Norton make the switch to Suter to finish V4 superbike
British firm turns to Swiss experts in final push to finish superbike
Norton have teamed up with engine and chassis experts Suter in a bid to put the finishing touches to their V4 SS superbike, having parted company with British consultancy Ricardo. The Swiss firm, who won the Moto2 world championship with Marc Marquez and produce their own modern-day 500GP bike, have stepped in to sort the emissions and performance calibration of the 1200cc V4. “We dropped Ricardo months ago and finished the engine ourselves,” says Norton owner Stuart Garner. “Eskil Suter [Suter boss] is the man in performance development at the moment so when we were looking around for a world-class partner, he was the natural choice. He has worked at MotoGP level in the past and still works for a lot of top teams. Although Suter have been brought in as official engine partner, Garner hopes to get help with the chassis too. Suter make frames and swingarms for a lot of race teams but are are not allowed to discuss what they do. Garner added: “We want to speak to them and work out the sweet-spot of fabrication consistency. They’re one of the world leaders not only in performance but in quality and consistency. They’re a good technical partner for us and can help us improve our methods. Garner has found that building a one-off race or prototype chassis is one thing, but making hundreds to a consistently high standard is a whole new challenge.
Suter have a track record of doing just that, which is one of the key reasons for Norton’s new partnership.
Garner had hoped to deliver the first of the Norton V4 superbikes to customers at the end of 2017, but has yet to ship a single bike. But he insists deliveries will start soon and that the delays are down to making sure the bike is properly developed and reliable.