Latest email from Factory !!!!

This was last July at NOC bash at the National Motorcycle Museum, this 961 was the well advertised raffle prize
Latest email from Factory !!!!
Latest email from Factory !!!!
 
BLIGHTYBRIT/SF said:
This was last July at NOC bash at the National Motorcycle Museum, this 961 was the well advertised raffle prize View attachment 85628View attachment 85629
Click to expand...
Yes but where is it now?
Was it delivered?
Is it being used?

Someone on here reported that it was whisked away back to the factory…

And the other 19?

I’ve not seen anything anywhere from anyone about actually taking delivery of one of these (mythical) 20.

Would love to be shown otherwise…
 
mdt-son said:
I think the letter says it clearly, "we will leave you stranded". Look, it's quite obvious. TVS wants to get out of the 961 debacle the sooner the better.
If they intended to build the 961 in any sizeable number, they would have produced it a long time ago while customers craved for it.
The 961 model was on a back burner, now it seems the burner has had a flame out.
To me, it's evident they have put their resources on other/new models.

- Knut
Click to expand...
I don't agree that it clearly says this. If they wanted out, why did they build additional bikes? They had no obligation. It also says they will support 'their' 961 and says they will sell parts fitted to their 961's....so a positive outlook could be that they will sell parts for their bikes and they may fit the previous companies product, but they make no guarantee. I see that last part as an arse covering exercise and a general distancing from product made under the Garner era. Of course, time will tell what their plans are and your conclusion might be right, but right now, based on that email, I'm not drawing this conclusion. Yet.
 
Vernon240 said:
I don't agree that it clearly says this. If they wanted out, why did they build additional bikes? They had no obligation. It also says they will support 'their' 961 and says they will sell parts fitted to their 961's....so a positive outlook could be that they will sell parts for their bikes and they may fit the previous companies product, but they make no guarantee. I see that last part as an arse covering exercise and a general distancing from product made under the Garner era. Of course, time will tell what their plans are and your conclusion might be right, but right now, based on that email, I'm not drawing this conclusion. Yet.
Click to expand...
Agreed - let’s wait and see. My guess is that we have’nt seen any of the classic 20, because they haven’t resolved all parts/technical issues yet. It would be incomprehensible that TVS would just push the original Mk2 out of the door dressed as a classic.

To my mind, if they do indeed resolve these technical issues it would make absolutely No Sense to fail to market this machine. It would be their only currently saleable bike and one I suspect there would still be demand for, especially if sorted. Some slick marketing and they may have a winner, unless of course they have already decided that the model is too damaged from a reputational perspective.
 
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Fast Eddie said:
Yes but where is it now?
Was it delivered?
Is it being used?

Someone on here reported that it was whisked away back to the factory…

And the other 19?

I’ve not seen anything anywhere from anyone about actually taking delivery of one of these (mythical) 20.

Would love to be shown otherwise…
Click to expand...
I am a NMM member (highly recommended) and seem to remember from a newsletter a picture of a lucky chap with his prize. Hence my previous posting - did he receive his non-merchantable-quality bike? Perhaps it was delivered bolted to the plinth it sat in the NMM as an ornament?

And before some wag says it - no, second prize wasn't two 961s...........

## updated with correct picture from latest 961 prize##

1646993799125.png
 
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Clive said:
I am a NMM member (highly recommended) and seem to remember from a newsletter a picture of a lucky chap in Suffolk grinning like a loon with his prize. Hence my previous posting - did he receive his non-merchantable-quality bike? Perhaps it was delivered bolted to the plinth it sat in the NMM as an ornament?

And before some wag says it - no, second prize wasn't two 961s...........

View attachment 85631
Click to expand...
That’s an old bike, single seat, gold forks…
 
Voodooo said:
Looks exactly the same to me. Minus the word “classic” on the air box.

Oh wait! I get it now, it’s the air box they’re talking about. That’s the part that may or may not fit our SG era 961’s.
Ours are called, sport, SF, cafe racer.
I never thought the air box could be a safety or quality issue.
Click to expand...
Yep, total redesign of this safety critical component. The deficiency came out during exhaustive testing and the remaining bikes are awaiting their upgrade stickers before they can be used. Norton cannot guarantee anyone's safety if these stickers are not fitted.

Possible safety concerns are loss of control, fire and brimstone (especially around inner London), bad karma and people laughing and saying 'difference? what difference?' :rolleyes: :D
 
Fast Eddie said:
That’s an old bike, single seat, gold forks…
Click to expand...
There does appear to be significantly differences between the 'win me' bike that was on display vs the bike the winner is sitting on (assuming that is the winner on his won bike). I suspect some kind of bait and switch on this one! 'Sorry, you can't have the bike we made due to safety concerns..have one we found on ebay and built by the previous company'. By the way, if you need parts or service.... :eek: :D
 
Like everyone here, I don't like the latest news from Norton but I kinda expected something - though not as confusing / ambiguous.
However, they allude to a future for 'The Classic' but they don't have and engine - do they?
Or have I missed some vital update?
 
Or the winner was told that he was to receive his actual bike when technical issues were resolved, these bikes being for photo op only?

It seems to me that we may be intent on painting Birmingham Norton (BN) with a similar brush as Garner Norton, before they’ve had time to get any on the canvas. Is any delay in ‘our’ perceived timeline not BN doing their due diligence and maybe, building a state of the art factory, resolving all logistical issues whilst effectively setting up a new business? Have’nt we seen some good will towards previous owners of undelivered machines and V4 swap - neither of which they were required to do. Are they not resurrected our chosen marque from Garners ashes, when it could have been lost for good?

I admit that the news does’nt look great for our models but how far do BN go to resolve Garners screwups - they ain’t a charity. We may now even be choosing to interpret their communications to fit our narrative. IMO, let’s at least wait until they get the gates at Solihull open.

Mi2P only.

Long live Norton
 
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Vernon240 said:
Yep, total redesign of this safety critical component. The deficiency came out during exhaustive testing and the remaining bikes are awaiting their upgrade stickers before they can be used. Norton cannot guarantee anyone's safety if these stickers are not fitted.

Possible safety concerns are loss of control, fire and brimstone (especially around inner London), bad karma and people laughing and saying 'difference? what difference?' :rolleyes: :D
Click to expand...
Since when is a motorcycle safe lol
 
TSV doesn’t have a air cooled motor. They won’t build a air cooled motor. And they will not use anything from the Garner 961 platform. That’s a fact.

If they were going to do that, they would be selling bikes by now.
 

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IMHO the letter is not ambiguous.

They are stating that they are not going to supply parts for ‘your’ motorcycle (or a 961 built by the previous firm).

My bet is that any Classic owners will have to give their chassis / engine numbers in order to purchase parts in future.

My only surprise is that Norton even built these Classics. It would have given them a much clearer cut off between the old firm and the new if they’d just not bothered.

But my question now is: how viable are the 20 Classics?

If they did genuinely re-engineer them, I struggle to believe that it was worth doing so for 20 bikes.

So if they did re engineer them, why not build more, and why not sell those re engineered parts to others?

Alternatively, if they did not re engineer them, how can they sell them after raising safety concerns?!

That’s why I asked if any have actually been sold yet.
 
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I read things a bit differently, perhaps rose tinted glasses but I'm expecting from that to be able to buy parts but my problem if they don't fit.
Hope i'm not tempting fate but at least there isn't don't ride notice.
 
I’m with ntst8,
They’ll sell you the parts but no guarantee.
That’s business.
Sounds fine to me.

And fellas stop being so negative. My bike is going fine and I haven’t heard of any blow ups or seizures.
We should be happy that we are the “proud” owners of these cycles.
I’ve just clicked over 20,000 km of pretty trouble free spirited riding well except for tossing it down the road. Bikes all fixed. But that’s another story.
 

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