The International Norton Owners Association (INOA) is
dedicated to the preservation of the Norton motorcycle. Formed in 1975, the INOA
has provided Norton enthusiasts with the common bond of the enjoyment of riding,
talking, and restoring Norton motorcycles.
The INOA's goals and services are expanding. We have 30 regional and local
chapters providing locally scheduled rides, meetings and rallies. We also offer
technical assistance, parts & service sources, classified advertising, and a
forum for member originated modifications and maintenance procedures that are
not found in the service manuals.
The annual Norton National Rally is held in a different part of the country each
year so that members might be able to attend a Norton convention without the
need to ride cross-country to get there. Past rallies have entertained over 500
Norton people in locations like Laconia, New Hampshire, the North Georgia
Mountains, in the Black Hills of South Dakota and the rugged
beauty of Oregon. Rally agendas include tech and accessory sessions, local
tours, concours judging, field events, Norton movies, live entertainment, and
campfire gabfests. If you have never seen an “International” or an
“S” model Commando, the National Norton Rallies are the place where they
show up.
The INOA presently offers 3 publications that are of great value to the
Norton-oriented rider. The Norton News is the club's bimonthly newsletter and
contains a “Nuts & Bolts” column concerned with maintenance, parts
availability, and procedures useful in keeping Norton's on the road in the face
of dwindling local dealerships. The column is edited by Brian Slark, who has
over 20 years of factory experience to draw from. The Norton News also offers a
free classified section to members, a Feature Bike (examples of some of the
finer or more unique Norton in existence), a Racing section, accessory news, AMA
updates, letters, feature articles dealing with owning and riding Norton
motorcycles and the latest news on developments at the Norton factory.
Our Parts/Service/Membership Directory is an invaluable aid to the touring as
well as the local Norton rider. It contains names and addresses of the
membership as well as all the dealers in Norton parts and service that we are
aware of. It is very handy for on-the-road assistance or those hard to find
parts needed for winter rebuilds. The P.S.M. is published approximately every 18
months.
The INOA also offers the Tech Digest containing all the maintenance bits that
have appeared in the Norton News over the years as well as all the applicable
Norton service bulletins we have in our files. This is as valuable as any
service manual you may now have, as it covers the practical “home grown”
fixes that have been contributed by members over the years. The Tech Digest, in
conjunction with a shop manual and your owner's manual, covers nearly every
aspect of Commando maintenance and repair and is now starting to cover the Atlas
and older models as well.
Our Library has a good and ever-growing selection of reprints from original
magazine articles, which prove invaluable if you are restoring a Norton, or if
you simply wish to know more about a certain model.
Come join our growing family of like-minded Norton enthusiasts and enjoy the
camaraderie in the International Norton Owners Association!
Dian
Slark
Links to:
INOA