961 is back !

Quite a bit has changed in recent months. Now we have multiple dealer franchises popping up, and the options on the bikes expanding....which suggests they were initially expecting them to fly out the doors faster than they have been, imo.
 
 
kommando said:
Meriden offered the same towards the end to drum up more orders, the extra cost to the new owner was minimal as they were desperate for sales.
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Yep the t140e that I bought was 6 months old
I bought it from the manager of powerhouse Kawasaki
He'd stipulated t140d bonnie special export tank and side panels when he bought it new
 
Another vlogger covering the 961. If this guy were a Lord of the Rings character, he would most definitely be an ‘Ent’ - he takes a loooooonnnng tiiiiiiiimmmmme to say not very much!

A few little snippets that I was’nt aware of though, including a Norton recommended 6k (miles) service interval? Interestingly enough, he goes up and down the gearbox at one stage to show the fueling. Looks like Norton Birmingham really have sorted that out nicely.

He’s raving about the bike and a prize for anyone who spots that classic northern saying(?) “Ooooooooo, it sends tingles up yer bum ole” (or similar). It might do where you come from mate!!🤣



Another - talk fest, post ride chat. No mention ‘of bum ole’s‘ thankfully!

 
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Stephen_Spencer said:
Another vlogger covering the 961. If this guy were a Lord of the Rings character, he would most definitely be an ‘Ent’ - he takes a loooooonnnng tiiiiiiiimmmmme to say not very much!

A few little snippets that I was’nt aware of though, including a Norton recommended 6k (miles) service interval? Interestingly enough, he goes up and down the gearbox at one stage to show the fueling. Looks like Norton Birmingham really have sorted that out nicely.

He’s raving about the bike and a prize for anyone who spots that classic northern saying(?) “Ooooooooo, it sends tingles up yer bum ole” (or similar). It might do where you come from mate!!🤣



Another - talk fest, post ride chat. No mention ‘of bum ole’s‘ thankfully!

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I like it . I wish mine was that well made .
 
I very much doubt that you'll get a negative review from anyone in the media, because they know full well if they give a negative review, they won't get to review another new model in the future.
This was proved to me when spending a few days with MCN in the south of France. Any negatives they had about the bike over dinner each evening, were guaranteed never to make it into print, because the journalist knew full well that he wouldn't get to ride another new model from Norton, and let's be honest, Norton got more than their fair share of front page exclusives with MCN....those journos enjoyed that meal ticket for quite a while.
And now look, the five out of five stars review for the Norton V4SS has been pulled off the MCN website.....I mean....they wouldn't want to upset the new Norton brand owners with such Donington positivity 👀
Norton may have banned me from site...but we all know that sooner or later a Brummy re-release mk2.5 961 will cross my path, so eventually I'll do a review on the bike, but it'll be brutally honest from my perspective, as clearly I have no bridge to burn. I may even chuck in some journalist buzz words like raw or quintessentially British just to make it sound professional 😂
 
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Here's a review of that sort.
He rolls it on , which looks pretty underwhelming, get excited then raves about the wonderful vibrations coming from everywhere, the bars, the footpegs, the seat....then proclaims " All that ....nostalgia!"
So even though TVS claims to have changed a major portion of the bike, it appears that they haven't fixed the engine balance problem yet.

 
Fast Eddie said:
Stu I think you’re right and I think it’s much worse with these semi pro / small time YouTube crowd too. They really are completely beholden to the manufactures granting them a bike to ride for their existence.

Now more than ever, you have to read between the lines of what is said.

I nearly bought a bike recently cos I liked it and all the tests were super positive, the issue I had in mind was none existent it seemed.

Well, it was until I rode one, I hated the thing, the issue I had in mind was even worse than I thought. But all testers (bar one I discovered later) totally glossed over / ignored it.
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Absolutely right mate, i remember the journos glossing over the original Honda CB750 saying how wonderful it was, of course I knew it was a bag of sh*te and couldn't hold a carrot to an Ariel Pixie.......
 
Article from Sunday Times business section on Sunday 21st May 2023.

TVS Norton is to unveil the new Norton V4CR at the Bike Shed show this coming weekend.

I will be at the Bike Shed show getting a few tattoos, piercings, head shaved, beard oiled
with the hipster bikers looking at the motorcycles that are art rather than motorcycles.

Strange TVS has chosen the Bike Shed Show to unveil the V4CR ?

Bike Shed Show is highly recommended as a fun day out.
 

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I didnt see an awful lot of people around the Norton stand at the show, but in all honesty it's the wrong show for them imo. Yes there was money floating around the event, but it was more of a show for people who want to build something, not blow nearly £50k on something built for them and with a cafe racer name loosely attached to it, where if anything it should be carrying more of a street fighter name....but...thats not very Norton.
 
Just in case anybody’s forgotten what the beauty looks like!

Although I do think that a bunch of greasy old bikers leering at a shapely, perfectly formed bike is a little unsavoury! :oops:

73C614DB-A329-42E4-B5A1-7B2C332E43D4.jpeg
 
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My sister after hearing a Brummy Norton this morning, with a Norton employee setting off for work...she's not a petrol head 😂
Screenshot_20230622_085319_WhatsApp.jpg
 
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Very long dissertation by Charley, but the only riding is a short sequence in the intro.
Lots of engine noise in the intro though.
That's a little troubling.
 

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