Solihull is back in business?

BritTwit said:

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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And yet Skinner is still there !!!

kommando said:

And yet Skinner is still there !!!

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True, but I think tvs brings with them a very different corporate culture than SG provided.

BritTwit said:

True, but I think tvs brings with them a very different corporate culture than SG provided.

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culture???

Corporate culture, yes.

Today corporations, like tvs, establish their position in an industry, or market place by supplying a product of quality and reliability. If they don't, then their competitors will bury them.
SG's corporate culture was: smoke and mirrors, then take the money and run.

I'm certain that Skinner's work will be carefully scrutinized by adults at tvs before anything goes forward to production.
the new Norton is actually tvs-Norton, and the tail never wags the dog.

I actually got this reply from the owners of our 961 engine via Instagram ! Just wonder what’s going to happen next , I suggest anyone on Instagram to give them a follow & also send a message like I did .

That sounds promising.

BLIGHTYBRIT/SF said:

I actually got this reply from the owners of our 961 engine via Instagram ! Just wonder what’s going to happen next , I suggest anyone on Instagram to give them a follow & also send a message like I did .View attachment 82258View attachment 82259

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& another reply

Sell out hypocrite.

How do you develop something that’s already developed?

All along it was made in China.
It makes me bitter, I’ll admit.

Makes me wonder if our Ohlins are really Ohlins,, our Brembos real Brembos etc.

Brembo has a factory in China and copies are rife, as you cannot own 50% of your Chinese factory you have to partner a Chinese majority shareholder. Cue overtime and weekend production going out the backdoor or tooling being lent to other local factories to do the same.

from the thevintagent IG Page​

'Norton is Back!

The reboot of Norton is proceeding well under new owner Indian brand TVS, one of the largest motorcycle manufacturers in the world, who purchased the brand for £16M in April 2020. Few Western riders know TVS as their 2.9 Million motorcycles built per year (2019) are chiefly for their domestic Indian market, which sees total sales of around 1M bikes per month.

Put in context, TVS is larger than the combined outputs of all American and European motorcycle manufacturers combined. If that blows your mind, remember TVS is only the 4th largest moto manufacturer in India: reigning king Hero Motors build 9M bikes/year! [read our article ‘There Goes My Hero’].

So, much like Jaguar and Land Rover under Tata ownership, we can expect a serious increase in quality control and vastly improved engineering for Norton under TVS. These legacy British brands hold a deep and dear spot for Indian vehicle enthusiasts, regardless the legacy of colonialism: British brands represent aspirational quality…something which previous Norton owner Stuart Garner sullied with his financial chicanery and poor quality control.

TVS calls out the Garner-built Commando as ‘unsafe’, and the Financial Times notes “Norton’s rebirth comes as Stuart Garner, its former owner, is being prosecuted by the Pensions Regulator for allegedly illegally investing money in the business from three pension schemes for which he was the sole trustee.” You’ll look good in stripes, Stuart.

TVS expects to start rolling out an improved version of the current Commando in the second half of 2022, and is continuing development of the Norton V4 engine. And, of course, they have invested heavily in eBike research, so expect an electric Norton announced in Q2 of ‘22."

”Called out the Commando as unsafe” ?! Is he getting mixed up with the V4?

No mention of anything being produced until the 2nd half of 2022… and then ‘only‘ Commandos?

Some inaccuracies in that write up I think. I am shocked at the almost silence from the company, hoping the NEC show will reveal much more

So what do I buy THIS christmas???

(PS: I thought after the current/alleged 40, the Commando was dead??)

EstuaryBoy said:

I thought after the current/alleged 40, the Commando was dead??

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Indeed!

So does that mean there’ll be more??

Or does it mean THOSE 40 won’t be released until 2022 cos New Norton believe they’re unsafe??

Or is the writer just confused…??

If it's in print.. it's gotta be true, no?

The writer does seem a little late to the party, but who knows? Only time will tell.....

Perhaps we'll see Chinese Commandos built under license in India, but imported, QC'd and sold from the UK

With: 'designed in England from an improvement in the USA on an original UK idea' stickers on it!!

Don't overlook the positive aspects of all of this misinformation.
It simply adds to the timeless Norton enigma.

Which of the other motorcycle companies has a mythos that can match the drama, intrigue, glory, and sheer stupidity of the Norton story.
We are truly blessed.

EstuaryBoy said:

If it's in print.. it's gotta be true, no?

The writer does seem a little late to the party, but who knows? Only time will tell.....

Perhaps we'll see Chinese Commandos built under license in India, but imported, QC'd and sold from the UK

With: 'designed in England from an improvement in the USA on an original UK idea' stickers on it!!

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In this case, maybe they could use a much simpler badge...
"Unloaded in England"
Much more similar to original "Made in England" tags.

Welshrugby said:

Some inaccuracies in that write up I think.

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First off they think Norton was made famous by Che, neglecting all those TT wins etc.