Vintage Norton Lowboy custom motorcycle

Norton is famed for its featherbed frames, which carried the Manx single to spectacular racing victories in the 1950s. But in the 1960s, Norton wanted to establish its Dominator twin as a race machine. The newer bike was outclassed by the Manx, so engineer Doug Hele created a new frame for the “Domiracer” project. This “lowboy” frame was even lighter than the featherbed, and helped the Domiracer tip the scales at 35 lb (16 kg) less than a Manx. But the project died when the Bracebridge Street race shop closed in 1962. Doug Hele left Norton for Triumph, and it...