Walter Barlow continues his excellent series of event recaps from the east coast with a look at the Gathering of the Nortons. Have you seen his stories from the Modern Classics Motorcycle Show: the main event, the parking lot, and bikes for sale?
2025 Gathering Of The Nortons
Story by Walter Barlow
I went to the 30th Annual Gathering Of The Nortons 4/27- put on by the Delaware Valley Norton Riders. I guess this was about the 20th (+/- 5) one I’ve been to; and it’s always an early season treat. As I did with the Martin Moto Show, I’ll provide a link at the end of this to the photo gallery, so don’t worry – there will be a lot of Nortons if that’s your jam.
But I’ll use this article to highlight some of the bikes there that are my jam, and supply some random thoughts about Nortons and some other things motorcycle-related.
Nortons figured mightily in my introduction to motorcycling- I think I previously mentioned that my first ride was on the back of my best friend’s 1969 metalflake blue Commando S – and it left a lasting impression. So I’ve always had a warm place in my heart for them.
Random Norton Thought #1
Funny thing though: and I think this thought has been rolling around my mind for several years but just became coherent recently. See, back when Commandos first came out, Nortons were considered pretty serious motorcycles, owned and ridden by pretty serious motorcyclists: more so in my opinion than most other motorcycle brands. I’m tempted to say “other brands”; but will hold off on that thought to forestall a brand war lol. Be that as it may, in the argot of the day, they were very much a “man’s machine” with all that implied – and one of the ways that was manifested was that most of them weren’t particularly well kept cosmetically. I don’t mean they were all dirty or crummy looking – just that most of the owners didn’t spend a lot of time trying to keep them showroom fresh looking.
Here’s an example of what I mean. Disregard the fact that it’s a pretty rare S model, this Commando looks representative of what a generic Norton might have looked like in the late 60’s/early 70’s.
Yes, the bikes had fine lines, with a fair amount of interesting colors with some heavily flaked metalflake ones, and understated shiny bits. As an aside, the bike above was listed on Facebook Marketplace for $500 1 day before the Norton Gathering (try to find an S exhaust system for that price). I think it sold within a matter of hours.
Now however, I look at most cleaned up Nortons and think– “that’s a pretty bike”.
James Lansdowne Norton would roll over in his grave if he read that.
Ok, some of my favorites from the show.
Honda VF500F
The smallest of the groundbreaking V-fours that Honda introduced in the mid 80’s. An absolute jewel of a motorcycle that had (iirc) a fatal crank or rod big end related engine flaw. Fortunately, Honda caught it before many got into customer hands, and replaced hundreds (thousands?) of engines in a dockside warehouse before they went to dealers. It’s a story that’s still cloaked in mystery – I don’t think a definitive story has ever come out. But the important thing is that it essentially wasn’t a problem that customers had to deal with. There are “stories” of dropping valves but they’re pretty rare. Other than that, the bikes were quite spectacular – great handling and braking, good power, smooth, very good fit and finish, and killer looks. The sporting VF family all had issues – the 750 had “soft cams” (seemed to be rampant in the UK, but may have been typical Brit press hysteria), and the 1000 had top end oiling issues that led to scored cams (I’ve had 5 VF1000Fs over the years, and only 1 had the problem – it flaked the cam lob and “ticked”, but ran fine). Regardless, all the bikes were terrific performers and remain viable daily rider motorcycles today.
And the VF troubles really got Honda’s attention – so when they came out with the VFR in 1986, theydid their best to make it bulletproof.
And speaking of VFRs, here’s one of the best looking in the 8 generations of VFRs. Clean & crisp lines – Honda was wise in the path they chose for the VFR (compared to the other 750cc sportbikes): it was a superior streetbike and if it was a tick or two behind at trackdays, the difference was probably the rider.
But it has to be said – Honda disappointed their fiercely loyal VFR base big time by not giving owners what they wanted after Gen 6: 1000cc V4, good suspension, comfortable ergos, and a competitive electronics package. The VFR1200F was and is a good bike- but wasn’t what most VFR owners wanted.
Random Norton Thought #2
As mentioned, I’ve been to probably at least 20 of these DVNR events as well as two Norton Nationals, and a few general Brit & Euro themed bike events over the past 50(!) years and am consistently struck by how few Dunstall Nortons or even Dunstall-equipped bikes are there (and they’re something I look for). They (and I need to include the Gus Kuhn Nortons) were top of the Norton food chain back then, and with such a loyal Norton fan base, I just can’t understand why you never see them. I can’t remember the last time I saw the beautiful 2-1-2 exhaust with Decibel Silencers or the dual disc setup; not to mention the dolphin fairing and distinctive tank/bodywork, Even the relatively common at the time Dunstall clipons/rearsets combo are not to be seen much these days. Here’s an example of what I mean (web pic – not at the event)
Granted, there were probably not a lot of them, but you’d think that since folks spend the time, effort, and money to resurrect “regular” Nortons, enough people would make the effort to restore/preserve these very special ones. Who’s got the answer to this mystery?
Back to some bikes.
Two of my favorites, owned, ridden, and enjoyed: Rubberband Ducati 900SS (aka Supersport). CR versions (always with a ½ fairing) were slightly down spec on a couple of components but provide pretty much the same experience. Some SS versions came with ½ fairings if you like that look more than the full fairing; and are usually slightly lower priced. Either way – one of the great used bikes currently available. Trust me on this.
Ducati round case 750 GT. Great bikes still. Unfortunately, they’ve become extremely pricey the last few years which is a shame (for potential buyers), as have Roundcase Sports and SSs which despite legendary performance at the time, are murderously uncomfortable bikes to actually ride around on the street. So if you’re more concerned about how the bikes work than about saying “I have a roundcase”, or are just smitten with the way the motor looks, check out the 860/900 versions. I doubt you’ll be disappointed in how they work, the enhanced reliability, and the lower cost. And don’t worry – you can do something about the looks if you want lol.
Got to show some respect to some pretty old bikes (and their riders) for riding to the event. A Norton of unknown vintage. Talk about patina!.
Props to this old BMW & its rider for being ridden to the event – equal parts patina and just dirt lol.
And good to see a legacy Indian making an appearance.
Random Norton Thought #3
Ok, let’s say you really like the “idea” of Nortons. Maybe not necessarily for the way they look, but the way they ride, handle, use old tech to work pretty well, and just like the vibe(s) they give you while riding them (or imagine they do if you’ve never ridden one). But you’re nervous about their unreliability reputation (somewhat valid back in the day, but much better now due to things like a Japanese carb conversion, electronic ignitions, better quality wiring, extensive knowledge base, etc.) and/or the feeling that you just don’t feel up to maintaining an old Brit bike- or suffering the indignity of maybe not being able to kick start it with people watching (I wonder what the medical term is for this type of performance anxiety. Ideas?).
If you’re that guy (or, unlikely as it may be, that gal), you might be wondering what might be an alternative to a 50 year old Norton or, put another way, is there anything relatively modern that will provide similar riding experience without the aforementioned downsides?
Well, in my opinion, the answer is decidedly yes! And that answer is a Buell “Tuber”; so named because the frame is made from welded steel tubes, as God and the old Brit motorcycle industry intended. Think about it – both have really old tech air-cooled pushrod engines that had no business aging as well as they did, given injections of new life by creative engineering solutions – providing decent power, a great sound, and very satisfying power delivery characteristics. Additionally, both mount these highly vibrating engines in clever frames that result in a pretty smooth ride while providing pretty good handling. Both brands took a basic design and built different versions that were different enough to be legitimate versions while retaining the fundamental goodness of the basic package.
They are also at their best/most enjoyable on backroads running at about a 70-80% clip. In that realm, it’s uncanny how similar they feel. I’ve maintained in the past that the tubers were spiritually legitimate descendents of Commandos (I probably just pissed off the majority of Norton and Buell owners lol). All the main differences favor the Buells – much better braking, sharper handling, tubeless rims, better components, parts support, etc. So, in summary, a Buell Thunderbolt, Lightning, or S3T might be the Norton you’re afraid to buy.
Here’s a pic of my favorite one- an S3T in this color combo.
BTW – I have about 30,000 miles of Buell tuber miles under my belt, about twice what I have on Commandos, so this is not just idle speculation.
Almost there.
In the Martin Moto article I wrote about Royal Enfields 700/750s from the old days- but expressed disappointment that no “chrome tank” Interceptors were there. Much to my delight, two were at the Norton event, as well as a nice blue one.
OK, time to wrap this up. How about some two strokes?
Suzuki X6 Hustler (TC250 Scrambler version). Like the Kawasaki A7 Samurai, the X6 Hustler was another notice that the times they were achangin’. 6 speeds, pretty good handling & brakes, oil tight, auto oil/gas mixing.
And here are some of the ring dings that emphasized beyond doubt that the times had changed by the 70s. Never has such a giant killer looked so innocuous:
A more accurate representation that would strike fear into the hearts of knowledgeable “big” 650/750 riders on a twisty road.
After establishing themselves with the Mach III and Mach IV, Kawasaki moved the fun downward a little. Dig that period luggage rack!
Top dog – a Gamma; still cool, if not so crazy, after all these years.
I guess I should show my favorite Norton at the event. I love the red and blue ones, and the black/gold pinstriping has an undeniable classic appeal: but this is the bike I liked most at the show – beautifully detailed as were many of them: it was what looked like Decibel Silencers and the unusual green color that decided it for me. I don’t remember if it was even a factory color (or colour, if you choose)- but if not, it should have been. No comment about the helmet though LOL.
That’s it for highlights – plenty more bike pics and some commentary in this link.