You Can Now Bid on One of the Rarest Nortons Ever Built. It Was Also Owned by Top Gear's Richard Hammond

The 2019 Norton Dominator Street is special in its own right, as just 50 were produced. But this one belonged to Richard Hammond, and you can bid on it.

Photo by: Iconic Auctioneers

By: Robbie Bacon

Jul 9, at 9:17am ET

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Under TVS's ownership, Norton Motorcycles is going through a resurgence, and motorcycling media outlets have been alight with conversation about the brand's latest superbike, the Manx R. The Manx R is dripping with tech and modern styling, but not long ago, Nortons were more known for their classic styling and riding characteristics, which produced a more analogue feel.

You don't often see the bikes that I'm referencing go on sale, but there's one up for auction right now, and it belonged to Top Gear's own Richard Hammond. Oh, and it's extremely rare.

The former Grand Tour presenter is auctioning his 2019 Norton Dominator Street via Historics Auctioneers. The bike was a limited-edition model, which was hand-built and based on the standard 961 Dominator. Only 50 units were produced, and each was numbered from 1 to 50. The bike's rarity is a selling point, but so is the fact that it was one of the last models produced by Norton pre-TVS ownership.

Photo by: Iconic Auctioneers

Norton aficionados will need no introduction to the 961cc air/oil-cooled parallel twin engine powering the Dominator Street. The iconic lump produced 80 hp at 6,500 rpm and 66 lb-ft of torque at 5,200 rpm, giving the machine characterful low-end grunt. It's paired with a 5-speed manual transmission, and riders need to do all the clutch work, as there's no quickshifter. The lack of a quickshifter is indicative of the rest of the motorcycle.

Apart from dual-channel ABS and electronic fuel injection, the Dominator Street was basically an analogue bike. Although it came out in 2019, there was no TC, riding modes, wheelie control, or cruise control. But that doesn't mean the bike was lacking hardware; far from it.

Photo by: Iconic Auctioneers

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If you're lucky enough to win the auction, you'll have a bike dripping in performance parts, like Öhlins suspension and Brembo brakes. There's always another feature to gaze back at after you park up, like the hand-beaten polished aluminum fuel tank, handmade 2-into-1 stainless steel exhaust, carbon fiber flyscreen, or carbon fiber fenders. Unfortunately, this craftsmanship came at a time when Norton was struggling financially, and the quality control wasn't, well, controlled.

There are some very well-produced Nortons from this period, and ones that required owners to take advantage of their warranty. I can't speak to the condition of this particular bike, but I can tell you that its odometer shows just 4,429 miles and it is expected to go for £15,000 to £21,000 ($20,072 to $28,101).