SWEETLY SINGULAR

Tony Cooper, best known in the Midlands – and way beyond – as the guy to go to when you need new life in an old magneto, happens to have a very nice but select classic stable of old British metal. In 2017 he added, or more correctly meticulously restored, a Norton Model 50. And, when you consider that he bought this bike as a box of bits, I am sure you will agree with me when I say what a super job he has made of it. Also true to his own standards, it starts with an easy kick, because Tony fitted a magneto, rather than the usual distributor that was originally fitted to this 1959 model.

Does Tony have any tips when restoring a Model 50. ‘Just a couple,’ he muses as we sit comfortably in his garden during the summer of 2019, gazing down into his pool of Coy Carp that were feeding vigorously on dog biscuits. Yes, that’s what I said – dog