Ontario Norton Owners – Club History

             The Eastern Ontario Norton Owners was first started up in 1995 by Guy Fortier and a few of the “Kingston Norton Boys” who thought that it would be great to organize a loosely knit group of Norton riders for Sunday rides and get-togethers throughout eastern Ontario while under the INOA banner.  Over the next few years the group increased in numbers and Guy, along with being the editor, spent a lot of time making new friends who enjoyed the same NORTON experience. Guy and Judy were the driving force behind the annual Black Fly Rallies which were initially were held at Schofield Camp near Perth Road Village which helped put our Norton Owners Group on the Map. Although the numbers weren’t always what we were looking for, everyone that showed up always had a good time and no one went away hungry or without another great T-shirt.  Each January at the Toronto Motorcycle Show, the EONO booth was front & centre meeting and greeting all Norton Owners who wanted to talk all things Norton. Our membership base started to grow.

            In 1999 interest grew to where the Ontario Norton Owners were established due to the interest from all parts of Ontario. Ralph & Marge Kitchen came forward to be our ONO newsletter editors while over 100 members were signing up to be ONO members. While in Buena Vista, Virginia our 1999 INOA rally attendance was excellent. That’s when Guy volunteered the ONO for the daunting task of hosting the 2001 INOA Rally. The 2001 INOA “Ivy Lea” Rally was the first time that the INOA had held a Norton rally north of the border and it went extremely well with over 400+ participants and 130 Nortons on display.

The Ontario Norton Owners were awarded the 2001 INOA Chapter of the year due to the huge success of the Ivy lea Rally.

            After the Ivy Lea Rally, Guy decided to retire as the ONO President and Will Norton was picked as President/Norton Nomad Editor to carry the club to the next stage. Peter Turner stepped forward to become Vice-President while Judy Fortier remained as the Treasurer.   Over the next couple of years Club By-Laws were established to set goals for the committee/club and membership continued to grow upwards to 125 members. Two rallies (Norton on the Rocks and The Elephant Run) were held annually to provide an opportunity for members to ride their Nortons across Southern Ontario. The annual INOA rally was also well-attended by Club members as the ONO banner was always front and centre at all INOA Rallies from New Hampshire, Lumby, BC or Utah to name a few. The annual Xmas party was also lots of fun while the annual ONO Booth at the Toronto MC show was a regular hangout for all die-hard Norton riders. In 2007 the Great White Rally was hosted at West Montrose by Don & Donna Wilson who were there when the first Great White Rally was held in 1982 by Norton Owners in Ontario. 

            To this present day the Ontario Norton Owners continues to stay true to our original mandate which is:  

            "The ONO encourages the preservation, restoration and the sharing of technical information for all Norton motorcycles, the riding of this unique marque and the fellowship of all its members and their families."

                 If you own a Norton Motorcycle or have an interest in this great marque then come out and join us at one of rallies or be introduced to local Norton riders for Sunday rides. Our motto is “Ride them, Don’t hide them” so dust off that Commando or Atlas and hope to see you at one of our events. Although many of our Nortons are over 40 years old, they are still in great condition, and will be for many years to come due to our membership’s pride in owning & riding a Norton motorcycle.

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