Four dream days with Peter Williams.

Four dream days with Peter Williams.

I had the privilege to share the life of Peter Williams during 4 days, what an experience!

A fantastic person, a gentleman and a champion!

I was in charge of Peter during the recent Wieze trade show in Belgium, driving him to and from the show, to restaurants and more importantly to interview him throughout the event.

I feel I can say that Peter is a man full of contrasts: his physical condition is a real catastrophe since his terrible 1974 accident, being 78 years old isn't helping either. But what courage: 12 hours in a van, coming from England, without ever complaining. But when he starts talking about motorcycle history, he remains the pure genius he always has been, his enthusiasm and Harry Potter smile showing the passion that never left him. It is with kindness and good spirit that he met hundreds of visitors willing to talk to him or get autographs.

I had the privilege to interview him live throughout the week-end, and if it is nearly impossible to cover his amazing career with just a few questions, his answers were always very clear and straight to the point.

Michael Braid, the well-known British collector, brought with him 5 legendary motorcycles, all authentic and immaculately maintained in racing condition:

- Norton JPN monocoque 1973
- Norton JPN space frame 1974
- Arter Williams Matchless "wagon wheels" MkIII
- Thruxton Club 1975
- Dunstall Norton domiracer low-boy 500cc

The icing on the cake was that all those machines were, at some point during the week-end, brought out in front of the show hall and started amidst great crowd enthusiasm...Peter himself at the throttle!

A journey back to a Continental Circus soundtrack blaring at 140 decibels...

In addition to all that, the Flanders Branch N.O.C. assembled a gorgeous display of around 50 Commandos and specials.

All in all, an unforgettable moment for every visitor of the Wieze show and...for myself.

Yves.



Peter Williams and me during the intervieuw



Michael Braid & Peter Williams and the Arter Matchlees Wagonweels



Peter himself at the throttle



The JPN monocoque 1973



The JPN spaceframe 1974



The JPN special 1972



Thruxton Club 1975



Redfern 1974



Commando 1968



My Seeley Commando

Well done Yves, what a fantastic event that must have been.

PW is definitely one of the all time motorcycle super stars in my book.

I would love a replica of his bikes. The monocoque is just awesome of course, but I have been a long time admirer of the purity that is wagon wheels, it's a fabulous example of his craft.

Trouble is of course, I can neither afford one nor ride it properly as sadly, I don't possess anything like his riding prowess !

Very good indeed, thanks for posting

nortriubuell said:

Very good indeed, thanks for posting

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+1 :mrgreen:

The silver one with the orange seat looks like it came directly from the Norton stand at the 1967 Earl's Court show. I was one of the N-V employees on that stand, looking after the Villiers-India "Fantabulous" scooter.

Interesting article.
I myself am very interested in the Michael Braid, Dunstall Norton low-boy 500cc Domiracer.
Do you have any pictures of it or any information :?:

Thanks a lot / Merci Yves for sharing the time spent with Peter, a highly gifted engineer, a wonderful rider and a perfect gentleman.

His "Design to race" book is my bible!

Laurent

Bernhard said:

Interesting article.
I myself am very interested in the Michael Braid, Dunstall Norton low-boy 500cc Domiracer.
Do you have any pictures of it or any information :?:

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I will try to find a Pic of the Domiracer, the only thing I can say that the sound of this bike was a mecanical symphonie at 140Db
Yves

More pictures by Paul Coene of the Wieze show https://www.flickr.com/photos/29850993@ ... 8482295531

Bernhard said:

Interesting article.
I myself am very interested in the Michael Braid, Dunstall Norton low-boy 500cc Domiracer.
Do you have any pictures of it or any information :?:

Click to expand...

Hallo,
On monday I will have the pics from the Dunstall 500 Domiracer owned by Mike Braid and also is history
Knowing that Mike Braid will never own a kind of replica, the history of this bike can be very intersting
Yves

The Commando with the orange seat, I would say has a 'different frame' but the engine fit looks lower and neater as the coils are well away from the head, no signs of isolastics either, 'different' as it may have been what they intended to use as to what we now know as the original frame. There is a picture of the Earls court 1967 Commando from the pres at the time, it shows the right hand side and I would love to have a copy or scan of the picture.

PW is someone who has and still does live and breath Norton, at his age it is so commendable that he seems as enthusiastic as he ever did.

Madnorton said:

The Commando with the orange seat, I would say has a 'different frame'

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Looks to be a reasonably standard early 20M3 Commando. :?

Madnorton said:

but the engine fit looks lower and neater as the coils are well away from the head

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....as it has the early 'widowmaker' frame the coils sit higher. Edit: Originally one coil sat above the other, piggyback fashion, directly beneath the spine tube.
http://thomasdunstall.blogspot.co.uk/20 ... 50-da.html

Madnorton said:

no signs of isolastics either,

Click to expand...

:?:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/29850993@ ... 482295531/

Madnorton said:

'different' as it may have been what they intended to use as to what we now know as the original frame.

Click to expand...

Well, it is an original frame.

Madnorton said:

There is a picture of the Earls court 1967 Commando from the pres at the time, it shows the right hand side and I would love to have a copy or scan of the picture.

Click to expand...

https://andover-norton.co.uk/en/distributors/
https://andover-norton.co.uk/img/images ... 880085.jpg

Spiffing wot . just need P. W. in search now , to find it . :wink:





Digressing a trifle , but if you stop this @ 19:00 / 20:00 you see a white place on the right . Thru the trees
you see a brown facia / red roof , just past it . Thereabouts was where the NZ silver frame sucker lived .
Under the house wasnt closed in . Closest corner to camera it was parked amougst crates & sacks for a
few years , before he sold it , with 43.000 miles on it . No Breakdowns . Was looking a bit dog eared by that stage .
Now youd regard it as a dream find , Just needed a clean & polish . Maybe chain / sprockets . $ 1800 ish .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUGY-ZpZhZM

Heard it up the hill there , from the post office along the bottom , Friday afternoons occasionally .
Dissapointed it was throttle on on the straights & quite in the bends , as I was listening for a
repeat of its first run , on throttle in the bends - quite on the straights . Correct running in proceedure . :wink:

Looking at the tyres in the pictures I think explains that ! He may well have had ' a bit of a moment ' somewhere
about 20 deg. lean on the S M rear & they throttle stear horribly , its up or down from there .

CORRECTION . Itll be about 14:00 . Thats the house , decks etc now . Think it was green in 70's . Sure as
The Combat pulled out of there after the tune up , picked up the front , hung a left , and monowheeled
up that road . Could see across the valley back then .
A twin Spinner went thru the barrier at the end at 80 odd around 1970 . A long way down to the sea . That roads virtually flat .

Fastback was in Rangi two toes staff carpark regularly , its first two to four years to summer of 72 . In case your wondering . 8)

Seen those photos, I'm after the one that shows it propped up on a U shaped bracket as it does not have a centre stand, taken from approx 45 from the right hand side.

Well , you just cant please some people , can you .

yves , haven, t you got any pics of the truxton 200miler ?
the white one on the corner ?

You can find all the pics from the Dunstall 500 Domiracer on "other nortons"
Yves

lynxnsu said:

yves , haven, t you got any pics of the truxton 200miler ?
the white one on the corner ?

Click to expand...

You can find all the pics from Paul Coene here on the rplay from Slimslowslider
Yves

yves norton seeley said:

lynxnsu said:

yves , haven, t you got any pics of the truxton 200miler ?
the white one on the corner ?

Click to expand...

You can find all the pics from Paul Coene here on the rplay from Slimslowslider
Yves

Click to expand...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/29850993@ ... 482295531/

yet another mistake at making this a production racer, it is NOT
engine was shifted to the right , exhausts were on the righthand side , both for ground clearance , amogst other mods
bike was the brainchild of peter williams but i forgot who drove it at truxton
also primary chaincase was modified for clearance
there was an article about it in classic bike umpteen years ago
seems like everybody thinks it is a caferacer(hate the word and most of the bikes called that) or a production-racer

ps it is not my bike but i did some work on it after it left England
ps2 if some-one could put a pic of the bike that would be great