Norton Dominator 88 (1958) HD Wallpapers, Price, Brakes

                      Norton Dominator 88

                                    This 960 model Dominator has the slimline Featherbed frame and narrower fuel tank that were introduced in that year, making the Norton more manageable.

                                           The 1958 Dominator 88 combined the original wideline Featherbed with Norton’s 497cc parallel twin engine. The result was superb handling plus lively straight-line performance.

                                               Norton took more than ten years to compete with Triumph by producing a parallel twin roadster of its own. But eventually in 1949 the firm unleashed a rival to the Speed Twin, in the form of the Model 7, known as the Dominator. The new bike centred on a 497cc ohv pushrod engine created by Norton's chief designer Bert Hopwood, who had previously worked with Speed Twin designer Edward Turner at both Ariel and Triumph.

                                        Hopwood’s engine differed in numerous ways from Triumph’s twin, not least in having a single camshaft in front of the engine, instead of two separate cams at back and front. Although the Dominator was not particularly powerful, with a peak output of 29bhp, it was tractable, reliable and reasonably smooth. The motor was also compact because for cost-saving reasons it was designed to fit in the frame from Norton’s top-of-the-range single, the ES2.

Featherbed frame

                                               That was no handicap, because the Model 7’s light weight and sound chassis combined to give good handling - at least until the plunger rear suspension system became worn, after which the bike would weave at speed. Norton’s response came with the bike’s replacement, the Dominator 88, which was launched on the export market in 1952 and in Britain in ’53. This featured the 497cc engine in a roadgoing version of Norton’s twin-shock Featherbed frame.

                                           The Featherbed had become famous through its use on the single-cylinder racing Manx. But the McCandless brothers, its creators, had always intended it to be capable of housing various types of Norton engine and gearbox, and the distinctive twin-loop design proved ideally suited to the twin- cylinder powerplant. ‘That this frame is race bred is universally known,’ enthused Motor Cycling in a test of the Dominator. ‘It deserves to be as widely known that the steering is a delight and the handling a bend-swinger’s dream.'

                                                 Norton uprated the engine several times during the decade. In 1955 the 88 unit gained an alloy cylinder head, higher compression and Amal Monobloc carburettor. A year later came the Dominator 99, with its engine bored and stroked to increase capacity to 597cc. and output to 31 bhp. The Dominator 99’s race-developed Daytona camshaft, also adopted by the 88, helped lift the larger model’s top speed to just over lOOmph (161km/h).

                                       In 1960 Norton made a further improvement by fitting both models with the firm’s new slimline Featherbed frame - a narrower version of the original - along with a new rear sub-frame and narrower fuel tank. Some riders have argued that the wideline frame is more rigid and gives better handling under racing conditions. But for roadgoing use there was no difference, and the 'limline Dominator was notably more manageable for the short of leg.

                                       Either way, one of the Dominator’s great 'trengths was that its chassis remained very much n control of its powerplant. Norton’s engine was never the most powerful of contemporary twins. Although the Dominator 88 had reasonably brisk .icceleration and a respectable top speed of about J5mph (153km/h), riders in search of straight-line :r.rills were better rewarded by rival twins from Triumph or BSA.

                                     But if the 88’s engine was unexceptional, its - “.assis made up for that. On a long, straight road there were several bikes that would show the Norton Dominator a clean pair of silencers. But when there were plenty of bends on the route, the Dominator’s flexible power delivery, superb handling and unbeatable roadholding made the Norton both very fast and wonderfully enjoyable to ride.

                                  The Dominator 88 engine of 1958 benefited from improvements, notably alloy cylinder head, higher compression ratio and Amal Monobloc carburettor.

              Specification Norton Dominator 88                                                  (1958)

• Engine Air-cooled ohv pushrod four-valve parallel twin
• Capacity 497cc (66 x 73mm)
• Maximum power 30bhp @ 7000rpm
• Transmission Four-speed, chain final drive
• Frame Steel twin cradle Featherbed
• Suspension Roadholder telescopic front; twin shocks rear
• Brakes Drum front and rear
• Weight 405lb (184kg)
• Top speed 95mph (153km/h)

Norton 650SS (1962) Top speed, Pics, Specification

                                 Norton 650SS

                                             The 650SS was a fine all-round sports machine, with plenty of straight-line speed plus excellent handling from a chassis combining Featherbed frame and Roadholder front forks. It was very stylish too, with paintwork in Norton's traditional silver. This 1966 model is fitted with optional rev-counter and chromed mudguards.

                                               Norton’s 650SS was built in much smaller ' numbers than the Triumph Bonneville, the M-a&igaH most popular variation on the 650cc vertical twin theme favoured by the British manufacturers in the 1960s. But the disparity in production levels was not a fair reflection on the worth of the 650SS, whose speed, handling and refinement made it one of the finest machines on the road for much of the decade.

                                                 When the 650SS was launched in 1962, it was the latest example of the Bert Hopwood-designed Dominator twin line that had begun with the Model 7 in 1949. In 1956 the motor had been enlarged to 597cc to create the Dominator 99; and in 1961 Norton had produced a long-stroke 646cc engine to power the Manxman 650 export model. By this time there were also SS (Sports Special) versions of the 500 and 600cc bikes, with twin carburettors and higher compression.

Impressive powerplant

                                         Combining the Sports Special specification with the larger capacity gave an impressive new powerplant, which also incorporated modifications including larger big-end bearings and a heavier flywheel. The 650SS also featured a new downdraft cylinder head, developed from engineer Doug Hele’s Domiracer competition machine. Peak output was 49bhp at 6800rpm.

                                                   The new engine was held in a familiar chassis combining Norton's Featherbed twin-cradle frame and Roadholder front forks. At 4001b (181kg) dry the 650SS weighed barely more than the smaller models, and had a racy look enhanced by paintwork in Norton’s traditional silver. Options included chromed mudguards, and the addition of a rev-counter alongside the Smiths speedometer. That speedo was put to good use, because the 650SS was capable of almost 120mph (193km/h). It was also pleasantly flexible and impressively economical (though the downdraft carburettor arrangement caused a few flooding problems), as well as smooth by parallel twin standards.

                                                 Given Norton’s reputation for handling, it was no surprise that the 650SS excelled in the bends. This was a real sports machine, with a firm ride and a thin seat. Its steering and stability were outstanding, as was the efficiency of its drum brakes. Like the other SS models, the 650 was fitted with an Avon Grand Prix rear tyre, which also helped justify Norton’s advertising boast of it being ‘the world’s best road holder’.

                               Predictably the model was given enthusiastic reviews. Motor Cycling praised the ‘sporting top end without the bad manners associated with such urge at low speeds’. Rival magazine The Motor Cycle speed-tested the 650SS at 118mph (190km/h), and applauded a bike whose ‘quietness, smoothness and lack of fuss make speed deceptive; a machine with such superb handling and braking as to make nearly two miles a minute as safe as a stroll in the garden’.

                                                  The Norton impressed in production endurance races, taking Phil Read and Brian Setchell to wins in the Thruxton 500-mile (805km) and Silverstone 1000-mile (1609km) events within months of its launch. A 650SS also won the Thruxton race the following two years, and was voted Motor Cycle News machine of the year in 1962 and ’63. Despite that, the 650SS never came close to matching the Bonneville in popularity, partly because it was more than 10 per cent more expensive, and partly because troubled Norton produced relatively few bikes at that time.

                                    The final batch of machines built at Norton’s famous factory in Bracebridge Street, Birmingham, were 650SS models in police specification, destined for Queensland in Australia. The model survived Norton’s acquisition by Associated Motor Cycles in 1963, and the move to Woolwich in south London. It continued in production, with few changes, until 1968.

                                           The SS initials stood for Sports Special, and the Norton lived up to its name. The silver machine was competitive whether roaring on the road, or in long-distance production races.

                                            Norton made few compromises to comfort with the 650SS, which had firm suspension, a fairly thin dual-seat and a sticky Avon Grand Prix rear tyre.

                                               The Norton's 646cc parallel twin engine was boosted with modifications including a downdraft cylinder head, and produced a healthy peak output of 49bhp plus plenty of low-rev torque.

                      Specification Norton 650SS                                                    (1962)

• Engine Air-cooled ohv pushrod four-valve parallel twin
• Capacity 646cc (68 x 89mm)
• Maximum power 49bhp @ 6800rpm
• Transmission Four-speed, chain final drive
• Frame Steel twin-cradle Featherbed
• Suspension Roadholder telescopic front; twin shocks rear
• Brakes Drum front and rear
• Weight 400lb (181kg)
• Top speed 115mph (185km/h)