The name Norman is little known in classic circles, but they were a very successful make for many years. Steven Myatt investigates

Words and Pics Myatt.

Just the thing for the young rocker to take his test on.

Now, let me see; Ashford … a town in Kent on the A20. When you see the signs for Ashford you’re nearly at the Channel Tunnel. Isn’t it where the big railhead for the Tunnel is, or is going to be? Now… Norman? What do we know about Norman? Well, there were the dome-headed thugs who invaded England in 1066 and seized the country from the Anglo-Saxons, weren’t there? And my best mate when I was in the sixth form was called Norman. Ever such a bright guy; I wonder where he is now?

If I stop rambling, and put the two words together, I might just get to this 1962 Norman B4 Sports, restored by Paul and Steven Gollings of Villiers Services, and made in Ashford. And you thought all British bikes were manufactured in the West Midlands, eh?

Brothers Charles and Fred Norman started out in business down in hop country just after WWI. It was originally a metal finishing business, and they offered metal plating and enamelling, and also made bicycle frames. It wasn’t a big concern to begin with; their first premises were in their garden shed – though the business had the rather more ambitious name of The Kent Plating & Enamelling Company.

After a couple of years they began making ready-to-ride bicycles, which went very well, and by 1935 they had moved into a substantial factory in the town. Realising that bicycles, and the autocycles which they begun to add to their range in 1938, were the way ahead, they changed the name of the company to Norman Cycles Limited. Three years later they introduced their first motorcycle; a lightweight powered by a 125cc Villiers motor.

That first autocycle was named The Motobyk, which was something of an attack on the English language, but no one seemed to care and it sold well. With the start of WWII they wasted no time in bidding for government contracts, and were rewarded with orders for mini bikes for Paratroopers and autocycles. During the war, in 1943, the brothers acquired the rights to use the Rudge name for autocycles, and those were rebadged accordingly.

As soon as warfare showed signs of coming to an end, Charles and Fred began planning their post-war civilian range, and they decided – absolutely correctly – that what would be needed was affordable, economical and reliable transport. That was fine, because that was what they were good at. In the deal with Rudge, Charles and Fred had also got the expertise of the Rudge company’s Ron Butler, who became Norman’s sales director and didn’t hesitate to capitalise on the new range and broaden the company’s sales base.

I’ve got an old press advert here, which shows that in early 1940 they were still making and selling autocycles for the civilian market. And you can see exactly how they pitched their machines to the market. The Motobyk cost £22 in Deluxe form, or £20 10s in standard form, £24 with carriers, and £28 for the 125cc Light Utility model. The company boasted of the machine’s mix of economy and performance, saying that it was ‘ideal for about town business trips, and suitable for touring’ – albeit very slowly. It did 140mph at speeds in the low 20s, and came into the lowest class for road tax, at just 17s 6d a year.

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