Special - Kennedy / Lyster Norton

Back when the term "cafe racer" was considered derogatory by those it meant to classify, the bikes that these guys built were referred to as "Specials". And while the vast majority of these Specials were home built machines, a few of them were also being built by cottage industry pioneers. Of those, the most famous would of course be Paul Dunstall and John Tickle. But there were other smaller firms turning out rather incredible machines as well. The following photo is quite famous, but very little is known about the bike that's pictured.

Motor and gearbox are form a Norton Dominator. I'm quite sure that it's a 650ss, and this bike is fabled to have all the period hop up parts. It's some sort of collaboration between Ian Kennedy and Colin Lyster. Ian Kennedy was well known in the day for his cast aluminum top yokes, and you can clearly see in the photo, that the motor is adorned with his valve covers. Of which, I've only ever seen 1 other set. Colin Lyster is well known for the twin disc brake set up featured on this bike. The rest of the machine is really a mystery to me. Frame and swingarm are completely custom, body work is very typical of the period, but surely made to suit this bike. The front end looks to be Ceriani GP, and the rear hub is from a standard Dominator. The Amal concentric carbs indicate that this would have been the late 1960's, but I'm unsure as to the exact year.

The bottom line is that this is a damn cool bike and I'd love to learn more about it. Based on the fact that the rider in the photo is tightening the steering damper, he's surely about to head off on a spirited ride.