Norton Motorcycles, a British motorcycle maker under the ownership of India's TVS Motor Company, has announced its intention to expand the product line with six new models. At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the renowned bikemaker revealed its expansion strategies as it embarks on a new chapter under the leadership of the Indian two-wheeler manufacturer. The upcoming offerings are expected to hit the market in the next three years and will be built at the company's Solihull factory in the UK. The US, Germany, France, Italy, and India will be the primary regions of focus for Norton's global expansion.
Sharing his thoughts on the occasion, Sudarshan Venu, Managing Director, TVS Motor Company said, 'Our vision, commitment and investment into the Norton brand is entering an exciting phase. We look forward to sharing that with motorcyclists across the world.' At the Goodwood Hillclimb, Norton also showcased its one-of-a-kind V4SV, inspired by Steve Hislop's 'White Charger'.
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Amidst Norton Motorcycles' financial difficulties, TVS announced in 2020 that it would buy the company for Rs 153 crore. Norton met its commitment to customers through the acquisition, which included completely re-engineering the Commando and V4 platforms as well as completing and delivering orders for clients who had made reservations before the acquisition.
TVS Motor Company has committed more than Rs 2,000 crore to Norton Motorcycles since taking over to support the development of new models and manufacturing facilities. The first of the six new models in the company's upcoming performance motorcycle lineup will go on sale next year. Apart from this, the brand named Richard Arnold as Norton's Executive Director. He was previously the CEO of Manchester United Football Club. Furthermore, Dr. Robert Hentschel has been named Norton Motorcycles' new Executive Director and CEO.
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Norton Motorcycles: Current Product Lineup
The Norton Commando 961, Norton V4CR, and Norton V4SV are the three bikes Norton presently sells abroad. With pushrod-actuated valves, the 961cc air and oil-cooled parallel-twin engine powers the Commando, producing 81Nm of peak torque at 6,300rpm and 76bhp of maximum power at 7,250rpm. A hand-welded frame, billet aluminium clip-on handlebars, a front Brembo brake system with carbon discs, an analogue speedometer and tachometer, a fully adjustable Ohlins suspension system, and a stainless steel exhaust system are a few of its highlights.
A 1200cc V4 engine with titanium inlet valves and eight fuel injectors – two for each cylinder – powers the V4SV sport bike and the V4CR cafe racer. The unit produces 125Nm of torque at 9,000rpm and 184.4bhp at 12,000rpm. Both models have bodywork made of carbon fibre with a kevlar reinforcing in the former. The chassis is mirror-finished and hand-welded. Wheels made of forged aluminium or carbon fibre are available for them.
On the hardware front, these bikes sport a custom, fully adjustable Ohlins TTXGP monoshock, and an Ohlins NIX30 fully adjustable inverted fork, both made of 43mm carbon fibre. Moving to the features, the models come with a six-inch full-color instrument console, three riding modes – Wet, Road, and Sport – a bi-directional quickshifter with an autoblipper, a six-axis IMU (inertial measuring unit), lean-sensitive traction control, wheelie control, and a keyless ignition system.
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