Norton can't deliver

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topendz

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-15923229

They are underplaying it a little I think, I read one of the issues is their initial engine builder couldn't deliver what they commited too and Norton had to search for a new supplier. It's a shame this has got to be one of the worst reintroductions to the international motorcycle community. The Canadian availability and marketing has been terrible IMHO. They need to start having bikes in showrooms if they want to flourish and sell these things. Not sure how long they can continue to make hand built bikes that cost the same as a 1199 and make money.

Beautiful bikes though and it's nice to see "Made in England" again so lets hope they get it together.
 
I hope they do, but I have always been pessimistic ..... after the announcement that they are re-introducing their bikes, then came the price hint and then came also their intent to build a MotoGP bike ... at that point the cart was clearly in front of the horse.

I wish them well though.
 
The Canadian availability and marketing has been terrible...
Click to expand...
Well, there are no bikes.
So yes you could say availability has been terrible.
Marketing?
There are no bikes.

Now, every F1 fan knows that the heart of the sport is in the English midlands.
This is the environment in which they're trying to produce these bikes.
Anything needed, any world-class technologies are right there in their own backyard!
The motor they have been producing (961cc parallel twin with push-rod valve actuation, dry sump, 3 bearing crank and balancer shaft) is developed by Norton and F1 engine builders MCT - this is Menard.
So WTF is Menard doing? They're not building any F1 engines these days...
Why can't they produce these motors?
They probably still make racing motors for the lesser racing formulas, but still.
I guess they're not tooled up for mass-production...? Must be new to them, they're used to producing a smaller number of more specialized motors.
I'd imagine mass production to the public is a whole different gig, with its own previously unencountered challenges.
Anyway, these bikes are priced nutty - they are the same price ($30k +) as Indians!
No wonder they are selling them at the Indian store, heheh...
(on Islington Avenue @ Highway 7, in downtown Woodbridge.)
L8R
 
Spot on. It would be interesting to see if any of the overprised SE models (There were 20 allocated to Canada) are actually in the hands of their owners here in Canada yet since first appearing at the show at the end of 2009!



Gryphon said:
Well, there are no bikes.
So yes you could say availability has been terrible.
Marketing?
There are no bikes.

Now, every F1 fan knows that the heart of the sport is in the English midlands.
This is the environment in which they're trying to produce these bikes.
Anything needed, any world-class technologies are right there in their own backyard!
The motor they have been producing (961cc parallel twin with push-rod valve actuation, dry sump, 3 bearing crank and balancer shaft) is developed by Norton and F1 engine builders MCT - this is Menard.
So WTF is Menard doing? They're not building any F1 engines these days...
Why can't they produce these motors?
They probably still make racing motors for the lesser racing formulas, but still.
I guess they're not tooled up for mass-production...? Must be new to them, they're used to producing a smaller number of more specialized motors.
I'd imagine mass production to the public is a whole different gig, with its own previously unencountered challenges.
Anyway, these bikes are priced nutty - they are the same price ($30k +) as Indians!
No wonder they are selling them at the Indian store, heheh...
(on Islington Avenue @ Highway 7, in downtown Woodbridge.)
L8R
Click to expand...
 
history repeating itself, the last time Norton calved (early '70's version) they had a 4 cyl engine on the board drawn up by BRM the F1 team of the day, it could have been the answer to the Kawi Z1 project and the Honda CB 4's. Ran out of time and money.

Lets hope this is fixable, its such a cool machine.
 
Saw one of them at the kahuna reveal last winter, soooo nice :)
 
The Wikipedia account suggests Norton's management is spreading their small jar of marmalade very thin:

"The new operation at Donington Park has gone into limited production producing a motorcycle based on the Kenny Dreer 961 Commando. The new motorcycle only shares the outline of the Dreer bike, all aspects of the motorcycle have apparently been re-designed in order to move into production."

Sound like a decent handful, but...

"An updated and revised version of the rotary by Brian Crighton, an engineer who worked on the rotary machine in the 1990s is also being developed."

Why divert resources?

"To expand the range of machines available, the company has acquired a significant interest in Maxsym Engine Technology[27] with the aim of using the Maxsym parallel twin engine, originally developed for Moto GP as the basis of a new range of Norton motorcycles, with options including 1,200 cc Superbike, and 750 cc Supersport variants."

More diversion...

"In January 2011, it was announced the highly regarded designer Pierre Terblanche had departed Piaggio / Moto Guzzi to join Norton."

Okay...

"In August 2011, UK minister Vince Cable announced that the Government was underwriting a £7.5 million bank loan to Norton, to promote secure cash flow for their export sales. Garner responded that this finance would allow Norton to double annual production from 500 to 1,000 machines."

Uh-oh.

Best of luck chaps. I love the silver version with the standard forks. Looks ripe for success, IF they can focus.
 
Flywheel said:
"In January 2011, it was announced the highly regarded designer Pierre Terblanche had departed Piaggio / Moto Guzzi to join Norton."
Click to expand...

So they hired the guy who designed the ugliest bikes in Ducati's history *cough* Multistrada, 999, 900SS, MH900 •cough• to design Nortons. Good friggin' luck.
 
I don't think Norton has trouble with design. They have trouble with production and marketing.

I suspect they've lost momentum and opportunity and a promising idea is headed for the scrap heap, again.
 
RetroGrouch said:
So they hired the guy who designed the ugliest bikes in Ducati's history *cough* Multistrada, 999, 900SS, MH900 •cough• to design Nortons. Good friggin' luck.
Click to expand...

Funny how subjective that is. Most of the bikes you listed are easily the BEST looking Ducatis of the past 20 yrs as far as I am concerned.
 
Terblanche is probably up for the task, but it seemed premature and a bit puzzling, considering few brands are as British as Norton.

"The New Norton--DESIGNED BY A BLOODY ITALIAN!"

How would that work with the whole anglophile/nostalgia marketing? Build copies of the Mk3 850 that don't leak or short out and get going. Then fill the product pipeline, once they're a common sight on the motorways.
 
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I stand corrected. Thanks. Another wiki tidbit, from the past:

"In 1975 the Industry Minister recalled a loan for £4 million and refused to renew the company’s export credits. The company then went into receivership and redundancies were announced for all of the staff at the various sites. At Wolverhampton an action committee was formed in an effort to continue production and develop the ‘Wulf’ engine - but the works was closed anyway."
 
crankcall said:
history repeating itself, the last time Norton calved (early '70's version) they had a 4 cyl engine on the board drawn up by BRM the F1 team of the day, it could have been the answer to the Kawi Z1 project and the Honda CB 4's. Ran out of time and money.

Lets hope this is fixable, its such a cool machine.
Click to expand...

It actually was a 750cc DOHC parallel twin designed by Cosworth of F1 fame and was slated for production when it all fell apart.
http://atlascardsplus.com/1976-norton-cosworth/
 
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Tripletrouble said:
It actually was a 750cc DOHC parallel twin designed by Cosworth of F1 fame and was slated for production when it all fell apart.
http://atlascardsplus.com/1976-norton-cosworth/
Click to expand...

No, it was actually a collaboration between Dennis Poore (norton boss that had been a driver for Aston) and BRM, the rival builders to Cosworth. The Cosworth program is well documented, the engine P503 was kept secret, the chief designer for Norton Bob Trigg wasn't aware it was even being designed at the time. Horizontal 4 , inverted L cam, 65x68mm bore should measure in about 902cc. The factory drawings are dated 1974 and carry the name of both BRM and Robery-Owen an automotive conglomerate owned by BRM. I have a copy of the design print sitting on my desk.
It was too little too late for Norton.
 
Back in the day, my buddy Tim and I were ~14-15 years old or whatever (kids).
His big brother bought a brand-new 1972 Norton 850 Commando.
Black/gold. Big, nasty. Got a chubb just standing near it...
His brother shipped out to northern Manitoba leaving the Commando behind.
Timmy was scared of it - but I drove it around the old neighborhood (Glen Agar) at night! For months...
Insanely powerful, tons of torque. (Lots of flywheel.)
100% pure badass - and I was only 15...
(Good place to tell my old Norton stories, thanks for reading.)
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