ONE can never chat for long with Mr. Norton without hearing something of interest, and on the occasion of our last visit to his works he had much to reveal.
The latest novelty is a cylinder which may be used continuously under fairly heavy load and yet remains so cool that one can bear one's hand on the cooling ribs. Naturally, the construction remains a secret, and to the outward eye there is nothing unusual in the design.
A 350 c.c. engine is on the stocks, but the firm have no intention of marketing the machine, at any rate for the present, and it is being built up purely as an experiment. On the other hand, as soon as, time and pressure of business permit, Mr. Norton intends to continue the manufacture of the little two-stroke which appeared on his stand at Olympia, under the name of the Nortonette, as long ago as 1910. The design will be somewhat altered, but the main features will be the same.
We were lucky enough to see an advance model of the 1915 T.T. type, which is undergoing tests. The frame has a dropped top tube and flush lugs are no longer employed. The engine remains practically the same, but the long exhaust pipe has a tubular expansion chamber welded into it. In the future all Norton frames will be made up with sidecar lugs brazed in, and the finish will probably be in black and gold. A three, or possibly a four-speed, gear box is to be fitted to touring models, and experiments are at present being carried out with various types of gear.
The Motor Cycle, July 30th, 1914. p161
