[2] In 1911 James Lansdowne Norton entered a side valve 490cc single in the new 500cc Senior Class race of the Isle of Man TT.

[2] The entire staff of the Norton factory in Bracebridge Street Birmingham were needed to meet demand - even the racing team found themselves on the WD16H production line.

A number of machines were painted sand 'desert camouflage' by local workshops in the Middle East and used in Palestine and the North Africa Campaign.

Many were sold by the War Department to other armed forces, including the Dutch, Belgian, Danish, Greek and Norwegian Army which used the 16H throughout the 1950s.

In 1947 the machine received its final modification with telescopic forks, improving handling and giving the bike a more modern look, despite its age.

The basic engine configuration proved popular with customers so Norton continued production until the mid-1950s when the fashion for twin cylinder motorcycles was prevalent.