Norton Belly Up?

NORTON BELLY UP?

ROUNDUP

RE-BORN NORTON IS BETTER known for “announcing” models—at last count, four all-new engine configurations in less than two years—than making them. Early last year, Britain’s Motor Cycle News reported the initial outing of the prototype Nemesis V-Eight...until a coolant leak developed. A display-only, 1539cc V-Twin Nirvana cruiser followed. Ambitious promises by designer Al Melling notwithstanding, fully sorted machines were clearly still months away from being showroom-ready.

Mid-July, another new management team arrived at Norton Motors International (NMI) headquarters in Minnesota. Following a physical check of progress at Melling’s U.K. R&D facility, it implemented a court-ordered “snatchback” of the whole inventory. Every nut, bolt and casting was subsequently delivered to Vehicle Engineering Projects (Vepro) in Leicestershire. Vepro is a newly formed engineering consultancy whose two principals were previously employed by Excelsior-Henderson; both also have extensive production experience at Triumph. Vepro’s brief was to assess what, if anything, of the ex-Melling material was viable within a commercial time scale.

Meanwhile, Norton’s stock value halved, renewing fears that insufficient funding remains to bring its range of bikes-or even one model-to market. NMI’s new “broom,” CEO Robert Kilpatrick, however, endeared himself

to loyal Norton watchers by agreeing that the Nirvana prototype looked “hideous.”

At presstime, nobody at Norton had gone public with Vepro’s findings; in fact, lips must stay sealed whilst litigation ’twixt NMI and Meiling is sub judice. If Melling’s designs are indeed reckoned unsuitable for production, where, then, goeth Norton? Well, sources close to NMI admit the availability of at least one outside configuration: a Swiss-made, eight-valve, liquid-cooled parallel-Twin. Incongruous as that seems, a properly evolved Twin could return Norton to its roots. Moreover, a contemporary Commando is an attractive prospect given the encouraging response to Kawasaki’s W650.

Assuming strategy dictates a Twin, Norton’s $64,000 question is this: To generate

an acceptable return, how high dare it set the sticker price? Equally important, how does it go about rebuilding consumer confidence? —Michael Jackson