TVS Motor Company acquires Britain's 'Norton' sporting motorcycle

Good interview, but how will he build bikes that have been ordered but thinks he does not own the IP for.
 
If for a moment we assume the Chinese have bought the 961 engine rights then are they exclusive rights or just the rights to manufacture the design ie shared rights as per the 650 where the rights for a lower powered version is with the Chinese and the higher power with Norton. Had SG left a loophole in the contract ?

If I was TVS I would be stopping this contract from being fulfilled based on the contract date making it post WUP.
 
BritTwit said:
I wonder if we will soon see Norton scooters, and mopeds?
No engineering required, just re-badge existing TVS units.


TVS Motor Company acquires Britain's 'Norton' sporting motorcycle
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TVS Motor Company acquires Britain's 'Norton' sporting motorcycle
TVS Motor Company acquires Britain's 'Norton' sporting motorcycle
TVS Motor Company acquires Britain's 'Norton' sporting motorcycle

Well this was the last Norton moped I’m pretty sure ,NVT easyrider , this one is a 77 model , not used since 86 , parked up ever since , belongs to my sister’s neighbour, if lockdown goes on much longer & before a boredom induced stroke kicks in I may have a bash of getting it running !
 
Well he seems to fairly clearly reiterate that the focus is on the Dominator, Commando, V4 and Atlas, and that they own the IP they need for these.

So, TonyA, you can relax. For now...!
 
BLIGHTYBRIT/SF said:
View attachment 15917 View attachment 15918 View attachment 15919
Well this was the last Norton moped I’m pretty sure ,NVT easyrider , this one is a 77 model , not used since 86 , parked up ever since , belongs to my sister’s neighbour, if lockdown goes on much longer & before a boredom induced stroke kicks in I may have a bash of getting it running !
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Very nice survivor with patina.
Whatever you do to get it running, don't clean it.
An untouched survivor is worth far more than a cleaned-up or reconditioned one.
 
BLIGHTYBRIT/SF said:
“Still if TVS can spend a little money and time and improve things like EFI and electrical gremlins like crappy instruments, relays, sensors, and spurious low fuel level lights, etc. , and provide required spares, the 961 might continue to find a following” ( from above )

They don’t need to , members of this forum,the paying customers of 961 have already done that .

Well done ACCESS NORTON
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Well mostly yes, I just mean it would be good for TVS to include the known fixes in the new forth coming 961 models, and do a little extra development to eliminate the remaining issues.

A 961 that starts, idles, runs flawlessly like every other M/C brand will have no problem finding customers.
 
I personally think it will be great for Norton TVS ownership/investment i have been around the brand since 1972 had various Commandos and still have my JPS and Anniversary Cafe Racer watched Peter Williams win 73 TT and Hissy rotary beat Foggy Yam OWO1 92 regarded as the best TT ever. Tarta saved Land rover/Jaguar BMW Rolls, V W Bentley remember these premium products are still made here Triumph is made abroad so even if they keep the large bikes here good let's give them a chance after all look what S G legacy is.
 
TonyA said:
HD Sportster keeps selling , the engine is quiet mechanically , meets regulations . Ducati still sells air cooled street bikes and there are others Kawasaki W800 .. Don't kill the Norton 961 before its time , there is a lot of life left in it. The Commando deserves a shot at life. Before it all fell apart , Norton were getting 15 to 20 people visiting the factory per week. Middle aged women saying "my husband will really like one of these" . The worlds most beautiful motorcycle .
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Yeah and how many actually bought a 961 that said they wanted one?
How many 961 owners do you think are in the USA?
 
Voodooo said:
Yeah and how many actually bought a 961 that said they wanted one?
How many 961 owners do you think are in the USA?
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That happens a lot. Phil Vincent was said to be somewhat bitter about the fact that far less people bought Vincent’s than expressed interest during his ‘market analysis’. Les Harris the same, huge interest when he resurrected T140 production turned into quite feeble sales.

Of course Norton added to the equation by making the bikes very difficult to buy and offering minimal support (outside of U.K.) and suffering widespread build quality / reliability issues !

Does anyone know if TVS has a distribution presence in the USA or Aus etc currently ? Or have they got to start from scratch to build a distribution network?
 
jan nelder said:
Sorry, but I have called and spoken to Les on many occasions over 20 plus years, and have always got through, by sticking to the published consultation hour of 4-5pm UK time. He has always been helpful.
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Les and Sue should be self isolating as they are both over 70. The shop will be staffed for orders though.
I know it's popular to knock them and I know some have had issues but Les let me read some of the email complaints from some owners and "clueless fuckwits" doesn't cover it.

I don't want to get dragged into any politics and have been happy with all of the big four (now three) dealers. Apart from that it's off topic...sort of.
 
Voodooo said:
Yeah and how many actually bought a 961 that said they wanted one?
How many 961 owners do you think are in the USA?
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I can't answer the first question , but the second question we can find out. Most of the people I meet didn't even know the Norton 961 was made or available. Or , they think it is a vintage Norton Commando . Would you say that 200 Norton 961's made it to the USA ? I know of only 2 in Wisconsin. There were 50 in Canada I thought Richard-7 said , but Norton Canada did a good job of marketing and promoting the brand. I stand by what I said and that if the bike was not so flawed they would have sold many more and still be selling them . I think that the USA could support a few thousands or more sales .
 
TonyA said:
I stand by what I said and that if the bike was not so flawed they would have sold many more and still be selling them . I think that the USA could support a few thousands or more sales .
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Well, hopefully, we’ll soon find out !
 
Dommie Nator said:
Les and Sue should be self isolating as they are both over 70. The shop will be staffed for orders though.
I know it's popular to knock them and I know some have had issues but Les let me read some of the email complaints from some owners and "clueless fuckwits" doesn't cover it.

I don't want to get dragged into any politics and have been happy with all of the big four (now three) dealers. Apart from that it's off topic...sort of.
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Data protection - lack of, sums it up perfectly.
 
TonyA said:
I stand by what I said and that if the bike was not so flawed they would have sold many more and still be selling them . I think that the USA could support a few thousands or more sales .
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I agree.
The flaws were well known by folks here, and ultimately resulted in little real interest.

At the NYC IMS in 2011 and 2012, Norton sent 961s for display in a special pavilion used by small motorcycle companies that couldn't afford a manufacturer's booth.
There was definitely interest even by some younger riders, but mostly middle aged to older riders, and of course - hipsters.
The other Asian brands in the booth were basically ignored.
Everyone wanted to sit on the 961, and the Norton rep was bombarded with questions about when they would be available.
I'm sure if Norton could have delivered a 961 with modern reliable performance such as a Hinckley twin, Norton could have sold plenty of 961s in the US.
I just hope TVS understands this.
 
BritTwit said:
I agree.
The flaws were well known by folks here, and ultimately resulted in little real interest.

At the NYC IMS in 2011 and 2012, Norton sent 961s for display in a special pavilion used by small motorcycle companies that couldn't afford a manufacturer's booth.
There was definitely interest even by some younger riders, but mostly middle aged to older riders, and of course - hipsters.
The other Asian brands in the booth were basically ignored.
Everyone wanted to sit on the 961, and the Norton rep was bombarded with questions about when they would be available.
I'm sure if Norton could have delivered a 961 with modern reliable performance such as a Hinckley twin, Norton could have sold plenty of 961s in the US.
I just hope TVS understands this.
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I have a reliable Hinckley twin, but my 961 has Soul.
 
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