1968 Norton P11A Ranger

James Lansdowne Norton founded the company that bears his name in 1898, first making bicycle parts and then motorcycles. The first Norton motorcycle was the 1902 Energette, powered by a 143cc Clement engine. In 1907, Rem Fowler rode a 5-horsepower Peugeot-powered Norton in the first Isle of Man TT. Norton started making his own engines in 1908, a side-valve single, and by 1909, Norton motorcycles could be purchased in Harrod’s department store. Norton became known as one of the best in the business and their racing success continued.

Norton won 78 out of 92 Grand Prix races between 1930 and 1937, and seven of the nine Isle of Man TT races between 1931 and 1939. Like other manufacturers during WWII, Norton withdrew from racing and focused on military production. Between 1937 and 1945, Norton manufactured nearly 100,000 motorcycles.

Norton introduced its successful Manx production road racer in 1946, followed by the 1949 Dominator. The Manx Featherbed frame came in 1950, leading to more Isle of Man victories on motorcycles piloted by John Surtees and Geoff Duke. In 1952, Geoff Duke won the 350cc and 500cc world championships on Nortons, for which he was awarded the Order of the British Empire. That same year, Associated Motor Cycles (AMC), the British conglomerate, added Norton to a portfolio that included Matchless, AJS, Sunbeam, and others. The extensive portfolio notwithstanding, AMC’s sales paled in comparison to Triumph and BSA, and in 1966, AMC reorganized as Norton-Villiers.

The first Norton twin, designed by Bert Hopwood (who created Triumph’s Speed Twin), was a 497cc engine that incorporated several improvements over Triumph’s twin. These improvements included pushrods inside the cylinder castings, integral cylinder head rocker boxes, a cam driven by chain instead of gears and a single camshaft instead of Triumph’s two. The Norton twin’s displacement grew to 596cc, then 646cc in the Manxman that, paradoxically, never raced at the Isle of Man, and 745cc in Norton’s 1962 Atlas, initially a U.S. export model only. Norton incorporated isolastic engine and transmission mounting to combat vibration. The impressive Commando followed in 1967. Norton ultimately sold 55,000 Commandos, but these were small numbers compared to Triumph and BSA. A larger 850cc Commando followed, but that arrived after the P11 appeared and won’t be covered here.

Race on Sunday, sell on Monday

The U.S. motorcycle market entered the 1960s much as it had existed earlier. Dealerships were often greasy, rundown places, usually on the wrong side of the tracks. Harley-Davidson, which somewhat ignored the War Department during WWII when directed to halt civilian sales, bounced back after the war. Indian, which did as the government directed, lost their customer base and went under in the early 1960s. During WWII, veterans had been exposed to lighter, faster British motorcycles. They wanted performance, and Triumph and BSA were happy to oblige. Triumph and BSA dominated desert racing, with movie stars such as Steve McQueen adding to Triumph’s image. Norton was not a player in these uniquely American racing formats; they were instead manufacturing comfortable road bikes. Weight worked against Norton in U.S. competition, and that held sales back. Then, as now, the mantra was “race on Sunday and sell on Monday.”

Berliner Motor Corporation, founded by Joseph Berliner, an Auschwitz survivor, was Norton’s U.S. importer. Berliner’s portfolio included Ducati, Matchless, Moto Guzzi, Sachs, Zündapp and others. ZDS Motors represented Berliner in the western U.S. Bob Blair owned ZDS, and he is the man credited with conceiving the Norton P11. Blair’s concept was to shoehorn the 745cc Atlas engine into a G85CS Matchless frame, as the G85CS was a much lighter 500cc single competition bike. The Matchless frame was constructed of lightweight 530 Reynolds tubing, a steel alloy used in race cars, aircraft and racing bicycles.

Southern California was the center of the universe for racing and hot rodding in those golden years. Carroll Shelby stuffed Ford V8s into AC sports cars, winning races and propelling Ford sales. Pontiac crammed 389 cubic-inch engines in little Tempests and GTOs were born, which started the muscle car craze. “Hey Little Cobra” and “Little GTO” blared from AM radio stations. The conditions were perfect for someone with a good idea: ZDS Motors sold Norton and Matchless motorcycles, and Norton had the big, torquey Atlas engine. Matchless had the lightweight G85CS. Steve Zabaro, Blair’s top wrench, had recently crashed his Matchless G85CS, and the Matchless frame was still intact. Did these events inspire the P11? It’s hard to say, but the idea was the same: A big engine in a small, light chassis.

Joe Berliner didn’t think the concept would work and initially had no interest. Zabaro and Blair thought otherwise. They pulled a new Atlas engine from a Norton fresh out of the crate, and fit it into Zabaro’s wrecked Matchless, fabricating engine mounts and spacers to align everything. The engine was hard mounted; vibration isolation was unnecessary for tearing across the Mojave. In three short weeks, Blair and Zabaro created what became the P11 (more on that name in a minute). The bike kept the Matchless magnesium rear hub, wheels, handlebars and seat, and added new Teledraulic forks (Zabaro’s crash had twisted the original forks). Zabaro and Blair fabricated a custom oil tank and a high-mounted exhaust system. Magneto ignition and a single carb kept the weight down, with the bike’s weight comfortably in the Triumph TR6C range. It was small, light and powerful — the motorcycling equivalent of a Shelby Cobra.

From prototype to production

By this time, Joe Berliner had turned around on the concept and he shipped the bike to England. Bob Blair, Seattle distributor Bob Budschat and Mike Berliner, Joe Berliner’s son, displayed the P11 at the 1966 London Earl’s Court motorcycle show. Norton-Villiers’ new owner, Dennis Poore, saw it and decided to produce P11s for the 1967 model year. Blair asked Berliner to tell the Norton engineers not to change anything, but they did. Coils and a battery replaced the magneto, two Amal concentrics replaced the prototype’s single carb, and Norton added an alloy skid plate, a tach, a speedometer and lighting to include a parking lamp, a headlight with high and low beams, an ammeter and a high beam indicator. Racers could remove what they wanted, but Norton wanted to increase the P11’s appeal to street riders. About that P11 moniker — at first, Norton planned on “Cheetah 45,” a nod to speed and the bike’s displacement. In-house, the lightweight bike was simply “Project 11.” Somewhere in the transition to production, management dropped “Cheetah 45” and adopted the more business-like “P11.”

The first production P11 arrived at ZDS in 1967. Mike Patrick raced the P11 in the 1968 season and won the American Motorcycle Association’s District 37 heavyweight competition. It was the last year the P11 would be competitive, and Norton’s hoped-for sales success did not materialize. Lightweight two-stroke racing motorcycles were taking over as the P11 entered the market. The Norton made an impression on the street and at the drag strip, though. Norton P11 motorcycles were known for their fierce acceleration. Leo Goff set drag racing records; in 1970 he ran an 11.58 quarter-mile (with a trap speed of 118mph). That may not seem impressive now, but it was back then.

There were three versions of this motorcycle: The first was the P11, followed by the P11A in 1968, and finally, the P11A Ranger. The P11A had low pipes with removable baffles and a bigger seat, both changes making the P11A more street worthy. The P11A Ranger followed the P11A. Most went to the U.S., with a few going to Australia and Sweden. The P11 family of motorcycles never sold as new in England, but several have been repatriated. The original prototype P11 returned to ZDS, but sometime later a London collector purchased it. Norton manufactured 2500 P11, P11A, and P11A Ranger motorcycles over a 20-month production run that ran from March 1967 to November 1968.

In its rush to production and through its short life, the Norton P11 has been described as a parts-bin special. Norton management was aware of industry turbulence, emerging Japanese domination and their own deteriorating finances and liked the idea of using up inventories of existing parts. Consequently, P11 configurations were in a near-constant state of flux. Over the 20-month production, the P11 and its derivatives had four different oil tanks (two alloy, two steel), two different fuel tanks (3.6 or 2.2 gallons), and different forks, frames, handlebars, and ignition systems. The Commando had entered production in 1967 and some of its parts, including the cylinder heads, found their way onto the Rangers. The last Ranger configuration included an improved sidestand (there never was a center stand), brake light circuitry activated by the front brake, and Ranger 750 decals on the oil tank and battery cover. There were also variations in tank badging and striping. Some had fuel tanks with the Norton roundel and silver striping, others (such as the P11A Ranger shown here) had gold striping and a Norton logo transfer. The variability and parts-bin-driven design changes probably frustrate white-gloved rivet counters, as there is no definitive response to what constitutes concours-level originality.

Andrew Capone’s P11A Ranger

Andrew Capone, owner of this P11A Ranger, has an interest in motorcycling that started when he was a kid. Capone rode small dirt bikes then, but he knew older riders on Triumphs and BSAs. That led to Capone’s desire to own a four-stroke desert sled like the P11. In those days, P11 performance was legendary, and motorcyclists spoke of it in reverential tones. The P11 was rumored to have a 0 to 60 time of 3.9 seconds, which was fast beyond belief then.

During that same time, Isle of Man racing fascinated young Capone, and his fascination never left. Capone traveled to the Isle of Man for his 50th birthday, trained for a race marshal spot and immersed himself in Isle of Man history. He returns every year and keeps a Suzuki V-Strom there, covering the races for an online motorcycle magazine. It is appropriate that with Capone’s love of Isle of Man racing he would own one of the rarest Nortons, a marque that dominated the Isle of Man from the beginning and for decades after. After retiring from a 35-year career in media and advertising, Capone started collecting motorcycles and he bought British Motorcycle Gear (www.BritishMotorcycleGear.com), one of the original Belstaff importers. BMG apparel continues European riding traditions, improved by Capone over the years from the original Belstaff designs.

Capone bought his P11A Ranger, which is a numbers-matching specimen from the final production lot, in 2010 from the late Arvid Myhre, an East Coast collector. The motorcycle has been gradually restored by no fewer than five owners; Capone has paperwork reaching back to 1988. The high exhaust pipes and seat are from an earlier model, as the P11A Ranger 750 had low exhausts and a dual seat. Good friend Harry Bilotto, whom Capone calls “the Norton Whisperer,” cleans the carbs, changes the oil, adjusts the valves and keeps the machine in stellar condition.

Capone owns vintage and modern Triumphs, Ducatis, BMWs and Hondas. I asked how the Norton compares to his other machines. Capone’s answer was interesting. “In a sea of Triumphs, BSAs and BMWs one sees at vintage bike shows, the Norton stands out. There were only a few P11s, compared to hundreds of thousands of other British twins. The Norton evokes memories of that motorcycling era. When you see today’s adventure bikes, this bike is what crawled out of the primordial soup and evolved into ADV and dual sport machines. As for dislikes, there are none, particularly when ridden and considered in the context of its time.

On a spec sheet, it doesn’t hold a candle to modern bikes, but on the road, it is never lacking in power and the torque is righteous. I can’t think of a time while riding it I needed more horsepower; I’m too focused on remembering to shift with my right foot. The Ranger makes you realize just how far motorcycles have come. The P11 is brutal compared to any new bike, being a top-class ’60s scrambler with a big engine stuffed into a small frame. But it is light, nimble and quick, and the non-unit AMC gearbox is surprisingly smooth. I often think about the brave souls who took the lights off and blasted across the Mojave Desert, with Triumphs and BSAs chasing them. When launched in 1967, Norton used the slogans ‘dynamite on wheels’ and ‘the world’s finest all-purpose motorcycle.’ It is the former, but not the latter!”

Capone does about 250 miles annually on his Norton. He describes it as a “Point A to Point A” type of bike, and he limits his riding to two-lane country roads.

Capone’s Ranger is a visually arresting motorcycle. Clutch, throttle and the front brake are where they should be, but there’s traditional British right foot shifting and left foot rear brake actuation. The shift pattern is one up for first, neutral in the middle, and the rest down for a total of four gears. The lights don’t illuminate automatically; they are turned on or off with a large rotary switch mounted in the center of the top yoke (that same switch also actuates the parking lamp). High and low beams are controlled by a toggle switch mounted on the left handlebar. I will say at this juncture, that it is not unusual for low production volume motorcycles to vary machine to machine in the components used in a given bike. In Capone’s motorcycle, what appears to be a kill switch on the right handlebar (next to the choke) is actually the horn button. Most modern motorcycles start like automobiles, but with a Norton Ranger, it’s “traditional,” and there’s a ritual. It begins with opening both main and reserve petcocks and tickling the carbs until petrol dribbles out. Making sure the ignition switch (located in front of the battery on the left beneath the seat) is off and the gearbox is in neutral, kick the engine through a couple of strokes with the throttle closed and the engine choked. Bring the engine up on the compression stroke, switch on the ignition, offer a prayer to Lucas (the Prince of Darkness), and throw your weight onto the kickstarter. Your reward is when the big Norton lights up. You then probably want to select the “on” position for one petcock keeping the second reserve one in the proper location.

The Norton P11 is not just a machine; it’s a living, breathing, snorting beast. The entire motorcycle rocks in syncopation with the long-stroke engine. The front wheel oscillates back and forth a full half inch with each crankshaft revolution. Suddenly, nothing else matters. You’ll understand the first time and every time the Norton comes to life, and you’ll want one.

The Norton P11 was a brilliant street-legal desert competition motorcycle. It is fitting that one of the finest examples of this marque ever to grace our shores is owned by Andrew Capone, a man who appreciates the Isle of Man, Norton’s influence there and the motorcycle you see here. MC