Small Displacement British Classic – 1959 Norton Jubilee

In England, Standard by Tim HuberLeave a Comment

Back in 1960, the U.K. introduced a new law limiting all new riders to piloting machines with a displacement of no more than 250cc (in addition to wearing L-plates). As a response to this change Norton began offering the Jubilee in 1958 (as a preemptive strategy) and it was the smallest engine the British manufacturer had ever produced. It was also their first unit construction motorcycle, meaning the engine and (and in this case 4-speed) gearbox components are in one casing together. The Jubilee would go on to be produced for eight years before Norton would pull the plug on the fun little 250 in 1966.

The Jubilee’s 249cc air-cooled twin power plant was designed by Bert Hopwood; the man behind the BSA Rocket 3, Golden Flash, the Norton Dominator, and the Triumph Trident which he did in addition to working as Triumph’s general manager and director for a time, and as if that wasn’t enough also working on the Speed Twin’s design team. Hopwood would borrow the Dominator’s main and big-end bearings to use in the Jubilee, he also opted to use an unconventional crank (where the central flywheel had a narrow section but large diameter). Because the bike had a short stroke and only made 16hp, it required high-revs to get the bike going which is a big part of what gave it its character in the era it was produced. The Jubilee did unfortunately suffer from inconsistent reliability and frequent oil leaks, however Hopwood later changed the crank’s material to a superior metal and improved the gearbox layout meaning later models didn’t suffer from the same issues.

The sale of this 58-year-old Norton example still comes with its complete original tool-kit (w/ NOS bag) and tire-pump (and stock under-seat tray), 1959 Jubilee maintenance and instruction book and official letter from the Vintage Motorcycle Club. Just based on the nicknacks that come with the bike you can safely assume this machine was well taken care of over the last half century. From the photos this Jubilee looks damn-near pristine and despite the restoration it still boasts its original head light, tail light, seat, tires, tubes, and spokes with brass nipples with said spokes having been individually cleaned and polished. This example also still has its (supposedly) factory Wipac electrics which are all intact and are reported to work great.

Over the restoration this Jubilee did get fitted with a handful of new components such as its the rear shocks, silencers, handlebars, and cables and rubber for pegs. Other components such as the rims, kick starter, rear brake rod, shift lever and exhaust pipes have all been re-chromed as well. Obviously a number of professional services were called upon during the resto-process like Super T Specialties – who went through the engine and transmission – and Tony Moro who is responsible for the bike’s professional paint job. This example only has 2,733 original miles on it and the current seller – who I believe when he says the bike was “meticulously restored” – is only the second owner.

You can find this fun little 1959 Norton R17 Jubilee for sale here on Craigslist at Texas Motorcars in Dallas, Texas with a price of $28,900. [Editor’s Note: or buy two Norton Commandos!]