Nortons current state

[FrenchCarFan]

bolidemichael said:

This article and the comments within are unbelievable - it's a must read.

Indeed.

To my mind, MCN don't come across well from that, basically they knew what was going on and ignored it. st rag imo.

[longblackcoat]

FrenchCarFan said:

bolidemichael said:

This article and the comments within are unbelievable - it's a must read.

Indeed.

To my mind, MCN don't come across well from that, basically they knew what was going on and ignored it. st rag imo.

MCN have always been questionable in terms of truthfulness. Remember the "148mph" RD500LC - only MCN got that speed, and that by Mat Oxley slipping (and burning out) the clutch to get the thing to rev out at the test track.

It would do 148mph - once. Everyone else got 135mph.

[Dakkon]

longblackcoat said:

FrenchCarFan said:

bolidemichael said:

This article and the comments within are unbelievable - it's a must read.

Indeed.

To my mind, MCN don't come across well from that, basically they knew what was going on and ignored it. st rag imo.

MCN have always been questionable in terms of truthfulness. Remember the "148mph" RD500LC - only MCN got that speed, and that by Mat Oxley slipping (and burning out) the clutch to get the thing to rev out at the test track.

It would do 148mph - once. Everyone else got 135mph.

I imagine it is tricky for MCN as they have their own troubles with declining sales like any paper / magazine these days and people wanting online content / video etc. I am not excusing them though, they do seem to over hype some things.

[Pothole]

This snippet is key for me:

"Reassured by positive Norton coverage in MCN on 1/8/11, Clare took out a loan and paid up"

MCN were complicit, seemingly knowingly, in people being ripped off.

And now, their audacity is hilarious and shocking:

this week's MCN said:

In this week's issue of MCN we've got a special investigation into Norton Motorcycles and their recent drop into administration.

They even mention the issues discussed in the Biker Glory piece from 2012...

[bolidemichael]

Look at the post from November 27th which wasn't published by MCN

https://www.bikerglory.com/news/what-you-couldnt-f...

This chap is the successor to Kevin Ash and is deserving of a donation to support him.

[Esceptico]

bolidemichael said:

PorkInsider said:

Ed. said:

It is disappointing that he could get away with it all for so long. Found this on a Spondon engineering thread, it's from 2012

https://www.bikerglory.com/news/the-norton-saga/

I really don't know how they managed to retain a decent image in the bike press for so long, with the well known issues of bikes being paid for and not materialising?

This article and the comments within are unbelievable - it's a must read.

What is unbelievable is how Garner managed to keep the company going for another 8 years.

I disliked MCN before this but it is outrageous that they wrote so many puff pieces about Norton whilst deliberately hiding the truth.

[Peter3442]

Shifty characters, dodgy deals, a financial mess ..., but, and it's a big but, with the sort of long-term financial support that a manufacturing business can obtain in this country, it's hardly surprising.

[Pothole]

Peter3442 said:

Shifty characters, dodgy deals, a financial mess ..., but, and it's a big but, with the sort of long-term financial support that a manufacturing business can obtain in this country, it's hardly surprising.

All because middle-England voters gibber on about needing manufacturing?

[Fundoreen]

It was all the work of a load of americans at the end of the day. Maybe they can take it back now.

https://www.cycleworld.com/2010/09/09/the-real-com...

[bloomen]

https://twitter.com/Notnorton_Moto/status/12269236...

Someone's V4SS taken in for warranty work was apparently then used to... build more of them.

[Grindle]

Norton? An unfunny joke, tbh.
I am sorry but didn't anyone else many years ago get tired of the 'this amazing Norton is due out'' in MCN every other week, only for it all to go to pot, time and time again.
News, promise, delay, cancellation were like the 4 stroke cycle itself.
I am a huge Norton fan and recently got myself a 1976 MK3 Commando, having had a few of them way back when. But the empty promises turned me off the new era brand and like i say most announcements of amazing new machinery never materialised.
When they did finally make some new stuff they were very average bikes with stupidly high price tags and predictably few people bothered buying them.
It comes as no surprise whatsoever that it's all gone boobs up, that was as sure to happen as Schofield is to write a money-spinning book about brave he has been...
Jog on Norton, no sympathy here at all.
I'd rather ride this 850 and remember the real ones, not poor alternatives to the fantastic modern stuff we now buy from countless other makers.

Edited by Grindle on Tuesday 11th February 06:21

[PorkInsider]

bolidemichael said:

PorkInsider said:

Ed. said:

It is disappointing that he could get away with it all for so long. Found this on a Spondon engineering thread, it's from 2012

https://www.bikerglory.com/news/the-norton-saga/

I really don't know how they managed to retain a decent image in the bike press for so long, with the well known issues of bikes being paid for and not materialising?

This article and the comments within are unbelievable - it's a must read.

Indeed. And I had read. And that's what prompted my comment about what was effectively a press coverup.

When you read that article and then see the comments that follow from Brian Crighton - who is extremely well known and respected in the industry - it's clear that there has to have been a deliberate coverup.

The motorcycle press would be all over anything someone with Crighton's standing has to say on pretty much any matter, under any other circumstances.

I'd love to know what's been going on in the back offices of MCN and the magazines while all this has been playing out over the years.

[ceesvdelst]

I am sure people must remember the Al Melling Norton V8 farce too, the name has been so sadly dragged through the mud in recent years. I do hope if it happens again it is properly done.

[Fundoreen]

I think MCN were hoping by promoting the brand and models it would all resolve itself .
Norton seemed to have a lot of orders but not the money to get the bikes built. Maybe this is the crooked bit.
A new investor stepping in could have saved them. Actually why is that still not possible? .
Workforce is there .Toolings there . Supply chain is there. Customers are there. Just drop all the extravegance.No need for the old owner to be onboard.

Meanwhile MCN will be busy crying about the big empty space at their show this weekend and maybe Garner can join the staff as the
norton correspondent.

[PorkInsider]

Fundoreen said:

A new investor stepping in could have saved them. Actually why is that still not possible? .
Workforce is there .Toolings there . Supply chain is there. Customers are there. Just drop all the extravegance.No need for the old owner to be onboard.

It sounds like the bikes need to be turned out a rate of knots to be able to hit the necessary revenues, but they haven't been designed to allow that.

I'd have thought the result is that they either need a different range of bikes viable for higher volume, consistent production or to charge even more for the ones they're trying to build.

[Vickers_VC10]

https://www.facebook.com/CrightonRacing/photos/a.1...

needs locking up.

For those without Facebook.

[BugLebowski]

Vickers_VC10 said:

https://www.facebook.com/CrightonRacing/photos/a.1...

needs locking up.

For those without Facebook.

Time to involve the police (if they aren't already there)

[Max5476]

Fundoreen said:

I think MCN were hoping by promoting the brand and models it would all resolve itself .
Norton seemed to have a lot of orders but not the money to get the bikes built. Maybe this is the crooked bit.
A new investor stepping in could have saved them. Actually why is that still not possible? .
Workforce is there .Toolings there . Supply chain is there. Customers are there. Just drop all the extravegance.No need for the old owner to be onboard.

As I understand, the technicians are still in building any bikes that they can (not the atlas, it still hasn't made it to production) while the administrators look at potential buyers or decide to close it completely.

Although that's rather in contrast with the post above, about parts being stolen from customer bikes.

Edited by Max5476 on Tuesday 11th February 18:30

[Pothole]

Max5476 said:

As I understand, the technicians are still in building any bikes that they can (not the atlas, it still hasn't made it to production) while the administrators look at potential buyers or decide to close it completely.

Although that's rather in contrast with the post above, about parts being stolen from customer bikes.

Edited by Max5476 on Tuesday 11th February 18:30

"Any bikes they can" will be not many, by the sound of things...

[Krikkit]

Must admit I'd be surprised if someone doesn't rescue it - they have a couple of models which aren't just production ready, but also have several hundred on the road.

It needs someone to come along with reasonable pockets, settle the bills and get the parts flowing again from suppliers.