It was a totally original bike, fitted with a rear rack made in London by Craven, with one of their fibreglass top cases to suit. On my next visit, I collected the Norton and spent a few days breezing around the place. It certainly was a pleasant machine to ride, with a wonderfully smooth engine, although not particularly powerful. Many say that this 500cc motor was the best of the Norton twins; with each subsequent capacity increase they became grumpier and vibrated excessively. This one had a particular aversion to having the lights switched on, which would cause it to misfire violently.
My mate Lindsay ‘Duck’ Walker was also in the country, visiting the Avon Tyre people (for which he was the Australian agent) in Bath, so I decided a ride out there was in order. Duck was staying at a flash pub
