Love my Commando 961 so was keen to see Norton's new bikes at the NEC out of keen interest really, not as a potential buyer.
Quite shocked by the finish on the engine of the Atlas. Where the sealant was falling away from the the joint between casings, there was quite a step between the edges of the castings. The bare inner edge of one half was exposed with paint peeling away showing further metal surfaces.
Looked at other bikes on the stand and they were the same. The staff said they were models in development and they would hope the final product would be better. They were clearly promotional staff, not Norton employees with any knowledge of the bikes or the development process.
I would say that the engine finish on every other bike I saw at the NEC was better, even the lower end Chinese stuff and if this does not improve for when the bikes are realeased for sale Norton will have a problem from which reputational recovery won't be easy.
Surely any manufacturer would ensure the finish was good enough to give confidence in the final product. When discussing the Norton stand with others at the event, most had noticed the above issue and will no doubt tell their biker mates.
Can't see the bike selling that well when the competition is cheaper and may well be better, buck up Norton.
Quite shocked by the finish on the engine of the Atlas. Where the sealant was falling away from the the joint between casings, there was quite a step between the edges of the castings. The bare inner edge of one half was exposed with paint peeling away showing further metal surfaces.
Looked at other bikes on the stand and they were the same. The staff said they were models in development and they would hope the final product would be better. They were clearly promotional staff, not Norton employees with any knowledge of the bikes or the development process.
I would say that the engine finish on every other bike I saw at the NEC was better, even the lower end Chinese stuff and if this does not improve for when the bikes are realeased for sale Norton will have a problem from which reputational recovery won't be easy.
Surely any manufacturer would ensure the finish was good enough to give confidence in the final product. When discussing the Norton stand with others at the event, most had noticed the above issue and will no doubt tell their biker mates.
Can't see the bike selling that well when the competition is cheaper and may well be better, buck up Norton.
