1958 Norton Jubilee

1958 marks the debut of the Norton Jubilee, a quarter-liter machine sitting below the Dominator 88 and 99 as the smallest bike Norton had ever built. This is a lightweight, easy-going commuter and learner bike rather than a performance machine, built to be forgiving for riders just off their license restrictions. Power arrives modestly and comes on smoothly, so the Jubilee rewards steady, relaxed riding around town and on secondary roads rather than anything ambitious on the open highway. Owning one today means dealing with a genuinely simple machine, easy to maintain and unintimidating to work on. As the first year of production, the 1958 Norton Jubilee introduced Norton's first unit-construction engine and gearbox, developed specifically ahead of Britain's incoming learner-legislation limits on new riders. Buyers could choose the De-Luxe, with its larger headlamp and rear fairing, or the plainer Standard, both offered in Red, Green, or Blue against Dove Grey. Today it appeals less to hardcore Norton collectors chasing big twins and more to riders interested in affordable, rideable British classics or the historical footnote of Norton's first small-bore unit-construction design.