The Norton CS1 was a short-lived machine. It only lasted a couple of years before it was outranked by the International, but what it did for Norton cannot be underestimated.
The CS1 was a motorcycle born from the racetrack, with a pedigree proven at Brooklands and the Isle of Man. It was basically an over-the-counter racer, and more than enough to make enthusiasts excited and dig deep into their pockets. Those who ordered a CS1 would visit the Norton works at Bracebridge Street, where they were often shown around the bustling factory before putting pen to paper to sign for their shiny new purchase. The bikes were almost built to order – each one being carefully finished and test-ridden before being delivered to its proud new owner in a wooden crate (some were even ridden home straight from the works!). A real bonus of the CS1: it was so respected that few were sent to the chop-shop when they became tired and worn, and because of that many exist to this day and are still ridden to the max.
This is one such bike – a 1929 CS1 owned by Mikey Alcock, that has a fantastic tale hidden behind the metal. The machine was once owned by his Great Uncle John, who stumbled across the Norton as part of a job lot in around 1958. It was basically a pile of bits and pieces that cost him £25 – not a lot by modern standards, but quite a chunk out of the wallet almost 70 years back.
The motorcycle was rebuilt and restored and would become John’s pride and joy for decades. In fact, soon after the CS1 had been put back together in 1958, John fired it up for the VMCC Banbury Run – a historic event where townspeople would come from far and wide to view the spectacle of pre-1931 motorcycles firing on all cylinders around the streets of Oxfordshire.
John would continue to ride the CS1 at many events around the UK which included the mammoth trip from Lands End to John O’Groats (the ride was to raise money for a scanner appeal for Medway hospital). This 603-mile trek is no mean feat on a 1920s motorcycle with Girder Forks and a solid rear end, but John was pretty handy on the tools, and during one breakdown he resorted to a top end rebuild/ strip down on the side of the road – try to visualise that happening on a modern-day motorcycle! 50 years after his first venture to the Banbury Run, John returned to the same event, on the same machine – a fabulous testament to both man and metal.
The CS1 was already a motorcycle of distinction in its day, but this bike was way more than a motorcycle – it was a companion that saw John through decades of adventure. In the time of National Service, John would ride a 100-mile trip each way from Croydon to Bletchley Park, every week – come rain, shine, or British winter. Later, the CS1 took him and his friends on tours across Ireland (1959, 1960, and 1961) and once more with his pillion (and future wife) in 1962 and 1963.
Those tours were milestones in the life of a young chap who was bound up with freedom, friendship, and the thump of the iconic overhead cam Norton echoing through the countryside.
There is one trip however that stands out: the winter of 1962. The country was overwhelmed by an infamous blizzard that tore up the roads. John and his soon-to-be wife rode from Bournemouth to Hammersmith through ice, snow, and a biting wind, where she recounts that they had to stop every few miles to push the bike along frozen roads, numb with cold but determined to trudge forth. For the rest of the harsh winter, John continued to visit his partner three times a week, punching through the snow and ice that covered the asphalt – now that is devotion on a whole new level!
Johns wife Lyn recounts some more wonderful adventures and stories on the bike:
“The first night he took me out he dressed the part! He had on an army Dispatch riders coat, a cap on back to front, and had a sidecar attached to the bike which he had described to me as a “bit drafty”. It had no screen, no roof and no sides. A bit of a shock for me – I had a suit with pencil skirt, white high healed shoes and a white handbag! And the engine seemed very noisy just by my ear. Just after we were married we had our dog Jeeves who used to sit on my knee wearing a jumper. Jeeves was a true motorcyclist and enjoyed coming with us, and only sat up when a motorcycle burning Castrol R came by.“
“On a holiday in Wales on the bike it got stuck in the sand at Pendine Sands when the tide was coming in, and he (John) experienced great difficulty in retrieving it, even with the help of the friends he was with and from people passing by.“
“Between 1970 and 2000 John did what he and 4 friends called the “3 Tors” – all were on old bikes. It started with a trip to stay with a motorcycling friend and the aim was to stop at the 3 highest tors in the West Country – High Willhays, Brown Wiley and Dunkery Beacon. For the first few years the aim was to run up to the top of all of the 3 tors and back down in a day, but as the years passed by they ended up just riding and looking at the peaks, in all weathers. It was a long ride from Kent.”
This CS1 is a far cry from a showpiece or a museum exhibit. It is a living, breathing motorcycle, that has been maintained and tuned by the hands of a man who simply loved old bikes, and particularly Norton’s. In later years, the bike started to collect dust, until one day Mikey had a phone call from his aunt Lyn:
“I used to spend my summers as a kid up at my uncle and aunts place in Kent. I had a message from my aunt about 4 years ago asking whether I wanted a Norton. I popped up and my uncle offered the bike to me – a couple of weeks later I went with a van and picked it up. It had been sat since 2009 where it had been used around Brands Hatch which I believe was my uncles last time riding it”.
“I got it running again with advice and help from my uncle, but he unfortunately passed away about a year after in November. Shortly after I ended up seizing the engine and I have since done a top end rebuild – since then it has been pretty spot on except for a couple niggles – but being nearly 100 years old I can forgive it!”
Mikey continues the to ride the CS1 in memory of his Great Uncle John – the latest being the 2025 Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride where it was said to have been faultless. This fantastic old machine is not simply a motorcycle – it is a time capsule of one man’s life on the road – every dent, every mile, and every cold-weather start a chapter in a tale that began with £25 and a dream – and that story continues to live on with Mikey now behind the bars of this incredible old bike.
Thanks to Mikey Alcock and his family for the input into this story.
an article by The Girder Club
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