Norton F1 questions

[harry4rams]

Hi there

My name is Harry and I am far from a motorbike enthusiast but I do have in my possession a Norton F1 that was left to me by my late father.
It has been in storage for the past 10 or so years, maybe longer.

What I wanted to know from the members of this forum was what I have? I have heard rumours that is in an extremely rare bike because of it's engine and there were only so many made.

Would it be easy-ish to get it back on the road after being out of commission for so long or are spare parts too hard to come by?

Also what sort of value are we talking about?

Appreciate any help, wisdom or insight you could give me

Harry

[fogrider]

Hello Harry,
There are people who use this forum who will know the bike and can offer advice. Give them time to appear ! You're right to query the value, don't let some greedy git offer you £4000 for it. Subject to condition, it should be worth anywhere between 16 and 22 grand, plus wether it's an F1 or an F1 Sport, (full bodywork or separate rear seat unit etc). Wait for the club experts to chime in. You could try Andover Norton, someone there may show interest, have the chassis number ready from the V5.
Regards, Terry.

[johnbirchjar]

Hi Harry,If I were you don't make any decisions until you have spoken to people who know what they are talking about.
If the bike has not been run for about 10 years, DO NOT TRY TO FIRE IT UP!!! if you do will probably do lots of damage,even so you will still have to throw a few grand at it to get the best price(upwards of twenty grand)or sell it as it is and see what people will offer,(I have no idea what a "None running F1/F1Sport" is worth)
Wait for some feedback on the club Forum before making a decision,good luck,J.B.

[fogrider]

It's gone quiet, looks like this was a wind-up !

[harry4rams]

Hi Fogrider

This is not a wind up I am genuinely interested in learning more about this bike

Thanks
Harry

[mike_500]

harry it might be an idea to say where about you are and if anyone is local to you they may be able to look at the bike and give you some help regards mike

[tim harrison]

Hi Harry, first of all is it an F1 or an F1 Sport? The latter is indeed very rare and the F1 is certainly an uncommon bike to see around other than occasionally at Norton Owners Club events. The F1 Sport usually achieves higher sales values although there are so few for sale it depends on how much someone is prepared to pay. I think that the prices so far suggested are a little high but much depends on mileage and condition. There is a limited spares supply and some parts are almost unobtainable but we somehow manage to keep our rotaries on the road. In fact they are pretty reliable, but if the engine needs attention there are only a very few people now able to carry this out. This is a bike for the enthusiast not one to ride in all weathers to work. I agree with JB, I would not start a bike that had stood for ten years until I knew what I was going to do with it. As with any vehicle that had stood for this time I would probably change all the fluids. You would need to get oil into the engine bearings, tips and springs. This is normally easyest done by sqirting some into the sparking plug holes and induction ports and getting the engine rotating without starting. The correct oil is very important, a low ash detroit diesel oil such as rotella 40 is what many use although there are more modern synthetic two stroke oils which may be better. The ROC Secretary can sell you either. The carbs will also need cleaning. Finally nothing on this bike is very accessible. be prepared to spend some time removing the bodywork.Best of luck

[wust588]

Harry,
You have been indeed left a rare and desirable bike by your father, and if I may say so, to do the best by him, find out as much information
as you can, before doing anything.
A person I suggest you contact is Graham Wilshaw of Startright motorcycles, Leeds on 01132 453 643.

You could also try Richard Negus on -01507-363503.

The F1 and F1 Sport are quite different machines in many ways. Total number of F1's made were 120 or so, and F1 Sports 67.

To get the bike back in to proper working order will require the attention of someone with specialist knowledge. Both Graham and Richard
fall in to this category.

[harry4rams]

I would just like to say thank you to everyone who has replied to this thread, it is much appreciated!

I will be honest and say, apart from sentimental value, it is nothing more than a bike to me, so I am looking to sell and put the money towards a deposit for my first home.

What would be the best way to do this?

Also would you recommend selling? Or keeping as an investment?

Many thanks
Harry

[johnbirchjar]

Depends on how badly you want your first home ,J.B.

[Charles Wilson]

I would suggest building a Shrine with the Bike on a high pedestal and Eternal Flames surrounding it. That would certainly increase the value of any real estate in the area.

CW

[spondonash]

My wife sold her F1 so we could buy our first house, it was the right decision but wasn't easy.

[johnbirchjar]

I remember many years ago an acquaintance of mine sold his Lotus Elan to pay for his wedding and bought a Reliant Robin The sad part was the marriage didn't last,(there must be a moral in there somewhere )J.B.

[spondonash]

I still had my Spondon and a race bike, we bought a Triton instead of boing on honeymoon, seemed a much better use of funds

[johnbirchjar]

You must have a very understanding wife ,J.B.

[spondonash]

A very understanding bike loving wife

[harry4rams]

Hi again all

First of all I apologise for the 2 year hiatus, we have just gotten around to the issue of selling the bike again.

Could those in the know please give their best estimate of value? It has done less than 1,000 miles and I have a link to an image below. It has been in storage for nearly 20 years now, although has been covered up and is in mint condition (as you can see from the image)

https://ibb.co/3sjrK9N

I have had a couple of people offer to buy it but would like to know how much it is worth (or a good estimate) before entering into negotiations.

Many thanks
Harry

[johnbirchjar]

It looks very nice ,but did you put into practice any of the advice offered?if not,best you do if you want "Top Dollar"for the bike,otherwise,what it is worth is anybody's guess,J.B.