Norton Model 50 The Underrated Sibling

SOME READERS MAY RECALL OUR APRIL 2021 feature about ‘Mike the Bike’ and his rather splendid Norton Dominator 99. Mike, we learned, is fortunate to have a shed stuffed with desirable British and Japanese classics. I also knew Mike had recently acquired a lovely 1958 Model 50 (pre-featherbed) – a classic bequeathed to Mike by his late brother, Ian, following a terminal illness. The brothers were members of the Scottish Classic Motorcycle Club, and Ian’s Norton was much admired at local classic events and during SCMC club nights. I was a fan of Ian’s 350 and had relentlessly pestered Mike for its story when writing up his 99.

I had the good fortune to swap bikes with Ian once during a classic gathering at Loch Tay, and I never forgot how much punchier and better to handle his Norton 350 was when compared to my own Ariel 350 Red Hunter. In the unfolding years since that memorable ride, Ian bought a rare Norton 500T trials model, then a very useable Matchless 500 single –