Terblanche Norton sketches revealed

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/ ... %20%281%29

So how many millions of dollars did he get to design a high-piper that looks just like my 1971 Honda CL100 Scrambler? Sheesh. I mean, I love it, don't get me wrong, but it's not very compelling or even original. I like the two roadracers, though...

I really hope the new venture succeeds, I really do, and I have no doubt Terblance has forgotten more about design than I'll ever know, but......I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder... not for me , especially the two camels at the bottom.

I hear Terrible Blanche has left already. According to MCN he said “I left on good terms. It would be wrong to read anything worrying into my departure”. Tell me another one when I've stopped laughing! Only the above kid's scribbles in 90 days of work? Must have taken him all of thirty minutes.

Departed, maybe a good thing. I think the factory has to concentrate on either getting the price down on the current model or introduce a no frills version if they are going to attract a wider customer base. Right now its seems its pitched at the wealthy discerning man about town who alternatively may have a Ducati one year, a Guzzi the next and then another exotic brand and so on. Too be perfectly honest, the current range is not to my taste. I'm past sports bike stuff. I prefer plain forks, wire wheels, carbs, steel not plastic and stuff that I can play around with like exhausts, handlebars, self maintain and don't mind it getting covered in shit from time to time. Call it down market or entry level whatever, but it has to have some character which sadly the appropriate Hinckely Bonnevilles lack. Right price but jeez, its not an exciting looking machine is it?

As an example, Guzzi has recently introduced its retro 750 in "classic" and "cafe" form. They are selling like hot cakes. If Norton gets around to a basic no frills good looking daily rider at a reasonably competitive price I'd definetly be interested.

Mick

I want his name , it sounds so great ,white ground sounds so awfull at a bar. I also want his bank account , probably Swiss. Was thinking about say - "Positive Ground " or en francais - Terre Positive when I meet that girl at that special bar that doesn't mind making a mistake. Is he Parisian French ? This is not the first time Norton has been raided for corporate moneys. Asssuming he got the big bucks , but we will never know ... Hobot what are the faint red letters about ,perhaps copyright ?

The only reasonable bikes he designed were the Cagiva Grand Canyon, and the Hyper Motard. The rest (in my opinion) were just wrong.
Ducati had him design the "Classic" range which were eagerly awaited but turned out to be a flop so were discontinued. How much did that cost Ducati?
They were good performing bikes but looked nothing like the originals they were styled after.

Triumph has got it right with the Bonnyville but it is booring to ride and lacks character. (my wife had one and soon sold it, good bike but no character, her words)

Old bikes have a raw quality and "I" think that is what makes then desirable.

Stick to the description,,, "Motor" in a "Cycle" nothing else.

They don't need to be the fastest things, just have character, (like the original ones) Sell the rotarys for the fast ones.

graeme

+1 for sell the wankels for the fast ones. Cj

To sell the Wankels you want to develop and manufacture them first. And to do that the Shenstone Norton rotary engine drawings would not come amiss. And guess who has and owns those? Norton Motors Ltd/Andover Norton/yours truly. Have I mentioned funding yet? Now we talk the real difficulties!
By the way, I don't think Terblanche got anything out of his stint with new Norton financially- just wanted to get his name back in the papers, advertizing globally and cheaply he is for hire.

ZFD said:

I don't think Terblanche got anything out of his stint with new Norton financially- just wanted to get his name back in the papers, advertizing globally and cheaply he is for hire.

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I can't see those childish drawings doing anything for his reputation and enhancing his employment chances. I'll wait for the V4 to be released to see what he was really doing at Norton.

ZFD said:

I hear Terrible Blanche has left already. According to MCN he said “I left on good terms. It would be wrong to read anything worrying into my departure”.

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I'm curious about where you read this. Was it in the latest issue? (which would have gone to press several months ago). I looked on the MCN website and couldn't find anything about it. I also did a google search and came up with nothing. No chatter on the Ducati boards either. Time will tell I guess. If he did leave it makes one wonder about the company's viability.

debby

I'll wait for the V4 to be released to see what he was really doing at Norton.

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Errr Drinking coffee and updating his CV most of the time judging by those sketches :lol: :lol: :lol:

I'm curious about where you read this. Was it in the latest issue? (which would have gone to press several months ago). I looked on the MCN website and couldn't find anything about it.

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To be totally honest, it was a friend in the industry who mailed it from England- he read it in this week's MCN and quoted from it. He has worked with the great Terblanche a while ago and told me some interesting stories about the experience.
My friend swore from day1 this wasn't for real and very shortly, after a bit of mutual publicity, T. would disappear again. Looks like he was right.

It's the first sketch, the custom one that I object to most. A horrible mutation that combines the Norton name with something that's designed NOT to go round corners....