961 is back !

And the initial reviews keep coming. First time that I’ve seen this one, although it’s a few months old. Nothing new, but another positive review on the Norton Birmingham 961. Take from it what you will.

 
Stephen_Spencer said:
And the initial reviews keep coming. First time that I’ve seen this one, although it’s a few months old. Nothing new, but another positive review on the Norton Birmingham 961. Take from it what you will.

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Hello Stephen , Thanks for posting . There is a similar theme to all of the reviews that have come so far . Mostly the raw , visceral , CR is too agressive position , not enough steering lock , bike is good looking , mufflers will grind on a extreme curve lean . This reviewer stated that after 60 mph he was looking for a 6th gear yikes ! This doesn't bode well for my hopes of better vibration control . He doesn't mention a loud clatter coming from the engine which is good , but none of the reviewers did even of the Donington bikes. We need somebody we can trust riding this 961 that has a background with 961's like Stu or a previous owner that will actually give this thing a good hard run .
 
TonyA said:
We need somebody we can trust riding this 961 that has a background with 961's like Stu or a previous owner that will actually give this thing a good hard run .
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And to beat a dead horse, we also need a long term test - 1 month, 2 month, etc.....
Many starts, re-starts, idling when cold, when engine is hot, good weather, bad weather, in other words, real life reliability and functionality over an extended period of time.
 
Agreed and no doubt those more meaningful reviews will come in time. Until then it‘s still worth listening to what new content is available I think; different snippets seem to pop up with each.

Like a sixth gear? Don’t think the gearing is any different between legacy and new 961 is it? Don’t have a problem with short gearing IMO - I’m still looking to drop down one on the front sprocket at some stage, for ‘more beans’ at the bottom end. Sounds like the bike is geared differently (unlikely) or the journo saw something that was’nt there.
 
Stephen_Spencer said:
Agreed and no doubt those more meaningful reviews will come in time. Until then it‘s still worth listening to what new content is available I think; different snippets seem to pop up with each.

Like a sixth gear? Don’t think the gearing is any different between legacy and new 961 is it? Don’t have a problem with short gearing IMO - I’m still looking to drop down one on the front sprocket at some stage, for ‘more beans’ at the bottom end. Sounds like the bike is geared differently (unlikely) or the journo saw something that was’nt there.
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A sixth gear will help with acceleration a bit, but with 70 something HP there isn't much to be had there.
But, I feel that the drop from 3rd to 2nd is a big one. With a six speed box Norton could do a better job of spreading out the ratios for smoother down shifting.
 
Fast Eddie said:
Stu your opinion is invaluable, almost the only one that matters really, given the fairly meaningless waffle that the average ‘tester’ creates these days.

You could give a properly informed opinion on the ride, the mechanical noise, the fuelling delivery, etc, etc.

And as you say, you would also hopefully get the chance to ask meaningful questions, and obtain informative answers, regarding what has actually changed.

And it’s a good opportunity for you personally to start building a bridge with TVS Norton as they really should start seeing you as an ally with regards to helping legacy owners.

Jus’ ma thoughts…
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Ok, booked again.
 

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TonyA said:
Yes good ! Give that thing a good dose of wrist and some proper real world highway speeds .
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I've even bought a Ghost helmet camera for the occasion. Been meaning to pick up a helmet camera for ages, this was the push I needed.
I absolutely hate riding in the rain, and if this road test was just for me, I'd cancel if it was pissing it down. But it's got to be real world, so rain or shine, I'll still go.
 
Stu.... we've both asked Norton about what they've done (if anything) to rectify the expanding petrol tank problem... and not received an answer as far as i know... could you ask em again please ? Also, see if the rev counter needle now moves at the same time as opening the throttle !:cool:
 
Steady stream of road tests being released now; some quite professional and some not so. This guys no moto journalist, but he has some stuff to say about rider aids (or the lack thereof) which I agree with and he has a decent mic setup for the exhaust note - which sounds very nice indeed!

Other than that certainly nothing new but hey, maybe just sit back and listen to that exhaust - although he’s all over the place with the throttle, trying to catch it I guess.

 
Well guys, I tried. Second booking was made, I even bought a camera for my helmet for the occasion. Road test was booked for this morning at 11am. I turned up with plenty of time to spare...but was turned away at the security barrier. Apparently security were told not to let me on site. Security had this info on the 14th March, but no one from sales thought to email me.
To be honest, I'm kinda glad...its raining and I hate riding in the rain. Down side being by the time I get home, I would have wasted two and a half hours of my time.
 

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Stu Bodycote said:
Well guys, I tried. Second booking was made, I even bought a camera for my helmet for the occasion. Road test was booked for this morning at 11am. I turned up with plenty of time to spare...but was turned away at the security barrier. Apparently security were told not to let me on site. Security had this info on the 14th March, but no one from sales thought to email me.
To be honest, I'm kinda glad...its raining and I hate riding in the rain. Down side being by the time I get home, I would have wasted two and a half hours of my time.
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Well that wasn’t very nice.
 
That’s shit behaviour.

It’s bad enough blacklisting you, given your profile here, FB, NOC, in fact, it’s plain stupid.

But to blacklist you AND NOT TELL YOU! WTF? Some kind of sick game ??

What on earth are they hoping to achieve by this ?

Come on Stephen… let’s hear your ‘optimistic’ defence / explanation…
 
Stu Bodycote said:
Well guys, I tried. Second booking was made, I even bought a camera for my helmet for the occasion. Road test was booked for this morning at 11am. I turned up with plenty of time to spare...but was turned away at the security barrier. Apparently security were told not to let me on site. Security had this info on the 14th March, but no one from sales thought to email me.
To be honest, I'm kinda glad...its raining and I hate riding in the rain. Down side being by the time I get home, I would have wasted two and a half hours of my time.
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Fuck TVS.
Another reason why they suck.
And more proof that they want nothing to do with anything or anyone that has any relation with Donington.
 
I'm not too fussed tbh. Yes it's cost me around £200 in time and fuel, but it was pissing it down, so it was a bonus that I didn't have to get wet. I was really only road testing it for you lot. I'm kinda gutted that I didn't get to try out my camera though. Never had a camera on my helmet before....so was looking forward to that.
 
Fast Eddie said:
That’s shit behaviour.

It’s bad enough blacklisting you, given your profile here, FB, NOC, in fact, it’s plain stupid.

But to blacklist you AND NOT TELL YOU! WTF? Some kind of sick game ??

What on earth are they hoping to achieve by this ?

Come on Stephen… let’s hear your ‘optimistic’ defence / explanation…
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Oh Stephen will most certainly defend TVS. He always finds the silver lining on every cloud.
 
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