The last day...

That’s my thoughts also. I have half a mind on the fact that the Norton will let me down occasionally, whilst sorta safe in the knowledge that I have a great backup in the KTM which has never let me down. There would doubtless be much more angst and frustration if the Norton was the only riding option in my garage.

Two years in and I have never had a single thought about selling the Norton, despite the fact that it tries to cripple me on each ride. That CR stance is designed for riders of a different age/shape than I.
 
Stephen_Spencer said:
That’s my thoughts also. I have half a mind on the fact that the Norton will let me down occasionally, whilst sorta safe in the knowledge that I have a great backup in the KTM which has never let me down. There would doubtless be much more angst and frustration if the Norton was the only riding option in my garage.

Two years in and I have never had a single thought about selling the Norton, despite the fact that it tries to cripple me on each ride. That CR stance is designed for riders of a different age/shape than I.
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As upset as I am with the staff of Norton (simon) I can honestly say I have never been let down in terms of reliability. Ive driven all over Ontario more than multiple times. Toronto from Niagara is far enough that I wouldn’t want to break down. Ive Driven to finger lakes at least 4 times. Ive driven it to North Carolina 14hrs one way. Not once have I thought I should not go somewhere because I may break down. And you know al the miles my dad has done. The bike has quirks but its reliable. I drive it to work a few times a week. Its a great machine. Im in the garage detailing it now. I have no regrets with this machine. And its the only bike I've had on the road last 4 yrs.
 
Madnorton said:
Back on topic, two things, have the Italians lost the meaning of gorgeous though I suppose Monsters are not supposed to be good looking, and the 961 is real eye candy in comparison. I suspect that I am about to be told the proof of the pudding is in the ride.

Should have kept both, even if the 961 lived under a tarp outside!
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The ugly ones seem to handle and ride the best, same as women, not all the pretty models are good in the long run.

Ashley
 
TonyA said:
Yes , Understood. The frustration for me comes from Norton's inability to provide consistent quality/reliability.
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No bites on sale yet so I took the 961 for a 70 mile run in the autumn sun, incredible difference - even to the performance prior to the EML illuminating. Had a blast.
 
Eljahara said:
No bites on sale yet so I took the 961 for a 70 mile run in the autumn sun, incredible difference - even to the performance prior to the EML illuminating. Had a blast.
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Where / how have you got it advertised?

The dealer who bought mine still has it. They had it displayed in the prime spot when I called in today and it had a constant number of admirers around it. But it seems they were happy to admire, and leave it at that...
 
richard-7 said:
As upset as I am with the staff of Norton (simon) I can honestly say I have never been let down in terms of reliability. Ive driven all over Ontario more than multiple times. Toronto from Niagara is far enough that I wouldn’t want to break down. Ive Driven to finger lakes at least 4 times. Ive driven it to North Carolina 14hrs one way. Not once have I thought I should not go somewhere because I may break down. And you know al the miles my dad has done. The bike has quirks but its reliable. I drive it to work a few times a week. Its a great machine. Im in the garage detailing it now. I have no regrets with this machine. And its the only bike I've had on the road last 4 yrs.
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Hi Richard , Not my only bike . But , I have been know to drive it a bit here and there hey ?
 
Maybe its the improbability of it that keeps us coming back for more ? I think I've got the touring Norton 961 thing pretty much sorted out now. Even down to a comfy seat/bars and a quick change rear sprocket for the interstate . (kinda quick change) .
 
Eljahara said:
No bites on sale yet so I took the 961 for a 70 mile run in the autumn sun, incredible difference - even to the performance prior to the EML illuminating. Had a blast.
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Better be careful , You might cause some regrets !
 
Fast Eddie said:
Where / how have you got it advertised?
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Nigel,
I was referring to a possible trade in - my local Triumph dealer was not interested (looking at a Speed Triple RS) - too niche apparently - Colchester Kawasaki said no thanks, they used to be a Norton dealer (bad experience?). At Suzuki and Honda none of the bikes I was looking at were anywhere near the price of the Norton so they would end up swapping a new bike AND cash for the Norton!
Krazy Horse are going to call me back - they are a Norton/Indian dealer plus a couple of “specials” then I guess Car and classic will be the best....
John
 
The last day...
The last day...
TonyA said:
Maybe its the improbability of it that keeps us coming back for more ? I think I've got the touring Norton 961 thing pretty much sorted out now. Even down to a comfy seat/bars and a quick change rear sprocket for the interstate . (kinda quick change) .
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Well I’ve got the touring Norton 961 to ,in shape & ready to roll now,despite having a broken battery box/tank support,broken decat pipe ,broken clutch /gearboxbits ,chain & sprockets, in less than a year,here for the long haul.
Had sat nav wire neatly wired into ignition in prep for long rides back in April at its first MOT,here is a pic from 2 years ago approx 3.00 a.m. on a 330 mile jaunt to Newquay,& as u can see we had secure motorcycle parking & comfy surroundings
 
Eljahara said:
Nigel,
I was referring to a possible trade in - my local Triumph dealer was not interested (looking at a Speed Triple RS) - too niche apparently - Colchester Kawasaki said no thanks, they used to be a Norton dealer (bad experience?). At Suzuki and Honda none of the bikes I was looking at were anywhere near the price of the Norton so they would end up swapping a new bike AND cash for the Norton!
Krazy Horse are going to call me back - they are a Norton/Indian dealer plus a couple of “specials” then I guess Car and classic will be the best....
John
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Looks like Honeymoons over ? Might you still keep it ?
 
TonyA said:
Looks like Honeymoons over ? Might you still keep it ?
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Hi Tony,
A good question.
I bought the bike to ride it and I do enjoy the experience when I take it out - it is unique! At this point I am questioning whether I will do that - or enough to justify keeping it, I don’t believe in keeping a vehicle “just for show”
The problem, as you know, is that I have lost confidence in its ability to be safe on the road, particularly with suspect electrics. Add to that my lack of trust in the Norton technicians - the bike cut out immediately following a 12 month service where I received paperwork stating “Lamda sensors replaced, broken TPS wire replaced, bike road tested all ok”

With the new ECU I have also received:
Original issue got exponentially worse, up to the point of no start.
Sensors on motorcycle have been tested to perform up to specification.
Engine ecu has been tested to be faulty. Replaced with a new unit. Problem has been solved.
Motorcycle has been extensively tested in order to insure proper function.

But...can I trust that all is now ok?

I asked Norton if they were willing to offer a reasonable price for the bike - I received no response, not even a polite “we are not in a position to....”
I am prepared to take a bit of a financial hit but as you can see from earlier posts and other threads the bikes are not garnering any interest even with all the additional anniversary extras included.
As they say, watch this space.
John
 
I must admit I have just sold my 961 after only a couple of months and moved over to a Ducati Diavel. I really wanted to love the Norton and sat in the garage it was certainly something special. The reality was however that I was just waiting for something to go wrong which is no fun. While I had it it was running rough at low revs which was partially but not completely cured by a remap from the factory. It still surged and felt like it cut out momentarily for no apparent reason. The seat was held on with a badly hacked about plastic tab. The clutch had more free play in it the longer you rode the bike and the oil light was staying on for longer than I would have liked. This is on a 2 year old bike with 3K miles. I was lucky not to experience the more major issues others had but I only put 500 miles on it.

As others have mentioned, selling is not easy but I did manage to eventually to a dealer and only lost £2K in 2 months! The Ducati is a revelation - it doesn't feel as special as the Norton and the looks are divisive although I really like it. But I have put 200 miles on it in the last couple of days and never once felt it would break down or something would drop off - time will tell I guess!
 
Re; “With the new ECU I have also received:

Original issue got exponentially worse, up to the point of no start.

Sensors on motorcycle have been tested to perform up to specification.

Engine ecu has been tested to be faulty. Replaced with a new unit. Problem has been solved.

Motorcycle has been extensively tested in order to insure proper function. But...can I trust that all is now ok?”

You have hit the nail right on the head-one of the reasons why I do not like all this new technology is why must I have the pay-out £**** for a new ECU that hasn’t lasted the life of the bike?
 
Chris Drew said:
I must admit I have just sold my 961 after only a couple of months and moved over to a Ducati Diavel. I really wanted to love the Norton and sat in the garage it was certainly something special. The reality was however that I was just waiting for something to go wrong which is no fun. While I had it it was running rough at low revs which was partially but not completely cured by a remap from the factory. It still surged and felt like it cut out momentarily for no apparent reason. The seat was held on with a badly hacked about plastic tab. The clutch had more free play in it the longer you rode the bike and the oil light was staying on for longer than I would have liked. This is on a 2 year old bike with 3K miles. I was lucky not to experience the more major issues others had but I only put 500 miles on it.

As others have mentioned, selling is not easy but I did manage to eventually to a dealer and only lost £2K in 2 months! The Ducati is a revelation - it doesn't feel as special as the Norton and the looks are divisive although I really like it. But I have put 200 miles on it in the last couple of days and never once felt it would break down or something would drop off - time will tell I guess!
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Sorry to hear Chris.
 
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