OK, the first successful kick-start of a newly completed custom bike project is one of life’s great pleasures, but this photo illustrates another garage high of sorts. We’ve been working furiously on our 1967 Norton Atlas 750 project in recent weeks and we’ve made so much progress that the bike may well be on the road well before Winter’s over. Chalk up the rapid progress to CRM’s resident Norton Guru Nick Coumos who has shepherded the build along with a confidence and mastery that only comes from five decades riding and working on these brilliant British twins. This is my third Norton build in the past five years and the progress is starting to feel downright familiar in places though there’s still much to learn. The anticipation is reaching a fever pitch as, having spent a few hundred miles aboard the 1959 Dominator 600 Nick helped us construct, we’re all eager to see how the bigger, badder 750cc version compares. Testing this, the last of the featherbed Nortons against the 1973 Commando we’ve built should also prove a blast. Check out the progress come Cafe Racer magazine’s February/March issue, on sale Feb 4.
