Solihull is back in business?

And a other from beginning of July...





We are bringing our parts department back into operation at our new site and continue to work with the previous company’s suppliers to restore our parts service.



We have inherited some records from the previous owners of Norton Motorcycles, NMUL, but the technical and parts information is very poor, and in cases non-existent.
 
We remain committed to help you as much as possible, and will provide you with regular up-dates. Although we have no legal responsibility for the bikes built by NMUL, our desire is to deliver and support your parts enquiry.
That's been my point. they have no legal responsibility. Nice to see the same guy replying though.
 
More point being the same copy and paste lines have been coming out from Solihull for months now
 
It seems TVS by selecting someone as CEO from Auto Corporate world they have ended up with a thinker and not a doer. If you wait until everything is 100% right before taking the next step then you never progress, you have to get 85% ready, start and then get something wrong, fix it and move on.
 
It seems TVS by selecting someone as CEO from Auto Corporate world they have ended up with a thinker and not a doer. If you wait until everything is 100% right before taking the next step then you never progress, you have to get 85% ready, start and then get something wrong, fix it and move on.
All true, and I'm not getting any younger but....
I think you have to cut tvs some slack in this matter given the situation these days:

1. Hiring the necessary personnel for engineering/production and supply chain functions
2. Redesigning v4 components and doing the necessary qa/qc to assure quality before production
3. Covid - finding, and contracting with suppliers to built components in the current international atmosphere
4. Establishing some semblance of a dealer network to sell what is produced, at least in the UK

With lock-downs, and the difficulty finding personnel willing to work, this has to be the very worst time for a new startup like tvs-Norton.
 
If look at the US TESS website you can see the licence agreements with the Chinese, so no secret there. Problem for Norton is that the TM act was changed in 2018, these usually coincide with global changes. These are worth looking up. Any TM owner issuing a licence these days needs their head testing, sadly these pre date the TVS purchase of the TM.
As for 961 spares, considering one of the two top men at Norton own a 961 I thought spares would be at the fore front of his mind. Considering the parent company is profit driven, spares held versus profit will I suspect dictate what spares become available.
 
Spare parts are a nightmare for OEMs. They change things so often that the array of parts required becomes vast. Then they have to set up agreements with suppliers to continue to supply pathetically small amounts for years. Then they have to hold huge stocks of stuff that moves at a snails pace. Etc.

All of the above is true for Norton AND they have the added problem that their entire market for 961 spares is tiny.

None of the above helps to make it priority one for the new captain.
 
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I guess that we can use our past experiences dealing with Norton and knowledge of the difficulties inherent in small business and parts supply, but in the main we are still only speculating. It's natural to do so of course when so heavily invested in these bikes. Call me hopelessly optimistic or completely naive, but I choose to believe that between NewNorton, Jinlang, CNW, Thiel etc (and the ingenuity of this forum) we will continue to run our bikes into the future. Just my 2P, as a hapless optimist.
 
Hello,

Ollie receives that fairy tales from TVS every day.
They are not interested to deliver parts for the 961.
When he send a mail he got no answer.
This was the point to produce some parts for the 961.
TVS want to slip out of their responsibility.
That´s it.
In German motorcycle press the new CEO tells only bullshit.
German dealers have paid complete bike in advance and TVS delay the delivery with cheap excuses.
I think with the aim that the claims expire.

a disapointed 961 owner (Panetone)
PS: without Ollie´s parts stock, I would be fucked
 
I had some comms with them in mid July responding to my eariler enquiry, they were saying they had limited parts available but i had sourced parts from Ollie by then so didn't go further with them.
 
Hello,

Ollie receives that fairy tales from TVS every day.
They are not interested to deliver parts for the 961.
When he send a mail he got no answer.
This was the point to produce some parts for the 961.
TVS want to slip out of their responsibility.
That´s it.
In German motorcycle press the new CEO tells only bullshit.
German dealers have paid complete bike in advance and TVS delay the delivery with cheap excuses.
I think with the aim that the claims expire.

a disapointed 961 owner (Panetone)
PS: without Ollie´s parts stock, I would be fucked
I think without without Ollie´s parts stock, we would all be.
 
The pictures of Jinling at a trade fair show that they had a complete bike and an engine, which were probably given by Mr Garner in the deal(??) Nobody here knows if they have produced anything else, or will do in the future, I suspect.
 
My last reply, August 17th..
"
Good Morning,



Apologies that you’ve not yet received a quotation for your parts enquiry.



As Norton Motorcycle Co. Ltd. continues to settle into its new Solihull location, we’re putting many systems in place for the first time. Unfortunately, the first time is not always correct, and there are associated delays. Part of settling in also highlights that there remains gaps in the supplier, technical, and parts information as passed on by the previous owners of Norton Motorcycles, NMUL.



We remain committed to help you as much as possible, and will provide you with regular up-dates. Although we have no legal responsibility for the bikes built by NMUL, our desire is to deliver and support your parts enquiry.



Kind regards,



Scott Gibson"
At this point I am inclined to think that Chinese manufacture is all there will be. Meaning , most of the engine parts were already Asian made as we see and as Stu Bodycote confirms . So what I now see coming is a Norton UK "certified" parts supply . I Know - I know don't laugh . All parts will come from Jinlang China , BUT qualified by Norton UK . There will be a hefty mark up in cost of course - expect this ! Now , If Jinlang do make their own 961 engine and bike , those non-certified parts may also fit. But I suspect that there will be some sort of deal in place that keeps the Norton stuff different or exclusive . I just wish they would get a move on either way !!!
 
I had 2 days at a German companies purchasing dept, they had a special dept to approve new suppliers. Their procedures were perfect for slowing the whole process down, at one point I asked what was the fastest new supplier introduction they had achieved with this procedure, 2 years was the answer. Now what the 2 years meant was the supplier approved for being able to quote for work, the part on the drawing still had to be made and approved and they also had to be the cheapest.
 
I had 2 days at a German companies purchasing dept, they had a special dept to approve new suppliers. Their procedures were perfect for slowing the whole process down, at one point I asked what was the fastest new supplier introduction they had achieved with this procedure, 2 years was the answer. Now what the 2 years meant was the supplier approved for being able to quote for work, the part on the drawing still had to be made and approved and they also had to be the cheapest.
Seems like a ridiculously long period for supplier approval, but..
Those supplied components have to undergo full assembled tests before the engineers can have confidence which components are responsible for failures, and determine if the fault is design, material, manufacture, or a combination of factors. Sound product development takes time.
Norton will have to backup these components, if they turn out to be crap, it's gonna cost tvs dearly, and impact their reputation.
 
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