Norton boss on V4 progress
OStunning 1200 will be shipped to buyers soon after extra development
The first Norton V4 SS superbikes should be in the hands of customers this summer, Norton boss Stuart Garner has revealed. Norton had hoped to have the 200bhp bike ready a year sooner, but instead decided to hold back production until the bike was properly developed.
“We’ve loosely named June as the date and we’re more or less on target for that,” says Garner. “If it did move, it wouldn’t be by a lot now. The bike is very close to being deliverable. “Tech boss Simon Skinner and I have all the scars of 2010-2011 when we delivered Commandos that weren’t ready and we don’t what to be in that situation again.”
The initial batch of V4 SS superbikes sold out and with hundreds of customers eagerly awaiting a bike, Garner has been keen to keep them happy. He said: “We’ve been looking after the first 200 people who have put a deposit down. We invited them to a private function at Donington Hall last week to meet John McGuinness, I informed them of progress and we had a free bar. They’ve been supportive and we want to get the bike right.” MCN tested a prototype version of the bike last week and gave it the thumbs up but could tell that the fuelling and response needed further development. This week Garner posted pictures of a V4 engine on a test bed. He said: “It’s a few months late. We’ve had a few things pop up during prototyping and tooling and pre-production, but it is primarily because of electronics, emissions and calibrating the motor so it is rideable. “It has to be developed so that it can run 200bhp easily. It should be able to cover tens of thousands of miles and be reliable. It will have a two-year unlimited mileage warranty as well. We’d rather wait until the bike is 100% ready. It is an expensive motorbike and people want it to be fit for purpose and not blow up after 500 miles, which is absolutely how it should be.”
The Donington-based firm plan to make 500 V4 SSs in the first year.
O ‘Those waiting for bikes have been looked after’
STUART GARNER