Objects of Desire - Derek Minter / Steve Lancefield Manx Norton

There are machines that exist, that transcend being simple modes of transportation, or even being great racing motorcycles. There are machines that become objects of desire. This is one of those machines, that in my opinion, is not just of significant importance, but also of great beauty. I've been in love with the Manx Norton ever since I became interested in motorcycles, and it's that very machine that I fell in love with, and have become absolutely obsessed with. And although I have yet to have the pleasure of owning one, I've certainly been consumed by their presence, down to every obscure detail.

When you have such a beautiful machine, and one with such a rich history, they are all great. I certainly wouldn't turn my nose up at any Manx Norton, regardless of it's history or condition. But amongst these racing Nortons, there are a few that stand just a bit taller than the rest. A few that have achieved absolute greatness, with riders that were skilled and brave. In 1960, as the single cylinder Manx Norton was in it's last few years of manufacture, a young Derek Minter made history on the machine pictured here.

The historical significance was that, on this very machine, he lapped the Isle of Man TT course at a speed of just above 100mph. The very first time in history that a single cylinder had done so. Derek Minter went on to become a fierce racing competitor and earned the nickname "King of Brands", for his dominance racing at Brands Hatch. This Manx was set up and tuned by Steve Lancefield, who was apparently quite an eccentric man. He despised the term "tuner" and preferred to be seen as an engineer. Either way, the bike featured significant modifications at the hands of Lancefield, even for a machine that had already been developed by the factory for several decades. You can see that he lightened every possible bit of metal that he could spare. When weighed against a competitor, his bike came in at 11 pounds less than the Manx tuned by the very famous Francis Beart. A significant amount considering the competition.

It should be noted that Mike Hailwood achieved a 100mph lap of his own, in the same race. Hailwood started 20 seconds behind Minter, and while he managed the same achievement, it's Minter that's credited as the first to have done it.

But this post isn't about the details of history. It's about the simple fact that I love this bike. It's a combination of it simply being a Manx, it's stellar history and it's also just got something going for it that I can't quite put into words. It's strange in the sense that it's not very traditional for a Manx. The frame isn't black, the seat is cut down, it's got the short circuit tank on it, and the bottom yoke is a strange color. But all these little quirks, somehow add up and capture my attention and wonder.

Everyone has a bike like this in their head. One that you just can't stop thinking about. One that you long to someday own. And while there are others on my list, this is certainly up at the top. What's yours?