Norman Cycles was a British

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

, autocycle,

moped A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. The term used to mean a similar vehicle except with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine. Mopeds typic ...

, and

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

manufacturer in

Ashford, Kent Ashford is a town in the county of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Great Stour at the southern or Escarpment, scarp edge of the North Downs, about southeast of central London and northwest of Folkestone by road. In the ...

, England. The company and its products are remembered today by the Norman Cycles Club at

Willesborough Windmill New Mill is a Grade II* listed smock mill in Hythe Road, Willesborough, Ashford, Kent. It stands just west of junction 10 of the M20 motorway. It was built in 1869 and is now a museum open to the public. History ''New Mill'' was built in 1869 ...

, in

Willesborough Willesborough is a village, now in effect a residential suburb, on the eastern side of Ashford, Kent, England. The area The South Willesborough Dykes area, on the west bank of the River East Stour, is an area of sheep fields drained by dykes. ...

, Ashford. The Norman museum is in the Windmill's barn and displays some of the company's mopeds and bicycles.

History

The company was founded shortly after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as the Kent Plating & Enamelling Co by brothers Charles and Fred Norman, making frames in a garden shed off Jemmett Road, Ashford. In the 1920s they moved to larger premises in Victoria Road, Ashford, and progressed to producing cycles. In 1935, they had a factory built in Beaver Road, Ashford, and the company was renamed Norman Cycles Limited. In 1938, it produced an autocycle (a heavier-duty bicycle with a small engine - later commonly known as a moped). In addition to cycles the company went on to produce mopeds and light motorbikes (with motors supplied by manufacturers including Villiers, British Anzani; Sachs engines were used for the Norman Nippy moped). The company produced many thousands of cycles and motorbikes. Weekly production was said to peak at 5,000 bikes, 600 mopeds and 120 motorbikes. It exported to Commonwealth countries using the Rambler trademark. The company had sporting success. By 1950, Norman Cycles had been acquired by

Tube Investments TI Group plc (formerly "Tube Investments") was a holding company for specialised engineering companies. It was based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It was registered as ''Tube Investments'' in 1919, combining the seamless steel tube businesses of Tu ...

, which used the Raleigh name for cycles. The Ashford factory closed in 1961. Although products bearing the Norman name continued to be made (Nottingham for cycles and Smethwick for mopeds and motorbikes), the heyday had passed and the name ceased in sales literature after 1963. In tribute, a road close to the site of the 1935 factory is named Norman Road. Norman Cycles does not have any connection to

Norman Engineering Co The Norman Engineering Company (1919–1968) was a British manufacturer of lightweight air-cooled four-stroke industrial engines of 1 to 6 hp, based at premises in London, Leamington Spa, Warwick and Uxbridge. Other products included motorc ...

of Leamington Spa and Warwick, makers of industrial engines.

Bicycles

*Norman Imp *Norman Continental *Norman Invader *Norman Atalanta *Norman Conquest *Norman Attacker *Norman Beaver *Norman Light Roadster *Norman Sabre *Norman Safety Cycle *Norman Tricycle 2P *Norman Rapide

Autocycles

*Norman Motobyk Tricycle

Mopeds

*Norman Nippy - most had Villiers engines; the Mark IV had a Villiers 3K (49cc) single-cylinder engine, leading-link front fork and swinging-arm rear suspension *Norman Lido

Motorcycles

*Norman B1 *Norman B1 Sports *Norman B2 *Norman B2C (Trials) *Norman B3 Roadster *Norman B3 Sports *Norman B4 Roadster *Norman B4 Sports *Norman TS

References

External links

Norman Motorcycles & Cycles ClubNorman Model List
{{coord , 51, 8, 9, N, 0, 52, 4, E, type:landmark_region:GB-KEN, display=title <-- estimate, please check --> Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England Defunct cycle manufacturers of the United Kingdom Moped manufacturers Defunct motorcycle manufacturers of the United Kingdom History of Ashford, Kent Defunct companies based in Kent