Norton Cafe Racer world first ride

[kilroywuzhere1]

I'm 6 foot 3 is this bike an appropriate size for me (I'm in the market for a bike and I need to know)

[lukescottguitar]

your bars can never be too low xD

[tommynooka1]

this would go nicely next to my street triple :) shame its £14K :(

[CaitSithDK]

If i had this i would scream everyday id see it in my garage... But one downside is the exhaust wich is pointing out wich would be unfit for sharp corners.

I adore this, i would looove to have one ;)

[SouthernMan101]

great sound!

[sonicbut]

What a load of crapp, will Norton ever get it right, what we want is a big V Twin Desmodromic with all the trimmings and a Norton Badge at an affordable price, does Norton ever look at what the lads are buying, niesh markets dont build companies, if the builder bloke from the midlands can put down his bucket and trowel and think i`m going to build bikes the lads want and sets about doing it, result the new Triumph, then why can`t Norton do it, they are stuck in the past living on past glory, ...

[BrokenMachine85]

@sonicbut You have no clue what you're talking about. Go buy a shitty Harley.

[RicardoSS85]

Oh for fuck's sake, drop the price of this bike by 15%. They would still be an expensive toy, but you'd actually be able to see them on the road. With their current price tag, spoting one is harder than spoting a Bugatti Veyron... Plus, they are a good package, but not as good as the cost suggests.

[shortbus4L]

Ride that like you got a set,

no one wants to see it being ridden like a puss

[billythekid]

25k USD for a 80hp cafe racer? Good luck with the revival.

[brinkmaned]

Get rid of the music. Ruins the video. I wanna hear the bike.

[MythicDemon]

I would love to take that to the isle of man 

[MisterSmeed]

what height would you recommend for this bike?

[wbcherry42]

Drool...

[black500rgv]

Norton is a gem

[Kitspartan]

Looks like a good base to start with at least. We people of mother England are famous for our whinging eyetore aren't we? Especially when it rains LOL. It's good that the British bikes are making a comeback however small their market share is eh. The main thing is not to copy the Japs...Shame the journalist didn't do a better review...they are clip ons not ace bars for instance...what else did he get wrong. Bike speaks for itself though.

[sparrabee]

Mate, you've made a cool bike sound mincy and geeky with your "biting on to big disks" type descriptions.

[eyetore]

Can't believe all the criticizing, ya pack of whingers, the bike looks & sounds awesome. Will be available down here in Aussie land real soon & will be adding 1 to my collection, can't wait!!

[Rick258442]

Sounds like absolute shit. wow. 

[pencon61]

@Rick258442 You're on glue , it sounds great , not everyone likes the sound of a shrill sewing machine ..

[dirtlover505]

23 peoples don't have hands

[artistwithsomepiano]

take that damn wind shield off! i HATE the look of that thing!

[motoguzzirob]

To me, a cafe racer is not a factory bike. This is a factory bike right? yeah right. Done a good job tho' Rob

[agostini15times]

sound quality of this video is shite and the wet roads give no idea of what it's capable of...nice runway tests...gay gay gay

[gilesclement]

why would we want to hear that awful music. Let the bloody motorcycle sing.

[steveo451]

i would drop 22k on a norton over a harley any day

[911panter]

it sounds like a mechanical horse.

[1959Manx]

seems expensive for what is is

[Miken50bod]

@1959Manx expensive for the bike that holds the world land speed record for a 1000cc production push rod engine??

[1959Manx]

@Miken50bod what is it like 22,000 USD? yea way too expensive

[harmageden]

I think , cosmetically , the engine should look the same as an original , that's where most of its character lay .

[DrCookieman]

Dear Santa .... :D

[microwavedrabbit]

It's a pity though because I like Norton and the idea of these bikes. I wish them luck as I don't want to to see them fold. I hope the economy picks up soon so these bikes will start selling like hot cakes. I would love to have one just to admire it...I could look at one for ages...it's a beautiful thing.

[microwavedrabbit]

I'm not sure about the history of "cafe racers" as I wasn't around when they were popular, but as far as I'm aware they were the sports bikes of the 50s-60s were young lads would meet outside cafs and race each other, and try to reach the fables "ton". There's a good movie about this..can't remember what it's called. But today a "cafe racer" would probably mean a beautiful machine like the Norton being parked outside a posh cafe on the Kings Road not going anywhere. Posers bike.

[sooupdragon]

I heard a cement mixer today that actually sounded exactly like this thing.

[JayBeezay]

The only downside is lack of power, barely enough to fight a headwind !

[5959512]

lucky bunny?

[theroadbeckons]

I love it,but do we have to have wire wheels, or super high tech carbon, how about a nice,light stiff less expensive cast alloy option ,please real world non retro wheels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dong2phat4u]

Beautiful bike but I won't rush to buy one. Reliabilty has always been an issue with this brand. Hope it's not made in Great Britain.

[microwavedrabbit]

@dong2phat4u That's not the only issue..the issue is that a "Cafe racer" is a luxury/second bike, no one in their right mind will buy this as a main bike...it does a bit of everything but none of them well: sportish but not a sport bike, could tour but there is a lot better out there, commuter? could do but would be a pain especially since you'd be scared scratching/damaging it for everyday use. It remains as a "posers" bike and fine when the economy is going well..but in a recession??

[nortonclinicpharmacy]

vroom vroom!

[MrGentlehand]

great looking bike....but it's trash. got to ride one.

[oeyesea]

Too bad Barney Li, the businessman who was reviving Vincent, died. Could have made for some interesting riding.

[joefarries]

How much?

[OSCALETRAINGUY]

I.....Want one!!!!!!!!1 Yummie..A+

[CountryHouseGent]

Two things:-

Firstly, I'm suprised that a biking paper continues to reinforce the outdated association between bikes and loud guitar music.

Secondly, why do we have to listen to this purile low budget trash? I want to hear the bikes !!

[Machi74005]

90 degree crank shaft?

[theroadbeckons]

@Machi74005 I believe they went with a 120, its not the 360 it should be, smoother tho



[mission100uk]

lovely bike.. but too small just like the Guzzi V7

[carlosmurphy4u]

Bought a new Commando Roadster in 1971, cost me $1,595.00 +tax.

Wish I still had it.

[candmlangdon1]

Alan Cathcart ran 129 mph at Bonneville on a bog stock SE which he reckons would equate to 145 mph at sea level. Air cooled,pushrod,last-century technology? WHO CARES!! Long live reborn Norton Motorcycles.

[robmanueb2]

Scooter safe t tips. Yeah right.

[441rider]

All the parts made in UK? no far east parts in there right?

[sooupdragon]

@441rider Brembo brakes - Ohlins suspension - neither are British companies

[441rider]

@sooupdragon

I was more thinking Thailand factory made stuff like Triumph these days. LOL! Ohlins are fine I guess, the BSA Bantam after all was a DKW to start and from Germany.

[BunnyUK]

the exhaust cans look like they're made out of old Kit-Kat wrappers. and I notice they aren't showing what happens when the rider has got his knee down, i.e. the exhausts hit the deck and get ground away. I'd buy the bike at half the price maybe, although none of the reviews mention how long that engine has been tested on the bench, I mean it sounds like my Beko washing machine with a bag of nails inside.

[sooupdragon]

At that price, as well, I'd be expecting an ally frame, not rust-u-like steel.

[sooupdragon]

If I wasn't broke like a potato chip, I might buy one. As it is, it's overpriced.

[sfxwheels]

my friend otto is building a triton with the norton commando 8 valve engine

designed by cosworth just before the old factory closed

would that engine of saved the brittish bike industry ???

[gm16v149]

@sfxwheels No because if you read Peter William's (ex-Norton engineer) article in Classic Bike Guide the Cosworth was a pretty poor design and anyway the Japs had got much better-made bikes out by then. I hope Norton does well this time around. (And Triumph)

[441rider]

@gm16v149

Most magazine reviews are fluff and window dressing with a motive. Where is all the show rooms of Regal BSA's? all dog and pony investment scamming so some can continue to live never riding everyday but being driven around. This is a Dreer Norton, without the passion and a Buell flyscreen. Buell did well eh? LOL!

[modernblacksmith]

that's a beautiful bike (I love old twins) but if this is nortons "new" bike with an air-cooled engine. well, they obviously still don't get it. if you're coming out with a new machine today and it has 1970's technology it's just a half-assed attempt. the engineering and manufacturing tools are there to create a more modern machine, there is no excuse for 40 year old technology. in a bike built in this century. but it is a beautiful bike, I would own one. it's just sad to be air cooled....

[577lightnitro]

Can we get them in the US?  I love it! Just what I like.

[kawasakifreak77]

No kick starter?

[7mJoe]

I really like this!

[BIKERMETOO]

Looks good... but as someone else said....why not use a modern rotary engine ...smooth , more power ?

[hulk182003]

@BIKERMETOO

Obviously you have never owned any classic bikes. Just ride an old twin and you'll see. Words cant describe. You wouldnt understand.

[juicerock718]

One word for norton: EXPENSIVE. I'm interested but for that price I'll be buying the Triumph Thruxton.

[volumex2000]

i don't want one, tyvm

[plasticpunch]

is sooo beutifull bike

[johnnymossville]

really like this bike. I could live with that for a long time. :)

[Del350K4]

Those gold bits on the forks would look a great deal better painted black, or silver, in my view.

[dogtownsurf]

Beautiful bike. Give yourself a budget of $9K or so & you could buy and trick out a used Triumph Thruxton that will smoke this thing in terms of performance, reliability, parts availability... ...but it still won't be a Norton. Damn.

[mrgixxer100]

wheres the rotary? why not put it on the market

[apricotslul]

i sat on the only one in north america

[dodgee12]

A great looking/sounding bike in the parallel twin mode. Just hope they have something more modern in the pipeline (and I don't mean the uprated rotary either).

[spookslukes]

i want one



[cfodk]

Its a beauty but rather underpowered. And overpriced.

[McGurk74]

I have drooled all down my t-shirt. They'd have to pry me off that with a crow bar. Have to catch me first.

[gm16v149]

Well, I bought a 3 year old Norton 650SS for 150 pounds in London back in 1967. I bet this is going to cost a lot more than that. Beautiful looking bike and great to see a new Norton again.....who would have believed it.

BTW, Norton have put out a DVD which you can download from their site.

[77notout]

I was the proud owner, for 20 years, of a Norton Commando mk2 850 finished in Manx Silver like this one, but I suspect that there the similarity ends! I've already started saving for one of the new 961 Sport models and I can't wait to place my order. So, all you Norton fans out there give Chris Walker at Donington a call and let's see more of these fabulous machines out on the road!

[VooDooXII]

I love this bike so much. Parting with $20,000 is pretty painful though. I guess I'll have to get a Triumph Thruxton for now.

[TheKingKrawczyk]

again shouldn't be worth $20,000. Looks like a bonneville with a few aftermarket parts.

[lateboy4]

semi slicks on a damp track !

[lowgonn]

if that was v twin it would sound almost like a harley..

[swollower]

Please Sir, can I have one ?

[hellcat54]

fantastic bike

[rawls3183]

Wow nice bike

[mintkendishin]

fuck I want this bike so bad i couldnt even get through the whole video

[0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0100]

brilliant to see the future of a legend of motorcycles revive and advance .great lines and hardware ,would love to see it run with the Britten mc ,the sound would be a chorus to savor. go the twins.

[balbahut0g]

me like



[sxazzy]

pretty!

[dedmonky]

lovely, but it should shift on the right (proper 1up...5down)

[StuartH95]

for some reason it looks a bit uncomfortable

[HotelBushranger]

Would rather the flashy Ohlin parts were optionable to help keep the price down, don't like the gold anyway.

[gmanalready]

corked up whistley sound ICKY :P

[roadracerx]

Nice lookin bike, perfomance questionable, ground clearence could be a problem if your tryin to crank it over with the mufflers sitting low

[GuitarMasterGraeme]

that looks like a mini moto with him on it

[bagbag1978]

I need to visit the toilet and clean up some mess..

[GuitarMasterGraeme]

hehe

[ArmedBrit]

sexy do want.

[TheBeez500]

Lousy sound quality of the video doesn't help. Real nice looking bike though, how long before someone shoves a Triumph engine in it though?

[txfirehawk]

Sounds like a mix between rod knock, pre ignition spark AND a valve tapping..

Crap. Update the engine...

[benindavisca]

@txfirehawk  The sound quality of this video is the problem.. NOT the engine

[ColinBurnside]

I loved this My wife,s brother had a Norton Comando back in the 60s . Courtyard Motorcycles Ballygowan loved it lads

[babaluboo123]

Doesn't sound like the Norton of old...to bad.

[turboturtle22]

hella slow

[Metalmiltia]

I want this bike. I've got a GSXR750 which could eat the Norton alive, but I've always liked the look of Triton cafe racers from back in the day. This is the perfect bike for me. Trouble is getting the idea past my girlfriend, who would probably object to another motorcycle coming into the house!

[wasjunk]

is it a twin? do u have EYES?

[barneymcnathan]

@wasjunk

what do you mean...???

yes it is a twin!!!!

[wasjunk]

@wasjunk do i have eyes,well do i?

thats a twin....i see two pipes

i hear a twin when its reved

i know not why i said that

thnx for your kindness

[rsx123]

is it a twin?

[BIZNAILEY]

@rsx123 yes, but not a v twin

[biz360]

its a lovely machine for those that like that slyle of bike. personally, i'd love norton to build something routed in the modern era, rather than in the past. restart the nemesis project!

[koziu79]

Nice bike!!

[motorhome52]

This has got to be an old gits wet dream from an original triton owner back in the 60's. I LOVE IT

[gurney85]

Ahh..now theres a proppa motorbike.

All knees and elbows eh? I'm a tad taller than this pilot but I will still be happy to get one...

[upforlastnameleft]

Gorgeous...

[nawitus]

So cool.

[ghostdude0510]

that thing is tiny

[HotelBushranger]

@ghostdude0510

Sat on one on the weekend, I'm 5'11 and it fit perfectly, Phil's just a tall bastard. Very comfortable, very ergonomic, it's on my wish list for sure :)

[Atheistprimate]

Do want!

[Viriatus]

gorgeous bike, amazing sound engine. But is it reliable like japonese bikes?

[ayengomez]

Gorgeous...

[justinteixeiravaz]

I don't see any ads - I'm running Firefox with the Adblock addon, maybe that's why. Anyway, nice bike, funny video of the dude all tucked in doing about 15mph haha. I heard the standard Commando was 12k stirling or something stupidly expensive like that. How much is this bike?

[XPoChangLinX]

GOD.. i so wish i could import one!! too bad it probably won't pass emissions regulation :( stupid emission standards

[manenkoff]

@XPoChangLinX - European emission standards are actually a lot higher then US emission standards. If Norton thinks they can market it here and make it worth it then they might do it.

[benindavisca]

@XPoChangLinX They are available in the US! just look up Nortonmotorcycles on g00gle .. more dealers will be comming soon Im sure

[seroyer2]

Classic British bike, Love it.

[arghPeteyPirate]

fuck these ad's 1 star.

[seroyer2]

thats google doing not MCN's

[ThirdReighn]

just so you know: MCN has nothing to do with these ads, its youtube sneaking them in so they can keep the site up and running for free use. just refresh the page if you want to skip the ad.

[zsolti256]

Download mozilla firefox, and install the Adblock Plus add-on!! You will not see another ad on youtube again, also it works on every site!

[GlitcherTom]

What browser are you using?

[sikkky789]

Its a gr8 bike i fink all motorcycles manufacutries should try and make old bikes that were a hit and start reproducting them a again.

[lamilumag]

your video guy has a good feeling for placing the music - it's there - but not distracting and still leaving place for the motor sounds :)

[supervetteC6]

I anint much for the smaller bike brands but this is one awesome cafe rider. Its just simple and with the brembo brakes and carbon fiber it just looks awesome

[VadersDarkside]

Hmmmmm, bike porn! How tall is Phil West? I`m a bit of a lanky git so don`t think I could get away with it, that and the asking price :(

[motorcyclenewsdotcom]

Phil is 6'3". Glad you liked the video

[wpepie]

love caferacer's like norton, triton, BSA

[urnzwayzmoove]

Very Nice!

[EliteWarfare]

i want one

[GlitcherTom]

At least donington park is still being used for something.

[motomvk]

mm id love to ride one of those :D

[reconjdm]

wow that looks really good.

[Viperlin]

Just to update: the full price was £15,995

however that was a special edition model, not mass-produced and according to MCN's website, they have all sold-out

lets hope the standard 961 is more affordable for us normal people :)

[ducati135]

He sure is a "lucky bunny."

[EJ25RUN]

Make a new F1 rotary please.

[powersliding]

seems like they changed the crank degree, 270 maybe

[MarcS4R]

oh its a f*cking beauty...this is how a real motorcycle is supposed to look like in my eyes.

the only thing that would worry me is how low the pipes are set. i would probably be dragging parts and pegs on a racetrack...

[bfmv580]

Sounds great!

[powersliding]

15k for a push-rod twin, hard

[djentangle]

it is sweet, but if viperlin is right about the 15k price tag.. don't know if that's dollars or lbs, but either way it seems alot for it... my friend has an 06 ducati sport 1000 in yellow with zard pipes and that thing imo is better for a $6000 used price tag which is totally affordable... only thing it's missing is the olins front and rears............

[WarInTheTrench]

It really is a beautiful bike but 15K? Think I'll wait a few years and wait for someone to get bored with theirs and pick one up for 10. Maybe even cheaper.... great looking motorcycle though.

[thelakesescape]

Worth every penny because it'll hold its value whilst a similarly priced bike will be worth a fraction of the Norton in the future.

[Viperlin]

as beautiful as that is, it's not worth 15k :(

sounds great though :D

[foxholeathiest]

I would step over my girlfriend's dead body for a go at one of these

[IdidURmom2]

nice bike and it sounds great!

[saxracing]

Nice bike.

[Vixeres]

Nice review, but I like Michael Neeves better for video reviews from MCN :p, he's the man selling all the goods.

[DeeSwizzle]

Great looking bike and it has to be a blast to ride. Has retro styling with the classic Norton look, and I bet it goes like mad.

[princze89]

is this bike good for tall people?

Im 6 feet tall.

[PrinceAvison]

i want to say no... but it looks really nice!

[motorcyclenewsdotcom]

@princze89 well Phil (the road tester in the video) is at least 6 foot 3" and as you can see he doesn't look too cramped...

[UKSossige]

Fantastic review, so much better than other MCN reviews.

You can understand what this presenter is saying, hear what he's saying and what he has to say is interesting. Top marks!

[bulleteer1070]

Totally love the looks of that bike.

[StopptTH]

i like this oldschool style

[karlosdajackal]

I can see me on one of those in the future!

[themorganator]

lovely bike!

[Gizmorun]

can it be restricted? if it can then its my next bike!

[Buttmunch5000]

that a lovely bike, there is nothing in the world like british bikes, i want one of them in my living room !

[kool165]

Looks sweet. Sure want one for Sunday rides.