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Norton PII
Norton's PI I 'desert sled' was one
of the British industry's inspired compromises. Something of a 'parts-bin
special' it was a mix-and-match combination of parts from Norton and parent
company AMC, designed to suit the American market and originally for export
only. The result was so good that the few that found their way
onto British roads, rapidly achieved cult status. With the enormous popularity
of powerful, off-road twins that began in the 1980s, it can be seen as a machine
that was way ahead of its time.
The PI I predated Norton's more famous Commando, but in many ways it shared
similar reasons for existence.
The firm's Dominator twins had been
developed to the limit while - despite the pedigree of its Featherbed frame-
their 750cc derivative the Atlas was starting to look its age. With the cutbacks
becoming a necessity in the mid 1960s, AMC was keen to reduce model variations
and dispose of stock.
America still formed a big part of
the market, where leisure motorcycling was far more significant than in Britain.
Off-road sport in particular had long been an important sales area, and it was
this that led to the launch of the PI I. AMC's US distributor suggested that it
might be possible to construct a machine especially for the popular West Coast
desert races. AMC's Matchless G85CS had satisfied just such a market.
Essentially a racing 500cc engine in a lightweight
That same power could gel out of
hand on the road, where with off-road tyres ; a short wheelbase its handl was
not always as sun as expected.
Any criticism its road performar missed the point, I no scrambler wa equipped to
dea with a performa of well over I OOr on the tarmac. Lightweight, lean and purp
to build, because the Nor Matchless frame and neec Their schizophrenic exis that
scrambler frame, it had been very successful, but was being outpowered. And so
the PI I was born.
The Atlas engine together with the
lightweight Matchless frame produced a brutal power to weight ratio. The tank
was as small as practicable and made of alloy. Mudguards, silencer, side panels
and other fittings followed suit. Everything was built for one purpose only -
winning. Win it did. In its intended home of the Mojave desert the PI I reigned
supreme in the closing years of the 1960s.
That same power could get out of
hand on the road, where with off-road tyres and a short wheelbase its handling
was not always as sure as expected.
Any criticism of its road performance missed the point, for no scrambler was
equipped to deal with a performance of well over lOOmph on the tarmac.
Lightweight, lean and purposeful, these machines were costly to build, because
the Norton engine was a tight fit in the Matchless frame and needed special
spacers to match up. Their schizophrenic existence was obvious from the fact
that a near-identical model was sold as the Matchless N15CS. But whatever their
identity, the package worked lerbly well. When th models were scontinued in 1969
they had already become a legend. |
