Description
This motorcycle is Lot 384 to be auctioned by Bonhams at The Autumn Stafford Sale (The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show) on October 10th – 11th, please see the Bonhams Motorcycles Website for full details.
Auction Timings:
Lots 201 - 407 are to be sold from 11AM local time on Sunday 11th October 2026.
Public Viewing:
Available 10th & 11th October 2026 from 09:00 until 17:00, at The Staffordshire County Showground (The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show).
Lot 384
1965 Norton 750cc Atlas
Registration no. HKH 895C
Frame no. 20 115616
Engine no. 20 / 115616 / P
When it was launched the Atlas was hailed as a machine that would accelerate from 10mph to more than 100mph in top gear, and 20 years later the bike remains capable of squirting past most vehicles at the flick of the riders right wrist. Mike Nicks, Classic Bike magazine, 1988.
First seen in prototype form in 1962, the 745cc Atlas represented the biggest stretch yet applied to Norton's parallel twin engine. Built for export only initially - home market deliveries commenced in 1964 - the Alas was fundamentally a larger-engined version of the existing 650SS, using the same Featherbed frame/ Roadholder fork cycle parts. Contemporary road tests typically recorded a top speed in the region of 115-120mph with fuel consumption approaching 60 miles per gallon. The arrival of the similar-capacity but Isolastic-framed Commando in 1967 spelled the end for the Atlas, which disappeared from the Norton range towards the end of 1968. Almost the last of Nortons traditional Featherbed-framed twins (the 650cc version lasted into 1970) this muscular road-burner is today highly sought after by discerning collectors.
This machine was built at the Norton factory in Woolwich in late 1965 and shipped to Berliner Motor Corporation (Norton's US distributor) in New York on 17th December that year. Although a 1966 model, it is fitted with magneto ignition (one of the last so equipped). The current owner bought the Atlas privately from the previous owner in Tulsa, Oklahoma and returned it to the UK in 2003 (see copy advertisement on file). Photographs within the extensive file of documentation show the machine's condition at that time. A total restoration over many years has since transformed it into a very attractive example in US specification, as befits its origin. However, the engine is now fed by a single carburettor for simplicity and ease of maintenance. The instruments - speedometer and tachometer - are modern Smiths electronic units which require calibration according to instructions supplied. The engine has been started and run but the machine has not been ridden on the road so a full running-in procedure will have to be followed. Accompanying paperwork includes an NOC dating letter; Norton maintenance/ instruction book; a copy of Cycle World magazine; a V5C Registration Certificate; and numerous invoices.
£3, 000 - 5, 000
All lots are sold ‘as is/ where is’ and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness, mileage, engine capacity and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams Motorcycles website for all pertinent auction information.
