. Other features were Roadholder forks and adjustable Girling shock absorbers. Early Atlas bikes had 6-volt electrics, updated to 12-volts from 1964. These later bikes also benefited from twin 30mm carburettors, and the Atlas remained in production until 1968, being superseded by the Commando.