The Slimline was just a cost cutting exercise!

I have often wondered about the rationale for making the De-Luxe models. I always thought it was because Triumph were having some success with their bathtub 21s Speed Twins and Thunderbirds and Norton thought they were worth copying.

Previously wrote:

Most slimline owners believe that their frame was a developement of the wideline to narrow the top rails and make the bike more comfortable to Dwarfs, and guys who's knees normally knock together. Not so. Norton were convinced that the new bodystyled bikes was the way to go. They were right!!, just 30 years too soon.The De-luxe rear unit was in production and would have cost a fortune to re-tool, so the easy to alter featherbed frame was made to fit. All that was needed was to now convince prospective buyers of the soon to be re-dundant naked bikes that the alterations to their beloved wideline frame was in their benefit. Hence the" comfort" smokescreen. So without the DL the slimline would not have happened, Lucky or what?.Thank the DL for your ability to walk like normal people.

Hello I think you have missed the objective Of The Slimline Frame , It was nothing to do with cost cutting or the DL , its was More to do with The Export Market that in 1959 Burt Hopwood was setting up with Berliner Motors , They had feedback from the motor cycle traders that the wideline frame was uncomfortable in-between the legs on long rides , So something Had to be done, Answer the Slimline frame, Yours Anna J

I was told that if you were contemplating buying a wideline Norton, you should get a couple of weeks practice straddling the ironing board first. Sound advice, if only I had an ironing board.

Previously wrote:

Carefull where you put the hot iron Gordon. Sorry Anna i think you are wrong , All Americans are decended from bow legged cowboys and have huge doodahs , the wideline was perfect for them.

Well I am Pleased you only think, I am wrong ,but I am not wrong at all you just have to read more and you may find out, Yours Anna J

I can't get away from the idea that there was a trend at AMC, whether concious or not to make the Norton range appear less and less attractive from the mid-'50s onwards. They even managed to take the Norton gearbox, call it 'AMC' and place it at an angle that looked wrong, whilst tucking it in nicely on their own models.

Quite how the carefully styled '54 wideline turned into the rather odd-looking slimline with chrome tank embellishments fighting the line of the machine and possibly the most illogical kneegrips ever fitted remains a mystery. The odd decisions to paint the lower half of an oily machine 'Dove Grey' only compounded the problem. No wonder so many ended up as caff-racers

It wasn't until AMC's own range had disappeared that the stylists manages to get things back on track with the Commando.

I thought it was pretty well documented that they did indeed alter the frame to fit the beautiful (??!!) enclosures in production for the Jubilee because EVERYONE and his wife would be hammering on Norton's door to buy one of these lovely, streamlined and modern looking machines...............or maybe NOT! Well I like the look of them anyway!!

Cheers, Lionel

Cost cutting? The extra bends in the slimline frame must have had a cost component. Just being picky. Anyway, the slimline is quite wide enough for me. When I were a lad, I really lusted after a Norton Jubilee and thought it looked really good. Quite understandable seeing as I was riding a C11G at the time.

Previously wrote:

I can't get away from the idea that there was a trend at AMC, whether concious or not to make the Norton range appear less and less attractive from the mid-'50s onwards. They even managed to take the Norton gearbox, call it 'AMC' and place it at an angle that looked wrong, whilst tucking it in nicely on their own models.

Quite how the carefully styled '54 wideline turned into the rather odd-looking slimline with chrome tank embellishments fighting the line of the machine and possibly the most illogical kneegrips ever fitted remains a mystery. The odd decisions to paint the lower half of an oily machine 'Dove Grey' only compounded the problem. No wonder so many ended up as caff-racers

It wasn't until AMC's own range had disappeared that the stylists manages to get things back on track with the Commando.

As a '99' Wideline owner I'm finding the contributions to this blog very interesting. I'm sure if the original wideline was so uncomfortable this would have been modified at the frame developement stage. Does anyone know if there was any particular reason or advantagefor the wideline frame to be wide. Hopefully AMC politics were not involved.

Personally Iâve never understood the debate about the Wideline being uncomfortable. My 1957 model 99 is very comfortable as is my 1961 Slimline Model 50. I donât notice much difference between the two bikes. Maybe Iâm just Norton shaped !!

Sorry Anna (Dixon) - Robert Tuck is spot on about how the Slimline Frame came into existence.

Unlike Triumph (who tried to make their smaller bikes look like their bigger machines), Norton designers had the urge to style the bigger bikes after their new, ultra modern, (enclosed) Jubilee model.

Although the tail portion suited both frames (Jubilee & Featherbed), the side panels could not be made to fit as they were. The panels were elongated and the frame was pinched in at the front of the seat to allow the panels to wrap around.

The fact that the frame was more comfortable was a bonus!

(One of the top people told me this years ago. Could have been John Hudson?)

Speaking as the posessor of a cracked pelvis I definitely prefer the Slimline!

hello sorry too tell you your all think UK ONLY here, when Burt Hopwood was think export or DIE its all to do with sales and not in this country ether The export market was more important , Just like to day with the new Norton set up there making Export bikes and Us lot will have to wait and this its the real truth behide it all .

Perhaps we are thinking UK only because most of us live here. Were many De Luxe models exported? No idea but would suspect not. Figures please.

Previously wrote:

Perhaps we are thinking UK only because most of us live here. Were many De Luxe models exported? No idea but would suspect not. Figures please.

Well let see Now the First twin the Model 7 was Exported before UK customers got hold of it ,And So it was with the Model 88 and the model 99 then the Nomad and Then the Manxman 650 and the Atlas , And Then the Commando were the biggest part of these machine were of Export , So we Have the results and it look like Most of Norton Models were For Export first before the uk got them , And its no different NOW The New (961) most of these are being built for export. so the Slimline Frame a Export offering this is way it was done in the first place, for Export reasons , that why the restyling was done for sales over seas the UK market was just a spin off from this , and its the same with other country's, To in Japan you could not get the bikes in japan that was being sold here until later in the year , Even in East and west Germany they Exported every thing first Before they were sold in there own country ,

If the Slimline was purely down to US rider comfort, how do you explain the fact that they did exactly the opposite with the Commando? It started out as a fairly narrow fastback, then they added the equally narrow 'S' & 'R' types & the even narrower Hi-rider, then, mainly down to American requests for longer range between fill ups, they brought out the Interstate, with a much wider tank & seat which is even more of a stretch than the wideline for the, shall we say, less vertically endowed.

Regards, Tim

doodahs??? doodahs???

I always wondered what that song was about:

Lyrics by Stephen Foster

'deCampptown ladies sing this song,Doodah, DoodahThe Camptown racetrack's five miles longOh, de doodah day

When I was resting between engagements, either the 850 Mk 3 Interstate or the 99 had to go. The Interstate went. The reason was basically that it was too big for me. If I stopped on a camber and put the wrong foot down, over I went. Not a great way to impress the onlookers. I think I did the right thing, didn't I?

Previously wrote:

If the Slimline was purely down to US rider comfort, how do you explain the fact that they did exactly the opposite with the Commando? It started out as a fairly narrow fastback, then they added the equally narrow 'S' & 'R' types & the even narrower Hi-rider, then, mainly down to American requests for longer range between fill ups, they brought out the Interstate, with a much wider tank & seat which is even more of a stretch than the wideline for the, shall we say, less vertically endowed.

Regards, Tim

Hello Tim Its was not just US riders Norton was selling to the world Thought an US exporter and Importer , He just did not deal with Norton only He had other motorcycles In the Sale listing as well , Bike like Ducati . NSU . DKW . ,And poor old UK was The bottom of the List, its Just Like today with Norton Motorcycle , the British customer As to wait a long time to get his nice new Norton Commando 961 ,Because all Sale now are for export, to the world ,

Robert:

I think that you meant whatever the Camptown Ladies were singing about!

Previously wrote:

If the Slimline was purely down to US rider comfort, how do you explain the fact that they did exactly the opposite with the Commando? It started out as a fairly narrow fastback, then they added the equally narrow 'S' & 'R' types & the even narrower Hi-rider, then, mainly down to American requests for longer range between fill ups, they brought out the Interstate, with a much wider tank & seat which is even more of a stretch than the wideline for the, shall we say, less vertically endowed.

Regards, Tim

Well Tim this is the Commando a different story all to gether to the Featherbed Frame Models, They started with a slim down look and they could change the styling parts as they need to, the Interstate another marketing ploy for long distance riders all the results of fed back from US riders , its this that drives the motorcycle market. Rider needs, Yours Anna J

Previously wrote:

I have often wondered about the rationale for making the De-Luxe models. I always thought it was because Triumph were having some success with their bathtub 21s Speed Twins and Thunderbirds and Norton thought they were worth copying.

hello Triumph did this Because Scooters were out selling Motorcycles ,so Triumph came up with the idea of making motorcycles look like scooter, another marketing ploy that worked until it fell out of favor with the buying public .Norton were just too late in the day for there models to have any in pact on sales. these are the facts, yours anna j

Previously wrote:

Sorry Anna (Dixon) - Robert Tuck is spot on about how the Slimline Frame came into existence.

Unlike Triumph (who tried to make their smaller bikes look like their bigger machines), Norton designers had the urge to style the bigger bikes after their new, ultra modern, (enclosed) Jubilee model.

Although the tail portion suited both frames (Jubilee & Featherbed), the side panels could not be made to fit as they were. The panels were elongated and the frame was pinched in at the front of the seat to allow the panels to wrap around.

The fact that the frame was more comfortable was a bonus!

(One of the top people told me this years ago. Could have been John Hudson?)

Hello I am sorry to say its was all down to Marketing and the styling of the day. And Noting what so ever do not with Cost cutting , Anna J