Mercury production years

The Norton Mercury wasmade, and dispatched,from engine and frame numbers129146 to the last one being 129896. They were dispatched in the years,1968,1969 and in 1970. There was some of them dispatched in February 1970. Get a copy of Roy Bacon's Norton Twin Restoration, and look on pages 75 and164. There itis clearly shown, the front mounted reflectors fitted to a Norton Mercury. As forthe dates, well if it was dispatched in 1968 or Decemeber 1968, it would have been sold as a 1969 model year. If it was dispatched in February1970, it would have been sold as a 1970 model year. That is why the P11A Ranger 750's even thougth they were all dispatched in October 1968 they were all sold as 1969 P11A Ranger 750 model years. By the time they reached Berliner, in New Jersey, were assembled, sent out to dealers it would have been 1969. Only about 100 Mercurys were sold in England, as all the rest went for export.

Interesting bike. The story has it that the Mercury was only produced as a way to use up existing dominator frames and fittings and 650cc engines during the time the factory was switching to production of the Commando. Is this is fact or urban legend?

The name is interesting too. Why name the bike after a highly toxic metal? Or was this to be the first of a series of machines named after the planets?

I assume the name came from Mercury in Greek mythology , which is what the metal & the planet were named after. He had winged sandals & a winged helmet & I assume Norton picked this character for his swift flight?

I hear this same story, oh they has some parts left over so they used them all up to make bikes. Well they made over 600 Mercurys so they must have had a huge storage space for all those frames, engines, petrol tanks, geaboxes etc. This story is also told about the P11, and also the G15 series to use up the old factory stock of parts. This can not be possable be true as there was far too many bikes made to cover this so called large amount ofleft over stock. So where was and how big was this huge storage of parts warehouse based then?

It was suggested to me yesterday that perhaps another reason for the Mercury name wasbecauseMercury'simage was on top of the IOM TT trophy?

mmmmmmmmm?

Skip

Parts List for the Mercury. Was one produced? Cannot find. Anyone sell them? Would appreciate a copy if any member has ever seen one. Have Mercury 18SS/129742/P

I have two sales brochures for the Mercury and i have never seen a parts book for one. How ever i own the actual factory build book from which the factory produced their parts books from, with all the relevent Mercury parts listed in it. It measures aboutthree feet by about two feet.

Previously wrote:

I have two sales brochures for the Mercury and i have never seen a parts book for one. How ever i own the actual factory build book from which the factory produced their parts books from, with all the relevent Mercury parts listed in it. It measures aboutthree feet by about two feet.

Pity you couldn't reduce that to a suitable email size. My mercury e no is 129495. I have also not seen any specific info on the mercury spec apart from the carb info in one of the last Haycraft manuals.

Get a copy of Motor Cycle dated 11 September 1968 with a feature Norton for '69 which included the Mercury in its line up of Norton bikes. A blue brochure was also released by the then Norton Villiers Ltd Divison at 44 Plumstead Road, and this gives a full specification on the back page of the brochure. under the heading, Mercury Technical Data. It gives engine, carburettor, gearbox, electrical system, chains, brakes, oil tank, tyres and wheels, frame, forks, colours, and dimensions, all justfor the Mercury. There was also a sales brochure issued called The Norton Experience, and also in side there is a long side bar with the Mercury's specification shown also in blue.

I see your 18ss/129742/P was dispatchedto Canada in January 1970. The P being added to show that it was made in Plumstead.

Hi I looked into buying a Mercury and i still have the brochure which I picked up a Gus Kuhn's. If anyone out there wants it please email me at jordanfamily@btinternet.com. I imagine the Mercury was named because of the speed of the mythical messenger. John jordan

I worked at Gus Kuhn Motors from 1969 to 1970, so i may even given you that brochure or George the saleman would have.

A friend of mine had those Mercury decals made for the rear mudguard, in different sizes.

As for how many Mercurys were built, it is over 700 machines built and dispatched from 1968 to 1970.

I see that 18ss/129742/P was dispatched in 1970 to Birmingham, England.There was over 70 Mecurys dispatched to this location. I suspect it is Birmingham, but it is shown as B City in the records, so i would be intersted to know your location to confirm if B City is actually Birmingham in England, or in some other part of the world.

Previously wrote:

Interesting bike. The story has it that the Mercury was only produced as a way to use up existing dominator frames and fittings and 650cc engines during the time the factory was switching to production of the Commando. Is this is fact or urban legend?

The name is interesting too. Why name the bike after a highly toxic metal? Or was this to be the first of a series of machines named after the planets?

The model name Mercury was used many years ago by the James bicycle and motorcycle company. James was acquired by AMC in 1951,a year later Norton followed. The model name Commando was also used by James.The name Manxman was previously used by Excelsior.

Well if you subtract 129146 from 129896 you get 750, but that is not necessarily the number of Mercury Nortons made. There could have been a batch or two of another model inserted in that serial number sequence. The Norton Mercury does not seem to come up for sale as often as the older 650cc Nortons do.

Also it was common practice in some of the United States for motorcycles to sit in warehouses and on dealer floors for long periods of time, and then titled as the year they were sold, not the year they were manufactured.

Previously wrote:

Well if you subtract 129146 from 129896 you get 750, but that is not necessarily the number of Mercury Nortons made. There could have been a batch or two of another model inserted in that serial number sequence. The Norton Mercury does not seem to come up for sale as often as the older 650cc Nortons do.

Also it was common practice in some of the United States for motorcycles to sit in warehouses and on dealer floors for long periods of time, and then titled as the year they were sold, not the year they were manufactured.

In the Mercury dispatch records there is also allot of gaps, so the amount made and dispatched would not be just a simple case of subtracting one from the other. Only about 100 were sold in England as all the rest went for export. Allot of them also went to Norton Viillers Corporationon the west coast of America. Also 129779 was a Norton Commando.

Hi Benjamin.......a couple of facts and figures to add to the Mercury Muddle.

Youare correct about the production of Mercury Models not matching exactly inbetween the quoted firstand lastnumbers. My own factory records show Mercury, Commando and (believe it or not) several Atlas bikes with 129*** engine/frame numbers. The Atlas bikes were to complete a final batch ofoverseas military and police export orders.

I have a Mercury sales brochure which, in one section,is over-printed with the Greek Goddess, as mentioned in other threads. Check out the attachment.

There is some truth in the rumour that the Norton Factory used old model parts up to produce variations of models. But piles ofunused frames, tanks and engines is definitely a myth. What did happen on many occasions wasthe factory using up binfulls of old parts to help complete orders for export. This was a practice started after WW11 and carried on until their demise. The problem was generally caused by the factory having to book transportation space on a ship in advance of completing an export order of machines. Production delays, materials shortages, strikes etc regularly led to a batches of bikes approachingdispact day with parts still missing. Rather than missan expensive export deadline,machines would then be completed using spare partsfrom other machines. ie Robbing Peter to pay Paul.On some occasions, Norton staff were even sent off to nearby motorcycle spares suppliers to purchase items like footrest rubbers, handlebar controls etc.

Many years ago, John Hudson told me that many of the Mercury frames were constructed using inferior tubing and consequently would easily bend if either dropped or bumped up a kerb. As he both worked as an engineer/tester for the Norton factory and also owned a Norton MercuryI suspect what he said was correct.

Now is there a possibility thatan Italian factorymade these frames? I seem to recall that they certainly made quite a few duff Commando frames.

Hello Phil,

Thanks for your informed update. Interesting as usual.

I went to view a â70 Mercury about 10 years ago, which had been returned from Malta, where it had been a police model. It was dog-rough unfortunately and the owner wanted big money. It had also been re-done a bit, so no sign of any Police fittings, whatever they may have been.

Please donât take this as criticism, but in defence of Mercury, I believe he was a bloke and was employed as messenger of the gods (thatâs not to say he didnât bat for the other side, which was quite the fashion in those days).

Hence Mercury Despatch, the mob who used to fly around London, on GT250âs.

There were rumours flying about that John Hudsonâs Mercury was âacquiredâ from him in questionable circumstances as his health deteriorated, which would be a great shame, given that we owe him so much.

A braking tangent:

Mr Hudson had swapped the Plumstead floating front brake back plate on his Mercury for a Bracebridge St one, which was a sliding fit on the spindle, had AM4 linings fitted & turned to the drum and enjoyed superb braking. Whilst preparing Steve Spencerâs 88 he carried out a very similar series of mods and Steve was lapping the MGP in the 90âs. In â62 he rode the same machine to 2nd place (in the wet) in the Carrowdore100 also with competitive braking. Using an Atlas, a few years later in the Production TT, Steve had a race-prepared Commando TLS and despite the extra go, the lever was soon back to the bar despite pit adjustments and he would have been quicker on the 88.

Sorry for straying, but at least thereâs a Mercury link!

Paul

Paul .....My mistake........'Mercury a Goddess'.......I am very surprised that AJD has not shouting at me, by now, over such a gaff.

You are quite correct about the JH Mercury disappearing trick. Iknow that itspent many years behind his sofa awaiting a rebuild. But as soon as John went into hospital/care, the vultures decended and the contents of his home, including the bike, seemed to vanish overnight.

I knew John very well; having first met him,in 1974, when he was working at Park Road Motorcycles, Southampton. He and others, with aNorton connection, used to regularly meet up at the Southampton Motorcycle Club, which wasbasedin nearbyEastleigh. There, he was always willing to share his vast knowledge and experience of Norton Bikes with anyone interested in listening.After 1980, I worked abroad and lost touch withJohn until a decade later when I joined the NOC and began to correspond with him aboutDominator parts details. I then had the honour of working with John to produce the first Heavy Twin Engine Rebuild Video and several smaller projects thereafter.

By good fortune, I have managed not to lose all of the letters and notes that John sent me, over a 20 year period of time. Consequently, Inow have a huge folder of facts, figures and opinions (his) regarding a range of Norton models.Plus lots of priceless memories.

Like Neville Hinton and Peter Roydhouse, he is sadly missed by many NOC members.

Phil Hannam previously wrote on Friday May 4th at 17.26hrs:

Paul .....My mistake........'Mercury a Goddess'.......I am very surprised that AJD has not shouting at me, by now, over such a gaff.

A mere trifling detail, Phil.

With the Greeks being a bit edgy at the moment, I wouldn't want you to incur the wrath of their gods and finish up being struck by a Thunderbolt.

Or a Lightning for that matter!

Paul

Paul

I forgot to mention, in my previous contribution, that years ago an old mate, Al Read, once bought the remains of an ex-Malta Police Atlas. Like the 650 you mention there was little to show that it had been a Police machine except for a doublethickness battery box lid, large holes in both rear gusset platesand a studfixing forthe top gearbox mounting tube. This latter item was similar to the first Slimline frames which also had a non-welded top gearbox mount. The engine/frame number was very high and well past that of the first Commando number of 126*** and well past the official end of Atlas production.

Phil Hannam previously wrote on Saturday May 5th 2012 at 18.19hrs:

Paul

I forgot to mention, in my previous contribution, that years ago an old mate, Al Read, once bought the remains of an ex-Malta Police Atlas. Like the 650 you mention there was little to show that it had been a Police machine except for a doublethickness battery box lid, large holes in both rear gusset platesand a studfixing forthe top gearbox mounting tube. This latter item was similar to the first Slimline frames which also had a non-welded top gearbox mount. The engine/frame number was very high and well past that of the first Commando number of 126*** and well past the official end of Atlas production.

Hello Phil,

Iâm so glad you have introduced that here. Showing how a machine from an obsolete series can show up. Not just two years after they finished, but more than five years after Norton began welding the upper rear cross-piece to the gusset plates.

There is another interesting aspect to that change.

It was officially introduced in 1965, for frame # 111379. But it seems that by the time AMC notified Reynolds, they had already finished that monthâs batch of frames, to the previous specâs.

I have seen two of those bikes (both 650SS) which not only have the welded cross-piece, but are drilled and have the stud & nuts fitted as well. I just wish Iâd noted the numbers.

I very much doubt that scenario will appear on the respective build-sheets for those machines.

Itâs not documented, so here I am with my (dialectic) head hanging over the parapet once againâ?.

There is a Febâ70 Mercury, about 300 machines from the last of the batch, knocking around my area.

I mean knocking literally, since the owner fitted GPM pistons on 0.005â skirt clearance and they nipped up!

Paul

I have seen a slimline that was both welded and bolted at the rear mount also.....

Benjamin Gradler previously wrote on Sunday May 6th 2012 at 00.31hrs:

I have seen a slimline that was both welded and bolted at the rear mount also.....

Hello Ben,

Well, we can only speculate, analyse, second-guess, but not assume.

Both the 650âs I saw, which had been both welded & fitted with the stud were â65 models. If only Iâd written down the numbers. Any idea which year the one you saw was?

My take (wild guess, call it what you wantâ?) is that the Reynolds guys received the new specâ sheet from Plumstead, said something along the lines of:

âGoodness, gracious-me!â

Then took the batch they had just finished back down the line and welded the cross-pieces in.

Norton wouldnât have wanted redundant holes, looking like something had been forgotten, perhaps scaring potential customers that the cross-pieces might fall out, so in went the stud & nuts, along with the old style tin gusset plate, drilled appropriately.

Sorted.

Incidentally, the late Mercury Iâve seen locally was first registered in Surrey, England.

The current owner is a Consultant Psychiatrist.

Told me he had to treat himself after that last re-bore!

Paul

Previously wrote:

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If anyone could help me pls I would like to know what colours I need for fuel tank and thin wear since i want to make it all up in it s original colour (blue and silver ) Thanks

Previously dennis_galea wrote:

If anyone could help me pls I would like to know what colours I need for fuel tank and thin wear since i want to make it all up in it s original colour (blue and silver ) Thanks

H ello the colour was Atlantic Blue Try a Ford Blue

Previously anna jeannette Dixon wrote:

Previously dennis_galea wrote:

If anyone could help me pls I would like to know what colours I need for fuel tank and thin wear since i want to make it all up in it s original colour (blue and silver ) Thanks

H ello the colour was Atlantic Blue Try a Ford Blue

oh thanks for your help much appreciated i also would like to know what s the silver colour they use for fuel tank pls thanks