1964 Norton 500cc Dominator 88
Registration no. 323 HFR
Frame no. 4101816
Engine no. 122SS/107051/P

Norton jumped aboard the vertical-twin bandwagon in 1948 when it introduced the Model 7. Designed by the legendary Bert Hopwood, the new 500cc engine went into the existing ES2 plunger-frame/tele-fork cycle parts, a marriage that necessitated a redesign of Norton's well-proven four-speed gearbox. In November 1951 Norton's 500cc twin found a new home in the racing singles' 'Featherbed' duplex frame. Initially for export only, the newcomer - titled 'Dominator 88' - was the first production Norton roadster to feature the lightweight, race-proven chassis. Updated year by year, the Dominator had received an alloy cylinder head, full-width hubs, welded rear sub-frame, alternator electrics and coil ignition by the decade's end and - for 1960 - the narrower 'slimline' Featherbed frame among countless other improvements. Motor Cycle magazine clocked 92mph on an '88' in 1957 and, needless to say, the handling and roadholding were found to be first class. The example offered here has been fitted with an engine taken from one of the high-performance Dominator 88SS models. Acquired by the vendor's late father in November 1989, '323 HFR' will require re-commissioning – including partial re-wiring – following long-term storage. The machine is offered with purchase receipt and two old MoTs (most recent expired 1989). It should be noted that both the frame and engine number are incorrectly recorded on the Swansea V5C. We understand that a new one has been applied for.