1959 Norton Nomad 600

Post Listing Update: Paul has let me know that this bike sold privately and the Nomad has been pulled off of eBay. When I last checked, it had over 220 bids!

Editor’s Note: This bike is being sold by none other than Paul d’Orleans – The Vintagent. There can’t be many better people to buy a motorcycle from.

One of the absolute joys of being able to write up a motorcycle for Bike-urious every day is that rare ‘I didn’t know this existed’ find. The Norton Nomad fits into that category for me.

Based on the Norton Dominator the 1959 Norton Nomad was an entirely for export (North America) model that was aimed at the off road market. The off road market was almost entirely in the hands of the British makers. Husqvarna was just getting started and Bultaco was formed in 1958. The Japanese were not any sort of factor in the genre. Norton’s Nomad was aimed at expanding that domination to North America.

The 1959 Norton Nomad 600 used a 597 CC air cooled four stroke parallel twin that produced 36 HP. A unique frame with single down tube and tubular cradle for the motor, full width alloy brake hubs at both ends, lightweight swing arm and Roadholder front forks made the Nomad pretty capable in the day. The Nomad claimed 8 inches of ground clearance.

This particular 1959 Norton Nomad (VIN # 82812 R15) is in San Francisco, California. Listed as an original survivor, the listing has an incredibly detailed history of the bike. It was bought at the Quail Motorcycle Gathering, and the pedigree seems impeccable. The Nomad is currently standing at under $100 with a Buy It Now price of $22,000