1936 Norton Model 16H, 490cc, Project. Registration number N...

Hammer

£2,000

1936 Norton Model 16H, 490cc, Project. Registration number NSV 203. Frame number 65839. Engine number W34556.
Norton relied on proprietary engines in its formative years - winning the inaugural Isle of Man TT with a Peugeot-engined machine - before introducing its own design of power unit in 1907. The long-stroke sidevalve single displaced 633cc and the new model it powered became known as the 'Big 4'. Smaller capacity versions followed and in 1911 the '500' adopted the classic 79x100mm bore and stroke dimensions that would characterise the half-litre (actually 490cc) Norton for the next 50 years. Norton's new sidevalve was among the fastest in its class, being the first machine under 500cc to be officially timed at over 70mph, which was some going for 1911. Small wonder that the slogan 'Unapproachable' began to be applied to the Norton singles at around this time.
The 490cc engine was revised for 1914 and the following year gained a new, lower frame together with the option of a Sturmey Archer three-speed gearbox. When fitted with chain drive, the 490cc sidevalve single became the 'Model 16' in Norton's numbering system, and then changed to '16H' in 1921 when another new frame was introduced, again lower than its predecessor. Norton's trusty 16H sidevalve would be continuously up-dated for the next 30-plus years before taking its final bow - along with the Big 4 - in 1954.
NSV was owned by Gary Flew of Hull in 1983 and our vendor found it as a dismantled project some 30 years ago. He began a restoration, which has stalled.
Sold with the V5 and various spares, prospective purchasers should satisfy themselves as to the completeness of this project.