Norton ES2

The Norton ES2 was a Norton motorcycle produced from 1927 until 1964, a long-stroke single with a bore and stroke that never changed from 79 by 100 mm. It was launched as a sports machine but was gradually overtaken by more powerful models, and stayed popular for its reliability, ease of maintenance and traditional design. From 1947 it had hydraulically damped telescopic front forks and plunger rear suspension, from 1953 a swinging-arm frame, and from 1959 the Featherbed frame designed by Rex McCandless, followed by the narrower Slimline frame in 1961. The last ES2 was introduced in late 1964 as a Matchless with Norton badges, built for two years as the AMC group failed. A 1939 ES2 named La Poderosa carried Ernesto Guevara and Alberto Granado across South America on the journey told in The Motorcycle Diaries.