Under the Hammer - ex Francis Beart Manx Norton

Just this last weekend, Bonham's held an auction in Stafford for what they titled "Important Collector's Motorcycles". Among the impressive line up of machines, was the ex Francis Beart 350 Manx Norton, which was reported to be raced by the likes of Joe Dunphy and Keith Heckles. In 1966, Heckles placed 2nd in the Junior TT aboard this very machine. And although it was raced again after that, 1966 was apparently it's most impressive showing. You can read the auction description which is lengthy and detailed.

Francis Beart was a well renowned tuner and many of his machines featured the now famous, pea green paint. And among other tuners of the day, he was known to stamp his initials into crank cases and other bits that he worked on. As can be seen in this photo, his initials, month and year are clearly visible.

Most collectors tend to gravitate towards the 500cc Manx Norton, and the estimate for this auction was between 40-48 grand (USD). When I first saw that, I thought that it seemed low for such a prestigious piece of British motorcycle racing history, and low and behold, it over doubled the high estimate. Machines of this nature, rarely come for sale, so I think it's a real pleasure to see it.

You can see a lot of interesting details with this bike. Upside down rear shocks, adjustable megaphone bracket, adjustable front brake fitments, custom made alloy top yoke and the list goes on and on. I encourage all to really study the details and admire what must have gone into them.

A random fact that I heard to be rumored was that Francis Beart had nicknamed the custom alloy petrol tank "Sabrina". Who knows if that's really true, but it's a cool bit of information to ponder. Things like that really give these old bikes some truly interesting history. The sheer thought and sight of them tends to take us back to a simple time. When real men rode real machines, in anger, with no regard to the importance those very machines would have half a century later. Some very wealthy, and very lucky new owner will surely enjoy this bike. Hopefully he's smart enough to bring out for others to enjoy and see.

The full listing and detailed photos can be seen here: Francis Beart Manx Norton