Norton Model 18

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Norton Motorcycles
Casa Che Alta Gracia3.JPG
Norton Model 18 (1935)
Model 18
Manufacturer Norton Motorcycles
Production period 1923 to 1954
class motorcycle
Motor data
air-cooled single cylinder four-stroke engine , side camshaft, overhead valves
Displacement  (cm³) 490
Power  (kW / PS ) 15.4 / 21 hp at 5,000 rpm
Top speed (  km / h) 120
Brakes Drum brakes
Empty weight  (kg) 170
Che Guevara (left) with the Poderosa II called Norton 18 (1952)

The Norton Model 18 was a motorcycle that was the first model of the English motorcycle manufacturer Norton to be fitted with overhead valves . With the Model 18, Norton did not reach the high number of the Norton 16H that was offered at the same time , of which around a hundred thousand copies were built later as an army model.

The Norton 18 became famous through Che Guevara and Alberto Granado 's trip to South America in 1951/52.

History and technology

From the side-controlled engine of the Norton 16H, which had been built since 1921, the overhead engine of the Model 18 was further developed in 1922. The engine with magneto ignition , 79 mm bore and 100 mm stroke got a new cylinder and cylinder head. The valves were no longer parallel to the side of the cylinder, but hung in the cylinder head inclined in a "V" shape. They were actuated by the camshaft, which was still located below in the crankcase, via push rods and rocker arms. In 1923, a production model 18 was first used successfully in the Brooklands 12-hour race . The standard carburetor was a 1-inch carburetor from Brown and Barlow, for the sporty driver an Amal carburetor (No. 276) in the size 1 1/16 inch was available. The drive, originally developed as a racing engine, was built into the motorcycle frame (No. 2293), which was initially open at the bottom ; The saddle tank was introduced in 1929. In 1931 the engine was revised, converted to dry sump lubrication and the magneto instead of in front of the engine housing was mounted behind the cylinder, where it was better protected from splash water. The rear wheel remained unsprung, the front wheel was guided on a Norton Webb trapezoidal fork (No. 2318). The power was transferred to the rear wheel via a four-speed gearbox with footshift and a chain. The tires on both wheels were 26 × 3.25 inches , according to another source 3.50-19. After the Second World War , production of the civil Norton 18 was continued, starting in 1947 with the “Roadholder” telescopic fork . Well-preserved machines today achieve sales prices of over 20,000  euros .

Young Che's journey

In The Motorcycle Diaries , Che Guevara describes his trip to South America, which lasted from December 29, 1951 to September 1952; also cinematically implemented in The Journey of Young Che . The Norton 18 , called Poderosa II , was driven by both Che Guevara and Alberto Granado on the first leg of the journey from Córdoba to Santiago de Chile . Frame breaks, a gearbox failure, numerous tire damages and falls (up to nine in one day) hampered the journey on the overloaded motorcycle. The motorcycle, which "gave up" on one of the countless inclines in Chile, was stored in a workshop in the Chilean capital at the beginning of March 1952. In the Che Guevara Museum in Alta Gracia today a Norton 18 can be seen, which is said to have been Guevara's motorcycle.

literature

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ About 3750 km. The Poderosa II was apparently owned by Alberto Granado, who also prepared the motorcycle for the trip. See The Motorcycle Diaries. 2005, p. 26; See [1] .
  2. ↑ "If the slightest carelessness occurs, the motorcycle rears up on the front wheel ..." says Che Guevara. See The Motorcycle Diaries. 2005, p. 29.
  3. ↑ The year of construction of the exhibit is given as 1935. Rachel Dodes of the New York Times dates the year of construction of the Poderosa II to 1939, cf. [2] . However, the original photo from 1951 suggests a post-war model (engine identical to the ES2) from 1946.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Classic motorcycle catalog. 2003, p. 118.
  2. ↑ motorcycleclassics.com Norton Model 18 (accessed July 4, 2015)
  3. ^ Ernesto Che Guevara : The Motorcycle Diaries. 2005.
  4. ↑ Jim Reynolds: Norton. 1996, p. 27.
  5. ↑ https://cybermotorcycle.com/gallery/norton-1930/Norton-1930-Model-18.htm
  6. ↑ Jim Reynolds: Norton. 1996, p. 23.
  7. ^ Andrew Kemp, Mirco De Cet: Classic British Bikes. P. 119.
  8. ↑ bonhams.com 1936 Norton 490cc Model 18 (accessed July 4, 2015)
  9. ^ The Motorcycle Diaries. 2005, pp. 34, 56.
  10. ^ The Motorcycle Diaries. 2005, p. 63.