WHAT SUDARSHAN VENU, JOINT MANAGING DIRECTOR OF TVS MOTOR COMPANY HAD TO SAY ABOUT NORTON:

“This is a momentous time for us at TVS Motor Company. Norton is an iconic British brand celebrated across the world, and presents us with an immense opportunity to scale globally. This transaction is in line with our effort to cater to the aspirations of discerning motorcycle customers. We will extend our full support for Norton to regain its full glory in the international motorcycle landscape.”

facility at Donington for example was a lovely location, a lovely idea and a great place to build a few hundred bikes a year, but really not a great place for a large-scale business. We’ve had to close that, and now we’re essentially building a business almost from scratch. Everything from engineering to supplies, quality standards, finding facilities, the list goes on. We inherited 55 staff who are all great, but we also need more in various very critical areas, especially when it comes to the production. We’re turning it into a proper company with serious foundations, and TVS are giving it all the investment needed which is great, as nothing is on a short-cut basis.”

That’s interesting, and looking at the timeline, it really hasn’t taken long for Norton to get into action. I always imagined it being difficult trying to get the wheels in motion, while working for an absolutely ginormous company. So just how proactive is it working with a massive company such as TVS? “All the appropriate investment needed is coming, enabling us to take the company where it needs to be; mainly investing in people, facilities, tech, tooling and a future in marketing and distribution. Honestly, every day we get a reminder of how great the brand is as they just get it and make life easy for us, and of course for TVS it’s hugely different, but they’re so excited. They’re global, and work mainly with smaller-capacity bikes, but they also have a joint venture with BMW, so they understand the hurdles needed to be successful, the high engineering standards and things like that. One of the pleasing things is how they’ve helped Norton with a number of teams from TVS having an input; from their side, they’ve been supporting us in everything, from the engineering to the financial side. We’re getting what we need; this isn’t a side show, this is a strategy for turning Norton into a brand that can compete with the Ducatis and BMWs of this world. We want to be on that sort of scale.”

Wow, just wow. Can you get any more ambitious? We don’t think so, so we were keen to find exactly how they see the future playing out for Norton. Were they going to follow the crowd and go wholeheartedly down the retro route, or are they going to stay loyal to their sporty heritage as well, and give us some saucy, sporty stuff that we’d like to spank? “I think if you look back into Norton’s history, it was never a retro brand. Back in the day, the Commando used to be the fastest bike, but it just got frozen in time! Everyone has those type of retrospective bikes, but we’re going to be bang up to date, bring Norton into the present and indeed the future. The key thing is to bring the Norton version of bikes being produced, but create new niches and sub niches, and that’s the journey we’re on at the moment. And to answer the question, yes; we’re starting by bringing V4SS back into the market, which is the current focus and we have a small amount of residual orders to fulfil, as we want to keep our new customers and old loyalists happy by showing we’re looking after them. We recently announced the V4RR sales as well, and we also have the Atlas range which we’re working on, and that’s our phase one. While we’re doing that, we’ve recruited and are continuously adding to our design team, they’re going through where we want to be, and what we want to create.”

I did get a little giddy when he mentioned the commitment to the V4, especially as Norton has always been a brand synonymous with racing. So what does the future hold in terms of racing and performance bikes, and would they ever homologate a Superbike to race in production championships, like BSB?

“I think the simple answer is yes; within the DNA of Norton, racing was always a big part. When you analyse the pedigree, it’s incredible. I grew up in an era when Geoff Duke was on a Norton, and it was just, well, it was astonishing – I can’t imagine a future for Norton without a success in racing. Any form of racing is appropriate to the products we’re making and marketing, but there is a pullback firstly to the Isle of Man; we won the first TT, so there’s a real connection. I do believe there’s also a more holistic feeling between bike and rider when it comes to riding a Norton, and in road racing that is all a bit more, well, raw,

which fits perfectly with us. But we’re looking at everything, and I can’t imagine not being in BSB and WSBK in the future… I think it’s an obvious place to be. If we want to prove ourselves as a brand, Norton won’t be back until we are successful on track, and what we do on the track also benefits the road machines. The future of Norton is very much linked to racing.”

Now, that is the news we really wanted to hear – bring on a new range of sportsbikes, we say! But what does that mean in terms of engine configurations? Will they continue on with the 650 and V4 platforms, create their own, and is there a future in electric? “As I mentioned earlier, this is where we are in phase one. We have the 650 and V4 engine, and those engines will power the first two or three product iterations. But to be the sort of brand that I’ve mentioned, we need to do huge amounts of engine development and have powertrains that are competitive with who we’re competing with. We’re going to be a proper, full cycle company; the character of the machine is vital for us and that is so connected to a powertrain, meaning we won’t just be buying engines, or parts off the shelf and sticking them in. Another interesting thing is around alternative powertrains, and finding a way to make them interesting. With electric vehicles, the numbers are interesting like the torque and power, but the experience, feel, look and sound just aren’t; visceral feeling is important to us, and that’s what they currently lack. We need to be getting the right balance of rawness and that’s what we’re going to work on when it comes to EV – not to replicate an internal combustion engine, but go hunting for something new, that adds to the motorcycling experience. Sure, for commuting EV is fine, and isn’t a big deal. But for premium, exhilarating machines ridden for pleasure? Not so much, and the challenge is more difficult. Humankind is great at innovating so we will find a way, but it’s not visible just yet.”

Wow; if that isn’t a vision for the future, I don’t know what is… but I wanted to know a bit more. There’s been a few mentions of being in a ‘phase one’ quite a lot, so when do they plan on getting into a phase two? So how many models are they currently working on? And do they already have anything new and ground-breaking in the works? “We’re in the process of getting back into the production of the V4SS machines that will be delivered this year, and we already have some orders on the V4RR as well. The patience people had with deposits and waiting is incredible, so we will be getting these done, and getting us back up to date through 2021. While that’s going on, we’re working hard on development, and they’ll be the products that we want to put into in production in 2022. So it’s actually very soon, and we’re setting ourselves a lot of tough goals. We want to move at a good pace, but we want solid foundations so the timeframes will be what they will be, because they’ll be done right, and will take us through the next three to five years.”

That’s interesting, but is there any worry that the money tap might ever turn off, and when does he see Norton truly starting to be competitive and making money for

itself? “TVS know, and understand, that we’re in the phase of investment now. They know that the returns are high, and that the rewards come from having a good sustainable future. They always go for the long-term view; they’re a 100-year-old company that’s been built up very carefully and precisely, thinking about the long term. They’re looking at decades rather than quarters, if that answers the question.”

It does indeed, but I was also interested to hear just how much of an impact Covid and Brexit had on everything, and if it had added any extra challenges?

“Yes, but I think it’s just another example of the sheer adaptability of people. We’ve created a company and we’re almost ready to open our new facility and sell vehicles, primarily done on Zoom calls! It’s quite extraordinary. We had people in temporary facilities, designing, improving... and the vast majority of work has been done on calls in our homes, so it’s brilliant how people have adapted – especially when dealing on a global basis. TVS have been very engaged with us, and the supply chain is international, yet with everything happening, we’re in a good place. Would it have been better, quicker, or any different without the funny year we had in 2020? Maybe, but we’ll never know. We’re in line with what we set ourselves to do at the start of the project, and sure, it probably would’ve been easier, but we’re not worried.”

So what does the CEO of the new era want to say if you maybe need a little persuasion, or still aren’t swayed with the Norton brand? “I think the first thing is that it’s a new start; I have personally worked with lots of businesses across the globe, and TVS are as ethical as I’ve ever been involved with. There’s a difference between good and bad business, but at their heart they are fundamentally about integrity and reputation, which is great. Businesses that have that reputation look after everyone from the customers to the employee, and in my humble opinion TVS are unrivalled. I can assure you that they’re a company that can be relied upon, and they’re going to do it right. For example, we know there are a lot of issues that we actually aren’t contractually liable for that were done in the past, yet we’re engaging and fixing them, as we want to right the wrongdoings and start as we mean to go on.”

Fair play; if I wasn’t sold before, I am now. They’ve got the backup, they’ve got the cash, and they’ve got the drive – without even mentioning the incredible history to see ’em through. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Norton brand, and above all, I can’t wait to swing my leg over one of those tasty V4s in the near future…