Norton has released a teaser video of its coming 1200cc V4 bike with the promise a full release on November 19 at Motorcycle Live 2016 in the UK.
The video should get a mixed reaction from Norton fans keen to see more from the famed manufacturer, but bemused by a V4 design.
https://youtu.be/oWubK3YWv2M
The famed Birmingham motorcycle manufacturer began making motorcycles in 1908 and has only made singles and twins up to 750cc.
The company was merged in the 1970s and a few Nortons were made over the years before the company was revived in 2008 and a new breed of Norton Commands were released in 2013.
Norton Cafe RacerThey are powered by a 961cc parallel twin pushrod engine with 60kW of power and 80Nm of torque and feature a host of exotic components.
They also come with hefty price tags of $29,990 (plus on-road costs) for the sport, $33,990 for the the sporty Café Racer and $35,990 for the the street naked SF.
In 2015, they released a limited edition of 200 Dominator SS models costing about $38,000.
Norton Dominator SSWhile the video doesn’t show much, it does reveal the V4 engine, an aluminium tube frame, gold forks and plenty of carbon fibre, much like the new Commandos.
There is also talk of sophisticated electronics including semi-alive suspension and a rearview camera.
We can expect a pretty hefty price tag of more than $75,000 for the V4. Apparently 200 eager fans have already paid holding deposits.
Norton is also expected to produce a smaller 650cc twin at the Motorcycle Live show.
But that’s not all.
Norton Motorcycles plans to increase its line-up to three engine platforms and seven or eight models.
Last year the company received a government grant of £7.5 ($A16) million for their Leicestershire headquarters, creating 600 new jobs.
Norton owner and chief executive Stuart Garner says the grant is part of a broader investment of £20 ($A42.5) million being pumped back into the business.
He said it would help them expand production to 6000 bikes within the next five years, mainly for overseas markets.