The V4 models are £400 a month. Interesting but I think now I’d probably just buy a Ducati! The V4 was not really going to be a competitor in a dynamic sense back in 2018 and it definitely isn’t now!!!
If you are going to edit posts because you don't like/agree with what a member posts, you might want to edit the posts where the edited post has been quoted too Just saying
Oh and yes I saw that Norton deal a couple of weeks ago. As I read elsewhere quote - " Great deal, if you fancy a garage ornament on axle stands dripping oil" - unquote
That can’t be real…. ♂️ the FSA wouldn’t allow finance deals so aggressive that the consumer is in horrendous debt surely!
None of this, https://motorcycles.juddracing.com/norton/new-bikes/classic/commando-961-sp, makes any sense to me. Andy
Ah so you either have to put £5k in, which you’ll loose immediately in depreciation, or you out £3k in but end up in negative equity for longer.
Or, put £5k in, keep it two years with zero monthly payments, then hand it back, works out at £207.75 per month as a 2 year rental agreement
I have one objection to that article, this statement “or a British icon of the 60s and 70s, reborn for the modern era”. I owned a 1962 Norton 650SS for 20 years, it was my first “proper” bike at the age of 16 and I did over 100,000 miles on it (several engine rebuilds of course). IMO, the current use of the Norton name, most definitely has no affinity with my 650SS Andy
When the Triumph name was bought in the early 80s (83?) they used the name to get off the ground but the bikes were totally different to the old Triumph ones and apart from the retro look of some they forged their own way. This Norton rehash is just a marketing gimmick creating a bike that looks a bike Commando ish but that is all that links it to the past. For all their many faults, the original Commando wasn’t a bad bike at the time and a well sorted one is still a nice ride. I guess they are aiming at the completely spanner averse who want a bike requiring minimal tinkering but with the Norton name. Having owned a few Nortons from a Jubilee (utter shite) to a gorgeous 50s Dominator, I wouldn't even look twice as these new ones. With the prices of British bikes dropping at the moment I also wonder exactly who they think will be buying them. For less than £10k you can get a nice example of most common Norton models and with a chance of it at least holding most of it’s value if not going up again in the future.
There seems to be two schools of thought expressed above- It's not directly descended from 1960’s Nortons so it’s worthless. It is directly descended from 1960’s Nortons so it’s unreliable and worthless. I’m not in the market, but if I was, it’s an incredible offer - less than £70 deposit and less than £70 a month for 2 years / 4k miles with a brand new bike, with full warranty, and then see how the actual resale value looks at that point to hand it back or pay the £12k. And on it’s heritage - air-cooled parallel twin with push-rod valve actuation, 3 bearing crank, 2 valve per cylinder sounds pretty close to Nortons of old to me but with Ohlins suspension, FI and modern features on top.
On the heritage, pretty much every single British, and many overseas, maker sold a twin of similar layout so I don’t see anything ‘Norton’ in that. Most manufacturers offered some variants around 350cc and 500cc singles and 50cc and 600cc twins. All air cooled, all in twin shock frames, all two valves per cylinder. If it were to copy the Featherbed frame for example it would have more of a claim to Nortonesque style. If they were to copy a Douglas flat twin that may be a bit more distinctive…….. That said I 100% agree on costs per month. I can’t imagine you could get a moped for £70 a month these days and that alone makes it a bargain. So for the tiny number after a nostalgia fix without the bother of maintenance or the classic British feel it would be a perfect fit.
The January deal for the final run of bikes was £55 deposit and £55 x 24. A Cafe Racer has been ordered in Manx Silver. Includes 12 months RFL and first registration fee. So costs will be £1375 + Insurance £240 x 2 yrs, 2nd years tax £117, service £300 = £2272 £2272/4000 miles = £0.568/mile £3.11 per day Excess miles are £0.10/mile
