What’s the best none Norton Norton ?

italia · Apr 20, 2020

Voodooo said:
I want a modern naked bike.
2 or 3 cylinder.
173kg or 380 pounds or less.
Minimum of 100 hp.

I present to you.
MV Agusta Superveloce
https://www.mvagusta.com/en/superveloce-800-serie-oro

I have a MV Agusta Rivale with that 800cc triple engine. Triples are a great blend of 2-cylinder torque and 4-cylinder rev out. I have 1-cylinder, 2-cylinder, 3-cylinder and 4-cylinder bikes, and the triple is stand-out for street riding.

Craig · Apr 20, 2020

MAK said:
I agree,
My Ducati ST3s was fantastic,once the suspension was set it was safe and fast,
Unfortunately on holiday in Austria the engine let go,6000 miles on clock.
More normal than you would like to think.
Big ends went,started with a small ticking noise then got louder and louder.
Had to hire a K1200GT BMW to complete holiday.

Sorry for your “very bad luck” the 992 3 valve is considered one of best Ducati engines from that era , what happened to your bike is not the norm or even close , have even seen on forums a broken belt does not always trash your engine , lots of belt breaks cause only a bent valve which is not end of engine , did you ever figure out why your bike killed itself ..... not saying it unheard of just your story very rare for that particular power plant , thanks

MAK · Apr 20, 2020

Craig said:
Sorry for your “very bad luck” the 992 3 valve is considered one of best Ducati engines from that era , what happened to your bike is not the norm or even close , have even seen on forums a broken belt does not always trash your engine , lots of belt breaks cause only a bent valve which is not end of engine , did you ever figure out why your bike killed itself ..... not saying it unheard of just your story very rare for that particular power plant , thanks

All the work was carried out under warranty with no quibble.
Ducati’s explanation was (component failure)
The big end had given up.
When bike was returned the engine sounded lovely.
Problem was that I had lost faith in it so it had to go.
Second problem was that I really liked the bike and still miss it,
But ho hum.

Fast Eddie · Apr 20, 2020

italia said:
I have a MV Agusta Rivale with that 800cc triple engine. Triples are a great blend of 2-cylinder torque and 4-cylinder rev out. I have 1-cylinder, 2-cylinder, 3-cylinder and 4-cylinder bikes, and the triple is stand-out for street riding.

A mate of mine has an MV Veloce Lusso, it’s an adventure / touring type thing. He absolutely loves it, and I also think it’s a very nice bike. It is a bit on the ‘clinical’ side to ride though, for me.

Craig · Apr 20, 2020

MAK .... I don’t blame your lack of confidence after the catastrophe , would have done same thing ... No one but me has worked on my ST3s after 65000kms it still will stir the blood on any road ....think it prolly a keeper , haha!

oldbeezer · Apr 23, 2020

Voodooo said:
I want a modern naked bike.
2 or 3 cylinder.
173kg or 380 pounds or less.
Minimum of 100 hp.

Here's one, not only does it have less plastic work, it meets all of your requirements and cost less too. I present the Street Triple RS

Fast Eddie · Apr 23, 2020

oldbeezer said:
Here's one, not only does it have less plastic work, it meets all of your requirements and cost less too. I present the Street Triple RS

and only 166kg dry (claimed)...

MxMartin · Apr 23, 2020

Just stumbled across my non-Norton Norton CR, a classic Ducati 900 Pantah variant 186kg / 75hp, think I might make some tentative enquiries tomorrow as i've never owned/ridden a 'duke'

ntst8 · Apr 23, 2020

If we include the Desert Sled hybrids as Nortons then the Duc Srambler Desert Sled would be my best imposter.

cliffa · Apr 24, 2020

It's my personal opinion that the air cooled Ducati Monsters were the closest (in concept terms) to the Commando.

Britfan60 · Apr 24, 2020

Having ridden the Monster 1200S a few times, I'd go with it. Great looks, great power, great handling. I'd be happy with an 821 Monster too.

Craig · Apr 24, 2020

Several years ago while at bike shop in City with Ian my son ,was talking to old Norton guy and senior salesman , he say you a Norton guy , come on out back ,got to show the modern version of one , well it was a Monster , can’t remember size but air cooled and set up with low bars and clip ons , Ian thought it was great when straddled it , me I couldn’t get feet up on pegs , just not flexible enough , salesman told us he rode by shop front day before at 100mph no problem when testing to take as a trade .... was a nice looking bike and good price , just setup for a much younger man than myself .....

TonyA · Apr 24, 2020

821 Monster may be faster than 1200 Speed Twin ?

ntst8 · Apr 24, 2020

Craig said:
.... was a nice looking bike and good price , just setup for a much younger man than myself .....

10 or 15 years ago i had a mid 90's 900 Monster which a PO had kindly kitted out with FCR's and lots of carbon fibre. An absolute hoot to ride but even then, at 6'2", more than 300km in a day was painful. I only kept it a year.

Britfan60 · Apr 24, 2020

TonyA said:
821 Monster may be faster than 1200 Speed Twin ?

I haven't ridden the Speed Twin nor the 821. Its higher in HP and quite a bit lighter, so I'd be willing to bet it would beat the Speed Twins ass. Different class of bike. So much more performance oriented than any gimmicky retro.

TonyA · Apr 24, 2020

But frankly we'd be stupid not to buy the YAM XSR 900 triple . Reports say light , handles good , lots of torque power and speed , cheaper , and of course YAM reliability and looks good in the beehive yellow paint job !

Britfan60 · Apr 26, 2020

ntst8 said:
10 or 15 years ago i had a mid 90's 900 Monster which a PO had kindly kitted out with FCR's and lots of carbon fibre. An absolute hoot to ride but even then, at 6'2", more than 300km in a day was painful. I only kept it a year.

Totally redesigned. Very comfortable. Nice cushy seat, excellent riding position. The thing has ESP. Knows where you want to go as you thing about it. As far as being stupid to not buy the Yammie, you can't go by reports. You'd have to try both yourself and then decide. It does however seem to be a nice bike and I'm sure there are more Yammie dealerships than Ducati. And if that be the case, stupid not to buy a Harley. Can't spit around here without hitting a Harley dealership. I have three within a 10 mile radius.

worntorn · Apr 26, 2020

Britfan60 said:
I haven't ridden the Speed Twin nor the 821. Its higher in HP and quite a bit lighter, so I'd be willing to bet it would beat the Speed Twins ass. Different class of bike. So much more performance oriented than any gimmicky retro.

Gimmicky retro?
Isn't this the 961 forum?
I thought gimmicky retros were what everyone here was after?
Especially if it works!

Britfan60 · Apr 26, 2020

Yes. Gimmicky. I didn't say there was anything wrong with gimmicky. Just because we love the bike, doesn't mean its not a gimmick to enthuse us older nostalgic riders. I bought one. I wasn't going to fool myself into thinking the performance of this bike was going to be on par with liquid cooled well programmed modern bikes. Did you? The frame, brakes and suspension are superb. (and looks), but still a gimmick. As are all retros. For example, throttle body covers that look like carbs.

oldbeezer · Apr 26, 2020

This bike just occurred to me although it is not aimed at the retro market and not retro styled it is lightweight, smooth and has a broad spread of power. Similar to the 750/850s the SV650.

What’s the best none Norton Norton ?

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