NORTON ATLAS PERIOD 3 OUTFIT PROJECT

Glen's story starts at the Australian Historic Titles at Phillip Island in 2010, where the Triumph Thunderbird sidecar pilot, regular passenger Dave, and longtime racing mate Brian pooled their collective experience and knowledge together over a few beers to determine what would make the ideal racing sidecar for Period 3 (ie. pre-1962) competition. The brainstorming session saw a plan hatched to not only "switch camps", but also build a Period 3 weapon virtually from scratch. Glen takes up the story.

With Dave and Brian being Norton men, there was only one way they wanted to go, but it wasn't just a matter of choosing a Norton. Some subtle and not so subtle tweaks can make all the difference with sidecars, so time was devoted to nutting those out. 16 inch wheels and Dunlop racing tyres were high on the list, with a low stance and low-mounted motor also a big priority. Dave would build the frame and Brian the mechanicals, which left me to do the fibreglass . . . . and all the purchasing. Somebody pass me another beer!

To be honest, the idea had been bubbling away for some time. Dave and I had been racing my Triumph Thunderbird for about four years, and although we had improved the bike, it seemed like there was only so much we could do with it. Dave and I decided to have a look at some of the front-running bikes to see what they did with things like frames and geometry. The guys - our competition, essentially - were more than happy to share information with us and allow us to run a tape measure over their machines. That was a real eye opener, but in some ways, was more of a hindrance than a help. The bottom line with sidecars seems to be that everybody has different ideas and everybody does things differently!

The Thunderbird was put up for sale in JUST BIKES, and it wasn't long before 'Bill from WA' called and said he was interested in my machine. Selling the Triumph outfit provided the funding to start making the dream a reality. Bill, who later admitted to having admired my bike from afar for a number of years, has since become a regular in classic sidecar events, which was a great result for the class.

With money to spend, and the somewhat sacrilegious switch from Triumph to Norton locked in, it was time to start. Parts were listed and the process (ie. my process!) of obtaining them started, but this is where the project nearly ended! We'd agreed 16 inch 'WM3' size alloy rims were essential, but these proved near impossible to get. Harley rims are the only ones commonly-available in this size, but are too wide for Dunlop rubber we wanted. Many emails were sent overseas, followed by replies which were invariably "No. Sorry, can't get 'em", even though they were listed on their websites. Very frustrating! Finally, nearly three months later, the rims were sourced, ordered and on their way. The project was back on track!

I must say that it wasn't just the three of us who made this happen. Having been a member of the Historic Motorcycle Racing Association of Victoria (HMRAV) for a number of years, the value of club membership, and the reliable, knowledgeable and enthusiastic people that clubs invariably attract, really came into its own. Darrell Groat from Moose Racing Products was one of the first to offer assistance. The expert wheel builder laced Triumph conical hubs to the 16 inch WM3s, which was a tricky job due to the sizes involved. Darrell's also the Australian importer for Hagon shock absorbers, so he fixed me up with a set of Hagon shockers for the project, and offered plenty of top advice on settings and spring rates.

So, with a pair of wheels and engine to build around, Dave began work on the frame and leading link front end. This is the fourth featherbed frame and the second sidecar Dave's built, so suffice to say he knows his stuff. To see lengths of straight pipe turned into the iconic featherbed is something not many can do well, but Dave did a superb job. The quality and craftsmanship was hard to fault. Next, I had to convince ardent Triumph man and former HMRAV president Robert 'Toddy' Todd to get involved, too. He was responsible for manufacturing the sidecar wheel and hub that mounts a Mini wheel to the sidecar platform.

A few months later, and with everything tacked in place, it was time to have a good look at things and see what needed changing. With a mock-up engine and gearbox fitted, the engine plates were finalised and a pattern made for manufacture.

Brian had the "pleasure" of putting the 750cc Norton Atlas motor together and to quote him "It fought me every inch of the way!" The motor we sourced had been through a number of hands, and alterations had been made here and there by past owners, which is fairly normal for a 60-year-old powerplant. There were also a number of small, but critical bits and pieces missing that were difficult to source, but we eventually got it all together.

As 2011 rolled by, we were looking to debut the outfit at October's 'Southern Classic' (an HMRAV event), so the pressure was on to get the job finished. As with all projects of this type, time seemed plentiful at the beginning, because it usually is! With a deadline approaching, it's also usually when things have a way of going wrong and need adjusting, impacting on precious time. Once again, some expert help proved to be the difference between finishing and floundering. Bob, a veteran racer with an engineering background, made up some axles for the front and sidecar wheels, which helped us meet our deadline.

With everything ready, a busy couple of days were spent putting everything back together for the final time. As most of the bits had been in and out a number of times during mock-up and test fittings, it all went well. With wiring, fuel and oil lines, adjusting chains, belts, cables and everything else on the list finally done, we got to the point of putting some oil in it and turning it over. We span it up on the rollers to splash some oil around and make sure it was getting up into the head. Brian cracked the head feed and yep, plenty of oil.

What about fuel? I'd decided to run methanol from a platform-mounted tank to a header tank via an electric fuel pump. This was new territory, but the theory seemed sound. So, with plugs in, fuel on, carbs tickled, we spun the rollers again and 'woooombaaaa', the bike started straight away. Unbelievable! To be honest, neither Brian nor I thought it was going to fire up that quickly, so it kind of took us both by surprise.

With the Norton up and running, the Southern Classic presented us with the ideal chance to iron out some bugs. However, in the first race, the rear brake torque arm broke, which destroyed the rear brake plate. With that lesson learned, we fitted heavy duty replacements ahead of our return to Phillip Island for the 2012 Island Classic. More than 18 months after we started the project, the proof of our hard work was on the time sheet. We'd shaved more than 10 seconds off our lap times with the Triumph, and we scored second overall for the weekend - a hugely satisfying result and a dream ending to the story.

While a lot of people, businesses, HMRAV club members and the like helped with this project, I must extend an extra special thanks to my wife, Nat, who did a lot, including pulling "double shifts" with the kids, so I could get the project completed.