1962 Norton 500cc Twin Pictures
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1962 copy of the 1961 Doug Hele experimental short stroke 500cc Norton twin on which Tom Phillis finished 3rd in the 1961 senior TT. Tom put the DomiRacer in the record books recording the first 100mph plus lap by a push rod twin.
Thanks to George Hunt for this picture.
Norton never made a “short sroke” twin racer. All of their 500cc twin racing bikes were standard bore and stroke, even the top development Domiracer which did the 100 mph lap of the Isle of Man in 1961.
At the end of 1962r the original Norton works had been shut down, the racing program liquidated and the works twin racing project was sold to Paul Dunstall. Later in the 60s and up until the present day various racers and replica-builders have de-stroked 650, 750 and 850cc Norton engines to 500cc, but they have nothing to do with anything the factory ever did.
Anything that is going to be called a truly historical replica of a Norton 88 racer or Domiracer needs to have the original stroke intact, as that is the main feature that defined the Model 88 Norton and distinguished it from it’s larger siblings which used many of the same parts and castings.
A 650, 750 or 850 engine that has had a short crank installed is just that, a short stroke 650ss, Atlas or Commando, it sure is not a Norton 88…..