One Man, One Garage, One Legendary Norton: Otto Jorgenson's Ron Wood Tribute
One Man, One Garage, One Legendary Norton: Otto Jorgenson's Ron Wood Tribute
Otto Jorgenson spent winter 2023-24 hand-building a tribute to Ron Wood's legendary Big Tube Norton flat trackers—the bikes that dominated AMA racing and won Chris Carr 13 Peoria TT victories. This isn't a CNC shop build. Every piece was fabricated by hand in Otto's Auburn, Washington, garage.
Starting with a 1971 750 Commando engine, Otto machined titanium axles on a manual lathe, TIG-welded a 4130 chromoly frame with argon-purged internals, drilled every lightning hole by hand, and formed the aluminum gas tank himself. He even traveled to Las Vegas to photograph Ron Wood's original bikes to get the geometry perfect.
The result? A race-ready Norton with a Full Auto head, Megacycle cams, Hunt magneto, Dellorto carbs, Yamaha R6 forks, and enough respect for the original to make any flat track fan stop and stare.
In this video, Otto walks us through 190 photos of the complete build—from first weld to first race. This is craftsmanship, dedication, and what happens when childhood inspiration meets adult skills.
Follow Otto's racing schedule and catch this beauty at West Coast tracks in 2025.
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