The Norton Model 99 Dominator

WHEN THE NORTON ‘DOMINATOR’ 99 WAS launched in 1957, Norton claimed it could reach 100mph. That was a lie. The 587cc machine could actually cruise at speeds up to 112mph, reaching 50mph in five seconds. So its name, ‘Model 99’ – which was intended to reflect its speed capabilities – is something of a misnomer. This powerful bulk of a machine really ought to be called the ‘Model 112’. But that doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, does it?

So, when the opportunity arrived to test the Model 99, aka the ‘Dominator’, I was keen to put it to test and equally, compare my riding experience with those of the original testers, whose reports were published in The Motor Cycle and Motor Cycling when the Model 99 ‘Dominator’ was first launched in 1957.

And thanks to the National Motorcycle Museum, was able to borrow one for a day. We took the machine out to the winding country lanes that line the and testers back in 1957.