Norton Motorcycle has made its first move in its resurgence by launching four new motorcycles under the leadership of TVS Motorcycles, set to play a prominent role in the brand’s comeback narrative.
In the past few years, Norton has had a turbulent period, marked by a cycle of bankruptcy, resurrection, and a “For Sale” sign. But there was a time in its history when Norton Motorcycle was on top of the world, riding on its rich racing pedigree, and held a very healthy market share.
But as the world rolled into the 21st century, things started to take a turn for the worse when the company faced its first turbulence, with financial mismanagement and a lack of proper R&D into its products, which led Norton to insolvency and loss of significant market share.
After being passed around for a while, an Indian motorcycle manufacturer, TVS Motors, acquired Norton Motorcycles in 2020, and charted out an epic comeback that will ensure Norton becomes a technically sound motorcycle maker with robust financials and operations.
And to lead the brand into the new era — Norton introduced four new models: a Supersports, a naked streetfighter, and two Adventure motorcycles. Read ahead to find out more.
Manx R
Norton’s flagship superbike, the Manx R, is built on a Cast aluminium monocoque chassis, with a Billet aluminium swingarm. Suspended by the aluminium frame is a fully adjustable semi-active 43 mm USD Marzocchi fork & monoshock, with electronic compression and rebound damping.
The Norton superbike is powered by a 1200cc, V4 engine producing 206 hp at 11,500 rpm and 130 Nm @ 9,000 rpm. Norton offers a plethora of electronic aids to assist riders in taming the motorcycle, which include: ride modes, traction control, slide & wheelie control, launch control, quickshifter, and cruise control.
The Bike weighs around 204 kg, and the responsibility to bring this bike to a halt is bestowed on Brembo Hypure monobloc callipers, dual 330 mm discs at the front, and a 245 mm rear disc with cornering ABS.
The Superbike comes with an 8-inch touch TFT smartphone and GoPro integration, live tracking, and keyless ignition.
Manx
A naked streetfighter based on the same platform as the Manx R – utilising the same aluminium frame but with revised geometry for street use, with a similar Mazocchi’s semi-active suspension unit as found on the Manx R superbike.
At the heart of the Manx Street fighter is the same 1200cc V4 unit producing the same amount of power as in the Manx R. The feature list includes everything that is seen on the Manx R superbike brochure.
Atlas
An Adventure Motorcycle from Norton — sitting on a steel trellis frame suspended by an Upside-down fork front and monoshock rear tuned for off-road bias.
The Norton Atlas is powered by a liquid-cooled 585cc parallel-twin producing about 70 hp. Braking duties are handled by a Dual-channel Brembo disc setup suited for off-road.
The feature list includes an 8-inch TFT with smartphone connectivity, ride modes, traction control tailored for off-road use, cruise control, keyless ignition, heated grips, and seats.
Atlas GT
Norton Atlas GT is a more relaxed version of the Atlas adventure, offering both off-road and long-distance cruising. While the rider ergonomics on the Atlas is geared towards extreme offroading, the ergonomics on the Atlas GT are much more relaxed, with accessible seat height and touring-friendly ergonomics.
The Atlas GT is powered by the same 585cc parallel-twin, liquid-cooled engine. The Tourer rides on 19-inch front and 17-inch rear alloys.As of yet, Norton Motorcycle hasn’t disclosed the exact timeline for the production models to go on sale.
