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On reflection I guess that it’s actual competition is MV, Ducati and Aprilia (V4) for reasons of exclusivity. Well, good luck to all of them… the more variety in the market the better.
I think the pipe rack might be optional, and probably carbon fibre too.
Great report, and you’ve kept her nice and clean too. I always liked the look of the sporty 600, except for the slightly bulbous ar5e. (Same goes for sporty women!).
Good luck with your 1000.
I really do wish them luck. It’s just that I get quite annoyed when, based upon umpteen years in the automotive engineering industry, and many years as a motorcycle enthusiast, I can see exactly where they are going wrong and they seem completely oblivious to it. I want them to throw money at doing the right thing right, not the wrong thing wrong. Why can’t they see it? Are they blind, stupid, or blind stupid???
Maybe I am being overly critical and missing something? Maybe, maybe not. Time will tell.
Perhaps they will get their act together and be successful; let’s hope so.
End of rant, and time for a beer.
: )
Sunshine; that’s what made me smile today. (Yes, I know; I am a simpleton and it don’t take much to make me smile…)
I wish them success, however as they are restricted by racing class limitations I wonder how they will differentiate it from the 4-cylinder Japs in the same market? I mean, the Japs are seriously good for performance and cost-competitive with one-another. Perhaps BMW will do it by way of features (traction control, etc.) and quality of finish?
You forced your own flesh-and-blood to suffer the FZ pillion seat? I’m surprised she didn’t swing for you.
Anyway, I’m glad you had a good time. The Panther (yes it is) looks cool. The builder has put on a sprung seat and then mounted it so that the solid mudguard stops the spring from working… ha! (The top section of the frame from headstock to ‘seat post’ is original, and the front end looks like it might be too).
My prediction: they will fail.
Why? Well…
After the first flock of Nortonophiles who will buy it?
It will have a premium price but the company behind it has no track record.
It is over-weight.
It has a mediocre frame design.
It will vibrate.
Max torque is produced close to max power revs and hence unlikely to capitalise on twin cylinder advantages(i.e. good pulling power in a high gear at low revs).
It has an air-cooled engine and hence needs to run greater clearances meaning: higher oil consumption, lower max power (per cc), and higher clatter noise.
They appear to have no dealer network(?).
They appear to have no long term business plan.
They have just one model.
Putting a bike into series production is very costly, and no ammount of enthusiasm can overcome losses.
The millionare behind the project may be happy to lose money, which is the only way the actual bike will ever become ‘successfull’.
They are blindly trying to revive the Commando engine / styling image and in the process ignoring the one thing that would almost guarantee vast sales of a modern watercooled multi-cylinder bike… the brand name!!!
Norton is a fabulous name and if they got their act together and designed a properly specified and costed RANGE of modern bikes they could take on the world and hopefully break even in less than ten years. But as it is… well, I wish them luck… but they will fail.There seems to have been a lot of dosh spent on that. I guess it has made someone happy.
Personally I would have finished it off in a stronger colour, and tidied that speedometer sensor wire that runs with the (yellow!) front brake hose. Anyway, good luck to the owner.Soooo fast. Strange to think it was nearly 20 years ago.
I used to have a video of the Norton at the Isle Of Mann ridden by Steve Hislop in close competition with Foggy on a Yamaha. It was a great race and the Norton sounded fantastic.
I must be the only person who doesn’t like it! To me it seems bulbous, over-weight and far too complicated. (Or am I describing my ex?)
I seem to remember that some snooker professional bought an NR just after they were released (for about £28 grand if my memory serves me right), and he then crashed it and the repair bill was incredible! Oh well…
