By Joe Berk
This is another one of those blogs that almost had another title. I considered simply calling it The P11. Hey, if you know, you know. And I know. So does Andrew.
Sue and I were on the East Coast last week (as in literally on the East Coast when we stopped for lunch in Point Pleasant, New Jersey) when I gave my buddy Andrew a call. Andrew is the guy who runs British Motorcycle Gear, a company whose ads grace these pages. You’ve also read reviews by Joe Gresh on some of the top quality gear Andrew offers, including Rapido gloves, the Mercury jacket, and the BMG Adventure motorcycle pants.
Andrew is a true Anglophile (a lover of all things British), although like me, he grew up in the Garden State. We had a nice visit in Andrew’s beautiful home, and then he took us into his garage to see the toys. I was blown away, not just by the motorcycles Andrew parks in his garage, but at how closely they tracked with my list of highly desireable motorcycles.
One that caught my eye instantly was a Norton P11. That was the ultimate hot rod motorcycle in the 1960s. Norton shoehorned their 750cc engine into a 500cc Matchless desert sled frame. When I was a teenager, the word on the street was that nothing was faster than a Norton P11. Norton only made a very few of these motorcycles (I think the production total was less than 2500). Truth be told, Andrew’s P11 is the first one I’ve ever seen in person, but I knew what it was as soon as I saw it. It’s parked on the other side of the garage, and my eye skimmed over a bunch of motoexotica when I saw the P11. Man, I would love to own that motorcycle. I don’t necessarily need to ride it; I would just look at it and keep it immaculate. Which, incidentally, is the condition in which I found all of Andrew’s motorcycles.
There was a silver and burgundy 1968 Triumph Bonneville that looks like it rolled out of the Coventry plant yesterday morning. Andrew told me that the Bonneville is sold. Not to me, unfortunately. It’s another I’ve love to own.
Andrew has a Triumph Daytona, and it’s the rare one…the 900cc triple with a bunch of goodies (think triple caliper disks up front, carbon fiber front fender, and other similar go fast and stop fast bits). It is bright yellow (Triumph called it Daytona yellow), just like the Daytona 1200 I owned about a decade ago. But my Daytona was but a mere commoner’s motorcycle. Andrew’s Daytona is the limited-edition version. Like the P11 Norton mentioned above, it’s the first one I’ve ever seen. I live in southern California; I’ve been to a bunch of moto hangouts (like the Rock Store in Malibu) and numerous Britbike events (for example, the Hansen Dam Norton get-togethers). I’ve seen Jay Leno, I’ve seen pristine vintage Indians (real ones, not the current production stuff), I’ve seen four-cylinder Hendersons, and I’ve laid these eyeballs on other similar exotics. But I’ve never seen a limited-edition Daytona Super III or a P11 in person until I visited Andrew.
Another one of Andrew’s bikes that caught my eye was a near-new-old-stock Honda GB500. It has to be one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever made. Honda offered these 500cc singles in the mid 1980s. It was a modern nod to (and refined version of) the British Velocette. They flopped from a sales perspective back then, but that’s only because of our unrefined palate and our then-fascination with conchos, wide whitewalls , and beer bellies (think potato-potato-potato exhaust notes and you’ll catch my drift). Like a lot of things, I should have bought a GB500 back then. Andrew’s GB500 is literally in like new condition. It has 535 original miles on the odometer.
There was more…a modern Triumph Thruxton, another modern Triumph, even a Lotus Elise sports car. My eye, though, kept returning to the Norton P11. It really is a visually arresting motorcycle.
At the conclusion of our visit, I asked Andrew if he would consider adopting me. Everyone enjoyed a good laugh about that. They all thought I was kidding. But I wasn’t.
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Nice piece, Joe.
It’s a mark of real character to be able to genuinely appreciate someone else’s success, or toys!
I have been called a real character before, you know.
Very nice of you to post these kind words. It was wonderful meeting you and your family on your visit to the ancestral homeland. Now, it’s out to the garage for some fettling!
We had a great time, Andrew. Thanks again for your hospitality.
I take care of things that I own, and everything that I own runs and looks good, but I learned many years ago that I’m simply not wired to truly love them. Andrew obviously doesn’t have that problem, and it shows.
Do you still have that VW van, and if so, have you fixed the headlights on it?
Here ya go, Joe!
https://www.baxtercycle.com/motorcycles/1967-norton-p11-750/
Tempting. Tempting indeed.
Yeah 18,000 plus!
They cost 1800 new! Lol.
Well it’s a lot cheaper than a Van Gogh
If all you are going to do is park it on display.
As Van Gogh would say: Huh?
P11’s are nice. Probably nicer to look at than ride. That motor is a nine shaker in an Atlas .
That Triumph is just about the most beautiful motor cycle ever produced.
That’s the one that would be the keeper for me.
Although they look even better when looking like they get ridden more regularly.
Ride safe!
Agree with you about the Triumphs; they are beautiful. But that P11…there’s something about it. It looks cruder than the Triumph, and that is part of its appeal to me.
By the way Joe. And you know how I hate to be a nit picker but…
That Triumph is not a 60’s model .
It’s actually a 1970 .
U can see the front motor mounts are removable . The only year of pre oil in frame models that had this. The last year for the “60’s” style triumphs.
I learned the hard way . I gave away a 1970 frame and kept a “65. With non remover-able front mounts. On pre 1970 models the head has to be removed from the motor to get the motor in and out of the frame .
😑😑😑
Thanks for the input, Hack. I did not know that.
Actually I agree about cruder to a point. If this was about women , would I choose the cruder woman ?
I have been known to.
Well the P-11 is a scrambler so it’s little more “agricultural” for lack of a better word. But no doubt the gas tank is a beauty . And the red goes nice with shiny fenders.
As to those faux Honda cafe bikes. They do look good. And they didn’t sell. The local dealer had 2 on the floor marked down for a couple years until it went out of bizz.
The dealer was also Norton and Kawasaki dealer . The squids wanted kawi triples and z1’s. The Norton guys would not have bought a Japanese styling rip off of a Norton Manx.
I kept looking at the Hondas while I Was getting my H-1 fixed. But couldn’t take it seriously . My bad . They are a cult bike today
I would like to be a member of that cult.
Capone’s selection is sweet. I had a Norton and a Triumph 750. The Norton 850 was better in every way. That Triumph 750 shook worse than my ’68 Sportster.
I had all three bikes at once!
Wow! I nearly leapt from my seat upon seeing that yellow Triumph in the photo. I owned a Yellow Triumph 1200 similar to yours and thought, ‘Finally, I get to see and hear about another one…’ Indeed, a 900 Triple with triple front discs is quite impressive as well. The Norton P11 was unfamiliar to me since it didn’t reach the Mid-West; it was a pleasant surprise…nice bike! Thanks for sharing the tour!”
Those 1200 Daytonas were impressive. I bought mine new when it was 7 years old…it had sat in a showroom on display that entire time. Bought it on Ebay. You can read about that one here.
Andrew is one of the sharpest, nicest guys in motorcycling, and one of the finest humans I’ve ever known. I live in Atlanta but I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out in his garage and it’s a treat indeed. Great piece, Joe!
Agreed, Ren, and muchas gracias for the kind words.
All nice bikes!