What’s the best none Norton Norton ?

TonyA said:
WOW , You have gone off the deep end as they say ! No lack of good handling , power or torque there hey ? Don't forget to give the Norton 961's some love now and then. I am really surprised that you didn't buy the Indian FTR 1200 .
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Lol deep end? Why?
It’s comfortable.
2 up seating.
It out handles it’s competition or (the lack of competition).
This bike competes with the Rocket 3 and Yamaha Vmax.
All the reviews put the Ducati ahead in speed, handing and braking and the lightest weight of the 3.

The Rocket 3 is 648 pounds dry.
The Vmax is 619 pounds dry.
The Diavel is 481 pounds dry.
The FTR 1200S is 488 pounds dry.

Rocket 3 TFC has 2500cc at 168 hp and 163 tq.

Vmax 1700cc at 175 hp and 123 tq.

Diavel 1260cc at 159 hp and 95 tq.

FTR 1200cc at 120hp and 85 tq.

The Diavel is faster in the straight line and corners.
But I suppose on a dirt track it’ll lose to the FTR lol.
 
TonyA said:
I thought he spoke highly of it. I may be confusing with someone else .
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He may have done Tony.

Give him six months and he may get one as well !!

(Especially when he see’s they’ve just launched a Ltd edition carbon edition...;))
 
Fast Eddie said:
He may have done Tony.

Give him six months and he may get one as well !!

(Especially when he see’s they’ve just launched a Ltd edition carbon edition...;))
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Is this about the best non Norton in the idiom of Norton or the best non Norton as a first bike because everyone must have a main bike,don’t they!
 
MAK said:
Is this about the best non Norton in the idiom of Norton or the best non Norton as a first bike because everyone must have a main bike,don’t they!
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I currently have a 2016 Commando SF and a 2017 Dominator Naked.
I had a triumph bobber TFC on order and after 6 months of looking, feeling and watching bobber videos, I decided I wanted something more comfortable with more power, better handling and 2 up seating. So I researched the Rocket 3, Vmax and Diavel.
ill never sell the Norton’s.
 
The red bike syndrome is a lovely course to be on , once I compared my 1250 Bandit to the ST3s it was easy choice to trade Bandit for Ducati , then almost immediately start looking for unknown reasons for a third bike which had to be Italian as well , again unknown reason , settled on MG Griso 1100cc model for reliability , took a while to find a pristine , low km unit within a one day drive to fetch it .... once found made deal over phone which I never do ,with a nice young Man with English as his second language , way up into Northern New Brunswick I went , still a great non-norton , norton replacement .... closest dealer is in Quebec City , so far just regular service stuff needed .... beware of what may happen to your brain once you taste the “blood coloured Italian L-twins” in any form ....
 
Stephen_Spencer said:
As non-Nortons go I guess mine is as dissimilar as is possible! This old girl never misses a beat. 18000 km in a 42 day circumnavigation of Aus without missing a beat. Tarmac turns to gravel or sand (that happens a lot in Aus) and no problem, just keep going. Touring in relative comfort or scratching after my mates, it’s fair to say that this class of bikes are the most versatile ever made. 80000 km and rising fast! Helps having a versatile turn key reliable bike when your first ride is a Norton 961! Not bristling with technology, but I’ve never felt the need for lights that come on when you corner or for wheelie control!! Just saying!

Mmmmmm! My VIP status seems to have expired - picture to follow, or you could guess!
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What’s the best none Norton Norton ?
 
+1 for a Guzzi, MAK held my feet to the fire (in the nicest possible way) & I ended up buying a beautiful red 1200 Sport - 2v heads, 95 bhp - in March (2 weeks before the lockdown :(); the colour matched Guzzi panniers have come in really useful for 'light shopping' (& creative routes home) over the past weeks! I was recently told that only 200 were imported into the UK so a little unusual as well, now I just want to go on a nice long tour on the mainland; at 248kg she's more of a Grand Tourer than a Sports tourer & I have no complaints about performance.
 
Got to consider the Yammy TRX850. Don't think it was ever sold in the US - although the TDM850 was I believe. Only sold in UK, Europe, Japan and Aus.
850cc parallel twin, water cooled, DOHC, 10-valve, 270-degree crank and counterbalancers. Sound like a good formula?
Here's me at Phillip Island not getting a knee down a bit over a year ago. Much to the annoyance of my mate on the Trumpy behind me.

What’s the best none Norton Norton ?

What’s the best none Norton Norton ?
 
Britfan60 said:
That has got to be the ugliest grasshopper in creation. Not a fan of the Diablos looks either.....but damn. That is butt fugly. All KTMs are ugly, however, good bikes.
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Ah Britfan, thanks for that, I laughed so hard when I read that I spilled my coffee down my KTM t-shirt! You are dead right, very polarising looks. I love it, many don't. Awesome machine though and a bit of a cult following with the adventure riding fraternity. Of ten years worth of a model run of the 950/990 imported to Aus, there are never more than 3-4 available for sale at any one time in the whole country. There are more 961's for sale in Aus than that!

Beauty....... skin deep......! If she were a woman though I probably wouldn't touch her with yours!!!

Steve
 
The FTR seems to produce almost as much torque as the Monster 1200s, but it does it at substantially lower rpm. That’s gonna make it feel fast on the road in real life.

It‘s also a nice looker, I can definitely see the appeal.

The killer for me is that is around 100lbs heavier than the Duc. That’s a lot. After the 961 the Duc feels so light, it’s a big part of the appeal to me.

But having said all of that, I’m still tempted to go and test ride one when all the BS Lockdown has been lifted.
 
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Stephen_Spencer said:
Ah Britfan, thanks for that, I laughed so hard when I read that I spilled my coffee down my KTM t-shirt! You are dead right, very polarising looks. I love it, many don't. Awesome machine though and a bit of a cult following with the adventure riding fraternity. Of ten years worth of a model run of the 950/990 imported to Aus, there are never more than 3-4 available for sale at any one time in the whole country. There are more 961's for sale in Aus than that!

Beauty....... skin deep......! If she were a woman though I probably wouldn't touch her with yours!!!

Steve
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Ok. To be fair....what I do like is A. It looks extremely comfortable. B. You won't scratch the tank with a jacket zipper. C. Nice for a 2 up and D. YA WON'T SMASH YER NUTS
 

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