Norton's new wideline Featherbed-framed ES2 is road tested by "The Motor Cycle" on June 4, 1959 and found to have a top speed of 82mph and with a fuel consumption of 56 mpg at 60 mph.
The ES2 Norton was first introduced in 1927. It was a long stroke single that remained one of their most popular models due to its reliability and ease of maintenance. Twenty years later, in 1947, the ES2's teeth-chippin' girder-style front-end was replaced by the then innovative hydraulically damped telescopic front fork and race developed rear plunger suspension.
1959 Norton had the single downtube swing-arm frame upgraded to the Rex McCandless Featherbed frame, which featured an improved AMC (Associated Motor Cycles, founded by the Collier brothers as a parent company for the Matchless and AJS) gearbox, a revised cylinder head, crankshaft-mounted Lucas RM15 60-watt alternator with coil ignition and an 8-inch front brake.
Norton further improved the bike in 1961 with the Slimline frame with upper frame rails narrowed and a restyled slimmer tank.
The last Norton ES2 was produced in 1964, but a Matchless-based machine with Norton badges was produced for two years before finally being discontinued.
