Happy Springtime everyone!
This is my favorite time of the year as we leave behind the winter blues and start getting excited about riding our bikes in warmer and drier weather. I hope everyone has had the opportunity to prepare their bikes for a great year ahead.
Despite the weather, we had some really enjoyable times during the last few months. Most notable was the “Tech session” at George’s home following the January club meeting. Many thanks to George for a terrific “tool time” session, during which he showed us and explained some of the proprietary Norton tools he uses for his restorations. Also a big thank you to Dennis who gave a terrific demonstration of claying and polishing a gas tank and side covers. Dennis has very kindly offered to polish member’s paintwork if anyone is interested.
We also had a terrific lineup of motorcycles outside the horse brass pub for the March club meeting.
Well, Ronnie has fallen under the Norton spell and recently purchased his second Norton, a lovely 1948 ES2. We are looking forward to seeing it once Ronnie has completed some small jobs to ensure that the bike is roadworthy. He has also proven to be a very good/bad influence! As a result, a 1961 Norton Manxman has found its way into my garage. It might be a little while longer before we see this bike outside the pub!
Congratulations to Jeff on his recent addition. Looking forward to hearing more about his new Triumph.
It has been very nice to meet new club members and we hope that they will continue to join us at our club meetings and other events.
Special thanks to Mike Roberts for organizing the latest in a series of profiles of our club members and their motorcycles.
The recent OVM (Oregon vintage motorcyclists) banquet was very enjoyable. Guest speaker Wiley Stoddard shared some interesting stories of his time as the main US west coast representative for Johnson Motors Inc., distributing Triumph motorcycles. It was good to meet Wiley’s son Mike who came down from Alaska to attend the presentation. Mike has recently purchased a pristine 1974 Norton Commando in the John Player Norton color combination with only 259 original miles on the clock. What a find!
Looking ahead, we are hoping for more and longer rides this year. Dennis has a terrific ride planned and more details will be shared soon. It is not to be missed!
I do hope that our club members will be able to participate in more events this coming year. We have some fun ideas in mind and will share soon.
Please check out the club website for articles and also a link to a YouTube Playlist where you will find a collection of movies captured from our club events.
As always, please let us know if you have any ideas for Norton or other vintage motorcycle-related events that you think the guys will enjoy.
Happy riding!
Cheers
Mike Tyler
President