Norton rotary

quawk said:

Have searched here on the forum and found little info, or I may have missed it, but do any members here own,or have any experience with any of the Norton Wankel rotary powered bikes? I did see there were some linked to videos of some race bikes and the Crighton bikes. But I was wondering about the production rotary bikes. What was the advertised displacement? I have two Suzuki RE5 rotary bikes, one a rider, the other a "future" project. They are said to be about a 500cc equivalent class bike. I certainly would be interested in getting a chance to get a close look at one of the Nortons, or ride one to compare it to the RE5. Anybody got one or have any info?

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Rotary | Norton Owners Club

www.nortonownersclub.org

quawk said:

cliffa, Thanks for the link to the NOC Rotary info. I had seen photos of the Norton Rotaries but little info. Interesting, and by the production numbers quoted there, they are very rare and even more so than the Suzuki RE5s. To get off on somewhat of a tangent, it was said that the vast research and developement investment of the RE5, and then dismal and disappointing sales nearly bankrupted Suzuki. They were convinced the rotary engine was going to be the powerplant of the future. Even though I like it because it's rare and unusual, to me, the RE5 is a so-so bike. It's touted rotary smoothness is smooth, but not so much more than other multi-cylinder bikes. And it's certainly not going to win any drag races as many other bikes will out-accelerate it. It's sound is unusual, but again, not impressive, not really a 4-stroke or 2-stroke. Most liked only because it's odd.

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