Forget the V4 - New Crighton CR700W

Hi All, am seriously thinking of investing into a Crighton Rotary - Brian Crighton is the man after all. 220bhp and 129kg - this new bike is astonishing. Would be interested to get some views. Also Motorcycle Broker Paul Jayson talks here about the valuation of each bike on the exclusive initial production run of 25.

 
Hi Rogerrhat and welcome,
These Crighton machines will be stunning / awesome / works of art.
If you have the desire and ability to invest, then why on Earth not?!
I don’t have such decisions to make (!) but if I did, the issue would be ‘do I ride it or keep it as a display / investment piece’??
 
I'm not the world's most ardent motorcyclist, but if you're only going to look at it, buy a picture.
Investment?? No pockets in heaven (or the other place, I'd wager). Just how much is: 'enough?'
 
Fast Eddie said:
Hi Rogerrhat and welcome,
These Crighton machines will be stunning / awesome / works of art.
If you have the desire and ability to invest, then why on Earth not?!
I don’t have such decisions to make (!) but if I did, the issue would be ‘do I ride it or keep it as a display / investment piece’??
Click to expand...
A very nice race bike ! How much does it cost ? I seem to remember quite a bit .
 
Fast Eddie said:
Hi Rogerrhat and welcome,
These Crighton machines will be stunning / awesome / works of art.
If you have the desire and ability to invest, then why on Earth not?!
I don’t have such decisions to make (!) but if I did, the issue would be ‘do I ride it or keep it as a display / investment piece’??
Click to expand...
With those specs it's certainly an asphalt incinerator.
If you can really afford the thing, just buy two.
One for the track, one for the living room coffee table.
Then have an open line of credit established with the company for spare parts.
 
It NEEDS to smell of burning oil and rubber, not mothballs and polish! Truly a very desirable piece of kit, and doubtless exclusive enough to be 'collectible'. Way beyond my riding 'skills', but a 'joy to behold' none the less.
But, watched the vid until 'broker' mentioned ex police bikes at £20k!!! (He must have a few he's desperate to shift, perhaps?)
 
Lol, thanks for the welcome..if Crighton does indeed intend to make 'normal' road going versions then I might be inclined to wait for that but with values its all about rarity and exclusivity...and to own one of 25 special edition machines floats my boat much more than a Super Leggera for instance!
 
Perhaps this will make a well deserved retirement for Brian C. Those prices are getting way beyond my comfort zone. I would love to see it or to see them racing . And great to be in the crowd raising a beer and a cheer for them . Is it possible that they will get a street version with such small numbers ? Anything is possible especially if there are buyers in the que with money .
 
TonyA said:
Perhaps this will make a well deserved retirement for Brian C. Those prices are getting way beyond my comfort zone. I would love to see it or to see them racing . And great to be in the crowd raising a beer and a cheer for them . Is it possible that they will get a street version with such small numbers ? Anything is possible especially if there are buyers in the que with money .
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I’m not sure you’ll see them racing Tony, they’d have to fit onto a race class and I don’t know if they do?
I think that’s why he’s selling them as track day bikes.
It will be interesting to see if a road version is produced. That’s an entirely different ball game with the necessary legalities etc. So would likely cost more, as well as be heavier and substantially less powerful. Not like that would matter in real life of course !
 
Clive said:
I am a bit too young to have ridden bikes in the 60s but after riding an assortment of revered machines at the National Motorcycle Museum I was shocked at how awful some of them felt.....
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A very interesting thread indeed. Had to laugh at your comment here Clive and the fact that I bought my 961 without riding it. As I rode away from the dealer my exact thought, after decades of vanilla Jap motorcycle ownership, was “jeez, this feels bloody awful - what have I done being seduced by it’s gorgeous clothes and that big fat Norton logo!” I have since come to love it for all of the reasons discussed many times over on this forum.

The Crichton is clearly a technological marvel despite having been done before and looks awesome. I would have one in a heartbeat although I could never do it justice - the exclusivity however would certainly’float my boat’. Life is too short for investments and glass cases as far as bikes are concerned - it would have to be ridden.

Talking of riding. As for finally expiring atop a fast motorcycle, C’Mon!!! I love bikes but I’d much rather expire atop a fast woman!! Does that mean I’m not a proper biker!?:oops:

PS. Be surprised if these bikes weren’t sold already! Be quick would-be buyers!
 
Stephen_Spencer said:
Talking of riding. As for finally expiring atop a fast motorcycle, C’Mon!!! I love bikes but I’d much rather expire atop a fast woman!! Does that mean I’m not a proper biker!?:oops:
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I'd say you'd be a proper biker whilst expiring in the saddle, on a bike or a babe.

For the record, I apologize for the above statement.
 
racing would discover whether it is really reliable, after the marginal reliability of the previous rotaries in their final highly tuned versions. How much proper endurance testing has been done so far??
 
BritTwit said:
I'd say you'd be a proper biker whilst expiring in the saddle, on a bike or a babe.

For the record, I apologize for the above statement.
Click to expand...
For the new electric generation is 'crash and burn' to become 'crash and frazzle'?

Considering the nature of the 961 maybe we are the perfect target audience as potential buyers of the CR700W? And Nigel - a race category has to start somewhere so why not with two of these babies? Imagine the sound! If we were at Mallory I think we would need a Db killer the size of a trailer towed behind...

I have to say that the level of finish of the bike on the show stand would only be acceptable if seen as a hand built track bike. Mechanical flaws aside it really makes you appreciate the finish on the 961.
 
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Norton Rotary racers as I kinda grew up in that era.

Me and my mates went to watch club racing at Darley Moor one weekend in the 80s, this was a normal weekend ride out type thing.

Back then you still got the odd hero / idiot campaigning a Commando or Tri/BSA triple or Bonnie, trying forlornly to fly the flag against the overwhelmingly odds.

Walking around the paddocks we saw a crowd gathered around a simple caravan awning, we strolled over and I peaked through to see Norton on the tank of something, so I thought we’d got another hero / idiot with a Commando hand grenade.

I got up close and thought WTF ?!

Turns out we were in the presence of history being created. It was the factory on its first ever (unannounced) race outing with the ‘new’ rotary.

The thing went like a scalded cat. And the sound !! Goodness gracious, what a sound. A mate said ‘it sounds like a V12 two stroke’ whatever one of them would sound like! But I got his point, it sounded Merlin esque at some points but then screamed like a banshee !

It retired due to gearbox failure IIRC. I believe the first test mules had pre unit Triumph gearbox shells with stock 5 speed internals, so no wonder they failed under that load!

Anyway, I went on to follow their exploits regularly up to the black JPS days which were just so special, in a sea of 80s multi colour you’d see these two black knights appear, then you’d hear them, then you see them wipe the field. Crowd going wild. Brilliant days !

I got a signed copy of the famous poster of both bikes wheelying side by side, it was signed by Nation and Spray (and Crighton IIRC), I rolled it up and stuffed it inside my jacket for the ride home, and when I got home the poster was gone!

Shit, I’m talking myself into wanting one of these Crighton’s !!
 
Fast Eddie said:
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Norton Rotary racers as I kinda grew up in that era.

Me and my mates went to watch club racing at Darley Moor one weekend in the 80s, this was a normal weekend ride out type thing.

Back then you still got the odd hero / idiot campaigning a Commando or Tri/BSA triple or Bonnie, trying forlornly to fly the flag against the overwhelmingly odds.

Walking around the paddocks we saw a crowd gathered around a simple caravan awning, we strolled over and I peaked through to see Norton on the tank of something, so I thought we’d got another hero / idiot with a Commando hand grenade.

I got up close and thought WTF ?!

Turns out we were in the presence of history being created. It was the factory on its first ever (unannounced) race outing with the ‘new’ rotary.

The thing went like a scalded cat. And the sound !! Goodness gracious, what a sound. A mate said ‘it sounds like a V12 two stroke’ whatever one of them would sound like! But I got his point, it sounded Merlin esque at some points but then screamed like a banshee !

It retired due to gearbox failure IIRC. I believe the first test mules had pre unit Triumph gearbox shells with stock 5 speed internals, so no wonder they failed under that load!

Anyway, I went on to follow their exploits regularly up to the black JPS days which were just so special, in a sea of 80s multi colour you’d see these two black knights appear, then you’d hear them, then you see them wipe the field. Crowd going wild. Brilliant days !

I got a signed copy of the famous poster of both bikes wheelying side by side, it was signed by Nation and Spray (and Crighton IIRC), I rolled it up and stuffed it inside my jacket for the ride home, and when I got home the poster was gone!

Shit, I’m talking myself into wanting one of these Crighton’s !!
Click to expand...
Ok, maybe the bike before the woman! Hell, why not ‘check out’ onboard a screaming Norton rotary!!!? Let’s face it, there’s got to be loads of beautiful Sheila’s up there, when the Norton finally reaches the breakers!

PS. Awesome story FE, I would love to have seen Nation battling Jamie and ‘Too Tall Tel’! Proper racing.
 
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