500T petrol tank paint

Previously roger_hainsworth wrote:

The original factory finish for the lightweight steel tanks on 500T's was dull chrome.

Does anyone know for sure if the 'teardrop' shaped lined panel on top of the tank was in a silver paint basecoat, with the black and red lining to the outer edge, or did Norton simply paint the wide black and red pinstripe lines straight onto the dull chrome?

Thanks in anticipation.

Roger.

Hi Roger, I have been going through a similar quandry trying to sort out what is the definitive paint job for the tank on my 1951 ES2

i am keeping it as it is...a 40 or 50 year old repaint...and experimening with the Indian repro tanks in bright nickel plate (no chrome)

so...the more I research this the more I find that they changed the tank paint jobs daily depending on their mood. The various photos of "restored" bikes that you can quickly find on line certainly help but i've been searching for original tank photos for guidance.

Andy Tiernan Classics web site always has one or two original Nortons on current sale...plus he has a huge archive of sold bikes

if you poke around there I'm sure you will find some original examples from the same year as your bike ...the large detailed photos are great for checking out the pinstripe detail and exact decal-badge locations on that tank. you will find top views of the tank which should show you what you need to see.

Hope this helps, Grant in Toronto