Exquisitely Restored Rare WW2 Military Bike Complete With Gasmask

1941 Norton Big 4 - Estimate £24,000 - £26,000

Echoes of WW2 are made tangible with this extremely rare military machine, a 1941 Norton Big 4 estimated to sell for £24,000 - £26,000 is among the many special bikes on sale with H&H Classics on July 20th.

The current vendor has painstakingly restored this Norton Big 4. The attention to the authenticity of this

machine has taken a great deal of research and it is packed with correct accessories for the time of dispatch.

These workhorse bikes played a vital role during the war. Approximately 4,700 of the nearly 100,000 military bikes made by Norton during WW2 were Big 4 sidecar outfits. They were designed to carry two or three men plus their fighting equipment over very rough terrain and the Big 4 was also used for reconnaissance and carrying loads of ammunition to the front line troops.

It comes complete with a gas mask, tools, jack for the sidecar, mess tins, and much more. It also comes with its 303 riffles that has been decommissioned and cert on file. It runs superbly. The exhaust pipe will be ceramic coated before the auction

This outfit was sourced as a restoration project about 15 years ago and over a period of around ten years, all the correct 1941 parts were sourced. The bike was assembled and rebuilt three years ago and apart from tyres seat covers, wiring, and exhaust system it is all 1941.

The infantryman kit is all genuine WWII and the tool kit is the genuine Norton Big 4 full kit. The outfit comes with the sidecar wheel drive. When the vehicles were released from the military this was usually cut off for safety reasons. The outfit is badged to the 50th Northumbrian Division (Tyne Tees) where most of the combinations went although the RAF did acquire some under contract C.9914 and the SAS under contract V.3849. One prototype Sunbeam-badged Matchless V-Twin was produced to replace the Norton, but both models were quickly phased out with the advent of the Willis Jeep.

The current vendor has painstakingly restored this Norton Big four. The attention to the authenticity of this machine has taken a great deal of research. It is packed with the correct accessories for the time of dispatch. It comes complete with a gas mask, tools, jack for the sidecar, mess tins, and much more. It also comes with its 303 riffle that has been decommissioned and the certificate is on file. Running superbly at the time of our visit. Please note: that the exhaust pipe will be ceramic coated before the auction.