Although officially being unveiled tomorrow in England, Norton posted these low-res photos and specifications for the new 650cc Superlight today on its Facebook page. With engine architecture similar to the parallel-twin 650cc scramblers recently introduced by Norton (making a claimed 84 horsepower), the motor in the Superlight spins all the way to 12,500 rpm for its peak horsepower number.
This is a very trick motorcycle loaded with carbon fiber components (including the wheels), Öhlins suspension and Brembo brakes … priced close to £20,000 (close to $26,000 U.S.).
The photos include a spec sheet from Norton. Stay tuned for more information following the introduction tomorrow.
See more of MD’s great photography:
Very Nice. Us regular folks will just go buy the Honda CBR650R. I think there is a market for these because we need some custom shops out there. Norton has a long history and they COULD make one not so expensive if they just focus on what is necessary without adding what is not. Then again the Kaw636RR has a quick shifter etc for 10k without ABS. I’ll take an XSR700. I think it has everything you need and nothing you don’t.
THIS Norton Co has a history of less than 10 years and it hasn’t exactly gone smoothly. Took years to get the first 961’s into peoples hands after taking their deposits, and then they had issues. I honestly thought they had gone out of business…again, and I follow the motorcycle industry pretty closely.
Who cares if a Norton 650 twin makes 200hp? IT’S A NORTON, DUDE!!! Yes, THAT Norton!!! The same Norton that’s promised a retro-styled 750/850 vertical twin since the antediluvian era!
Ummmm, yes, and Norton has delivered on your retro twins in the form of the 961 Commandos for a few years now. http://www.nortonmotorcycles.com/bikes/commando-961-sport-mk-ii.html
$26,000? That’s MOTUS money! MOTUS who? You know, the boutique bike builder that couldn’t sell enough “exclusive” bikes at $26,000 a pop…
You can by 10 new Jawa from Mahindra
Head lamps and no other lamps? Oh? I see. That small things.
The super-exclusive and hardly-a-roadbike Paton 650 won the isle of man TT last year, and these things really matter to British manufacturers.
This thing looks like a charge at the Kawasaki-powered Paton, and there’ll be a queue of people who want to win a TT on a Norton. Last man to do so was Steve Hislop.
John McGuinness will be trying to emulate him on a Superbike in 2019, and one of these for the lightweight too is a reasonable guess.
If somebody can win the TT on one of these, they’ll sell TENS OF THEM!!
Perhaps even dozens.
Assuming of course it isn’t just the motorcycling equivalent of vaporware.
Make a production one for those that don’t have the social economic status, please.
Just get rid of all the carbon fibre rims and fairings and the high spec suspension with plastics and showa suspension and brembos m50s and I bet the price will drop to an affordable price.
Might get it down to $20k? Bikes like this will always be expensive because of how few are made and by whom (small boutique maker). They could probably reduce the price more by buying the engine from Yamaha (FZ07) or Kawasaki (n650) and building around that, for instance. Bimota did some pretty special bikes this way.
Beautiful and exclusive. Nothing wrong with that. There’s Ducati, MV Agusta, and Norton. Nobody makes nicer looking high end bikes. “Attention K-Mart shoppers…?”
Not here.
26k for a middle-weight twin that churns out 100+ HP?
A 4-Cyl 600 rocket can do better than that for 14k less so unless this bike is REALLY lightweight at ~120KG, I don’t really see the point!
But it’d certainly be nice to have a bike like that in your Malibu mansion’s garage, just sitting there, impressing everyone all the while doing nothing!
From an economic standpoint it is important for rich people to spend their money. Might as well be on a cool boutique motorcycle. 😁
Lottery winners spend lots of money. Do you know what happens to most of them? They end up broke.
Rich people are rich because they don’t spend money foolishly.
The people you see in fancy cars wearing expensive clothes are far more often than not barely able to afford their charades.
+1 hit it on the head.
A few manage to keep much of their wealth (Jay Leno has everything he bought BUT reportedly never touched any of his “tonight show” paychecks??).
I would hit the lottery and be ALMOST broke very quickly!
Im not saying spend every last $, but all that wealth not being circulated does hold an economy back. I’m not talking about someone with a couple million in the bank, I talking Heinz family kind of money.
More importantly that absolute power is its spread for street use.
I will not buy one of these unless it comes with tubes.
They’re partnering with Royal Enfield on a wheel swap program so you won’t be left out.
Humorous! Mep! Mep!
As a long time proponent for 270 degree vert twins, I would love to hear that at 12,500 rpm. Gotta be different. Bet the ride would be fun too. With all this newness lately has Norton invested in a modern production capability ? Hope so.
Would sound ~like an SV650.
Actually, I did see that Norton is building or has a additional building or factory by their present one for the newer models.
I can think of better bikes for $26,000.
Such as?
Anything Italian.
A Ducati Panigale V-4 at 210 HP!
Now that’s a drooler!!!!
158kgs dry. So not *super* light…
Unless my math is wrong, 158kgs is 348lbs. Maybe not ‘super’ light, but that’s pretty damn light. Light enough for me, sounds like an exciting ride.
> 158kgs dry. So not *super* light…
What bike with even close to this amount of power is lighter? Street, production bikes.
Triumph Daytona 675 is very close and makes 20 more hp. It’s also half the price, widely available and I’d bet better engineered.
And no longer in production.
Plenty of low mile examples in the used market, and we can bet there will be a 765 somewhere in the near future.
FWIW, this bike isn’t in production, either.
Yamaha fz09, 415 wet, don’t remeber the dry but under 399lbs, and 115hp and 72ftlbs.
Just found it the FZ09 weighs 375 dry. So in the ball park. And mine was 6900 new out the door in 2016…
Wow Norton! Way to go! You get the fact that power is important to us. And the bike is gorgeous too!
I’m just not into high revs anymore. I enjoy the lower revs of my Sv1000, sv650 and Monster.
Yep, enjoyed my 2015 sv650. Sold it last year due to my declining health. I never craved an expensive and/or a particularly fast mc. And i cant abide by supersport ergos…oucharooney!!