Norton Featherbed Cafe Racer Build Diary

Jean Des Rosiers Norton

Jean Des Rosiers of Canada built this cafe racer, a Norton Commando engine in a Norton "Featherbed" frame. He has a very thorough build diary/photo gallery that documents the build process from start to finish.

The legendary Featherbed frame, which Norton developed in the Fifites for racing the Isle of Man TT, has become a perennial favorite for cafe racer builders in the intervening years. Builders have stuffed all sorts of engines in them, especially Triumph (which yields a "Triton"), and even Vincents (a "Norvin") and Harley Sportsters ("Norleys"). Reproduction frames are available from a number of companies, such as Old Britts in Seattle and Unity Equipe in the UK.

So, if a Featherbed-framed cafe racer is your dream machine, you can have a go at it, too, without trying to run down an original frame (hard to get a hold of, and not cheap). And while you're at it, consider a complete reproduction Norton Commando engine from Norvil Motorcycle Company in the UK.

          

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