“I’ve never sat on a running Norton before,” photographer Marian Sell announces proudly. He’s just finished dialing in this 750 cc Seeley Norton Commando—a process that involved multiple heat cycles, ignition timing adjustments, carb syncing sessions, cylinder head re-torques, and valve clearance resets. Now, a year after buying it as a rolling chassis, Marian’s first functioning Norton is finally complete.
“It runs like a clockwork,” he adds. “It reminds me of the Porsche 928 my grandfather owned when I was a kid, in terms of the engine sound and feel. It has a very solid pull in the mid-range too.”
The Seeley Norton couldn’t be more different from Marian’s regular daily runner—a street-legal Husqvarna FS450. But it’s not the first time he’s flirted with vintage or British machinery. He’s been fiddling with bikes since he was a kid—and he once bought a mid-30s Norton with the intention of restoring it.
“When I was 16 years old, I started tuning my Vespas and Lambrettas in Germany, because my friends and I were very competitive,” he tells us. “Whatever mechanical skills I have now came from the world of Italian scooters.”
“In 2014 I went to the Manx Grand Prix on the Isle of Man, and for the first time I saw a non-scooter motorcycle that I really appreciated; a 1936 Norton International 30. A few months later I bought one in Canada, in a completely disassembled state, thinking ‘I can just wing it.’ But a few years later I gave in and contacted NYC Norton.”
As its name states, NYC Norton is a Norton specialist shop in New Jersey, owned by the knowledgeable Kenny Cummings. Marian’s 1936 project might not have panned out as planned, but it did introduce him to Kenny and the two soon became friends.
“Every time I walked into Kenny’s shop,” says Marian, “I had to pass this row of fantastic-looking race bikes. Norton Commandos, Matchless G50s, Manx Nortons, Nourish Engineering; people would pay money just to look at these bikes. Kenny is a rock star and a celebrity in the vintage racing world—his bikes are some of the finest motorcycles I’ve ever seen.”
“At the end of last year, Kenny told me that his friend John was looking to sell his race bikes, so I visited NYC Norton again to take a look at them. But instead of buying a full race bike, I got my hands on a rolling chassis that was collecting dust in the corner of Kenny’s shop.”
The chassis came from a race bike that John had built together with the Canadian Norton guru and racer, Herb Becker; a short-stroke 500 cc Commando. The bike scored multiple AHRMA (American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association) wins and podiums, before being retired.
Marian snapped it up and started taking stock. The package included a Seeley Mk2 replica frame, built by Roger Titchmarsh in the UK. It came with 18” Akront wheels, a Fontana four-leading-shoe front brake, a Manx rear hub, and Ceriani GP forks.
“With Kenny’s help and expertise, I started buying ingredients for a Seeley Norton Commando 750 street-legal racer,” says Marian. “I built the bike so that it can be raced in the AHRMA 750 class, which requires the components to be true to the specific era of the build. As an example, I decided on round-slide Mikunis, because flat slide carburettors weren’t yet a thing in 1969.”
“I assembled the engine cases and top end at Kenny’s shop under his supervision, and from there I moved the build into my living room. I stripped the paint to reveal the beautiful bronze brazing from Roger Titchmarsh and started building custom brackets. I guess everything on this bike is custom, since, as Kenny says, there’s no ‘Seeley shop’.”
For the engine, Marian used a Molnar racing crankshaft and crankcases, matched to a Norton Commando Combat cam and heads. The transmission is a five-speed affair with GP-style shifting (one up, four down), while the belt pulley and clutch come from Maney. The engine’s fed by a pair of Mikuni VM32 carbs and exhales through a two-into-one exhaust from Minnovation Racing in the UK.
Marian bought the Seeley Norton’s rolling chassis with Molnar fuel and oil tanks already installed, so only half of the bodywork had to be sourced fresh. A Kirby fairing was fitted to the bike; it and the race-style tail section are finished in black to contrast the traditional silver tank, as it should be.
The Norton has all-new wiring too, with a new loom strung around a Motogadget mo.unit control box, tucked beneath the seat. The turn signals, switchgear, and tachometer are from Motogadget too, but the latter’s been disguised with a replica Smiths face to give it a period-correct look. The LED taillight is from Australia’s Purpose Built Moto, the rear-set pegs are from NYC Norton, and the tires are Avon Roadriders.
There’s a smorgasbord of less apparent mods too, but right now, Marian is focused on how much fun he’s having riding the thing. “I’m not used to riding this low to the ground,” he explains. “This Norton wants to tilt, and feels very stable on the straights as well as in the turns.”
Marian is also quick to add that he has a long list of people to thank for helping him put the Seeley Norton together—aside from Kenny, of course. Aleksey at WorksMFG helped to fabricate the exhaust and did some additional bronze-brazing work. Marian’s neighbor, Julian Potulicki, who happens to be an oil painter, did the artwork on the fuel tank, oil tank, and windshield.
Roger Titchmarsh fabricated additional brackets to hold the fairing and headlight in place, Joel Levine took the tacho apart and fitted the Smiths face, and Marian’s friend, Andi, offered endless support and electrical advice.
“And my girlfriend Annalise has been, and still is, very patient about having a bike in our living room. It’s easier now that the bike is all in one piece, instead of having a thousand pieces of oily, British motorcycle Lego flying around.”
Images by Marian Sell | Instagram | NYC Norton
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