The 1950s and ’60s were one of the most important times in the development of various custom motorcycles. The Atlas shared the same pre-unit 4-speed gearbox as the Dominator, with the same heavy duty clutch, Roadholder forks, Girling rear shock absorbers, and of course, the Featherbed frame. Norton sold the Atlas from 1962 till 1968, by which time the Norton Commando had assumed the mantle as the British company’s leading model. In later years the same engine would be pushed up to 920cc and beyond by aftermarket engineering firms and racing teams, some engines surpassing double the original swept volume of the 500. The Norton parallel twin that first appeared in 1949 proved to be remarkably extensible, increasing in size from 497cc initially to 828cc in the latter Commando models. Although many engineers disagreed with its layout, it’s hard to deny that it was exceedingly effective, and to this day it remains the only motorcycle frame that most motorcyclists can recall by name.

The Featherbed was unique in that it was made from two lengths of Reynolds steel tubing that had been bent into curved-edge rectangles before being welded together at the head stock. The lessons he learned were applied to his designs and by 1949 he’d designed the Featherbed and sold it to Norton, Norton then went on to take multiple wins at the Isle of Man TT with it – not to mention a number of world speed records. It was developed by Rex McCandless, he wasn’t an engineer but he had raced motorcycles with some success in the 1930s and worked in the aviation industry during WWII. The Featherbed frame is a motorcycle chassis so influential that a number of companies exist to this day to reproduce it (and close approximations of it). The Atlas brought together two iconic Norton elements to create a motorcycle that’s now much sought after by enthusiasts – a Featherbed frame and the parallel twin first used in 1949. The Norton Atlas was introduced in 1962 as an upgraded version of the Dominator, primarily focussed on the American market.

Atlas norton