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Can anyone explain Norton to me?

Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2020 2:09 pm
by Ben
Because I really don't understand.

Re: Can anyone explain Norton to me?

Posted: Tue Jan 14, 2020 8:28 pm
by mangocrazy
It's always struck me as a way to separate investors from their hard-earned money...

Re: Can anyone explain Norton to me?

Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 9:25 am
by Ben
I don't understand:

- The press hype (MCN?)
- The desire for a bike that uses the RSV4 engine but is not as good as an RSV4 RF
- The price
- The clear risk of never seeing the bike you put a deposit down for
- ~The negative press (tax issues, etc)

....and yet (allegedly?) people still want them.

Re: Can anyone explain Norton to me?

Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 6:48 pm
by mangocrazy
I don't get it either, and for much the same reasons. But Norton do have form in this respect - anyone remember Al Melling and the Norton Nemesis and its 1.5 litre V8 engine? That episode actually makes the current lot look like a model of propriety and trustworthiness...

Re: Can anyone explain Norton to me?

Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2020 11:09 am
by Ben
I remember that well. I can picture the MCN cover with it on a stand at a show or something. Silver with red wheels. It feels like of they out half the effort into making bikes as they do the hype they might get somewhere?!

Re: Can anyone explain Norton to me?

Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 11:51 am
by oma
Ben wrote:
Tue Jan 14, 2020 2:09 pm
Because I really don't understand.
They look good but more importantly they have an amazing PR company.

I cant see it being than a vanity project but I really want it to be a success.

Re: Can anyone explain Norton to me?

Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 3:46 pm
by mangocrazy
I'd like to see Norton return, as well. But to do it successfully I suggest you'd need to follow the path Triumph took, not try and jump in right at the top end of the market. Unfortunately Norton seems to attract the flash chancer type - all whizz bang PR but very little substance to back it up.

Re: Can anyone explain Norton to me?

Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 5:11 pm
by Katana
Norton, to me, is one of the traditional english bike manufacturers. Then the reborn wankel engined norton, was amazing especially as a child wankel was almost wanker.

Re: Can anyone explain Norton to me?

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2020 3:39 pm
by BikerGran
People with more money than sense wanting on to keep in the garage so they can casually say "I've got a Norton".

Re: Can anyone explain Norton to me?

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2020 4:02 pm
by Ben
I don't understand their business model. I get that they can't compete on volume but I know a custom bike builder who's producing 20 bikes a year on his own. Is that more than Norton? Possibly.

The 'ultra exclusive' thing is a bit of a white elephant, surely? They even know they can't do it, hence using Aprilia's engine.

I don't get why they couldn't produce more mainstream bikes, for example modern retros like the Z900RS.

Re: Can anyone explain Norton to me?

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2020 5:02 pm
by mangocrazy
I suspect the 'ultra exclusive' thing is because they can't afford to tool up for a volume production run, and can keep overheads lower while charging a premium for what they produce.

If they ever do produce anything, of course...

Re: Can anyone explain Norton to me?

Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2020 10:13 am
by mangocrazy
As we suspected, Norton was just a vanity project and was always going to collapse under its own weight.

https://www.visordown.com/news/general/ ... nistration

Re: Can anyone explain Norton to me?

Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2020 10:22 am
by Ben
Bizarre. OK so with the combined RiderSite brain, how would we have made Norton work?

Re: Can anyone explain Norton to me?

Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2020 11:26 am
by mangocrazy
Step 1. Don't have a crook as your CEO...

Re: Can anyone explain Norton to me?

Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2020 6:55 pm
by fatboy
Hit the nail on the head there Graham !
Step 2 Greed and vanity are never successful drivers for a long term business
Step 3 Triumph and Enfield have credible long term goals which don't seem to have included rinsing anyone who invested
Step 4 Pay the bills as you go so they can't come back and bite you on the ass.

£300k tax bill brings down a name like Norton? Shocking!