Norton in trouble?

View attachment 9068 That picture I posted of the easy rider belongs to my sisters neighbour,not moved since 1986,this could be the year to resurrect it & Join yer, in the mean time ,here proof u can tour abroad on a 961( 2 up for 2,500 miles out of 8,500) , Arizona desert just a few miles from Margate ,Kent ,Uk
Where in Arizona was the picture taken? I lived there for over 50 years but my wife hated the heat so we moved.
John in Texas
 
Just a quick one.

Atlas is NOT a Chinese bike, ask the wife who watched me design it on my kitchen table over several months! There are a lot of Norton cues in the bike without making it too retro.

The engine is designed in its entirety by the guys here at Norton and hand built by the guys here at Norton, we license the design to ZS, we have never said anything else and the bike would have been exactly the same without the ZS deal.

The Atlas is as Chinese as Roast Beef and warm beer!
 
The 961 commando is a masterpiece that has a bad reputation due to the learning curve of starting a new factory by people for the most part who have never ran such a large vehicle facility. The design is great. The quality of parts is great. The assembly and quality control is poor. The customer service is mostly great. The lack of support is unfortunate. Egli and my dad and I only wanted to help the factory. Unfortunately they weren’t up to listening much.

I truly believe the best thing to do is buy any year used 2013-present and with the money you save buying used immediately put into rebuilding the engine regardless if you think it needs it. Do all the upgrades we’ve (and others) have suggested and proven and enjoy life on an incredible machine with a cool name like Norton. I tell yeah, if you haven’t ridden one dialed in you are missing out big time.
 
Just a quick one.

Atlas is NOT a Chinese bike, ask the wife who watched me design it on my kitchen table over several months! There are a lot of Norton cues in the bike without making it too retro.

The engine is designed in its entirety by the guys here at Norton and hand built by the guys here at Norton, we license the design to ZS, we have never said anything else and the bike would have been exactly the same without the ZS deal.

The Atlas is as Chinese as Roast Beef and warm beer!

Despite you presenting actual facts this is the internet and someone will find some reason to dispute it. You can't stop stupid.
 
I’m not sure how that is dissagreeing with me?

Perhaps a matter of perception...

My theory is ‘the later the better’ and with a particular note to the mk11 upgrades.

We’re in 2019 now, so I wouldn’t call a 2013 bike ‘late’... and it’s clearly not a mk11

Only partly disagreeing - I certainly don't class my 2013 as a late model, although when I bought it I was hoping at the time that it was late enough for any gremlins to have been ironed out.

I agree with not favouring early models with low mileage, although the early models with higher mileage are likely to have had their issues addressed (like mine, I hope). I hear of some later model owners still experiencing the tickover issue, and at times for me that makes the bike unrideable. I prefer to have the SC ECU as I know it can be unlocked, or replaced, and that at least gives me some potential control over an issue that the factory have been unable to resolve after several attempts.

I was agreeing with Richard-7's point that later isn't necessarily better, not because of the quality of the parts which have no doubt improved with the MK II, but due to the inconsistencies in assembly, and the fact that some of these human errors were still going undetected.
 
Just a quick one.

Atlas is NOT a Chinese bike, ask the wife who watched me design it on my kitchen table over several months! There are a lot of Norton cues in the bike without making it too retro.

The engine is designed in its entirety by the guys here at Norton and hand built by the guys here at Norton, we license the design to ZS, we have never said anything else and the bike would have been exactly the same without the ZS deal.

The Atlas is as Chinese as Roast Beef and warm beer!

So the engine is built at Norton ( Donnington?). Is the entire bike built there?
 
Yes the Atlas is built at Norton in its entirety, including engine and frame fabrication. We cannot grow the volumes bought to us with this bike in the current building, as Fast Eddie says, hence the new factory.

Thanks

Simon
 
Yes the Atlas is built at Norton in its entirety, including engine and frame fabrication. We cannot grow the volumes bought to us with this bike in the current building, as Fast Eddie says, hence the new factory.

Thanks

Simon

So, where will the parts used to build the engines be manufactured?

Incidentally, not everything from China is rubbish, with good quality controll. My I-phone is great.
 
Yes it is advertised as a MK11, you’re right... but it’s a 2011... that’s about 5 yrs before the mk11s came out !

Thats what I thought. The price is good, the condition is good, I would just prefer it to have more miles on it. Oh well, I will keep looking.
 
Thats what I thought. The price is good, the condition is good, I would just prefer it to have more miles on it. Oh well, I will keep looking.
Couple for sale on carandclassic.co.uk a MK1 SF and 2017 MK11
John
 
replying to Storm42's comment of why only 1300m ....
Probably because the roads are covered in shite and I for one prefer riding to polishing!
That said, I really enjoy riding my 961 when I can - but as many on here will testify - it is not my only ride and I can only ride them one at a time!
John
Correct... the 961 might be one of numerous bikes owned...you can only ride one at once... mine has 1900m in 6 years...one of 6 bikes i have/had...and i only ride may-october inclusive..no salt on MY bikes ! i've now got down to 3 bikes and mine is for sale on here and car&classic...ONLY because i have a Superlight on order !
 
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Couple for sale on carandclassic.co.uk a MK1 SF and 2017 MK11
John
Mines the 2012 one for sale (on here) and car&classic.... its a good un ! ... selling only because i've a deposit on a Superlight...
 
Thats what I thought. The price is good, the condition is good, I would just prefer it to have more miles on it. Oh well, I will keep looking.
I’m not sure how to say this, so I’m just going to say it.
You’re concerned about the issues you say the 961 has, you’re shown a nice used one, fair price, to little miles.
I’m not sure you even want one. You seem to find faults and reasons to put the bike down. You seem to only want a guarantee and perfection
This is life friend. Nothing is perfect or guaranteed. Life is a risk and it’s to short to worry about nonsense.
Good luck.
 
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I have some sympathy with the ‘buyers hesitation syndrome’ (I just made that up) cos I certainly went through it...

In 2016 I decided not to buy one cos of the possible issues and bought a BMW R nine T instead. The press raved about the character of the BMW, but I found it way too dull, it just didn’t call out to me to go for a gallop for no reason and it hardly got used. In the same year that I put around 600 miles on my safe, reliable, sensible, dull BMW, BLIGHTYBRIT put over TEN TIMES that on his 961 and loved it!

There was a lesson there I thought.

I’ve had my 961 just over a year now and wouldn’t hesitate to go anywhere on it. Sadly my life doesn’t allow me to rack up high miles, and I have to spread my saddle time over a few bikes, but I do love getting out on the 961 whenever I can.

It is a very characterful and fun bike to ride. I can imagine it being too harsh / raw for someone raised on an organic Honda diet, but not for me. The noise and vibration give a visceral, mechanical feel that’s really hard to find in a modern bike. The handling is great. The power is ‘adequate’. But even the lack of power has an up side as it makes it a bike you have to actually ride, rather than just hang on to whilst you ‘teleport’ to the next corner!

A 200 mile ride out with two Ducati mounted mates last year impressed them (and me) as it showed the 961 can be hustled along respectfully briskly if given the required input!

At the end of the day it’s only a motorbike innit?! What’s the worst that can happen? If you decide you don’t like it... sell it. Maybe you lose a few quid, maybe you won’t. But at least you’ve done it. You only live once...

Seems to me that IF you think the 961 is the kind of bike you’ll like... it’s a big shame to miss out on enjoying one through fear of owning one !
 
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A few years back I was looking at commando`s but for thousands of £££ I was reluctant to buy one as the one I bought in 77 (one of the last to be made) was £8 >9 hundred and couldn`t see a real value .Then I saw a 961 ..........whoop whoop wow ,what a looker >>>>>>I WANT one.
I was put off a bit (the itch wouldn`t go away) by a bit of bad reports coming from a fair few people. In 2017 Christmas I bought one and brought it home to sit in my Kitchen (still here) . I got it registered when the weather got better and went out on it ...............It was a bit rough and I thought , what have I bought ?. Anyway I got in touch with the dealer and they had it for a few hours and I was off again ..........fettled . Did my 500 ml., service along with decat and shorties .... ace. I have a few bikes and prefer my Tuono over all (even the "T" has problems) but the Norton Is an eye catcher and agreat bike to ride , well set up
 
I’m not sure how to say this, so I’m just going to say it.
You’re concerned about the issues you say the 961 has, you’re shown a nice used one, fair price, to little miles.
I’m not sure you even want one. You seem to find faults and reasons to put the bike down. You seem to only want a guarantee and perfection
This is life friend. Nothing is perfect or guaranteed. Life is a risk and it’s to short to worry about nonsense.
Good luck.

Of course, you are right, I am not sure I want one, even though I have permission from her indoors.

The too little miles comment should mean the problems that owners are having have been sorted, it was a kind of acceptance comment, I know the bikes can be problematic, but I do like the look of the 961. I would just like to shorten the odds against failure.

I have owned Nortons for over 45 years and I am from a time when Norton, on the back of a fantastic racing history, won MCN machine of the year five years on the trot, that was from a time that was plagued with bad management, abysmal workers attitude and worn out machines and not helped by the Japanese invasion which took money away from the industry (not that it would have been put to good use anyway). We accepted the problems then because as patriots we wanted to buy British.

Well things have changed now, we now are wishing for Guy Fawkes to re-appear and blow up the shower of shite that have surgically removed our patriotism through years of self serving incompetence. We have watched even the Italians make reliable motorcycles, because as time marches on things have to change to remain.

So, remove the patriotism, move forwards into 2019 and look at all the previously unreliable brands that are now reliable and tell me why I am being unreasonable in wanting no problems from a £16000 motorcycle.
 
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