Factory Tech Support for 961s via email

As reported in the Norton Owners Club magazine, Feb 2021.

Interim CEO John Russell is quoted “we have created a new email address, monitored by engineers and technicians to field any Commando 961 technical queries. The mailbox will be monitored regularly by Norton Engineers and technicians”

That is all well and good, but appears to be restricted to current Norton Owners Club members, not ALL 961 owners!
I have a suspicion that not all 961 owners are also NOC members, therefore are potentially left out on their own!

For owners that are not NOC members, I would suggest enquiring for similar support via info@nortonmotorcycles.com

Out of interest, how many of you 961 owners are also NOC members?

StuartSF2015 said:

As reported in the Norton Owners Club magazine, Feb 2021.

Interim CEO John Russell is quoted “we have created a new email address, monitored by engineers and technicians to field any Commando 961 technical queries. The mailbox will be monitored regularly by Norton Engineers and technicians”

That is all well and good, but appears to be restricted to current Norton Owners Club members, not ALL 961 owners!
I have a suspicion that not all 961 owners are also NOC members, therefore are potentially left out on their own!

For owners that are not NOC members, I would suggest enquiring for similar support via info@nortonmotorcycles.com

Out of interest, how many of you 961 owners are also NOC members?

Click to expand...

I cancelled my membership during their dispute with Andover Norton.

I did contact Marie at Norton a few weeks ago and was informed the spares and service depts. are closed due to Covid.

I don’t understand, if it’s an email address how does it only allow NOC members to write to it?

I suppose it's understandable why Norton would want to support the official NOC but turn their bank on members here would in my mind be very foolish. When I ordered mine, i found this to be a far better site and so informative. Good to know they are offering support for 961's, let's hope it's for all of us, may test them out soon.

In my opinion, if you own a Norton 961 than you paid your dues and shouldn’t have to be a “member” of any group, you are the group!

It’s nonsense to only include members of NOC.

If i remember rightly the NOC had made contact with TVS Norton early on, if so this may just be a bit of good marketing with the NOC members (i am a member). The emails may even go to the info person that they would otherwise go to and may even get the same good service? I hope so on the latter.
I might have rose tinted glasses on but i don't see that a positive move for the NOC members need necessarily imply a negative outcome for others.

The NOC Donington section is a desert, must be a small minority of 961 owners are members.

Welshrugby said:

I suppose it's understandable why Norton would want to support the official NOC but turn their bank on members here would in my mind be very foolish. When I ordered mine, i found this to be a far better site and so informative. Good to know they are offering support for 961's, let's hope it's for all of us, may test them out soon.

Click to expand...

They haven’t said they are excluding! They HAVE said what the email is for NOC members ( I am one). Not the same thing.

Hopefully it'll be a symbiotic relationship this time. The one with Garner wasn't too clever IMHO. (And that has nothing to do with hindsight)...

StuartSF2015 said:

As reported in the Norton Owners Club magazine, Feb 2021.

Interim CEO John Russell is quoted “we have created a new email address, monitored by engineers and technicians to field any Commando 961 technical queries. The mailbox will be monitored regularly by Norton Engineers and technicians”

That is all well and good, but appears to be restricted to current Norton Owners Club members, not ALL 961 owners!
I have a suspicion that not all 961 owners are also NOC members, therefore are potentially left out on their own!

For owners that are not NOC members, I would suggest enquiring for similar support via info@nortonmotorcycles.com

Out of interest, how many of you 961 owners are also NOC members?

Click to expand...

MAK is.

StuartSF2015 said:

As reported in the Norton Owners Club magazine, Feb 2021.

Interim CEO John Russell is quoted “we have created a new email address, monitored by engineers and technicians to field any Commando 961 technical queries. The mailbox will be monitored regularly by Norton Engineers and technicians”

That is all well and good, but appears to be restricted to current Norton Owners Club members, not ALL 961 owners!
I have a suspicion that not all 961 owners are also NOC members, therefore are potentially left out on their own!

For owners that are not NOC members, I would suggest enquiring for similar support via info@nortonmotorcycles.com

Out of interest, how many of you 961 owners are also NOC members?

Click to expand...

I've dropped info..... an email asking ref 961 support, watch this space!

So, is anyone going to actually post what the email address is?

Ken

Seek and ye shall find, It's there in the first post if you read it carefully. I too am a NOC member.

kommando said:

The NOC Donington section is a desert, must be a small minority of 961 owners are members.

Click to expand...

Or because of the great efforts of the Cootes, TonyA and others on this forum there is so much good information on here that the NOC section has never gained traction?

I emailed and had a nice reply today:-

Hi Richard and thank you for your email.

Firstly it is great to hear you own a Norton!



Going forward we are doing everything we can to support existing owners.

If you need parts or service assistance then just let us know and we can put you in touch with Marie.



Our grand plan is to eventually have a larger network, but for now we are concentration on building our central operations in Solihull.



I know our company is very keen to connect with clubs as this is often a good source of business and networking.



Thank you for your well-wishes and we are all working hard as a team behind the scenes to build the best ever Norton Company for our customers.



Ray Baldey
UK Motorcycle Sales Manager

peebee said:

Seek and ye shall find, It's there in the first post if you read it carefully. I too am a NOC member.

Click to expand...

Do you mean this ? ( I would suggest enquiring for similar support via info@nortonmotorcycles.com ) If you write to this email you will get a response and maybe even the help you need . If someone could look at their copy of the recent NOC UK magazine and let us know what the email is ? I like reading the NOC UK 961 forum , Anna J and responses are very amusing ! Sorry to read about Peter Williams passing also .

Al's#5 said:

I've dropped info..... an email asking ref 961 support, watch this space!

Click to expand...

Got a reply from Marie, Aftersales admin. within 24 hrs. Yes support and spares are available BUT not until after the present situation is passed and they're up and running properly was the gist of it. Where there's hope........

I’m in the NOC & think they are definitely less than enthusiastic towards the 961 , the app forum goes weeks without a 961 post & then owners are bewildered by the terrible remarks on there sometimes when a 961 owner asks for help, I’m sure they were terrible to when the rotary s came out , ill informed, unremarkable & underwhelming & absence of passion unless the Norton is at least 40 years old.
The Northampton group were great inviting us a few times to their annual bash at welford , be great for that to continue

BLIGHTYBRIT/SF said:

I’m in the NOC & think they are definitely less than enthusiastic towards the 961 , the app forum goes weeks without a 961 post & then owners are bewildered by the terrible remarks on there sometimes when a 961 owner asks for help, I’m sure they were terrible to when the rotary s came out , ill informed, unremarkable & underwhelming & absence of passion unless the Norton is at least 40 years old.
The Northampton group were great inviting us a few times to their annual bash at welford , be great for that to continue

Click to expand...

NOC members will be aware of some very toxic postings in NOC forums whenever anything related to a 961 was mentioned. Certain members were read the riot act and reprimanded. I think it will still be a bit variable from one area to another but I think that the more they engage with us and realise that 'new' Norton owners aren't Hooray Henrys with more cash than interest in the marque it will improve.

Clive said:

NOC members will be aware of some very toxic postings in NOC forums whenever anything related to a 961 was mentioned....

Click to expand...

I stopped subscribing a few years ago for that reason. I took out the subscription again last year but I'm unlikely to renew it. Their so-called " technical forum for all modern Nortons" has little technical value and is mostly an opportunity for certain members to repeatedly whinge about the problems they experienced and for others to offer ill-informed advice, such as how to tune the carburettor on a 961.

A posting today in response to a guy who is having battery/charging problems started with "I don't own a 961 and never will (Between you and me I probably wouldn't have one as a gift!) but, assuming it's electric start........". I don't have much time for people with that attitude. I rode to school on my ES2 over 50 years ago so I don't regard myself as a "new" Norton owner, but a lot of the NOC members seem too set in their ways. There are exceptions, probably the guys who also belong to this forum.

I have tried to steer the NOC posts over to here for technical advice, as I have found it invaluable. While it's great that the factory is starting up again I think there will be areas where the Access Norton members have more experience and knowledge, such as with the older ECUs for example. There are a couple of technical guys who used to work for Norton who post on the "Norton Commando 961 Motorcycles" Facebook page, it would be good if they could be encouraged onto this forum.