Ferrari is doing well. Leica Cameras is doing very well, and Macy’s has announced it is closing more than 100 of its “standard” stores to focus on high-end products sold through more premium outlets such as Bloomingdales. What is happening here?
Apparently, focusing on consumers able to afford luxury goods is a smart business strategy these days. You can certainly count Norton Motorcycles in that category with its new range of beautifully finished models, including the 125th anniversary Limited Editions.
Norton Motorcycles has a tremendous heritage to draw on, but has been plagued by mismanagement and under-funding since the attempt to revive its storied marque several years ago. Now owned by the Indian giant TVS Motor Company, Norton, perhaps, is finally on the right track toward sustained, quality production. Consistent with this, Norton has hired Brian Gillen, long the R&D Director at MV Agusta, to serve as its Chief Technology Officer. Gillen knows a few things about developing motorcycles for a premium brand.
Featured here is the Limited Edition of the Norton V4CR 588. This is a gorgeous cafe racer featuring Norton’s potent 72 degree, 1,200cc V4 engine making a claimed 185 horsepower.
As you might expect, top drawer components come from Brembo brakes and Ohlins suspension. A generous use of carbon fiber body components with an aluminum chassis hand Tig-welded, as well as a choice of carbon fiber wheels or Oz Racing forged aluminum wheels, results in an impressive claimed weight of 450 pounds for the V4 monster.
Take a look at the video below for other Limited Edition models offered alongside the $62,000 V4CR LE.
I know this is crazy expensive, but it does hit all the marks for me. And while 185hp is stout, it’s hardly a ceiling buster – but I bet this will be a torque-monster.
However, being half-Indian myself, I am always leary of Indian corporate leadership. Historically, not too many noteworthy “wins” there at any level. Hope management knows its place.
In the end, I wonder just what it is that Norton thinks people will spend so much money for. I get that they decided to be a premium brand. But high prices do not a premium brand make. If Ducati makes a high buck bike you can bet there is something by way of content in the bike. This bike just has some special edition paint job that sharks back to a rotary race bike that this company never made and some ridiculous claim that a 450 no doubt dry weight that the delivered motorcycle won’t actually weigh is impressive somehow. Where’s the beef?
“Norton Motorcycles has a tremendous heritage to draw on”
…A WORKING CLASS HERITAGE!
British bike makers grew on their ability to adapt cheaply made made bicycles into cheaply made motorcycles which the working man could afford. They were a “blue collar” item.
From 1979 the inflation adjusted average wage here in the UK has risen ~36% whilst the average bike price has doubled. They are all the data you need to know about the decline in bike sales.
In pricing their new products far above that 100% figure Norton has completely abandoned their heritage whilst still trying to trade off it. Therein lies the seeds for its future failure.
I have a number of friends who are huge Norton fans. So I have kept an eye on the various Norton companies as they have come and gone. And of course I spend time here where most of the crowd used to be major retro styling fans.
I have always been surpised by how well the Norton companies have nailed the look and had decent content and performance numbers. Yet obviously none of them have caught on. Polaris grew Indian without much trouble. What gives?
And before Polaris revived Indian, John Bloor and company revived Triumph. John Bloor’s achievements are very under appreciated. It is a modern day rarity, especially as an individual. Polaris had a corporation behind it and arguably haven’t done what Triumph has done.
It’s kinda like a woman being the 4th wife of a man and claiming she was married to him during all his previous relationships. “125th Anniversary” of someone carrying the name is somehow also counting all the long decades of silence when there was nothing.
It depends. Does it works. Or does not. At that particular case. Now nothing about 60 kilotons
Hash oil?
Vodka
Fair enough
I thought so too. And who chose the color of those wheels? Is it the current trend in luxury goods to be visually obnoxious? You could take what I know about retro or luxury goods and put it into a mosquito’s ear and it would rattle like a BB in a box car. Don’t look my way for answers.
They had me giggling when they were calling 450 pounds impressive. Not for a $62K bike it ain’t. Someone dredged up the ancient if a bike wasn’t heavy it would cost too much argument with me the other day. Well, here it is folks. Proof that the street bike industry won’t produce a light bike at any price. The street bike industry lightens bikes with words like “just” and “only” on the cheaper bikes. Apparently you get “impressive” if you pay enough. What you don’t get is a bike that is, well, “actually” light weight. Unlesss you buy a Langen or something. There is an exception to every rule.
contrary to so many of the other posts, I see this as a flagship model, not something everyone of us wants to buy this year to replace our old 79 Ninja 550. Maybe bring in some foot traffic to a dealer location, and have someone who is really in the market for a new model, buy something not as high end as this. there will be enough Jay Leno’s out there for this to sell out, I dont think he posts here, or he others that have the resources to buy one of these. imho
WTF is a 79 Ninja 550? Yer kiddin rite?
Its a fictional motorcycle, meant to not hurt anyone’s feelings. Kawasaki made the GPZ550 in 79, the ninja moniker was meant to inject the fantasy that many here think their 40-50 year old bikes are so much better than anything offered today. I see, you have a problem with spelling, and sentence construction, possibly you might think about going back and getting your GED. You missed the point completely, I would try and explain it to you, but, … there is no intelligence here.
Call us when the Shuttle lands.
A bit harsh joe b. Not having much Kawa knowledge, I assumed this was a legit model and you were simply comparing old stuff with new shiny techy stuff. No need to impune motomike’s intelligence for that.
Watching the video, the only connection I can make to Norton history is the Commando model. This over-priced “anniversary” model is a joke.
This is just sacrilege at this point.
I get it that the 125th thing is a good excuse to drum up some media attention. I just find it creepy that anyone would fall for such a story. The price? Well, you have to understand the Norton people. They are a very enthusiastic bunch.
One of the odd things about motorcycles is that there is a pretty hard limit to pricing. $62K is CRAZY! Really? Priced a specialty car, boat, bicycle, wrist watch, wedding ring…? There’s zero chance that I would pony up that kind of dosh for the above bikes. I am the wrong guy to ask. But there are enough people out there who will for these things to sell out. What I’ll be watching is how many news outlets that carry this story will report a ballpark of what the regular Nortons cost. Isn’t that pretty much what Norton wants people to be curious about right about now?
I’ll help you out. They are about £17,499 for a Commando 961 CR in UK and there is a dealer in San Diego. A bit costly perhaps. But fashion is never cheap.
If I was to suddenly become single, the 961 might find a place in my living room..er..garage
It may say Norton on the tank, but …
$62K for the base model bwahahaha
I wouldn’t worry much about Norton anymore. They are now owned by TVS, a major Indian company with assets in the billions and over 5000 employees.
Geoff Duke woulda never hadta go to Gilera…
How many deaths can one company endure? I don’t see much of a future for this version if the plan is to sell boutique machines.
Quiet a few apparently. Just ask Buell.
Ask Indian about deaths…
Reincarnation is a central tenet of many Indians faith.
Maybe next time they will come back as BMW 🙂
It’s going to be an uphill battle for Norton to ever rebuild any sort of trust after its last “rebirth”, new ownership or not. I wouldn’t touch one period.
Nice bike but crude graphics that do nothing to enhance the style.
I thought so too. And who chose the color of those wheels? Is it the current trend in luxury goods to be visually obnoxious? You could take what I know about retro or luxury goods and put it into a mosquito’s ear and it would rattle like a BB in a box car. Don’t look my way for answers.
They had me giggling when they were calling 450 pounds impressive. Not for a $62K bike it ain’t. Someone dredged up the ancient if a bike wasn’t heavy it would cost too much argument with me the other day. Well, here it is folks. Proof that the street bike industry won’t produce a light bike at any price. The street bike industry lightens bikes with words like “just” and “only” on the cheaper bikes. Apparently you get “impressive” if you pay enough. What you don’t get is a bike that is, well, “actually” light weight. Unlesss you buy a Langen or something. There is an exception to every rule.