Norton in the news | January 2024
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- čas přidán 18. 01. 2024
- Catch up on all the Norton news from the past few months.
Chapters:
00:39 - New Norton Merchandise
01:03 - Interview with TVS MD about why they bought Norton
01:44 - Link up with Mental Health charity
02:41 - Pensions Regulator action against former Norton owner
03:44 - New Limited Edition bikes
05:40 - Interview with Norton CEO
07:10 - New dealers
In April 2024 I am doing a 600+in mile ride on my 2015 Norton 961 Commando in aid of Mental Health Motorbike. Please donate here www.justgiving.com/page/rattl... and check out @grumpsrides6074 for more details. Thank you!
Sources and Links:
Interview with TVS MD
www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial...
Norton partners with Mental Health Motorbike
www.visordown.com/news/genera...
Pensions Regulator takes action against Stuart Garner
www.thepensionsregulator.gov....
Norton Limited Editions
www.motorcyclenews.com/news/n...
Interview with Norton Motorcycles CEO
www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2...
Norton Dealers
nortonmotorcycles.com/find-a-... - Auta a dopravní prostředky
I really really don’t want to be a party pooper but WTF !
Same old design/spec models, push rod engines and simon skinner heath robinson designed V4.
Agreed there’s some major parts upgrades, but it would have been impossible not to improve on it, I had a ‘14 cafe and what a crock of shit that was.
Now the ‘Quality over quantity’ speech that has to be the understatement of the year producing just 1 V4CR in a year!
And to cap it off no TT involvement due to engine size and apparent lack of interest, sure enough Garner was a thieving lying abhorrent crook but at-least he got a bike around the legendary course even if it did have an Aprilla engine.
We ALL want to love Norton but need something more from them (in my humble opinion don’t shoot me)
Hey there, thanks for your comments, much appreciated. I think a lot of bikers would agree with you. Norton is a brand that people are passionate about and I believe most want to see it succeed. But it will take time and a shed load of money, which TVS appear to have. These are early days in what will hopefully be a bright future for Norton. They seem to be very clear on the niche they’re aiming at, and rightly or wrongly, they’re not aiming to be the next Triumph or Royal Enfield. I see them more like Aston Martin than Ford, which is fair enough. I’m saving my pocket money for this small capacity bike, I’m really curious to see what it’s like. Anyway those are my somewhat random thoughts, really appreciate your thoughts too. Cheers.
Good things come to those who wait lol.
@@NortonUnofficial yep I hear you and I do genuinely want to be positive and I hope it all comes to fruition for them.
In my mind there’s niche and niche. If niche is buying one to stick in your board room and sell it in a few years for a profit with zero miles, then they maybe onto something with the V4.
I personally like to ride and use stuff.
I get they are going for high end but is the ‘current’ product good enough for 50k, I just raise an eyebrow when I read or watch a review of any of the in production models.
I’m not trying to be flash but I have a few bikes and V4 specials and British sports cars from a Healey 100 Le Mans to a MCL 12C spider. I love British stuff, surely I’m their target market.
I wish them well and look forward to the new models and want to see them around indefinitely
They need to release a new Norton Wankel.
That was a good bike.
Nice and smooth.
I am sure they could solve the emissions issue.
R
Beautiful bikes.
They are!
I’ve seen a number of videos of the new factory, always amazed how in-busy it looks.
Hi Brendan thanks for your comment, it wasn't very busy when I visited last year in October - mainly because they had to cover the bikes up while I was filming because they had these new bikes on the way. Cheers, Jonathan.
Great video, as always 👍
Thanks for the mention and plugging our run 🙂
Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated. Looking forward to April and doing the run. It’s gonna be awesome!
I remember being hounded and chased for a deposit when I expressed interest in an Atlas. A long way to go to convince me to part with money to this company. I will stick to my Triumphs. Just another foreign owned company that has secured rights to the name to join the list. BSA, Benelli, Mondial, etc etc.
Hi, thanks for your comments. I would have bought an Atlas if they had brought them out. I think the new owners deserve a chance, I hope they can make a go of it. New bikes will help, if they can get the quality right. Cheers, and thanks for watching. Jonathan.
Missed that story about the previous owner of Norton. He sounds like a real piece of work.
Owned a Commando BiTD
Thanks for your comment. I plan to do a full video on the previous owner, where things went wrong etc.
the 961 is gorgeous. love the 961 for it's heritage styling and especially because it doesn't have a car radiator hanging off the front of it. would love to buy one in n. america but they'll be probably way over priced.
had 1998 triumph bonneville but it had shxt suspension, shxt brakes and didn't quite have the best heritage styling.
Hi Barry, thanks for your comment, I believe that used 961s do come up for sale in the US, although not many. And Norton may be looking to relaunch globally in the next few years, so you might get lucky! Cheers, ride safe. Jonathan.
Out standing video thank you for the update about the charity ride, lol about the 500 bucks Canadian for the pull over and in general about what is going on. Things that make you go hmmm, Smaller capacity motorcycle, like maybe a 600 cc water cooled Commando Cafe racer, I cant wait to find out what that smaller capacity bike will be, I really love the 650 and 750 class of bike. Thanks again buddy.
Hey thanks so much for your comments, really appreciated. Yeah I’m saving my pennies ready for a smaller capacity bike, with luck we’ll see something on that this year. If I hear something I’ll post a video about it pretty quickly! Ride safe. Cheers.
Norton came back with Fashion Motorcylces , eg very high prices . They should of taken a page out of RE ,built a 850 interstate ,twin ,a CHEAP, modern but well enginered machine for the masses . It would of sold out.
Hi, thanks for your comments. I hear rumours that they are working on a lower capacity bike, maybe that will be more reasonably priced. Let's see what happens this year. Cheers. Jonathan.
Most younger Bikers have no connection with Norton what ever..They have been bought up on a diet of Japanese and Italian..So using the exclusivity and heritage card is a waste of time. When l started my motorcycle journey in 1962 Norton ware just another 'Made in Great Britain' Brand. In competition with Triumph, BSA, AJS, Matchless, Velocete, and a few others...They weren't exclusive.
Like now, they did have their 'Brand Loyalty' motorcyclists. ..The Chassis...(Featherbed)..was Nortons great achievement from the fifties on. It made a great motorcycle even greater....but it wasn't the Commando, it was the 'Dommie' series 88-99, 650 SS and the Atlas 750cc...Im my opinion the Dommie series (88-99)were possibly the best because the parallel twin engines, although they did vibrate never got to the 'Jackhammer' the later larger engines did. The Featherbed is still made and used to this day..... to install a 'Triumph engine'.!
Like Royal Enfield have done, very successfully Norton would perhaps be better advised building bikes that appeal to a wider buying public who will use the bike instead of a rich kids investment, using it as a Talking Point Drawing room ornament.. Surely it's not beyond the bounds of possibility to use modern technology to build a smaller capacity engine, say 600/650..plus suspension.and stick it in a Featherbed....
Hi Brian, thanks for your comments. I do find the history of the brand fascinating, and I'd love one day to own a "classic" Norton. I just need a bigger garage! I do hear rumours that they are working on a smaller capacity bike, although I suspect it will be a premium bike compared with RE, BSA etc. But perhaps it will be more reasonably priced and attract more buyers. I do hope TVS can make a go of it. Cheers, and thanks for watching. Ride safe. Jonathan.
Ever seen a bunch of modern Nortons visiting a cafe? No. All they’re interested in is taking a deposit, was my experience at the last London Motorcycle Show. Their dealer network? They haven’t got one. Norton was a fabulous motorcycle name - tantamount to a scam now.
Hi, thanks for your comment. It's early days, it will take a long time to build trust in the brand after the last few years. I hope they can make a go of it. Cheers. Ride safe.
Trouble with the Norton 961 Commando, I have ridden one BTW, is the price simply doesn't justify the riding experience, or the functionality of the bike. Before releasing the current Commando Norton should have significantly updated the bike: 6 speed gearbox, more powerful engine, less stiff suspension, better instrumentation including a fuel gauge and some better rider information like the Triumph Bonnevilles has.
Hi Graham, thanks for your comments. I suspect it would have taken quite an effort to rework the gearbox for 6 speed. Some other changes like a fuel gauge would have been a welcome addition though. I like my Commando because it isn't a Triumph, it stands out from the crowd a bit. All depends what you want from a bike at the end of the day, at least they are doing something different to other brands. Time will tell if they can make a go of it (I hope they can!). Cheers, thanks for watching. Jonathan.
@@NortonUnofficial I hope they can make a go of it too! 👍 I reckon what Norton should do with the Commando is to fit some cheaper forks and shocks to soften the ride and knock about £3k off the price. I reckon they would be much more saleable then and more competitive against Triumph.
What improvements over the old model 961 do the new model 961s have? Where there weak points on the Garner era models that have been addressed? Thanks. Enjoying the channel 👍
Hi, thanks for your comment. I don't know specifically what changes were made although I do seem to recall over 300 improvements were made. Over the next months I'll try to gather information on that from various sources. Thanks for the feedback, really appreciate it. Cheers!
We only have the Garner generation 961's here in Australia. Would love to buy one, just how bad were they if the level of upgrades on the new ones is anything to go by?
Hi Marc, I do believe Norton is working on going international, don’t know how long that will take though. If it were me I’d wait, if you get an unreliable Donnington bike you might struggle to find help in Australia. Unless you are comfortable fixing bikes yourself, in which case there’s plenty of online support. I’ve heard of problems with the Solihull bikes too though, but at least you’ll have factory/dealer support if/when Norton launch in Oz. Cheers. Jonathan.
@@NortonUnofficial Thanks for the reply.
Certainly here in the west there's never been a dealership selling the 961's. They had to come from over east, so yeah not a lot of support . I did read that around the 2015 to 16 were probably the better ones. A few of the early issues had been resolved , however on the later ones, as the company struggled financially quality control went out of the window.
As most people have said in the comments section.
Rich man/ boardroom toys.
Most wont be ridden (even if all the faults are fixed , which I doubt). Most of the Younger generation won’t care. Bland looking,old fashion ,blah blah.
I like the look of Norton’s but I’m 59, can never afford one.
I want VFM unless I was rich.
The V4SV is a bike that everyone agrees has kerb appeal bit this is not converting into sales. NUML creditor V4SV bikes are flooding onto the market with asking prices dropping like a stone and still not attractive buyers.
Sadly the reboot would have failed already if it was not for a sugar daddy with deep pockets.
Personally I would love to see a new 500 international (which didn't drop oil all over)
Hi Barry, thanks for your comment. I just had a look on Google at pictures of the 500 international, it's not a model I was familiar with. It looks great, I hear that maybe Norton are developing a lower capacity bike, it will be interesting to see if they pick up on any of these historic bike's styling. Let's see! Cheers, all the best. Jonathan.
The best bike I ever owned was the Dominator 99. Not particularly fast but handled like a train.
If only they'd actually produced the two concept bikes Nomad (I think) and Atlas. These production bikes aren't cool old, they're tired. The scrapped designs were great, I'd've had one.
Yeah I would have had an Atlas, I love the look of those. Good price too. Such a shame they never produced them.
@@NortonUnofficial Norton did not design the motor used in those machines and the intellectual property rights are not held by the company.
Paulmahy. I think you may have had a lucky escape.
@@J.Harry.T Yup, sounds like sticky ground.
The tank on the manx is bland there is no pin striping
I am pretty sure you can add the pin striping as an option
How many of us. Have got 4500 for new bike common Norton get in the real world the rich boys buy them put it in the garage ride it once a year if you want to sell nortons make them at the price real bikers can buy Rant over
Hi there, thanks for your comment. They are definitely aiming at the upper end of the market, they are not trying to compete with Triumph etc directly. My 961 Commando gets ridden in all kinds of weather, she is no "garage queen". And I have ridden my 961 Dominator in pouring rain too, it's not just a sunny day bike. But I do agree a lot of them will be for collectors which is a shame. Cheers, ride safe. Jonathan.
Shame to see the 'Norton' name used to sell luxtury motocycles to those who can afford them. From what I remember and allowing for inflation I struggle to see that Nortons were that expensive in the 60s, etc.
I think we might be seeing some more affordable bikes from them in a year or two. I suspect the 961 Commando is just a stop gap model until they can develop all-new bikes. We will see!
@@NortonUnofficial With the parent company being TVS Motor Company (net income of US$91 million in 2022) and reading inbetween the TVS PR lines, it is clear they purchased the bankrupt brandname to give TVS a recognised in name product line at the top (expensive) end of this two-wheeled market and even outdoing the Triumph Thruxton FE on price for example. Suspect it will be many year if at all for us to see them target the average biker with their products.
Sell a few more hoodies and they’ll soon be in profit ,£115 for a hoodie.
😂😂😂 can’t argue with that!
Can you tell us more about " single vehicle approval". How can you sell 700 Commandos a year ( which you say is their target ) and call it a single vehicle. What Euro level do you have to pass, if any, to qualify for single vehicle approval.
Hi, great question. I’m not an expert on it, below is a link to a video that explains it more than I can here.
Each bike Norton makes goes through what is called Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval. In summary, each bike gets individually inspected for things like brakes, lighting, other safety aspects. Inspection takes about an hour and costs about £100 per bike. That individual bike, once it passes the test, can then be registered. This has to be done for every bike that Norton makes, bike by bike. I scanned the list of tests, the emissions test seems quite basic, not to a Euro standard. No
More than 4.5% CO2 recorded at the tailpipe over a 5 second period at idle.
The alternative is called type approval. This means the manufacturer would get government approval for the 961 Commando as a type of bike. Then, every bike they make has to meet the standards in the approval for the type. I don’t know how this is checked. I assume it is very rigorous and costs a lot, but for volume manufacturers means they don’t need to get every single bike inspected.
Hope that makes sense, the video below goes into more details.
Cheers!
czcams.com/video/8wddmwUbTNs/video.htmlsi=T5X2PMRY647GtLzF
I believe this (SVA) is the approach that CCM also uses.
The previous Norton V4s (now deemed to be unroadworthy, unfixable and worthless) all went through SVA...how the hell did they manage that?
Perhaps 'respected' motorcycle journalist 'sir' Alan Cathcart, who gave them such glowing reviews could enlighten us?
If you want a V4, buy an Aprilia.
If you want a replica of an old Brit bike, buy a Royal Enfield 650.
If you want a Norton Commando, buy an original and get it sorted out by a specialist.
This advice will save you much money and heartache...that factory looks much too big and expensive to be building a small number of 'luxury' motorcycles.
I wonder what the real story is?
Sadly the previous owner did so much damage with the terrible build quality and reliability that I would never touch another one. The only Norton I will ever ride again is the pre 60s models.
Hi, thanks for your comment. I'd love to have a classic Norton one day. I need a bigger garage though! TVS have said their primary focus is on build quality - time will tell. Cheers. Jonathan.
Last time i heard one of those running, it sounded like the big ends had gone. Serious mechanical noise, nothing like the original commands. And vastly overpriced.
At idle mine does sound like a bucket of bolts has been chucked in the engine. Runs great despite that, and can't hear it over the sound of the pipes at speed!
I've yet to see a review of the new Norton bikes that has received anything other than an underwhelming conclusion. Disappointing build quality, lackluster performance, too much vibration, and an overall impression they cost way too much for what they deliver. It's written between the lines of so many reviews. Captain Rambunctious, in his recent road test on youtube, couldn't believe the number of faults the machine had, and the bike he went out on was the only one in the dealership that actually worked.
I would like nothing more than to see Norton succeed, it's an historic name steeped in heritage, but from what I've seen and read, they still have a way to go.
Hi there, thanks a lot for your comments. Strange to hear about problems when they are focussing so much on quality. That's not a good sign! To be fair we normally hear about bikes with problems than bikes with no problems. It will take them time, I do hope TVS are in it for the long-haul, one look at the factory shows how much money they are putting into it. And yes I agree it will take a long time to build the brand back up. Cheers. Jonathan.
Hard to care about very pricey, low volume toys I'll never see....
Hi James, thanks for your comment. They might be bringing out some more reasonably priced, lower capacity bikes in the near future. I don't have any inside information on that, just what I have picked up from various sources. We will see. Ride safe. Cheers, Jonathan.
I nearly lost money to Stuart Garner when I showed interest in the as new commando when launched, he kept phoning me to pay up front! Alarm bells started ringing so I told him I was not interested. Now this company say that they have rectified faults with the old model but to me it's still the same but overpriced push rod engine which is competing against the likes of Triumph and to a lesser extent Royal Enfield with their 650 twin which can be upgraded and still be way cheaper than Norton.
Hi Russell thanks for your comments. I also nearly lost money to the previous Norton, I had a deposit on a Dominator Street (I was going to return my Dominator Naked because of all the problems I'd had). Luckily I kept my Dominator and I was able to recover my deposit from my credit card company. I hope Norton have fixed the quality problems, that's what they told me a couple of months ago when I visited the factory. Maybe the lower capacity bike that is rumoured to be in development will be more reasonably priced. Time will tell. Cheers, thanks for watching. Jonathan
The first and only time I heard a 961 start up surprised me and the owner!! It sounded like a can of marbles!!! The owners face screwed up as he pressed the starter button….sounded like the engine was eating itself 😂 load of rubbish
if not carefull they may end up like HD.as selling is way to expensive for their blkes.
So nothing for mere mortals to buy. I've got 100k in my bank account but wouldn't spend it on an overpriced bike, no matter has cool it looks.
Hi there, thanks for your comment. There are rumours that they are developing a smaller capacity bike, that will probably be more reasonably priced. I think they are always going for the higher end of the market though. Cheers. Jonathan.
Painting things different colours & claiming them to be "inspired by...." just seems extremely lazy...especially at £20k! They do look cool but the 961 looks to be pretty much the same as when it was originally re-released but if they can sell bikes then fair enough.
They do look cool. Not sure how well the 961's are selling to be honest, I suspect it's a stop-gap until they can release some all new bikes in a year or two.
are they looking at royal enfields success? 650 is a good capacity, i cant imagine that they would sell enough of the current bikes to get their investment back
Hi thanks for your comment. Yes I do believe they are looking at a smaller capacity bike (that's just my opinion, I don't have any inside information!). We might hear something about that this year, it takes 2-3 years to develop a new bike. I agree on the investment, please see my other video here czcams.com/video/GSEdo-nBDUA/video.htmlsi=6BpnXfovfugDB0zN about that. Cheers, ride safe. Jonathan.
IF Your intrested in the real norton brand then buy a norton from 1960 built in bracebridge street were the best
Be good to see them doing good things,,but the price means it's a limited market,,but none the less nice looking machines,,☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️that clown who owned it should be jailed as a robber,, from northern Ireland 😮
Hi Cecil thanks for your comment. Totally agree, I don't know how he got away with what he did considering all the lives he's ruined! Ride safe mate. Cheers. Jonathan.
Bad timing.............it's doomed.............
Just curious, why do you say that?
Sales are plummeting globally for high end motorcycles.......especially HD@@NortonUnofficial
I am so sorry to say.
"Very disappointing, really."
Producing outdated overpriced limited edition machines that no young motorcyclists can afford or even have empathy with the brand name is not forward thinking in my humble opinion.
If you look at Nortons history, it seems to be cursed with fantastic paddock jackets and extremely bad business ventures.
Hi Martin, thanks for your comment, it's good to hear what people think. You are not alone in that opinion. Personally I think TVS have purchased a brand and some bikes they can build on, they needed to get some product out there and re-releasing the Commando and V4SV was probably the quickest way of doing so. New bikes are on the way, hopefully they are a little more reasonably priced (probably smaller capacity bikes) but I do think they will always be priced at a premium. Cheers, ride safe. Jonathan.
@NortonUnofficial I hope and pray that they succeed. To see the name "Norton" out there would be something really special.
Thanks, Jonathan.
No sorry these really are just awful over priced plain old fashioned ugly looks and underpowered for the ridicules price 👎
Hi there, thanks for your comment. I appreciate your point of view. They won't appeal to everyone - be a bit boring world if everyone liked the same thing 👍🏻 Cheers, ride safe.
True maybe they will design the next bike to look 👀 more let’s say current . Like BSA I can’t see how a manufacturer can survive on the sales of 1 or 2 models alone 👍
To me the Norton name makes me think of a Brough Superior. No thanks.
Hi, thanks for your comment. To each their own. Be a boring world if we all liked the same thing! Ride safe, whatever you're on. Cheers.