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The only good Norton is Norton Commander!

Were the motorbikes bad?

Epic. My aunt had a 1st gen Norton Model 77 Dominator in the later part of the 1950s as a wheatbelt paddock basher and offroad cross country beast.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_Model_77_Dominator

500cc version of this reviewed 600cc variation: https://www.classicbikehub.uk/buying-guide/article/norton-mo...

By all reports a sound bike, save for some quirk that might fire both cylinders on the first catch giving a starting kick from zero to rocket in under unprepared reaction time.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight-twin_engine

They had a lot of models, some were famous for racing and hill climbs.

Including the Norton uhh... Commander. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_Commander_(motorcycle)

These twin arrangements look really interesting. Puch experimented with pairing up pistons inside a shared combustion chamber with a Y-shaped conrod: https://engineerine.com/the-forgotten-twingle-engine/

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