What's happening at Norton? Sale to TVS, massive investment, new bikes...

NorTriDuc said:
So let’s make a 200+ hp bike and only use a fraction of it.
What’s the point.

That’s like having a beautiful wife and not making love to her so the next guy has all the fun.
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Says the guy with two unridden 961's in the garage...
 


Interesting take from the 44T crew. From a couple of guys that live and breath sports bikes and are well used to comments about how sports bikes are often described as ‘all looking the same’.

Chris picks the Norton Manx R as the best looking bike of this year.

A bit of perspective maybe.
 
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NorTriDuc said:
So let’s make a 200+ hp bike and only use a fraction of it.
What’s the point.

That’s like having a beautiful wife and not making love to her so the next guy has all the fun.
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The point is to present the power in the low/mid range, in a way that it is more accessible for the road.

Providing the ability to use more power (not less), more often - whilst the high revving competition is running out of road and points on their license.

We need real world road tests to see how well Norton has achieved this.
 
Stephen_Spencer said:
The point is to present the power in the low/mid range, in a way that it is more accessible for the road.

Providing the ability to use more power (not less), more often - whilst the high revving competition is running out of road and points on their license.

We need real world road tests to see how well Norton has achieved this.
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Yeah it’s called gearing.

They state it makes 203bhp at 11,500 rpm and 95 ft lbs of torque.
And accessible torque in the 5000-10000 rpm range. So I’ll say it’s about the gearing. It’s pretty obvious since they say it’s not about top speed / number. So gearing is most likely the reason.

I’m going to take a stab at the Manx R selling price of $42500-45000 USD
 
NorTriDuc said:
Yeah it’s called gearing.

They state it makes 203bhp at 11,500 rpm and 95 ft lbs of torque.
And accessible torque in the 5000-10000 rpm range. So I’ll say it’s about the gearing. It’s pretty obvious since they say it’s not about top speed / number. So gearing is most likely the reason.

I’m going to take a stab at the Manx R selling price of $42500-45000 USD
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Yep, that’s part of ‘how’ they’ve done it, as opposed to the ‘why’.

Difficult to call price point but it ain’t gonna be cheap, with high end components including carbon wheels. Wouldn’t be surprised if they offered a base model at some stage, wearing the V4SV wheels and a lower spec.
 

2026 Norton Manx R First Look​

New V-4 superbike with 206 hp and cutting-edge electronics is US-bound.
www.cycleworld.com

2026 Norton Manx R First Look

Norton’s V-4 Manx R superbike promises 206 hp and cutting-edge electronics—and it’s coming to the USA.
www.cycleworld.com www.cycleworld.com
in the process of setting up a retail network of more than 200 dealers in the UK, USA, Europe, and India. :cool:
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The bike might look very different from earlier Nortons, but the company’s head of design, Simon Skinner, is one of the few links going back to the company’s Garner-owned era. He worked with Norton’s chief creative advisor Gerry McGovern (more famous as the chief creative officer and board member at Jaguar Land Rover) on the new bikes, and there is, perhaps, a hint of modern Range Rover design language in the new range’s smooth surfaces and crisp edges, a far cry from the curves of the old V4SV.
--------------------------------
North America is explicitly one of the company’s key targets for expansion, so unlike the old V-4 models we can finally expect to see a modern Norton in the hands of US customers.

Manx R
 
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More technical detail.

Not concerned about the consensus, the more I see (and hear) about the Manx R the more I’m likin’ it (is all of the silver bodywork carbon?). Still need to actually see it though - despite that I’d purchase this bike before the Ducati V4 on any day of the week.

Not sure about the Manx styling, need to see it in the flesh. Don’t know enough about the Atlas, nor which market Norton/TVS are really aiming it at.

On reflection a solid start for me, with the promise that the Manx might actually be a smokin’ road bike (TBC).

 
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Simon speaketh

About ​

As Head of Design and the first employee at the new Norton Motorcycles UK I have been responsible for the Design of every new Norton over the last 15 years. This range includes Commando (and its variants), Domiracer, Dominator, V4SS & V4RR, V4SV, V4CR, 650 Atlas, Superlight and Race bikes.





the best customer service ~ 2:08
 
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Stephen_Spencer said:


Interesting take from the 44T crew. From a couple of guys that live and breath sports bikes and are well used to comments about how sports bikes are often described as ‘all looking the same’.

Chris picks the Norton Manx R as the best looking bike of this year.

A bit of perspective maybe.
Click to expand...

All my criticism has been focussed on the Atlas. I think this is decent to be honest
 
I like the use of LVDTs to monitor the front and rear suspension position. That is what I wanted to do 30+ years ago but was to mean to buy some, relying instead on front wheel speed & acceleration to determine when the wheel left the ground rather than knowing when it was just about to.

On a negative point, apart from having an ugly seat and ridiculous number plate location, the V4 bikes seem to be for use in dry weather only judging by the lack of rear mudguard and a functioning chain guard.

Does the gear lever work in the correct direction i.e. down to change up and is it on the RH side (where it should be)? Is there a button on the handlebars for changing gear and if not, why not?

A good point is a wide torque band, which also helped make the original Norton Commando such a great bike.
 
"I like the use of LVDTs to monitor the front and rear suspension position."


Like so many other industrial electronics trickle downs, been in use 50 years, but now the price is cheap enough for mass produced vehicles.
 
Stephen_Spencer said:
I regularly ride with guys on modern superbikes. A couple of them are quick by anybody’s standard. They readily admit to using only a fraction of the bike’s performance on the road - for obvious reasons.

Most of us have experienced this. Admit it or not, most are left feeling that they’re not using the bike to its full potential - as it was designed.

Norton is betting that there’ll be way more fun to be had by stacking the mid range, making the ManxR more usable for the road. A simple proposition really. I suspect (literally) nothing to do with the riding prowess of prospective owners.
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Unless you live in rare place like Germany, it's a really bad idea to use the power of most vehicles on the road!

The car I bought here and drove while I lived in Germany maxed out a 155mph (limiter) - drove it wide open very often while I lived there. My current car maxes out at 155mph (limiter). Neither of them saw/has seen even 100 mph in the US. Neither my Commando nor Trident will ever see 100mph in the US with me onboard - the thought of handcuffs behind my back puts an end to thinking that would be a good idea!
 
auto.hindustantimes.com

Norton Motorcycles to debut in India by 2026, confirms TVS Motor Company

Sudarshan Venu, Managing Director of TVS Motor Co, said Norton will launch its all-new Manx and Atlas range of motorcycles in the UK and Europe first by March-April 2026, and their India debut is likely to take place around June-July.
auto.hindustantimes.com auto.hindustantimes.com
(links from above indian site, not much out there/info)


timesofindia.indiatimes.com

TVS unveils new Norton bikes: Manx, Manx R, Atlas and Atlas GT launched at EICMA; iconic British brand set for global resurgence - The Times of India

International Business News: TVS Motor Company has launched four new Norton motorbike models. These are the Manx, Manx R, Atlas, and Atlas GT. This marks a significant step since
timesofindia.indiatimes.com timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Its Global Vision on Show, TVS Motor Company Makes a Stellar Debut at EICMA​

https://www.businesswire.com/news/h...-Motor-Company-Makes-a-Stellar-Debut-at-EICMA​

 
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marshg246 said:
Unless you live in rare place like Germany, it's a really bad idea to use the power of most vehicles on the road!

The car I bought here and drove while I lived in Germany maxed out a 155mph (limiter) - drove it wide open very often while I lived there. My current car maxes out at 155mph (limiter). Neither of them saw/has seen even 100 mph in the US. Neither my Commando nor Trident will ever see 100mph in the US with me onboard - the thought of handcuffs behind my back puts an end to thinking that would be a good idea!
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Agreed, although we regularly blast into ‘illegal’ backroad territory - familiar with the area successfully avoiding our ‘friends in blue’ (usually!).:oops:

Lived in Germany for a decade+ in the 80s/90s - freedom on the autobahns back then was a real blast. Not sure it’s the same now. Maxing out the likes of GPZ1100/GPZ900R/998 Duc and holding it for a period - admittedly a bit scary - never to be repeated!

Love to try that on the ManxR!
 
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