An engine with a big piece of History.
It is a chopped 1000cc engine, i.e. the gearbox has been cut off, "tears in eyes" because they were regarded as too slow a gear change for racing, and the clutch was a bit quirky also as they used a single plate for setting off and then a centrifugal clutch took over as speed rose.
It had a Norton Commando gearbox and clutch grafted on to it.
The engine ran on Methanol with a compression of 12 - 1 as all grass bikes ran on dope i.e. Methanol, in those days, because it gave more power and ran cooler.
Alan Fairweather, from amotherby rebuilt the engine I used in my grass outfit.
Dennis Teasdale used this engine in his grass outfit after i retired , then when he retired from racing he had someone put the Vincent engine into a Norton featherbed wideline frame still with the Norton gearbox, but the clutch was changed for a Bob Newby race item and belt primary drive, a pair of Suzuki front forks were substituted for Norton ones and a pair of front discs
The compression had been lowered so it used petrol instead of dope fuel, and it has been successfully used for Hill climbs in 2001 with Rob Bradley, the 2001 sidecar Grass champion riding it.
When I purchased it the gear lever was just reversed so the gears were down for down, up for up just as Triumph, but I am more used to one up and three down so I have converted it to such, and as it didn't have a kick-start, I have also altered a Yam 650 excess lever to fit.
gone back to norton front forks.
I couldn't bounce my passengers 1000cc Norvin off on my own 30 years ago, so I didn't fancy my chances at bouncing this one off now, so I fitted a kick-start.
I have started 1/4 mile sprinting, on petrol, with it this year. (2002)
The last weekend of April 2002 I entered the 1/4 mile sprint competition at Elvington, just outside York.
Run Number 1.
13.89 seconds.
Result : Finished 1st place.
The weekend of 11th May 2002 I entered the 1/4 mile sprint competition at Melbourne, just further along from Elvington.
Quickest Run.
13.23 seconds.
Terminal Speed.
98 Mph.
Old Class Record.
13.57 seconds.
Result : A new Class Record..
I made a few changes, in fact I am always changing things.
The latest is a new pipe. This gives an extra 10 mph.
Below you can see some of the changes, and the results to go with the new spec.
Elvington 16 June 2002
Quickest Run.
12.77 seconds.
Terminal Speed.
100 Mph.
Elvington 7 July 2002
Quickest Run.
12.13 seconds.
Terminal Speed.
110 Mph.
Elvington 11 August 2002
Quickest Run.
12.12 seconds.
Terminal Speed.
110 Mph.
East Kirkby 11 August 2002 . set new class record
Quickest Run.
12.12 seconds.
Terminal Speed.
110 Mph.
REBUILT top end , to stop it oiling plugs & smoking
2003
Getting quicker at every meeting, broken the class record at six meetings and got down to an ET time of 11.52 secs, and 115 mph running on pump petrol.
2004
Entered in the post vintage class , won the NSA sprint championship. It is believed to be the fastest vintage machine in the country with an ET time of 10.76 secs, terminal 120 mph.
2005
ELVINGTON , dropped a valve while flat out in 3rd ,destroyed front head & holed a piston,
rebuilt it with lots improvements to make it more reliable,
2006
still remains unbeaten in class BUT NOT AS QUICK AS BEFORE, but remans reliable
2007
joined straightliners, to race against jap bikes this year, certainly embarrased a few jap riders with a 56 year old brit bike
2008
joined nsa this year. run well all year .got a best time of 11.15 et 122mph terminal. at elvington
did NSA 50th anaversary sprint at SANTA POD 19/10/2008 .broke class record by over 1/2 a second
building another for next year & putting a 500 comet engine in , as a test bed for the twin
still unbeaten in class.
2009
,
ELVINGTON 19th APRIL, Down to new best time of 11.04et @ 121mph
2010
SET NEW CLASS RECORD houghton tower september sprint 998cc
see it run 4 runs, on ,U TUBE enter , dick craven vincent sprinter
2011 DONE IT , BROKE CLASS RECORD . MELBOURNE , 29/05/2011 SPRINTER 10.81 ET . 127MPH . FOR SS 1/4 mile . 102mph at 220yds .133mph at 440 yds dustbin fairing fitted .
NEXT OUT elvington june 19th
BROKE CLASS RECORD, 10.98 , ET. into a head wind
built new norvin for hill climbing 998cc , lightning eng , norton featherbed frame
DUNCAN PARK . twisty hill climb .9/7/2011 FTD with 998cc sprinter. class win with 499 comet
ELVINGTON 10.93 BROKE RECORD & CLASS WIN
EAST KIRKBY 10.91 133MPH BROKE RECORD & class win. fastest mph yet
ELVINGTON 11.09.2011 , 10.77 et 119mph . new class record
YORK RACEWAY 9.10.11 12.99 et NEW CLASS RECORD , with 500cc comet
2012
HOUGHTON TOWER hill climb 1st April 2012
new class record . 8.3 with 498cc comet
new class record. 7.4 with 998cc norvin
EAST KIRKBY 11.aug 2012
broke class record with 498cc comet 12.95 et 96mph into head wind
norvin 998cc 11.08 et 118mph into head wind
YORK RACEWAY 23 sept
norvin 998cc 11.13 et 118mph
norvin 499cc 13.40 94mph very cold & windy
YORK RACEWAY 14 OCTOBER 2012
broke class record 12.86 et 100mph with 499cc comet
norvin 998cc 11.03 et 120mph
BOTH BIKES LIGHTER FOR 2013
EAST KIRKBY 21/04/13 BOTH BIKES BROKE CLASS RECORDS
NORVIN 998cc 10.87 124mph
NORVIN 499cc 12.67 99mph
EAST KIRKBY 26/05/2013 BOTH BIKES BROKE RECORDS
NORVIN 998cc 10.79 122mph
NORVIN 499cc 12.46 102 mph
next out june 23rd elvington got to go fastest ever to break record with 998cc 500cc break record easy. I hope
who ordered a bloody strong head wind, broke record with 500cc couldn't with twin
ELVINGTON 23/06/2013 ONLY 500cc BROKE CLASS RECORD strong head wind
NORVIN 998cc 10.95 121mph record is 10.77
NORVIN 499cc 12 92 99mph record was 13.14
HOUGTON TOWER SPRINT oh dear, twin dropped a valve . ouch . 500 COMET CLASS WIN 7/ 2013
TAKEN 5 MONTHS to rebuild modify & get back to peak performance . bhp 86.08 . torque 73 ft lbs 7/12/2013
FIRST MEETING 6th APRIL 2014 HOUGHTON TOWER
disaster RAIN no grip on wet tarmac , early bath
EAST KIRKBY 13/04/2014 10.84 et 124mph 998 norvin
12.77 et 101mph 499 norvin
EAST KIRKBY 29/06/2014 10.76 et , new class record & personal best time ever
MELBOURNE 13/07/2014 11.05 broke valve spring
MELBOURNE 24/08/2014 10.85 et 120mph
EAST KIRKBY 14/09/2014 11.18 120mph too much wheelspin
ELVINGTON 21/09/2014 11.17 126mph
MELBOURNE 12/10/2014 10.99 124mph long swing arm slick & dustbin
Houghton tower 10/05/2015 7.12 new class record, old record 7.47. second fastest time of the day against modern bikes
long swing arm slick,
MELBOURNE 4/07/2015 10.64 et 126mph new class record
EAST KIRKBY 17/04/2016 10.68 et 122mph new class record. old one 10.79
EAST KIRBY 17/04/2016 13.00 et with 500 99mph
EAST KIRKBY 19/06/2016 10.90 ET 119 MPH
EAST KIRKBY 19/06/ 2016 12.80 et with 500 96 mph
MELBOURNE 02/07/2016 10.77 et 125 mph
MELBOURNE 02/07/2016 12.82 et 102 mph new class record. old one 12.93
EAST KIRKBY 11/09/2016 GEORGE BROWN SPRINT, 4 CLASSES ENTERED, 4 CLASS WINS
12.78 et 101mph 500, 10.91 et, 120 mph 998
EAST KIRKBY 9/ 04/2017 10.72 et 129 mph. 998cc
EAST KIRKBY 9/04/2017 12..98et 100 mph 500cc
MELBOURNE 1/05/2017 10.92et 124 mph 998cc
MELBOURNE 1/05/2017 13.02 et 96mph 500cc
EAST KIRKBY 18/ 06/2017 10.73 et 128 mph 998cc best ever 60 ft 1.57
EAST KIRKBY 18/06/2017 12.54 et 107 mph 499cc best ever 1/4 with 499.
EAST KIRKBY 13/08/2017 10.68 et 122 mph 998cc 1.52 60ft best ever George brown memorial
EAST KIRKBY 13/08/2017 12.66et 100 mph 499cc
EAST KIRKBY 10/09/2017 10.84et 120 mph 998cc 1.54 60ft
2011 built norvin for
hillclimbs. 998cc
J
Starting 2012. with more power on both bikes 500cc vin 40.3 @ back wheel. 998cc 85bhp at back wheel .
