Actually, I am an airplane nut, but as money and space are scarce commodities, I finally settled for a motorcycle.

The 16H Norton is simple motorcycle, which carries me across the country at an leisurely pace, enabling sightseeing without to much danger (although watching a Stork flying overhead nearly landed me into a ditch). Motorways are no pleasantries, river dikes are.

Bought as civil machine in January 1977, I found out afterwards it really was a wartime hack.
When I bought the 16H, I was totally ignorant of motorcycles,  but the Norton name had somehow left some impression in the back of my mind.  
 

As bought in 1977

As restored in 1980

Still in civvies I used it to get my drivers license, which at that time was rather unusual. (No speedo, brake light,
direction indicators, and a notoriously unreliable Lucas electric system). I solved the speedo issue by mounting the speedo of my moped (Puch M50 Skylark) and "calibrating" it by following my brother driving his Renault 4! It actually was quite accurate.

In February 1978 I bought an R50 BMW as even then, it was a bit awkward to ride such an old machine in "modern traffic" and for "every day" travel. This enabled me to start the restoration of the 16H. For a number of military additions I used parts from another bike (see below). I also bought quite some parts from the, now deceased, George Yeomans at Drayton Mill near Birmingham. He had loads of nice stuff although I came a year too late. He sold brand new (old stock) engines for a ridiculous low price (as he found out later) the year before.
During the prolonged search to the origins I found out that it really was a motorcycle from a 1942 contract (the Dutch number plate license noted 1945! which, with hindsight, may have been its rebuild date). Being made in 1942/43 was only possible as a military motorcycle. At that time (late 70ties) this information was relative hard to find, and I learned more about its history during my holidays/hunts for parts in England.
 

Donor bike used for restoration of my bike, part of a shipment from Greece in the 70'ties.
Identification plate on the rear mudguard (below tail light) indicates contract number S5161.
Frame number showed to be made on contract C12426, delivered from august 1942, likely indicating it to be a rebuilt machine.
 

I rebuild it to its supposedly original delivery condition as I understood it to be then.
I would say it ended up as a nice representative of a "Rebuild" motorcycle! when finished in 1980.

During a visit to Biggleswade in 1980 (in my quest to find additional parts), I was quite surprised when I was invited by a member of the organizing committee to attend the "Wheels at war day" at Duxford, because they did not have a Norton 16H on the show!! 
It was a most memorable weekend, meeting a lot of pleasant people, driving a Chieftain tank! and riding various other motorcycle brands. Remember, "a motorcycle is ridden, not driven" (according to the British Army Motorcycle Training films of 1942). This also explains why old military motorcycle documents refer to "off side" and "near side" when referring to respectively "right" and "left" hand of a motorcycle. These were terms related to horses used by the cavalry in the olden days. Old prewar military men saw motorcycles as mechanized horses!  

In 1995 I added insignia to resemble a machine of the Royal Signals detachment of the Dutch "Prinses Irene Brigade" which obtained 30 Norton's in Nov. - Dec. 1940.  
At present I am contemplating a repaint of the machine, using SCC no 2 brown (tea with milk) as introduced on the previous contract. 
 

Nowadays my urge to keep the motorcycle "as original as possible" has changed a fair bit as it is used primarily to ride for fun on long trips not related to military happenings which I attended for over 30 years at many occasions in the Netherlands and France/Normandy.
The primary chain and clutch has been replaced by a Norton Commando belt drive system eliminating all sorts of chain problems, oil leakage and having a much more precise clutch and gear change operation. The gearbox control rod is replaced by a new version with 2 rod end bearings, eliminating the play in the system that usually leads to gear change issues.
I also replaced the timing chain with a belt leading to a much more even running of the engine as the timing of the spark is not influenced by the whip in the timing chain anymore.