Norton trouble

I will be crushed if Norton go under . For a small low volume manufacturer those numbers don't seem too bad ? 500 bikes a year is what they've been making all along .
 
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Those are not monthly figures but per Quarter so 212 in 9 months, UK only but the export market cannot be too high if they are not in US.
 
The way I read the table, UK sales of the 961 model went down from 297 (2018) to 177 (Q1--Q3, 2019). Even though Q4 is missing, that's a substantial reduction for a commodity selling at its prime market.
No bike manufacturer can survive selling only 500-600 bikes a year. I believe Norton have kept the old school engine design too long. The retro vogue is short-lived. Norton should have modernised the engine while redesigning it in 2010, creating a DOHC 4-valve twin, which would have had a far longer life span.
Also, a manufacturer needs to counteract quickly when there are quality issues. The m/c market in particular reacts sensible to bad press.

-Knut
 
kommando said:
Those are not monthly figures but per Quarter so 212 in 9 months, UK only but the export market cannot be too high if they are not in US.
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Norton have always said that the majority of their sales are overseas buyers, iirc the figures were 80% overseas to 20% UK sales so quite high.
 
Eljahara said:
Norton have always said that the majority of their sales are overseas buyers, iirc the figures were 80% overseas to 20% UK sales so quite high.
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Well that was according to Stuart Garner, sadly what's just confirms what I have thought from the start, he was a bullshit merchant. There are a lot of good employees, customers and pensioners going to suffer now.
 
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Not just from SG, the team at the factory (Clem etc) have maintained that a very high % of sales goes overseas.
 
All water under the bridge, it's effectively now gone unless someone picks up the pieces.
 
What we all urgently need now is a full conversion to twin carb/electronic ignition so we can junk all the bits that have given grief over the years
 
kommando said:
All water under the bridge, it's effectively now gone unless someone picks up the pieces.
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Nonetheless, yet another sad day in Norton's history. Let's hope It doesn't go where MG, Rover, and Volvo ( among others) now reside.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't the plan.... at last minute the new investor steps in to buy at a bargain price that just keeps the creditors happy and all other debts written off.
 
cliffa said:
Nonetheless, yet another sad day in Norton's history. Let's hope It doesn't go where MG, Rover, and Volvo ( among others) now reside.
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Looks very much like Rover, they sold the manufacturing rights and design before being paid for the factory, money never came and they went bust, factory then bought for peanuts. The Norton 650 engine rights now reside in China, deja-vu.
 
MxMartin said:
Not just from SG, the team at the factory (Clem etc) have maintained that a very high % of sales goes overseas.
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Of course they would with UK government export guarantees to the import address he owned in minesota. It was a residential property. How convenient if he did not pay for his bikes to be imported to that address the UK taxpayer would.
Thing was he was ripped off when he bought Norton America Llc.
 
Maybe off subject, but still: impressive numbers for the Royal Enfield 650 in the list submitted by kommando.
 
The one thing you are all missing is that the TM is now not owned by the company or administrators. It belongs to Metro Bank, so the administrators will need to broker a deal. Problem is that what the Metro bank hold as security is not going to achieve anything like the sum they secured against it.

The article seems to have the administrators doing a liquidators job, what they are actually doing should become clear in the next few days.
 
It is my understanding that the ecu's are locked by the manufacturer who have effectively hidden behind their contractual obligation with Norton. If norton no longer exist then someone needs to get hold of the ECU manufacturers and wrestle the password out of them so we can program these bloody things.

There is a small window of opportunity before the next investor locks us out again.
 
mdt-son said:
The way I read the table, UK sales of the 961 model went down from 297 (2018) to 177 (Q1--Q3, 2019). Even though Q4 is missing, that's a substantial reduction for a commodity selling at its prime market.
No bike manufacturer can survive selling only 500-600 bikes a year. I believe Norton have kept the old school engine design too long. The retro vogue is short-lived. Norton should have modernised the engine while redesigning it in 2010, creating a DOHC 4-valve twin, which would have had a far longer life span.
Also, a manufacturer needs to counteract quickly when there are quality issues. The m/c market in particular reacts sensible to bad press.

-Knut
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If the reports are true, then it's very unfortunate for all who were hoping for a new beginning for the brand.
I was always concerned with SG's plans for new modern models, and focus on IOM racing.
I thought that it was better to improve the 961, to eliminate the reliability issues, EFI and related problems would pay dividends.
That would have improved the product image, and sales, and mean a better financial position for the company.

Now it looks like the marquee will be for sale to whichever Chinese or Indian company with capital to throw around wants it.

Pity really.
 
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