The ultra-rare Norton P11 Desert Sled is ready to race against the Mint 400, or just be an awesome toy

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Photo: eBay User: northlandtradingco

There are electric dirt bikes, chisel-jawed dirt bikes, and then there’s everything that 1967 Norton P11 desert sled is. What might look like the front half of a cruiser Vintage paired with the back of a farm bike is actually an ultra-rare trinket of American motorcycle history that most have never heard of, let alone seen in the wild before. Although its appearance and behavior might indicate that it is a So-Cal bike, Norton-Villiers actually called the UK home between 1966 and 1972.

You’d never know it by looking at one, because the Desert Sled seems tailor-made for racing across the Mojave. In fairness, this particular example was spent some time in California as a part-time gentleman’s racer in the 70s and 80s. At the heart of the P11 Desert Sled is a powerful 745cc four-stroke V-Twin engine. developing 54 horsepower at full power. Not much if you’re not familiar with older bikes, but for a frame that weighs just under 350 pounds and a bike not at all designed for tarmac, there’s a good chance this bike is just fast enough to excite but not so fast that it ensures your death if you really hit it.

Given that the company has only been around for six years, it makes sense that the production numbers aren’t the most reliable in the world. But from what we can gather, around 2,500 examples of the P11 dune bike family were made. Of these, this motorcycle’s identification numbers indicate that it is the 218th off the line, a very nice early example. Being from California since it was imported from Britain, I think the elements have been much kinder to this bike than they would have been in Britain. Or, really, pretty much everywhere else in America, too.

With its smooth, cat-free exhaust, aggressive front suspension and even bigger rear tire, it’s easy to see how miles of rugged desert terrain are gobbled up like a Magnum V10 Ram truck eats up on 93 octane. It helps that someone who has owned this bike for so long truly loves it and takes care of it throughout its five decades of life. It is unclear how long he spent locked in a garage or shed. One thing’s for sure, there’s still plenty of life left in this bike in the hands of someone with a basic tool kit and a few PDF repair guides.

Given the rarity of what’s for sale and its immediate appeal, anyone walking away with the item for less than ten thousand dollars might as well have stolen it from a parking lot. Being so capable off-road, it would be a great getaway vehicle.