Norton Atlas

[wessie]

I reckon Norton as a brand is on a steeply downward spiral with the new product range, not sustainable against the competition in my view. Makes you wonder what their £200 million plus factory in Solihul will be producing, previously stated as being a powerhouse for premium British motorcycle production, really ?

they need to decide where they sit in the market, premium British heritage brand with significant British design and content or just another Asian brand desperately hanging onto a name. It has worked for Eicher with Royal Enfield in the UK, also Qianjiang with Benelli as you see TRK 502 all over Europe, especially Italy.

I suspect this Atlas is a test case to see if they can get a toe in the faux heritage market. Not sure why anyone would buy one when Royal Enfield have an established brand, decent reliability and a dealer network.

 

[Posh Pete]

I think the orange makes it look better and stand out more than the silver version; it's getting a decent review to be honest;; i dismissed it sa missing the boat the other wk but now think it may be in there.

I note that all the pics are from the offside? From a quick shot on the video, the nearside engine area looks a bit messy. For me, that big space below the pillion seat is unnecessary and will just add to the problem of throwing a leg over it! And I'm no shortarse!

 

[PembsGSA]

Enjoyed this.... Freddie raise's some good points on his review...

 

[timeandtide]

they need to decide where they sit in the market, premium British heritage brand with significant British design and content or just another Asian brand desperately hanging onto a name. It has worked for Eicher with Royal Enfield in the UK, also Qianjiang with Benelli as you see TRK 502 all over Europe, especially Italy.

I suspect this Atlas is a test case to see if they can get a toe in the faux heritage market. Not sure why anyone would buy one when Royal Enfield have an established brand, decent reliability and a dealer network.

Enjoyed this.... Freddie raise's some good points on his review...

Hideous!

 

[longdog]

It looks like a Kawasaki Versys 650’s ugly sister. Can’t see this one flying off the shelves when there are so many excellent bikes in this particular pigeon hole.

 

[longdog]

I was at the BSB round at Thruxton last weekend and Norton had 2 bikes, the Atlas and the Manx, both sadly unremarkable IMHO. I think that both bikes looked quite nice but I still wouldn’t buy either and I think the market the Atlas is aimed at is saturated and the Manx is just going to be an expensive piece of trinketry.

I did read the assessment for the Atlas in RIDE magazine which it claimed it was a pre-production bike with some glitches still to be smoothed out. Why hand it over to the journos unless it was the production version? I don’t think Norton have done themselves any favours there somehow.

 

[Berin]

With my experience of Norton service lately I wouldn't be buying anything from them.

I bought my 961 (which I do love) on the cheap PCP deal but it didn't start well - when I got the bike home and under a light it looked liked they'd polished up the tank with Scotchbrite. After some acrimony in which they accused me of doing it, that was more or less fixed, and I then lost the bike for weeks for a recall. I was then doing things with other bikes, and realised the bike needed a service.My first choice, since I didn't plant to go back to the supplying dealer, ws Krazy Horse, but thy have dropped the brand. I contacted Norton customer service for details of another dealer.

After about 3 chase ups, and providing the reg number of my bike and the VIN number. I finally got a call from an outfit called Woodcote and Copse based at (you've guessed it) Silverstone. Only it was from a salesman asking which Norton I was interested in. Anyway, he passed me to the service team and I booked it in.

Yesterday I took the bike up in the van, it a 150 mile round trip on motorways. It was a 1 year service plus I asked them to look at an issue with the bike stalling on low throttle. 4 hours later, they gave me a £400 bill and and the check list.

"So, what was the issue with the stalling" I ask - to be told they hadn't looked at that because they didn't know how to do it but thought it was to do with the TPS, which they don't know how to adjust but they were asking Norton.

Asked how it would get fixed as I'm not really local the idiot bloke assured me Norton would send an "over the air"fix. I pointed my bike and asked him where he thought the internet connection module was. He did have the grace to look sheepish, and then said he'd call me when he's heard from Norton.

I actually think it may be easier to run an old Norton than the new ones, which doesn't bode well for a £35k bespoke offering like the Manx.

 

[Neil W]

Nearest Norton dealership to me took on the franchise in the Stuart Garner era and very quickly distanced themselves from the brand because of serious supply and quality issues , when Norton was relaunched they again took on the franchise and again they dropped the franchise .

The local franchise has now been taken on not by a motorcycle dealership but by a local classic car sales and restoration business ????

 

[Berin]

I know- odd. The dealer I bought my bike from is a Skoda dealer.

The dealer I took it to for service is also a car dealer, mainly Lotus but also a few Alfa’s, Morgans and Caterhams.

As an aside, there must have been over 20 new and unregistered Lotus’s in the yard and more inside. Given the place was as quiet as the grave, I suspect they were not all waiting delivery to a happy customer…..

 

[snelly]

Enjoyed this.... Freddie raise's some good points on his review...

I have to say i do like this; but; like Freddie says the fit and finish rule out a lot of the ruffty tuffty off road stuff; i could never imagine not being bothered about this going down like i am with my GS;; and then there's the Recent Norton back story to take into account and the bastardisation of the Norton name trying to turn a quick buck on nostalgic old giffers with rose tints on; or those who hate what's been done to it. But purely on what freddie says; for looks and ride alone it must be worth a punt.

 

[cbritton]

I actually saw a new Norton Atlas today being ridden in Colchester. First new one I’ve seen. I like my 961 but most of the new ones leave me cold.

 

[GSite]

With my experience of Norton service lately I wouldn't be buying anything from them.

I bought my 961 (which I do love) on the cheap PCP deal but it didn't start well - when I got the bike home and under a light it looked liked they'd polished up the tank with Scotchbrite. After some acrimony in which they accused me of doing it, that was more or less fixed, and I then lost the bike for weeks for a recall. I was then doing things with other bikes, and realised the bike needed a service.My first choice, since I didn't plant to go back to the supplying dealer, ws Krazy Horse, but thy have dropped the brand. I contacted Norton customer service for details of another dealer.

After about 3 chase ups, and providing the reg number of my bike and the VIN number. I finally got a call from an outfit called Woodcote and Copse based at (you've guessed it) Silverstone. Only it was from a salesman asking which Norton I was interested in. Anyway, he passed me to the service team and I booked it in.

Yesterday I took the bike up in the van, it a 150 mile round trip on motorways. It was a 1 year service plus I asked them to look at an issue with the bike stalling on low throttle. 4 hours later, they gave me a £400 bill and and the check list.

"So, what was the issue with the stalling" I ask - to be told they hadn't looked at that because they didn't know how to do it but thought it was to do with the TPS, which they don't know how to adjust but they were asking Norton.

Asked how it would get fixed as I'm not really local the idiot bloke assured me Norton would send an "over the air"fix. I pointed my bike and asked him where he thought the internet connection module was. He did have the grace to look sheepish, and then said he'd call me when he's heard from Norton.

I actually think it may be easier to run an old Norton than the new ones, which doesn't bode well for a £35k bespoke offering like the Manx.

Sorry to hear of your poor experience. When speaking to that dealer I got the distinct impression that like most Norton dealers they have very little experience with the brand and in quite a few cases even with bikes generally.
The dealers I would have trusted with mine have given up the franchise, fortunately Krazy Horse serviced it the day before they parted ways. Bike does not need a service before it goes back next March, no intention of keeping it, just don't have confidence there will be any kind of meaningful support from dealers or the brand going forward.

There are trusted independants such as Stuart Bodicote aka Motovated, but I feel two years of the bike although pleasurable and not problematic is enough as was always the plan.