Norton has released a drawing of its new 1200 cc V4 superbike.
The new bike breaks with tradition for Norton – a company that has for many years built its model range and its business around retro-styled machines.
But given that Norton has been a regular competitor at the Isle of Man TT since 2009, releasing a road going superbike based loosely around the race bike is a natural progression.
- 1200cc V4 powered superbike from Norton
- 200 hp – 150 kW
- Limited production run of just 200 bikes
It will certainly appeal to those riders who have been following Norton’s progress during those years.
Although we don’t have much detail of the bike’s specifications, Norton has said it’s powered by a 1200cc V4 engine that produces around 200 hp (150 kW).
That will put the new bike in the same performance league as current 1000 cc sports bikes like Yamaha’s R1.
But in the sales race, Norton is more likely to find its new bike competing for market share against the likes of Ducati’s Panigale 1299.
Chassis wise, the new bike will use a tubular aluminium frame.
The drawing also shows Brembo brakes, Ohlins suspension and a single sided swingarm.
The bike will officially be unveiled at the UK’s NEC Motorcycle Live show in November, and deliveries are expected to begin in mid 2017.
Norton will initially produce only 200 units of the 1200 V4, and all bikes will be hand built at the Donington Hall factory.
It’s too early to expect any indication of pricing or whether the bike will make it to Australia, but we can boldly assume that the terms “hand built” and “limited edition” will guarantee it will be out of the price range of most buyers.
However, Norton has hinted there will be a cheaper standard model to be released at a later date.