Here’s some news about the newly resurrected, and short-lived Kenny Dreer Norton Motorcycles. It looks like there’s a new player taking the company forward. Here’s the letter in verbatim:

“April 23, 2008

Dear Norton Enthusiasts:

The long road to Norton’s resurrection continues. I’ve accepted the role of Norton Motorsports CEO and President with the goal of returning the marquee to its days of glory. I’ve been Norton’s chief trademark counsel since 1999 fighting all the battles you’ve read about over the last nine years and striking the various agreements that led to the reunification of the brand.

As a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, taking the helm of Norton is a once in a lifetime challenge and opportunity. With a 100-year plus history and a once-again growing base of fans and enthusiasts, Norton is a unique and cherished piece of motorcycling. I look forward to meeting and offering our support to the growing worldwide community of Norton enthusiasts.

We are presently working with existing licensees to reaffirm relationships and help them grow and prosper in their respective businesses. New relationships are being formed that by all appearances will in the very near future lead to additional products, manufacturing capability, and even a racing team.

Stay tuned. The next chapter has just begun!!

Don W. Niles
CEO & President
Norton Motorsports, Inc.”

Well lets keep our fingers crossed and hope that Don Niles can move Norton forward just as John Bloor did with Triumph. I’ve been drooling over that Norton 961SS seen above for some time now. It’s about time it gets produced!

バイカーブードゥー

A work of art! (Image © Kenny Cummings)

Kenny Cummings efforts with his Norton racer is inspirational! Starting with a 1962 ES2 Featherbed Slimline, modified and gusseted for strength and other tasty bits, Kenny added a Mick Hemmings swingarm, Commando forks, Grimeca brakes, Manx-style seat and polished alloy tank and finally a 1975 MKIII Norton 750cc engine which the previous owner was planning to use for a chopper!

Read about his bike and the ongoing evolution of a racer at Kenny’s website New York City Norton. He seems to crack a lot of parts while racing, but keeps tearing the bike down and rebuilding it again, and again, and again. This is one biker you have to admire for perseverance! His perseverance paid off though, as Kenny won the National BEARS Championship with his Norton racer in 2007.

バイカーブードゥー

Billed as an invite-only sneak preview event, the first theatrical screening of just-completed vintage British motorcycle documentary Brittown became a wild event Thursday night when the expected turnout burgeoned to over five-hundred people and excited attendees nearly overwhelmed the staff in order to grab the free gift bags in front of the historic Laemmle 4-plex theater.

It was meant to be an invitation-only sneak preview event, but the first theatrical screening of just-completed vintage British motorcycle documentary Brittown became a wild event Thursday night when the expected turnout grew to over five-hundred people and excited attendees nearly overwhelmed the staff in order to grab the free gift bags in front of the historic Laemmle 4-plex theater in Santa Monica, California.

The theater manager closed the doors when it became obvious that the largest theater in Santa Monica was about to overflow. “That’s the wildest screening I’ve seen yet since I worked here,” said an exhausted Laemmle Theater employee that had handled the concessions stand for the event.

The main sponsors for the event: Paul Frank Industries, Bass Pale Ale, and Mooneyes were just as excited about the turnout and the response to the film. “Paul Frank was honored to be represented in conjunction with such a fine film,” said Paul Frank CEO and co-Founder Ryan Heuser after the screening.

In addition to the special Brittown/Paul Frank shirts and tote bags given to the audience, Mooneyes provided their signature decals, with local bistro La Bottega providing trays of delicious cookies for the moviegoers.

Bass Pale Ale took on the after-party duties by providing free beer and glassware to all who crammed into the world-famous King’s Head Pub afterwards.

Scott Di Lalla & Zack Coffman (Photo by J. Miller)

“We wanted to say thanks to all the people that helped us on the project and give them a fun night of celebration,” said one of the film’s directors Zack Coffman. “We sent out invitations and tickets, but word kind of got around that the film was going to show and the next thing we new it was filled over capacity.”

“Honestly it was a bit surprising, in a good way, that the film would draw so well even on a Thursday night,” said the film’s other director Scott Di Lalla. “It feels good after nearly a year and a half to finally show it and have a great night for everyone involved.”

When asked about their plans for the film, Di Lalla elaborated, “As we field offers from distributors and consider plans for a world tour of the film, we’re moving forward immediately with our plan of releasing a special edition of the DVD directly to our core audience through our websites www.brittown.com and www.choppertown.com.”

Regarding their plans for a Brittown tour Coffman added, “Screenings of the film will be more like cultural events than just traditional sit-down screenings. We want people to bring out their bikes, eat good food and enjoy the goodies brought out by the sponsors…and of course enjoy the film!”

Featuring an insider’s view of the SoCal Britbike culture including vintage motocross, dirt track, road racing, custom street bikes, and even a wild vintage lingerie beauty contest, the film has struck another chord within the growing Triumph motorcycle and hipster communities. The release of Brittown comes almost two years to the day since One World’s first film Choppertown: the Sinners stormed onto the indie scene by winning several Best Documentary awards and launched a film making movement within the biker community not seen since the release of the seminal biker films “Easy Rider” and “On Any Sunday“.

PICS: GINA WILSON

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Brittown delves into the rambunctious So Cal subculture that centers around building vintage Norton, BSA, and Triumph motorcycles and racing them on weekends followed by drinking lots of beer and playing music all night long.

Brittown features legendary underground mechanic and Britbike connoisseur Jeff “Meatball” Tulinius from the Hell On Wheels bike shop in Anaheim, CA.

The film chronicles several months in Meatball’s life as he runs his old BSA in vintage motocross races, embraces the legacy of Steve McQueen on his vintage Triumph Cub desert sled with the No Gooders Motorcycle Club, flies down the Willow Springs raceway on his Norstar, and uses all his skill to rebuild an old 650 Triumph Bonneville motor into a blazing road-ready screamer … all while juggling his responsibilities to his family and his rock band Smiling Face Down.

From Scott Di Lalla and Zack Coffman, directors of the award-winning custom motorcycle documentary Choppertown comes their second intimate inside look at biker culture, Brittown: a British motorcycle documentary film. One World Studios is a fully integrated media company specializing in the production and distribution of films, DVDs, music CDs and books; online and through traditional distribution methods. Check out the Brittown website for more information, t-shirts, etc.

continue reading "BRITTOWN: A LOOK AT BRITISH BIKE CULTURE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA"

This is probably the closest most of us will ever come to owning one of Kenny Dreer‘s new Norton Commando 952 SS (Signature Series) bikes. Sadly the Kenny Dreer / Norton America story has come to a close unless an investor can come up with some cash (US$25-50 million at least?), which is not a bad price to pay for a bike which has already reached a prototype stage and is ready for production.

Seen here is a 1:12 scale model by AUTOart, as reported by in slotcarnews. Enjoy!

If you’d like to know more about the new made-in-America Norton Motorcycles you can check out their website. The bikes looked good and could have been a real contender in the Ducati Monster / Triumph Bonneville market segment.

SOURCE

バイカーブードゥー

Here’s some news about the newly resurrected, and short-lived Kenny Dreer Norton Motorcycles. It looks like there’s a new player taking the company forward. Here’s the letter in verbatim:

“April 23, 2008

Dear Norton Enthusiasts:

The long road to Norton’s resurrection continues. I’ve accepted the role of Norton Motorsports CEO and President with the goal of returning the marquee to its days of glory. I’ve been Norton’s chief trademark counsel since 1999 fighting all the battles you’ve read about over the last nine years and striking the various agreements that led to the reunification of the brand.

As a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, taking the helm of Norton is a once in a lifetime challenge and opportunity. With a 100-year plus history and a once-again growing base of fans and enthusiasts, Norton is a unique and cherished piece of motorcycling. I look forward to meeting and offering our support to the growing worldwide community of Norton enthusiasts.

We are presently working with existing licensees to reaffirm relationships and help them grow and prosper in their respective businesses. New relationships are being formed that by all appearances will in the very near future lead to additional products, manufacturing capability, and even a racing team.

Stay tuned. The next chapter has just begun!!

Don W. Niles
CEO & President
Norton Motorsports, Inc.”

Well lets keep our fingers crossed and hope that Don Niles can move Norton forward just as John Bloor did with Triumph. I’ve been drooling over that Norton 961SS seen above for some time now. It’s about time it gets produced!

バイカーブードゥー

A work of art! (Image © Kenny Cummings)

Kenny Cummings efforts with his Norton racer is inspirational! Starting with a 1962 ES2 Featherbed Slimline, modified and gusseted for strength and other tasty bits, Kenny added a Mick Hemmings swingarm, Commando forks, Grimeca brakes, Manx-style seat and polished alloy tank and finally a 1975 MKIII Norton 750cc engine which the previous owner was planning to use for a chopper!

Read about his bike and the ongoing evolution of a racer at Kenny’s website New York City Norton. He seems to crack a lot of parts while racing, but keeps tearing the bike down and rebuilding it again, and again, and again. This is one biker you have to admire for perseverance! His perseverance paid off though, as Kenny won the National BEARS Championship with his Norton racer in 2007.

バイカーブードゥー

Billed as an invite-only sneak preview event, the first theatrical screening of just-completed vintage British motorcycle documentary Brittown became a wild event Thursday night when the expected turnout burgeoned to over five-hundred people and excited attendees nearly overwhelmed the staff in order to grab the free gift bags in front of the historic Laemmle 4-plex theater.

It was meant to be an invitation-only sneak preview event, but the first theatrical screening of just-completed vintage British motorcycle documentary Brittown became a wild event Thursday night when the expected turnout grew to over five-hundred people and excited attendees nearly overwhelmed the staff in order to grab the free gift bags in front of the historic Laemmle 4-plex theater in Santa Monica, California.

The theater manager closed the doors when it became obvious that the largest theater in Santa Monica was about to overflow. “That’s the wildest screening I’ve seen yet since I worked here,” said an exhausted Laemmle Theater employee that had handled the concessions stand for the event.

The main sponsors for the event: Paul Frank Industries, Bass Pale Ale, and Mooneyes were just as excited about the turnout and the response to the film. “Paul Frank was honored to be represented in conjunction with such a fine film,” said Paul Frank CEO and co-Founder Ryan Heuser after the screening.

In addition to the special Brittown/Paul Frank shirts and tote bags given to the audience, Mooneyes provided their signature decals, with local bistro La Bottega providing trays of delicious cookies for the moviegoers.

Bass Pale Ale took on the after-party duties by providing free beer and glassware to all who crammed into the world-famous King’s Head Pub afterwards.

Scott Di Lalla & Zack Coffman (Photo by J. Miller)

“We wanted to say thanks to all the people that helped us on the project and give them a fun night of celebration,” said one of the film’s directors Zack Coffman. “We sent out invitations and tickets, but word kind of got around that the film was going to show and the next thing we new it was filled over capacity.”

“Honestly it was a bit surprising, in a good way, that the film would draw so well even on a Thursday night,” said the film’s other director Scott Di Lalla. “It feels good after nearly a year and a half to finally show it and have a great night for everyone involved.”

When asked about their plans for the film, Di Lalla elaborated, “As we field offers from distributors and consider plans for a world tour of the film, we’re moving forward immediately with our plan of releasing a special edition of the DVD directly to our core audience through our websites www.brittown.com and www.choppertown.com.”

Regarding their plans for a Brittown tour Coffman added, “Screenings of the film will be more like cultural events than just traditional sit-down screenings. We want people to bring out their bikes, eat good food and enjoy the goodies brought out by the sponsors…and of course enjoy the film!”

Featuring an insider’s view of the SoCal Britbike culture including vintage motocross, dirt track, road racing, custom street bikes, and even a wild vintage lingerie beauty contest, the film has struck another chord within the growing Triumph motorcycle and hipster communities. The release of Brittown comes almost two years to the day since One World’s first film Choppertown: the Sinners stormed onto the indie scene by winning several Best Documentary awards and launched a film making movement within the biker community not seen since the release of the seminal biker films “Easy Rider” and “On Any Sunday“.

PICS: GINA WILSON

バイカーブードゥー

Brittown delves into the rambunctious So Cal subculture that centers around building vintage Norton, BSA, and Triumph motorcycles and racing them on weekends followed by drinking lots of beer and playing music all night long.

Brittown features legendary underground mechanic and Britbike connoisseur Jeff “Meatball” Tulinius from the Hell On Wheels bike shop in Anaheim, CA.

The film chronicles several months in Meatball’s life as he runs his old BSA in vintage motocross races, embraces the legacy of Steve McQueen on his vintage Triumph Cub desert sled with the No Gooders Motorcycle Club, flies down the Willow Springs raceway on his Norstar, and uses all his skill to rebuild an old 650 Triumph Bonneville motor into a blazing road-ready screamer … all while juggling his responsibilities to his family and his rock band Smiling Face Down.

From Scott Di Lalla and Zack Coffman, directors of the award-winning custom motorcycle documentary Choppertown comes their second intimate inside look at biker culture, Brittown: a British motorcycle documentary film. One World Studios is a fully integrated media company specializing in the production and distribution of films, DVDs, music CDs and books; online and through traditional distribution methods. Check out the Brittown website for more information, t-shirts, etc.

continue reading "BRITTOWN: A LOOK AT BRITISH BIKE CULTURE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA"

This is probably the closest most of us will ever come to owning one of Kenny Dreer‘s new Norton Commando 952 SS (Signature Series) bikes. Sadly the Kenny Dreer / Norton America story has come to a close unless an investor can come up with some cash (US$25-50 million at least?), which is not a bad price to pay for a bike which has already reached a prototype stage and is ready for production.

Seen here is a 1:12 scale model by AUTOart, as reported by in slotcarnews. Enjoy!

If you’d like to know more about the new made-in-America Norton Motorcycles you can check out their website. The bikes looked good and could have been a real contender in the Ducati Monster / Triumph Bonneville market segment.

SOURCE

バイカーブードゥー