1955 Norton Model 19 Help needed

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Hello,

I have a 1955 Model 19 which has been in the family for over 50 years. I am finally getting around to rebuilding it and would be grateful for some advice on the following if anyone could help please:

1. Petrol tank details. The style and type of cap, kneegrip type and fixing. I have recently purchased a 1937 Ariel instrument panel tank, chromed and panel painted red, lined out in gold with cap, instrument panel and reasonable quality petrol taps Inc postage and taxes for under £300 from India and it is of good quality. For the Norton tank I am looking to get hold of the details for accuracy purposes.

2. Mudguards. I do not currently have Mudguards for the 1955 model 19. Advice on detail or contacts would be appreciated.

If anyone in the Worcestershire or midlands area has a Norton of this type, I would really appreciate a conversation.

Thanks,
Matt

To help you…

...I attach screenshot of the 1955 sales brochure which can be found in the tab Library/Brochures book. Download then click on the three bars to select your year.
You will also find spares lists related to your machine (only a few of the items are illustrated) which will give you the right part number to give the manufacturer the type you are looking for.
Jon

Attachments

IMG_0091_0.png

singles

hi i have the same model and year, Dad bought it new in 1956 .I still use it but fit a single sprung seat on longer trips.

Hi Matthew

I'm in Redditch if that's any help. I don't have a single at the moment but sold my 1952 ES2 last year - obviously this was a plunger model and your 19S will be swinging arm. I had a friend in the 1970s who had a bike like yours and it performed well.

As for tank details, I did my own and they're in my signature pic - below is a better picture of the tank. I think they did vary and a lot of people will nitpick. I didn't have mine chromed as (a) it's prohibitively expensive and (b) the shortage of nickel in the early 1950s meant that some tanks weren't chromed.

I did quite a lot of research before I painted mine. It's worth popping over to the National Motorcycle Museum but beware - some of their bikes aren't completely original if that's what you're after.

tank top

tank left

Is it...

... a 19S (swinging arm frame) or 19R (rigid)?

Norton model 19s 1955

Thanks for replying, it's a Norton model 19s, I am short of a few parts like the top fork shrouds,tool box for the left hand side, and a front wheel hub complete, I think it should be an 8 inch? I have 3 rear wheels 1 full width hub, 1 narrow brake drum 16h? and 1whitch I think is correct so the other 2 I will sell or swop for a front hub, I also have a couple of oil tanks to sell. 1

1955 ES2 petrol tank

I still have my 1955 ES2 and have stabled it since 1970. I can take photos of my refurbished tank to show the detail on the top of the tank, below the headstock. This is different to Ian's picture above and only matters if you want it as original as possible.

The knee grips with the two screws for fixing is correct, but this is the time when they were changing to stick on knee grips, possibly 1956. Not many people know this, so use whatever you have to get the bike on the road.

Attachments

Norton ES2 LH side.JPG

1955 model 19s

The records officer Paul Watkins dated the frame and engine number as1955 there are no screw holes so they are stick on tank rubber knee grips.,I haven't asked the club yet if they are available.the badges I presume are circular with 2 -5/8" centres.screw threads?6BA or 1/8×40tpi?.again I haven't asked about availability of badges and screws.thanks for offering to send photos but I have the original outline still on the tank as a faint outline . this isn't my first Norton I had a rigid model T which I was rebuilding, slowly as I was an impoverished engineering apprentice, sold it in about 1969 for £100 as I wanted to go vintage racing on a 500cc VH Ariel that I was building out of a pile of bits , I finished it, and had a lot of fun. My dad had a couple of Nortons a CS1 which he sold to Jim Bowen in about 1965/6 for £200-00.his other Norton was a1927 model 18 regTX3097 he sold that in about 1973/4 to buy a sailing boat, I still have a photograph on the wall of him with Jock Nixon on the pillion setting of on a very early VMCC rally in his RAF fatigues.well I'd better get moving with this project time is pressing, 75 in 6 weeks.regards,Matt Barton.

Instrument panel?

The first post here mentioned an Aerial Instrument panel tank, if you have any thoughts of fitting such a thing then bear in mind one very serious problem, any removal of the tank necessitates disconnection of all the instruments! The speedo is no issue (if so fitted) , but the electrical bits will be, especially if the ammeter is in there. My suggestion with the switches is to fit some form of disconnection that is easily reconnected with 'markers' or such to allow easy reconnection. Disconnecting a switch by unscrewing the wires then finding them unmarked every time you take the tank of is NOT to be encouraged.

I am sorry that you made a bit of a hash when talking about the

I am sorry that I made a bit of a hash of it when talking about the ariel tank that I have just bought from India, and how impressive the quality is what I should then said is that they do a finished chromed tank for about £300 including postage and import tax for the Norton model 19s. I have the original tank , it has2 small dents,rusty but sound inside, would have to be chromed,painted, lined, badged,cost considerably more than £300.matt Barton

Paint lining on Indian supplied tanks

I've no experience of Indian tanks but have noticed that their lines on the tank are incorrect at the front top, under the head stock. I think they have used the same painters that do the Royal Enfield tanks! Also, perhaps make a template for the fixing bolt holes to make sure these are in the right place.
As you have the original tank then take photos of it and send with any order so that they may get it right.
In the meantime you can still fit the original tank for test rides!

1955 ES2

I am in Kidderminster and have a 1955 ES2. The tank was refurbished by the previous owner who spent a lot of money on it. It's chromed and then painted. You're welcome to come and look.

Ian

Norton tank

Thank you very much for your offer to let me have a look at your Norton, this would be very helpful to me as my Norton is in a state of disassembly (big lumps) with some parts missing,mostly tinwear parts, my knowledge of Nortons is not very good at the moment so any helpful information will be appreciated , my phone number is 07804597517.regards matt Barton .