Stuart Dixon, who last year sent us a picture of his 350T Norton asking for information, has followed it up by showing the machine fully restored.
His father came across the bike in Northern Ireland in 2015, and at first wasn’t sure if its specification was correct, but after some research on the web and help from the Norton Owners’ Club, it was soon confirmed to be quite a rare find.
In an article about Norton trials bikes, the NOC mentions the 350T, stating that in 1947 it was used by works riders. The plan had been to have a production model ready by September 1947, but Stuart can find no record of this ever being released.
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The 350T was heavy and underpowered, but in December 1947 Norton fitted a 500cc engine and this became known as the 500T.
Upon stripping the engine of his machine, Stuart found that it had bronze valve guides, a sure sign that it was a competition machine. The inlet cam has a slightly higher lift than the exhaust, allowing more fuel into the chamber.
The bike, which has matching numbers B13T XXXX, was sent from Norton’s to Alexander’s
in Edinburgh in 1947, and appears to have remained there for over a year, possibly being used in competitions, before being sold on.
It appeared in Northern Ireland at some stage, but no other history is known.
Once the bike had been restored, says Stuart, it started on the third kick.
From the accompanying pictures, the oddly-shaped front downtube and hump on the top tube below the tank can be seen. This is how Norton shortened the bike by an inch and a half, and not because, as someone suggested to Stuart, it had hit a wall.
Read more News in January’s issue of OBM
