Norton Updates Classic Dominator Bike

Norton Updates Classic Dominator Bike

Just the very mention of the name Norton is enough to send classic motorbike buffs back through the mists of time to the golden age of motorcycling.

Now, the celebrated British motorbike manufacturer is giving modern-day bikers a taste of this nostalgia by reviving one of its most popular models.

It has been announced that the Dominator is getting an update for the new year.

The 2016 Dominator

You will have two models to choose from: the Dominator and the Dominator SS.

The former will set you back around £21,087, while the limited-edition SS will be in the region of £26,334.

They offer the best of both worlds - all the traditional magic bikers have come to expect from Norton over the years, complete with parallel twin-cylinder motors, but with added 21st-century components.

The pair features:

• The latest radial-mounted Brembo disc brakes
• Single rear-shock suspension and inverted forks both from Öhlins
• Vintage-style wire-spoke wheels on modern Dunlop radial tyres

The SS also comes with a hand-crafted fuel tank, using aluminium instead of the traditional plastic.

The Dominator - a potted history

• 1947: Bert Hopwood designs the original
• 1949: It first goes on sale
• 1960/61: Norton adapts the twin-cylinder Dominator 650cc street cycle for racing, but it still comes second best to its Manx stablemate. Doug Hele, Norton’s chief engineer, wants to give the model extra oomph and develops the new, lighter Domiracer. Its vital stats include 8,000 rpm and 55bhp
• 1962: The Domiracer project is scrapped after fleeting success at Thruxton and the Isle of Man
• 2012: Norton’s limited-edition reprise of the Domiracer is critically acclaimed. Fifty 961cc twin-cylinder racers are built

Norton down the ages

• 1898: James “Pa” Lansdowne Norton launches his bike parts and fittings manufacturing firm
• 1902: Norton makes its first bikes, using Swiss and French engines
• 1907: Rem Fowler initiates Norton’s legendary racing legacy by piloting one of its bikes to Isle of Man TT glory
• 1937-45: Makes around 100,000 side-valve bikes to help the Second World War effort
• 1947-54: Wins an Isle of Man TT Senior TT race every year in this period
• 1961: Its iconic, multi-award-winning Commando machine is launched, selling more than 500,000 over a decade
• 2008: Norton moves to its current Derby-based Donington Hall HQ