BLIGHTYBRIT/SF
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- Joined
- Feb 28, 2016
- Messages
- 1,332
I remember buying my Son a Peugeot scooter thinking the quality would be better than the Chinese made rubbish which was available at the time - only to find it was just a re-branded chinese scooter anyway - and was rubbish!
I bought my Norton because it was British, was the best looking bike by a mile, rode fantastically and had that feel good effect on me. I sold it because although i can put up with 'character' I couldn't live with unreliability and I always had that feeling that the quality was only skin deep and when I saw how the seat was held on and the bolts holding the rear shocks on I saw that it was not even skin deep.
I have posted this before but I strongly feel that the bike itself was fabulous and could survive as a low volume niche product if they just charged another grand and made it reliable. So many British companies have gone down the 'lets make lots of special editions and halo products' only to find they run out of money long before they make a profit.
Sound advise.I'll just keep my old gal and all of the maintenance she requires to be reliable thank you. At least any foreign parts that go on are installed and inspected by myself giving a choice in the matter.
I won't even buy clothing made in China...
IMO a new Chinese Norton is worse than no new Norton's at all.
If Norton can't make it in the UK, then I think Nortons could be built in Asia:
Let’s say that some earnest, well meaning, trustworthy European businessman (obviously not SG) owning the Norton name would contract out to Triumph Thailand, or Zongshen to build the V4 for Norton with Norton QA and QC folks present in the factory. The design/engineering was done in the UK.
Then Import it to the west as the Norton V4.
Viola! Norton V4’s for everyone. No European manufacturing facilities required.
Same would apply to 650 Twins, and maybe re-designed 961 too.
Another thought – how about manufacturing in Argentina, or Brazil?