The Norton Manx or Manx Norton is a British racing motorcycle that was made from 1947 to 1962 by Norton Motors Ltd. Norton had contested every Isle of Man TT race from the inaugural 1907 event through into the 1970s, a feat unrivalled by any other manufacturer, and the development and honing of the Manx racing motorcycle was another step in this racing achievement.
New Manx Nortons, built to various specifications are still available to buy new, from various suppliers around the world. These should not be confused with Norton production motorcycles even though they suit different categories and definitions of Classic Motorcycle Racing and Historic Motorcycle Racing in different countries around the world.
Norton's first use of the name 'Manx' was applied to the 'Manx Grand Prix' model available from 1936-1940, a special racing version of their 'International' roadster, with telescopic forks and a plunger rear suspension, magnesium for the crankcases and cambox, and no provision for lighting. Just after WW2, the 'Grand Prix' was dropped, and Norton named their 1947 racing model the 'Manx'. It was a lightly redesigned prewar racing Norton International, an overhead cam single-cylinder machine available as a 350cc or 500cc. The Norton factory race bikes under team manager Joe Craig were experimental models, and a version was available for sale from the factory in Bracebridge Street - to selected customers. Fitted with the McCandless brothers' Featherbed frame for 1950, the Manx gained a new lease of racing life as a racing machine, the new frame giving the fine steering necessary for high speed navigation of some very fast racing circuits of the time.
The last Bracebridge Street (the original home of Norton) Manx Nortons were sold in 1963. Even though Norton had pulled out of International Grand Prix racing in 1954, the Manx had become the backbone of privateer racing.[9] The Classic Motorcycle Racing movement from the 1970s onwards has seen relatively large numbers of Manxs return to the track, and a flourishing supply of parts and services has appeared all around the world to nourish this demand.
^Woollett, Mick (1992), Norton, Osprey Automotive, p. 200, ISBN 978-1-85532-202-8
^Brochure, Factory (1960), Norton Factory brochure 1960, Ripley, Preston & Co Ltd, p. 3
^ abCameron, Kevin; Guggenheim Museum Staff (1998), "Norton Manx", in Krens, Thomas; Drutt, Matthew (eds.), The Art of the Motorcycle, Harry N. Abrams, p. 277, ISBN 978-0-8109-6912-4
^ abcBrown, Roland; McDiarmid, Mac (2000), The Ultimate Motorcycle Encyclopedia: Harley-Davidson, Ducati, Triumph, Honda, Kawasaki and All the Great Marques, Anness Publishing, p. 212, ISBN 978-1-84038-898-5
^ abCarroll, John (1997), The Motorcycle a Definitive History: A Comprehensive Chronicle of Motorcycles Throughout the World, Smithmark, p. 120, ISBN 978-0-8317-6292-6
^ abcWilson, Hugo (1993), The Ultimate Motorcycle Book, Dorling Kindersley, p. 70, ISBN 978-1-56458-303-1
^ abcGardiner, Mark (1997), Classic motorcycles, MetroBooks, p. 55, ISBN 978-1-56799-460-5
^Setright, L. J. K. (1976), Motorcycles, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, p. 57, ISBN 978-0-297-77234-7
^Cite error: The named reference Kemp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
The NortonManx or ManxNorton is a British racing motorcycle that was made from 1947 to 1962 by Norton Motors Ltd. Norton had contested every Isle of...
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British-manufactured NortonManx motorcycle dominated the Isle of Man TT, Manx Grand Prix and other Isle of Man-based (i.e. Manx) international races...
on the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course used for the Isle of Man TT races, Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT races. The TT Course was first used as an automobile...
the Manx palm Extinct animals from the Isle of Man Manx Airlines, two defunct, Isle of Man-based airlines Manx comet, a tailless comet ManxNorton, a racing...
the 1925-1948 Velocette K series, the 1931-1957 Norton International and the 1947-1962 NortonManx. In more recent times, the 1950-1974 Ducati Single...
won the 500cc event on a Norton. He won three more events here; 1932 350cc and 500cc races and 1933 500cc race also on a Norton. Jimmie Guthrie won the...
UK for £61,980, setting a new world record for a Manx sold at auction. In 2015, a 1961 NortonManx 350cc, prepared by Beart for Jimmy Guthrie, was sold...
oscillating spring mass was the mousetrap or hairpin spring used on NortonManx engines. These avoided resonance but were ungainly to locate inside cylinder...
competed against the NortonManx. Though its 90.0 x 78.0 mm 50 bhp engine and top speed near 135 mph (217 km/h) were slightly down on the Manx, the lighter Matchless...
TT, the Senior TT and the Ulster Grand Prix. All these years he rode NortonManx models, except for the 250cc Velocette in 1957 which he failed to finish...
Agusta) wins both the 350cc and 500cc titles. 1969: Godfrey Nash riding a NortonManx becomes the last rider to win a 500cc Grand Prix riding a single-cylinder...
next four years. Although less powerful than its main competitor the NortonManx the G50 proved highly competitive at three hundred pounds and was faster...
Senior Clubmans TT and the Senior Manx Grand Prix in 1949 on the earlier type Nortons, so was a clear choice for Norton to really put the new Featherbed-framed...
NortonManx 30M 1958 5 April Bathurst Senior Tourist Trophy Eric Hinton NortonManx 30M 1959 28 March Bathurst Senior Grand Prix Jack Ahearn Norton Manx...
world championship. Nelson also passengered for Charlie Freeman on his NortonManx sidecar racer in British and International races for a number of seasons...
The Norton Featherbed frame was the classic example, but many "duplex" frames actually have a single spine beneath the tank. Examples NortonManx Suzuki...
Prix motorcycle racing world championship. When Godfrey Nash rode a NortonManx to victory at the 1969 Yugoslavian Grand Prix at Opatija, it marked the...
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