Norton P11
Encyclopedia
The P11 was a Norton-Villiers
motorcycle
made from 1967 and 1969. In 1968 the P11 was upgraded to the P11A and marketed as the Norton Ranger, a road legal version of the P11 with a more comfortable seat to make it suitable for normal road use. The Norton P11 gained a reputation as a 'desert racer
' in the late 1960s but by 1969 lighter two stroke desert racers began to dominate the sport and the Norton Commando
had started production and was selling well. It was decided to end production of the P11 series to concentrate on the Commando - which used a number of ideas developed on the P11 series.
as an export model for the growing sport of desert racing. Prototyped by Californian Norton Distributor Bob Blair using the Atlas 750cc twin cylinder engine in a Matchless G85 CS (Competition Scrambles) Reynolds 531 lightweight steel frame. Blair might have been responding to requests from the importer, Joseph Berliner of Berliner Motor Corporation
. The aim was to achieve the best possible power-to-weight ratio, so all the cycle parts were made as light as possible, with a small alloy fuel tank. The magneto and Monobloc carburettors on the prototype were replaced with twin coil capacitor ignition and twin Amal
Concentric carburettors, as well as a speedometer and tachometer and an alloy sump guard. The fuel tank and alloy oil tank were painted in Candy Apple Red with the frame in black. The new motorcycle was known as Project 11, and although testers of the prototype suggested that it should be called the Cheetah 45, it was eventually shortened to P11 and built at the former Associated Motor Cycles
factory in Woolwich
, London, largely from spare parts. The first P11 (No. 121007) was completed in March 1967 and the first batch were exported to the US and launched under the advertising slogan "Dynamite on wheels". They sold well with demand outstripping supply.
In 1968 the P11 was upgraded to the P11A and marketed as the Norton Ranger, a road legal version of the P11 with a more comfortable seat to make it suitable for normal road use as well as off road racing. The P11A/Ranger also had a low level exhaust fitted with long tapered silencers with detachable end caps and baffles. launched in 1968. The availability of spare parts at the Norton-Villiers factory led to several changes of specification, and the P11, P11A and Ranger were produced with four different types of oil tanks (two alloy, two steel), 3.6 gallon and 2.2 gallon petrol tanks, different types of handlebars, forks and frames, two ignition systems and two different cylinder heads (with the last models produced using Norton Commando
castings. The last model made was the Norton Ranger 750 which was the same as the P.11A/Ranger with stronger side stand mounting brackets, a front brake light and a Ranger 750 transfer on the oil tank and battery cover.
By 1969 however lighter two stroke desert racers began to dominate the sport and the Norton Commando had started production and was selling well. It was decided to end production of the P11 series to concentrate on the Commando - which used a number of ideas developed on the P11 series.
Norton-Villiers
Norton-Villiers was a British motorcycle manufacturer formed in the 1960s following the collapse of Associated Motorcycles. With the general decline of the British motorcycle industry it was combined with the remnants of BSA to form Norton-Villiers-Triumph....
motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
made from 1967 and 1969. In 1968 the P11 was upgraded to the P11A and marketed as the Norton Ranger, a road legal version of the P11 with a more comfortable seat to make it suitable for normal road use. The Norton P11 gained a reputation as a 'desert racer
Desert racing
Desert racing is the act of racing through the desert in a 2 or 4 wheeled off-road vehicle. Races, which generally consist of two or more loops around a course covering up to 40 miles, can take the form of Hare and Hound or Hare scramble style events, and are often laid out over a long and harsh...
' in the late 1960s but by 1969 lighter two stroke desert racers began to dominate the sport and the Norton Commando
Norton Commando
The Norton Commando is a British motorcycle with an ohv pre-unit parallel twin engine, launched by the Norton Motorcycle company in 1967. Initially a nominal 750 cc displacement, actually , in 1973 it became an 850 cc, actually ....
had started production and was selling well. It was decided to end production of the P11 series to concentrate on the Commando - which used a number of ideas developed on the P11 series.
Development
Norton-Villiers developed the P11 from the Norton AtlasNorton Atlas
The Norton Atlas was a Norton motorcycle made by between 1962 and 1968, until it was replaced by the Norton Commando.-Development:The Mark 1 Atlas was launched as the 750SS in the early 1960s. Designer Bert Hopwood’s 497cc Dominator engine was bored and stroked out to 745cc, via 600cc and then...
as an export model for the growing sport of desert racing. Prototyped by Californian Norton Distributor Bob Blair using the Atlas 750cc twin cylinder engine in a Matchless G85 CS (Competition Scrambles) Reynolds 531 lightweight steel frame. Blair might have been responding to requests from the importer, Joseph Berliner of Berliner Motor Corporation
Berliner Motor Corporation
Berliner Motor Corporation was the US distributor from the 1950s through the 1980s for several European motorcycle marques, including Ducati, J-Be, Matchless, Moto Guzzi, Norton, Sachs and Zündapp, as well as selling Metzeler tires...
. The aim was to achieve the best possible power-to-weight ratio, so all the cycle parts were made as light as possible, with a small alloy fuel tank. The magneto and Monobloc carburettors on the prototype were replaced with twin coil capacitor ignition and twin Amal
Amal (motorcycle)
AMAL is a British carburettor trademark. AMAL were the suppliers of carburettors to the British motorcycle industry and their products were present on the products of the largest British motorcycle manufacturers such as BSA and AMC...
Concentric carburettors, as well as a speedometer and tachometer and an alloy sump guard. The fuel tank and alloy oil tank were painted in Candy Apple Red with the frame in black. The new motorcycle was known as Project 11, and although testers of the prototype suggested that it should be called the Cheetah 45, it was eventually shortened to P11 and built at the former Associated Motor Cycles
Associated Motor Cycles
Associated Motor Cycles was a British motorcycle manufacturer founded by the Collier brothers as a parent company for the Matchless and AJS motorcycle companies...
factory in Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
, London, largely from spare parts. The first P11 (No. 121007) was completed in March 1967 and the first batch were exported to the US and launched under the advertising slogan "Dynamite on wheels". They sold well with demand outstripping supply.
Norton Ranger
Norton Commando
The Norton Commando is a British motorcycle with an ohv pre-unit parallel twin engine, launched by the Norton Motorcycle company in 1967. Initially a nominal 750 cc displacement, actually , in 1973 it became an 850 cc, actually ....
castings. The last model made was the Norton Ranger 750 which was the same as the P.11A/Ranger with stronger side stand mounting brackets, a front brake light and a Ranger 750 transfer on the oil tank and battery cover.
By 1969 however lighter two stroke desert racers began to dominate the sport and the Norton Commando had started production and was selling well. It was decided to end production of the P11 series to concentrate on the Commando - which used a number of ideas developed on the P11 series.