Old Bike Australasia — Issue 68 2017

34 :OLD BIKE AUSTRALASIA

until the end of 1960, when it was joined by a 350cc
version called the navigator. This used a completely
revised bore and stroke of 63mm x 56mm (349cc)
but was otherwise identical to the 250. Significantly,
the 350 had a revised frame with a beefier front
down tube, and up front sat the signature
Roadholder forks which carried a 19 inch front
wheel. Road tests of the navigator acknowledged
the increase in top speed (89mph as opposed to 75
mph for the 250). Both models soldiered on through
1961 and 1962, and as Britain struggled through the
winter of 1962/63, reports began to filter out of yet
another variation of the ‘little twins’.
And so, at the end of January 1963, the Electra was
born at the AMC plant at Woolwich in London and
not at the Norton factory in Bracebridge Street,
Birmingham, from whence had come the Jubilee and
Navigator. What soon became known was that the
new model, of 397cc, would be for the American
market only, which had so far failed to embrace
either the 250 or the 350. Initially, the Electra was
listed as having a bore and stroke of 66mm x 58mm
(397cc), but by the time production began, the
stroke had been revised to 56mm, the same as the
350, giving a capacity of 383cc. The impetus for the

Electra had come, not surprisingly, from US importer

Joe Berliner, who had witnessed first hand the

remarkable sales of Honda’s 305cc CB77 which had

quickly hit the top of the charts. When the Electra did

hit the US market, the price was $789.00.

The family resemblance was there, but the Electra

was in fact quite a different animal to the Jubilee and

Navigator. The bigger bore size required modifications

to the crankcase to take the larger spigots, and heav-

ier pistons meant rebalancing the crankshaft. The

transmission was also beefed up, in combination with

a new drum-type selector mechanism. The chassis

was similar to the Navigator but used the 8-inch front

brake and 7-inch rear brake sourced from the Domi-

nator models, with the Roadholder front fork, and

chrome plated mudguards. The Electra also dispensed

with the midriff panels used on the small bikes and

looked far more part of the Dominator family with its

single-tone décor in a very Norton-like Silver/grey.

The area that received the most attention on the

Electra was the electrical system, with a high-output

alternator on the end of the crankshaft and twin six-

volt batteries (the extra one sited under the seat and

wired in series with the other in the left-side

toolbox) providing 12 volts for the system. And there

was an electric, push-button starter, something that

was still a novelty on British products of the era, and

the first Norton to feature such a refinement. This

was a Lucas M3 unit (developed for the triumph

Tigress scooter and later used on the Commandos

and BSA/Triumph triples), flange-mounted to the

rear of the primary chaincase sitting between the

top of the gearbox and the carburettor. A solenoid

controlled the current supply, activated by a rubber-

encased button on the left side of the handlebars.

Also rather novel was the Hella turn indicators,

which were set into the ends of the handlebars and

operated by a switch on the right side.

There was quite a clamour for the Electra to be

released on the home market, and this happened in

mid-1963 (as the ES400), with a price of £291/5/-

although both the indicators and the chrome plated

mudguards were listed as optional extras in Britain.

This made the Electra more expensive than the

500cc Triumph twin – a major impost for the

privilege of having an electric starter. Within

months, the UK price was slashed by £40 – and the

‘extras’ became standard fitment at the new price.

Despite the extra capacity, top speed for the

Electra was found to be virtually identical to the

Navigator, and the electric starter was also seen to

struggle when the engine was cold and the oil thick.

One aspect that received universal praise was the

handling, which was marginal on the smaller

models. To cope with the extra power and weight of

the Electra, the frame was strengthened by adding

two lengths of mild steel plate above and below the

steering head, clamped inside the top frame rails

and running back to the centre section. This truly

was a chassis that had evolved in fits and starts, and

NORTON ELECTRA

ENGINE Parallel twin overhead valve.

TRANSMISSION 4-speed gearbox, duplex chain primary

drive, chain final drive.

BORE X STROKE 66mm x 56mm

CAPACITY 383cc

COMP. RATIO 7.5:1

CARBURETTOR Amal Monoblock

POWER 25hp at 6,800 rpm.

ELECTRICAL Wipac alternator

WEIGHT (WET) 350 pounds (159kg)

WHEELBASE 1350mm

1963 Norton Electra

Specifications

Wheels came from the

Dominator range: three-stud

7-inch rear and single leading

shoe 8-inch front.

Just push the rubber button

and the engine fires up.

Headlamp and speedo are

standard Norton fare.