1929 Norton 490cc CS1
Frame no. 38782
Engine no. CS39087

Like the majority of their contemporaries, Norton relied on the sidevalve engine until the introduction of its first overhead-valve design in 1922, and the resulting Norton Model 18 was a big success on the road. On the racetrack however, Velocette had shown the way forward when its overhead-camshaft KTT romped away from the field in the 1926 Junior TT, and Norton responded with its own similar engine the following year. Designed by Walter Moore, the Norton motor retained the firm's traditional 79x100mm bore and stroke dimensions, employing bevel gears and a vertical shaft to drive the cams in KTT fashion. The cycle parts too were new, a cradle frame and saddle tank appearing for the first time on the works CS1 racer, which scored a debut win in the 1927 Isle of Man Senior TT with Alec Bennett riding. The production version of the new CS1 duly appeared at the Motor Cycle Show later that same year and continued as Norton's top-of-the-range sports machine until the introduction of the International. Today this rare landmark model is one of the most sought after of all Norton motorcycles.

A 1930 model built in November 1929, this particular CS1 was purchased by the current vendor from its immediately preceding owner who had kept it in his private museum since the late 1970s. We are advised that the engine has been got running and seems in good order, although further re-commissioning will be required before the machine is fit for further use. All gears seem to engage. A small quantity of spares comes with the machine to include a Lucas dynamo and associated mounting plates together with the original 'George Dance' rubber knee grips. Accompanying documentation consists of a Swansea V5C and VMCC dating certificate, the latter stating that the engine was manufactured in 1928.