Norton Dominator 88SS

One of the most successful roadsters available during the 1950s and early 1960s was the Norton Dominator. It caused a sensation when revealed along with the unusual Velocette at the Earls Court Show of 1948. Of 497cc the Dominator was designed by the much respected Bert Hopwood who was formerly associated with the BSA and Ariel concerns. His latest creation was to set the Norton design trend for many years to come. In fact, even the last model produced by the Norton company, the 850 Commando, bears a close resemblance to the Dominator.

The engine employed was of the classic vertical twin design with push-rod operated overhead valves. Having a bore and stroke of 66 x 73 mm and a compression ratio of 8-5:1, the Dominator engine was tireless and a cruising speed in the high eighties could be maintained all day long.

In 1953 the original plunger type rear suspension was replaced by a more efficient swinging-arm arrangement and shortly afterwards the frame was changed to the famous 'Featherbed'a legend in itself. These improvements now gave the Dominator excellent road manners which appealed to the sports-minded enthusiast, who now could experience the race-bred qualities that had previously been confined to the track.

The 1961 'sports special' model was typical of, series, despite various modifications over the standard version. Most noticeable was the absence of silencer on the left-hand side. Instead, siames pipes were utilized and this obviously aided ground clearance when enthusiastic riding was called for In fact, ground clearance was so good that only tyre adhesion determined the angle of lean that wa" available.

Handling was also second to none, and on long twisting country roads the Dominator was a joyt ride. With positive steering and taut handling it gar the rider an unsurpassed degree of confidence. Obviously, the 'Featherbed' frame was partly] responsible but the suspension was also of a I standard. Roadholder front forks were used and" these were complemented at the rear by adjustabl hydraulically damped Girling units. The ride obtained was slightly on the firm side, but neither^{1 comfort nor damping qualities were ever sacrific in order to aid handling.}

On the sports version the motor produced 36 bh at 7000 rpm, a good 6 bhp over the standard uni This was mainly due to the twin Amal 'Monoblo" carburettors being over bored and used in conjunc tion with bigger inlet valves and ports. Also, special camshaft was fitted and consequently th crankshaft was slightly strengthened in order t take the extra output obtained.

Generally, the Dominator had a very good tem perament. If starting followed the customary drill then no difficulty was found when starting up a col motor. After a few kicks the engine would burst int" life and the bike would soon be ready to pull awa without argument or hesitation. In town the Domina tor was docile and pleasant to use, but once on th open road the bike would change into a beast tha quickly swallowed up the miles. Into top and th power would begin to surge once it got to 50mph Brisk acceleration would then continue right pas the magic 'ton' until a top speed of around 110 mp' was reached. Vibration was always present but i never became unbearable or excessive even whe the motor was red-lined through the gears. Even a 7000 rpm in each gear the motor never felt straine and once the next cog was chosen, the Dominat would surge on until all four gears had been used t the full. All changes needed positive use of th clutch, but generally the gearbox was faultless an never caused concern.

The bike also excelled in braking. Here, each unit employed was of the drum type with an eight inch at the front and a seven inch at the rear. These could always be depended on to give surefooted stopping whenever needed, and remarkably brake fade never occurred, even when high speed retardation became necessary. In the wet the units remained fully watertight and only tyre adhesion was responsible for the longer stopping distances produced. In the dry, however, a distance of approximately 27 feet could be obtained when braking from 30mph.

Despite some niggling faults the bike was nevertheless an excellent sports machine. It cried out to be ridden hard and as a connoisseur's mount the Dominator performed admirablya true classic.