Norton America

NORTON AMERICA

The Yankee saviors of a British brand?

What’s an undisputedly great motorcycle name worth in reaching customers? just ask Polaris how much it invested in Victory over 15 years and to compare that with the comparatively easy ride the Indian name has provided. In Indian's first year, Polaris motorcycle sales doubled. That’s the magic of strong brand recognition and a place in two-wheeled history. Great product doesn't hurt, but the name means so much.

Norton in the USA, and the world, has been woven into the very fiber of the rider’s mind. Even after the company’s death in 1975, the strength of the name and the impact of the Commando, introduced in 1968, carried the legend forward. The forwardcanted engine, the sweep of the pipes, the shape of timing and primary-drive covers-and the soundl-were burned in.

Meanwhile, Kenny Dreer had built a business in building and restoring motorcycles. In the 1990s Dreer began modifying Commandos more and more, with upgraded power, brakes, and suspension. His work at Vintage Rebuilds resulted in the VR880 we tested in 1999, complete with hand-hammered aluminum bodywork by Evan Wilcox, a hotted-up Commando engine with beefed-up parts that produced 67 hp and 56 pound-feet of torque. For $22,995, you got a modern interpretation of a classic Commando with 80 percent new parts and a significant boost in performance and style.

But Kenny struggled with wanting more from this vintage platform. The concept of building a new Norton and getting the now-fractured brand name under one roof is hatched.

Investors are secured, prototypes are built. By 2006, some $10 million is spent getting the name legally secured and the 961-looking and sounding very much like what Stuart Garner and Norton in England are now producing all the way down to the 270-degree crank-is featured by us in the May issue that year. Despite the bikes being “production intent,” it was a bridge too far and the angel investors gave up. The name and CAD drawings were purchased by Garner in late 2008 and the company produced its first bikes for sale in 2010.

As of this writing, there is no mention of the American era on Norton's website. It wouldn't be the first company to try to rewrite or change history, but any success Norton UK has now is clearly founded upon Dreer and his Oregon crew’s hard work.

Norton fans the world over owe Mr. Dreer a huge debt for saving the legend from oblivion and opening a new chapter.

Mark Hoyer