The end (of this year's Norton Challenge) may be nigh, but that hasn't stopped classic bike riders enjoying the season of mists. Here are the fruits of their autumnal excursions...

Roy Smith was at pains to point out that although is BSA Starfire has been recently rebuilt, it was not 'restored'. Nice to know that the difference is important to many people! He took the Beesa 250 on a run to this Norton, just north of Doncaster.

'A long ago' says Allan Johnson in Canada, 'there was a rural crossroads called "Nortonville" in the province of Ontario but it has been submerged by the urban sprawl known as the "Greater Toronto Area" (GTA). So you will have to make do with a picture of a British bike (with a Sturmey-Archer / Norton type gearbox) in front of a "Norton Crescent" street sign in my home town of Georgetown.

'The bike is my 1938 Brough Superior SS80 deLuxe bought as a basketcase in 1969 while I was a graduate student at Durham University, England. The bike was sufficiently dismantled when acquired then that two of us and the whole bike managed to get inside a Hillman Imp car to get it home. It has been licensed and on the road just about every year since then, sometimes with a sidecar but mostly solo. Some rebuilds/repairs over that time as you can imagine.'

John Renwick grabbed some photos of the AJS&MOC East Midlands Section on this year's Curtis Trial at Norton Juxta, in Leicestershire. The photo without a Norton in it is of John on his AJS 18CS going 'far too fast' through a ford on a green lane. 'I created a significant bow wave' says John, 'only to ride into it, flooding my full-face helmet. I was lucky, the bike stalled, but freewheeled to dry ground, then surprisingly started second kick.'

The other pic shows the main group with their steeds; an AJS Model 16 rigid off-road bitsa which was bought just two weeks earlier; a Matchless G80 special with AMC gearbox; a Matchless special G15 Norton engine (with 270/90 degree crank) on road tyres, owned and built by John Grew; a G80CS long distance trial special owned by Andy Smith.

Malcolm Fidler sent this snap of his 1962 Francis Barnett Model 89. Cunningly, he bagged two Norton signposts with one photo! There's economy for you…

RC member Mario Volckaert has tried very hard to find a Norton in or around Belgium but 'I had no luck so far.' So instead he fixed up his old 1981 250 Yamaha recently, working on a low budget. 'It makes a pleasant alternative compared to the more-and-more expensive British bike scene' says Mario. 'I have changed the chopper-style handlebars and adapted the seat for my stature, and have cut off the old USA decals and put the Union Jack on the sidepanels. The rear light is a Lucas replica. Since this very important change, it leaks oil like a real one and the back light only lasts for about half an hour!

'I had a spare day off and took the map of Northern France with me and spotted two interesting places to ride to. Humbers rule in France! The little SR behaved itself on this 200-plus miles trip. except for the clutch getting a bit stiff.'

Russ Webb grabbed this snap on his way home from the Rockers' Reunion Run. 'Keeping with an Italianate theme,' he says; 'I am sure Paul Dunstall and his Norton team made a couple of attempts at World Endurance records at Monza, led by Rex Butcher. What about resurrecting the story behind this?'

David Hayhow has only come recently to the Norton Challenge, but squeaked in before the end with this entry, accompanied by his own 1974 Norton Commando. 'Would that it was as tidy as Frank's Commando, as recently rebuilt and featured in the magazine! Anyway,' asks David; 'who but an 11th Century French nobleman would consider this corner of northern Somerset a poor prize?'

Ken Vernon took his R1150R BMW took the southern edge of Sheffield to bag this Norton. Looks like an ideal place to spend a warm winter's evening…

And NVNL sent this entry, showing Pete Smith with his 1974 Triumph Daytona at Norton Crest, waaaaaay back in the height of summer on the Longest Day Ride. It's just as well the final closing date for entries is in December!

And finally, the last word for this instalment goes to Martin Peacock, a man who has travelled many, many miles on old bikes in pursuit of Nortons. 'Considering this was a summer when I didn't get out much on my bikes,' he says; 'I was surprised to find over 2500 miles clocked up since last year's mot on the Triumph. The bigger half of this was from the Norton Challenge and especially the twin deluges that were last year's Finale and this year's Convention. If the Challenge was about getting on your old bike and riding it somewhere then certainly it did the job for me.'

Bonnevilles on Right Now......

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Norton Challenge Award Winners

At the end of 2010 we will select a few lucky winners from all those people who accepted the RealClassic Norton Challenge and went to somewhere daft on their bike, just for the heck of it, and sent us a photo to prove where they'd been. So check back at the turn of the year, to see if you've won a prize…