Norton is a British motorcycle brand founded in 1898. By 1913 they had begun manufacturing motorcycles. This began a long series of production and racing wins.

Post war the Norton brand was reknowned for the quality of the design and handling of their motorcycle frames, particularly the Norton Featherbed frame. So much so that Cafe racers would use this frame with an engine from another manufacturer to make a hybrid machine with the best of both worlds. The most famous of these were Tritons - Triumph twin engines in a Norton frame.

By the late 1960s competition from Japan had driven the whole British motorcycle industry into a precipitous decline.

In 1973 Norton was reformed by the British government as Norton-Villiers-Triumph (NVT), taking the Triumph brand from BSA.

In the 1980s, the company went through several incarnations. It had some success making motorcycles for police forces and civilian versions, including the Wankel engined Norton Commander (Motorcycle). By the 1990s more troubles had arrived. For a brief period the name had a life as a restorer of old Nortons. Most recently a completely redesigned Commando has begun production in Oregon.

Models

Post War

Norton Commando

Revival period

Norton Commander

See also