Norton 1949 500T Trials Replica. Many genuine 500T parts. Very good bones

Description

This bike was put together in 1983 in the UK. The parts are mostly 500T a genuine motor. engine plates. oil tank. fork shrouds & fuel tank. Wheels. footrests and dolls head gearbox are also correct. The saddle is a genuine Dunlop but cracked. Last ran in 1997. The magneto is a correct (but not for 1949) Lucas N1 model. sadly it has no spark. The frame is a Ex WD 16H as per the first 500Ts introduced in 1949. I bought this from my uncle and imported it into Canada along with a genuine factory 1953 500T in 2009. Sold the 1953 and stored the 49 to work on later in retirement. My health will likely leave me unable to do this. My loss could be your gain. These sell in UK for up to 6K pounds as a replica. My reserve is about half of that so there is a reasonable amount of money to be made here and a great deal of satisfaction in putting this machine back in the field. The speedometer is not the original one and needs a rebuild. Some details gleaned from the Norton Owners Club

"A return to the open frame Model 18s used in the immediate pre-war years was the basis for Rex McCandless's reworking of a WD 16H. with a short wheel base and fitted with reinforced alloy mudguards. the alloy version of Norton's 1938/47 engine was retained. The fork yokes were revised to bring the fork stanchions nearly parallel with the steering head and a light gauge steel petrol tank with single bolt attachment provided a unique feature. originally painted in the manner of a Manx tank. production machines had a dull plated finish. Massive steel footrests attached to the bottom of the alloy engine plates had been the work of Terry Hill. A low level exhaust system ran the pipe under the engine timing cover. The front brake had a 5-1/2" drum. but when production models appeared. they had the road bikes 7" drum. extensively lightened and fitted with an alloy brake plate. An alloy version of the redesigned 1948 engine was in use on factory and production bikes by the year's end. Standard gearing was 5. 6; 8. 3; 13. 15; 18;5. A BTH KD1 magneto provided the sparks.

After its debut. the production model received very little development. Chrome shortages saw paint finishes on tanks and rims. The gearbox end cover was modified to make it easier to change the kickstarter spring and the Wellworthy Company produced head and barrel using their patent AI-Fin system. which had originally been developed for aircraft engines. An 8" front brake was fitted in 1954. Other companies continued to improve their machines and 1954 was to be the last year when rigid framed trials machines were campaigned by the major factories. AMC were on the point of introducing their own sprung trials machines and saw no point in Norton taking a slice of the market. Twenty five 1954 models were built. these terminated the production run which between 1947 and 1953 had seen a total build of some 850 machines. It is thought that nearly 200 still survive. "

I will provide quite a few books and pamphlets to the buyer. I have been a member of the NOC for the past 5 years so you can have all my Norton info if you are going to restore this bike properly. I will also supply the UK documentation. Shipping is your responsibility. however I will construct a crate for the price of the lumber if it is needed. Be reasonable and I will work with you.

Also published at eBay.com