Norton abandoned the Domiracer project a year later when the Bracebridge Street race shop closed and the Domiracer and factory spares were sold to Paul Dunstall, who continued with development and began producing Norton performance parts, eventually selling complete Dunstall Norton bikes to customers including Steve McQueen.497 cc (30.3 cu in) air-cooled OHV vertical twin In the 1961 Isle of Man TT Tom Phillis took the bike to third place and lapped at over 100 mph (161 km/h), a first for a pushrod engine and a first for any twin. The overall weight was 35 lb (16 kg) less than the Manx, when mounted in a special lightweight-frame (dubbed lowboy), creating the factory "Domiracer". The highly developed 500 cc Dominator engine intended as a successor produced 55 bhp (41 kW) and revved to 8,000 rpm. Norton briefly used race-tuned Dominators from circa 1960, but they were still outclassed by the Manx Norton which was used for general purpose racing. And some optional enclosed body styling on the "Deluxe" Models of the 88 and 99, along the lines of the 'bathtub' Triumph models. A large metal tank badge completed the look, along with some two-toned paint schemes. The seats and tanks and indeed the whole styling of the Dominator was redesigned to suit. Slimline Featherbed frames from 1960 įrom 1960 model year, the featherbed frame for all Dominators was altered so that the frame tubes in front of the seat were narrower, for improved rider comfort. Full width alloy hubs with improved brakes had also been introduced a year earlier, preparatory for the capacity increase from 500 cc to 600 cc Due to the increased engine capacity, the 99 had a power output of 31 bhp, partly due also to a higher compression ratio possible with the alloy head introduced a year earlier. The 597cc featherbed framed Model 99 Dominator was introduced in September 1955, as a larger capacity version alongside the 500 cc Model 88 version.
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