NN202A - Flipbook - Page 33
his issue l am going to write my
T
Les Emery story, that is Les Emery
from Norvil in the UK, l am in a good
position to do this as Les was a
personal friend for many years, he
was eight years my senior, he
in昀uenced me to the point that he was
my mentor.
To begin with, Les was a very special
and unique guy, he had a very
different personality that not everyone
understood, he certainly caught me
out a few times, he was the Sage of all
things Norton, his knowledge was stored like a walking
encyclopedia, l would say that he was the smartest person
that l ever knew to the point of being irreplaceable. He also
had a temper that could 昀are up if you rubbed him up the
wrong way, which was a standing joke between us, rubbed/
emery goes together.
He had a great sense of humour in the British dry humour
fashion, sheep shagging stories were his specialty, l don't
believe that he personally participated in the pastime, but it
was always a hilarious subject, told in true Les fashion.
Les was a driving force in the NOC, starting a branch and
being involved in spare parts. Les later founded another club,
the Wordwide Norton Owners which never really gained
momentum.
Les had no time for Japanese motorcycles, l could say a lot
about that but it would be offensive to certain people, just
know that l have the knowledge because l was there.
I 昀rst met Les in 1974 when l bought my 昀rst Norton, a brand
new Mk1 850 interstate, a good friend Paul Shenton who had
a beautiful blue Fastback took me to his house on Pones昀eld
Road in Lich昀eld Staffordshire. Les and l immediately hit it off
and l became friends with his lovely wife Sue as well, sue was
the only person that l trusted to cut my hair back in my hippy
biker days.
Les was already involved in Norton spares through the NOC
and building engines. He worked out of a 6' X 4' garden shed
in his back garden with some concrete paving slabs as an
Number 202
29
Norton News
