classic motorcycle forum

No -  the Manxman was only ever a 650cc, in blue with small tank, high handlebars and orange/red seat.
It was about the first to get chrome guards - mostly for the US market of course.

All featherbed dommies look somewhat the same at first glance - without knowing the engine numbers its tough to tell them apart.
Apart from slimline or wideline frames and various features over the years.
Or counting fins....

Can any body tell me if Norton produced the Dominators with chrome guards and primary cover as standard around 1961? I have noticed chrome under the paint on this one, by the way I have purchased it!

Congratulations !

Export and home market bikes can vary, considerably, in the finish. Chrome bits were becoming quite common even in the early 60s.
The NOC can possibly look it up in the factory records and advise - but of course previous owners could have done anything with it in the past 40 years.  Depending on where it was delivered to new, some Dealers also added to the bling in the showroom...

It looks like its going to be a postwar James ML model, a 125cc. ?

http://cybermotorcycle.com/gallery/james/images/James_1947_ML_125cc_in_The_Motor_Cycle.jpg

Not very much of it there or useable really, is there !
For something that was an economy lightweight model, with very limited road riding ability these days, you sure you want to continue with this - they are not very expensive to find complete and running.

And the one you have there looks to have other problems - the frame downtube (under the seat) looks to be gone, completely !!, and someone has added those two plain steel straps to replace it. So its missing the rear engine mounting.

You will have a lot of work finding all the missing bits, and be quite expensive to do this way. And, sorry to suggest this, but it would make good spares for someone looking for forks, or wheels.

HopethisHelps.

P.S. There were also quite a lot of these made in wartime. e.g.
http://miliblog.co.uk/wp-content/gallery/british-ww2-preserved-motorcycles/james-ml-military-lightweight-125cc-1943re-9889.jpg
Its possible yours has been civilianised - although shows no sign of this (for whats left, anyway).

Slimline Nortons in the early 1960s had a choice of a number of colors in the brochures - black and what is described as "dove grey" but is really a pale cream color, and red and dove grey, green and dove grey and blue and dove grey. While in theory each of these color choices were limited to a few specific models, apparently the factory would paint any bike any color if requested - and you could wait. Bit tricky with export bikes, of course.  Didn't take long before silver tanks and chromed guards came along, along with other chromed bits.

By the time it got into the Commando era, quite a range of colors was available, including some big chunky metalflake options.

Those 'Norton' slimline tank badges can be hard to find - they are chomed diecast (zinc), and tend to deteriorate and crumble with age.
Decals make a fair substitute until you find a good set, if you didn't get any ?

Everything is available for Nortons, new or used.
Cylinders may require sleeving if they are too far worn though.
Is there more than 1 bike here, seems to have 2 tanks and things. ?

Numbers seem to indicate  a 1962 Model 88, 500cc, a slimline - although pics don't show much frame detail.
Don't show the cylinderhead detail either, if this is an 88SS then a rolling chassis already = $2000 is looking rediculously low...

You need to take a careful note of the engine numbers, and compare to that list - for year and model.
Also the frame number, on featherbeds stamped vertically near your left foot.

122 is the prefix code for a Model 88, could be from 1951 to somewhere in the mid 1960s.
Wouldn't be the first time seller thought it was a 54 wideline, and turned out to be a 68 Atlas.
Or something somewhere in  between... !!

Unless its all utterly worn out, been stored underwater, or is is a POS, $2000 for any featherbed Norton is an absolute bargain.
If its all there - electrics, carbs, seat, guards, headlamp, handlebars and levers, tank and oiltank and battery box etc then even more so.

What has been chromed ?  The tank is the really expensive bit here - you often see them painted, for precisely that reason.

Good Luck !