CC reader Curt V.P. sent me this great shot he took on the street in Calgary, AB. This is an exquisite trio, including two of my favorite bikes.
The Norton twin is an older version with its upright engine, not the more common Commando. I’m not sure whether it’s a 650 Dominator or the mighty 750 Atlas, but it’s a splendid bike either way, and the finest of its kind. With its featherbed frame and superb engine, why did BSA and Triumph dominate sales back then? Presumably they had more production capacity, as the Norton was a superior bike.
And behind it is of course a classic BMW. I can’t make out which engine version it is, but I will admit that the tank on this generation was not my favorite, I preferred the classic taller BMW tank that proceeded this one. But that’s an easy switch.
And behind them is of course a Porsche 356B, if I’m not mistaken, as per the hub caps.
Curt called this “A chance encounter”. maybe so. Or maybe the business they’re in front of is popular with the vintage crowd. Regardless, it’s one worth stopping for.
Nice, this is kind of the upscale version of what I’ve got in my bargain counter garage
VW Beetle instead of 356
VF500 instead of BMW
C10 Concours instead of Norton
😛
Also the ubiquitous SDM in the background, definately Canada!
That’s a toaster BMW, so I believe that’ll make it a ’72. Only way you’re going to tell the engine size is to see the label on the cases. However, it appears to have a disc front brake, so I think we can safely write off the R50.
The Norton, going by the tank paint and trim has me guessing it’s an Atlas. I seem to remember that most Featherbed Norton twins sent to North America were Atlases(?), so at least the odds are good.
Back in the day it came down to a couple of reason: First off, Triumph had the biggest dealer body, followed by BSA. I’ve always assumed Norton came in third. Second, Triumph had the engine. Norton was best known for the frame. (Tritons anybody?). BSA, especially after I owned one (A50R), always had me questioning why they sold as well as they did. I can only figure dealer body, and as you got to the late Sixties, the BSA was slowly becoming a Triumph with a BSA motor – which was far and away the weakest of the three brands.
I do love how so many BMW Rxx/5’s are being caffed today. They look gorgeous with clubman bars and that seat. Back when I had mine (R90/6) anybody who owned an airhead used it for touring. Period.
+1 with Syke. BMW’s were just touring bikes back in the day. Serious touring bikes that required…ahem…a substantial investment if you wanted to play. Honda gave us the 1975 Gold Wing for a solid reason. Worked with a guy 5 years ago that had a ’73 BMW 650 that was his pride and joy; rightfully so, the bike was simply beautiful. Even if it did sound like a air cooled VW running on 2 cylinders. Because those engines were essentially a half of a air cooled VW in spirit.He never let me ride it, but the 1988 Honda ZB50 I had, which I took out to 110cc’s (thank you, pit bike craze) smoked it. Those BMW’s were as fast as a VW too.
I probably shouldn’t question Syke on motorcycle stuff, but I’m pretty sure this BMW has a drum brake in front and I’m pretty sure all /5’s had drum fronts, so it could be a 50, 60 or 75. The /5 was launched for the 1970 model year. The /6 got the front disk on the larger bikes, though as he says the R50/6 retained a drum.. I am saying this from memory … a quick search would prove me right or wrong 🙂 As for the Norton, I thought that all the 750’s, even pre-Commando, had smooth tanks with no side trim, but I’m not sure. Although I lusted for a Norton in the mid-seventies, and have ridden friends’ 750 and 850 Commandos, the modern non-partisan assessment is that the later pumped-up twins had far more engineering flaws, exposed by the horsepower they were tuned to, than the Triumph 650 twins. I think their popularity in the US could be ascribed to HP, style … and the Norton girl.
A “toaster” chrome tank /5 BMW motorcycle came with a front drum brake, 4 speed gearbox, manufactured from 1970-73 as the OHV Boxer Twin R50/5, R60/5, and R75/5 models featuring electric starters and kick starters. A clue for the front drum is the angle brace which extends from the fork to the drum housing, despite the drum being out of view.
The following series /6 BMW (’74-76 had front disc brakes with elimination of the chrome “toaster” tank side trim pieces and elimination of the standard kick starters in 1975, but with a new 5 speed gearbox supplanting the earlier 4 speed.
In 1977, the /7 motorcycle series bikes were introduced, with a new subjectively improved tank design with a more voluptuous design having more accommodating rear tank knee scallops. The R80/7, with 797.5 cc, 50 hp at 6500 rpm, 43 lb/lbs at 4000 rpm wasintroduced as an additional larger displacement model favoring torque production vs high horsepower. interestingly during the /7 production, the gearbox kick starter was an option, likely at the request of police departments for more redundant reliability. The R80 became a sweet-spot model favored by police departments for its utility and durability. The 1977 and 1978 R80’s had single front disc brakes with a rear drum brake, twin front discs became a standard in 1979.
I have owned a 1978 R80/7 with a single front disc brake and the optional kick starter for decades. In my long , amazingly reliable ownership of my R80/7 other than proving to myself that the kick started works, the kick starter has been superfluous. The R80/7 has been an amazingly comfortable, and reliable, long distance tourer, just what it was designed for, easily covering hundreds of miles in a day.
Good to see a Dominator in the flesh. People are either confused or in the know when they look at my Norton. Best opportunity to see them in mass on the east coast is in April at Washington’s Crossing in PA when the Delaware Valley Norton Riders group meets. Here’s my 12 year old helping me service my Commando
I rode a Norton Dominator in the early 80s, it was a great bike, but It went from under me on icy roads , the handlebars ripped from my hands so quickly it bent my left thumb back and it is still crooked.
2 weeks later I came off a Norton Commando, I was a pillion passenger because of the swollen left hand, I remember sliding down the road rolling over the rider and we hit the now stationary bike in the ditch, only to be hit by the saddle which became separated from the bike. We got up, laughed, put the saddle back on and rode off, the daft things you do when you are 20
Had a Suzuki GT750 , the triple 2 stroke, that developed a tank slapper rounding a motorway corner at 110, that did frighten the life out of me, stopped riding shortly after that.
Have a feet forward Honda CN250 Helix maxi scooter now and quite a collectable, bought it on a whim as I was intrigued by the automatic transmission, great for riding around country roads but not fast enough for A roads.
Don’t ride much now, lost interest in getting hurt falling off but could be tempted by a British 500 single