Norton is back?

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Oh dear, it looks as if all the enthusiastic sellers of things with the Norton name on can start expecting solicitor's letters.
 
Maybe it will work.

I would recommend that the new owners negotiate with Mr. Bloor, and arrange sales through the Triumph network, perhaps on an order basis.
 
Probably the only way it will work is for it to be marketed is as a boutique bike. Priced considerably north of thirty grand, U.S. The resources needed to establish it as a consumer production bike are astronomical. Manufacturing is probably the easiest part. Getting it sold and having dealer support is, in all likely hood, much more difficult. I do hope they succeed.

I see the Moto Guzzi Norge as a good example of what I speak. Arguably the best looking, with torque of a tractor, sport touring bike made today. Unfortunately, the dealer support is next to non-existent. Many owners of the Norge are trading them in on BMWs. I've ridden my buddy's Norge and it is flat great, but I wouldn't buy one. Strictly because of poor dealer support.
 
JimC said:
Probably the only way it will work is for it to be marketed is as a boutique bike. Priced considerably north of thirty grand, U.S. The resources needed to establish it as a consumer production bike are astronomical. Manufacturing is probably the easiest part. Getting it sold and having dealer support is, in all likely hood, much more difficult. I do hope they succeed.

I see the Moto Guzzi Norge as a good example of what I speak. Arguably the best looking, with torque of a tractor, sport touring bike made today. Unfortunately, the dealer support is next to non-existent. Many owners of the Norge are trading them in on BMWs. I've ridden my buddy's Norge and it is flat great, but I wouldn't buy one. Strictly because of poor dealer support.
Click to expand...

I see what you mean about the Norge. A local dealer just opened a new shop in Broward County, expanding from their North Miami location. They have about six Guzzis on the floor in Pembroke Pines, including a black Norge, but only sell about one Aprilia or Guzzi a month. Over 90% of their sales are Kawasaki, and I get the impression they don't get much help from Moto Guzzi. The next closest dealer is about 100 miles away, and I know of a Guzzi owner who takes his bike to Jacksonville for major repairs, claiming that is the closest competent dealer.

The main reason I bought a Triumph is because there are two dealers within 30 miles of me (Ft. Lauderdale and Boynton Beach), and both have decent mechanics who know what they're doing.
 
At least he mentioned the Norton girls. Actually the girls that wanted to ride on my Norton were never the ones I was serious about.
For Nortons it was the looks and performance for me, it was hard to beat either in the seventies.
As far as I am concerned the rotary is best left with the turbine as another dead end.
 
From Motor Cycle News (UK) apparently;

Whoops......I was going to print off the piece that cash has put a link to. :oops:

I'll just quietly disappear. :arrow:
 
AS I see it just bring back the Norton girls, As if I were to buy a new Norton I may not need to work on it for some time, And that would mean no grease under the finger nails. My body would go into shock, Just kiddin guys. I can't wait to see one, I hope it looks like the failed attempt. Chuck. :D
 
MichaelB said:
Having lived through so many of these rebirths, Indian, Excelsior, Norton...
I have a tendancy to look at these through jaded eyes.
Click to expand...

You also forgot Vincent and Crocker. Ooooh, if we are lucky, maybe someone will bring back Studebaker as well. This sort of thing is happening with motorcycle companies so why not cars?

The Indians used S&S engines (not really an Indian now is it?!) so who knows what will happen.

I say let sleeping dogs lie.
 
cash said:
Have a look at this http://www.motorcyclenews.com/ looks like Norton is back in Britian.
Cash
Click to expand...
they are building under license about 5 miles from me, at first for racing then roadsters using a rotary engine another venture doomed from the start
having had a dreer norton and a cnw norton (cnw 10 times better than dreer) a rotary for a road bike is not the way to go the guy putting up the money prodeces fireworks , so you can make up you own jokes !!!!

Richard Barks
 
Can someone say "bad timing?" The Wall Street Journal had an article the other day about Harley Davidson not being able to move their $30,000 cruisers. I doubt seriously that a revived Norton with a non existent dealer network will have it any better (yes, after the whipping I've taken in collector plates, I've begun reading the WSJ and drinking those trendy coffee drinks).
I really think what Colorado Norton Works and Norvil are doing by essentially building new/old bikes is the best approach and it has the added benefit of creating enough demand for replacement parts to keep the companies that make them in business. Even so these new/old bikes are quite pricey; >$20,000. Also think about why would anyone buy an old Norton or new/old Norton; certainly not because they are trouble free, smooth running, blindingly fast or have the latest technology. You can get all of those things from the newest Japanese bikes. Triumph's new Bonneville is a nice bike but it's a real Bonneville in name only and that makes me sad. Yep it's a slippery slope when companies try to recreate a legend and more often than not they fail. A bad economic climate won't help either. :cry:
 
Guys, we ride Nortons and we're worried about spotty Guzzi dealer networks??! :wink:
 
Not a bad idea, distributing through Triumph, but they'd have to concede a considerable margin to Triumph for that luxury, so might not be all that profitable.
 
In the BBC report that Frankdamp linked to, there is a paragraph which reads;

"The mere mention of the name Norton brings a glint to the eye of many men of a certain age."
Click to expand...

It's good to know that I am a man of "a certain age."

Or what the author really meant to say but was too polite to was;

"The mere mention of the name Norton brings a glint to the eye of many an old man." :lol: :lol:
 
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