Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Posted on by admin

Menus

Driving report: Norton 961 SE
MCN

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

8th photos

Driving report: Norton 961 SE
Norton

1/8
Norton Commando 961 SE

Driving report: Norton 961 SE
Norton

2/8
Norton Commando 961: The Cafe Racer (13,495 pounds) features a sports exhaust.

Driving report: Norton 961 SE
Norton

3/8
Norton Commando 961 Sport

Driving report: Norton 961 SE
Norton

4/8
Norton Commando: The basic version 961 Sport, which costs 11,995 British pounds (13,300 euros), has spoked wheels and Ohlins suspension elements.

Driving report: Norton 961 SE
Norton

5/8
Norton Commando 961 Cafe Racer

Driving report: Norton 961 SE
Norton

6/8
The Norton Commando 961 SE, which costs 15,995 pounds (around 17,700 euros), shines with wheels and other parts made of carbon fiber.

Driving report: Norton 961 SE
Norton

7/8
The British Stuart Garner, who bought the rights to Norton Motorcycles in 2008, now has three Commando 961s on offer. What they all have in common: a parallel twin with injection and catalytic converter as well as a tubular steel frame with an integrated oil tank.

Driving report: Norton 961 SE
Norton

8/8
Norton Commando 961 SE

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

The Norton Commando 961 SE in the test

The Commando, designed by Kenny Dreer in the USA, has never been so close to actually being produced. British journalists were the first to drive a 961 with fuel injection and catalytic converter. MOTORRAD supplements your driving impressions with some information on the state of affairs.

When the British media report on Norton, the term inevitably comes up "iconic brand". An icon among motorcycle brands, that sounds a bit like worshiping saints. Even the savvy colleagues from Motorcycle News (MCN) magazine find almost devout words to describe an air-cooled two-cylinder two-valve bumper engine in a tubular steel frame. Because the engines are assembled in Great Britain, the pipes are welded there, Norton is on the tank and there was something similar in the 1960s and 70s.

With which this veneration is not to be assessed, but only to be described. After all, it generates a large part of the energy that drives the Commando project. And it fits this brand, whose reputation has always been greater than its economic importance.

Buy complete article

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Driving report: Norton 961 SE
The Norton Commando 961 SE in the test

Commando 961 is also an attractive appearance. The simple technology is matched by lines of classic simplicity. Apart from the golden shimmering Ohlins forks, the modern components fit seamlessly into the picture. But before the want-to-have reflex leads to instinct-driven ordering and transferring down payments, a few points should be pointed out here: No series Commando has yet been built and delivered, not even in Great Britain. As Norton owner Stuart Garner admitted in a MOTORRAD interview, the Commando models have not yet been homologated, and importers and dealers in Germany have not yet been found.


MCN

Here the red painted Sport, the cheapest Norton model. It differs from the SE in the wire spoke wheels.

MOTORRAD will continue to report on Norton, but the first driving report with a production motorcycle is not expected before the end of February. And now MCN tester Phil West has the floor: "Moments like this don’t come too often; I feel reminded of the first rides with the Triumph Trophy in 1991, the original Fireblade in 1992 and the Ducati 916 two years later. I like the 961 SE even when it is stationary. The stylish appearance and the quality of workmanship make your mouth watery, and the ergonomics are no less impressive. From the moment you swing your leg over the curved seat hump, everything fits. Feet and hands find their way to the rests and handles by themselves, the deeply drawn-in tank flanks make the motorcycle slim. Its weight is low and well balanced – reminiscent of the latest Ducati Monster, but unlike the Monster, the Norton looks longer and bigger. And the view ahead is great: discreet switch units, a neatly fitted Brembo brake cylinder, a butted aluminum handlebar.

Thumb on the starter button, a short buzz, and the 961 bumper parallel twin rumbled off. For a moment I doubt that it really ignited; Motad’s new two-in-two exhaust system sounds much quieter than the thunder pipes of previous prototypes. But even now the 961 sounds drier, more rugged and bassier than other twins. First gear is engaged, the clutch can be controlled normally and it goes off. We are on a test track that is around 800 meters long. It’s pretty short, but you can find out a lot in a good 40 laps, especially when I can hit the bike harder than on public roads. It is immediately noticeable how neutrally the Commando controls, with enough sportiness to spark off sparks. Easily and precisely even when changing lean angles sharply. The suspension elements and brakes work undoubtedly well.


MCN

Small thickenings in the exhaust pipes reveal the position of the cat, the conical end pieces are cult.

The engine wasn’t the best thing about the test machine; it was freshly assembled and suffered from teething problems. The mapping still needed fine tuning to fill in a torque hole at 5000 rpm. But I can forgive the commando for that. It has a lot of steam at low revs around 2000 rpm, pulls cleanly and steadily from below and through the aisles – with a bark that can be addicting. Fortunately, I had forgotten the earplugs. 80 PS, or something between a Bonneville and a Monster, is enough to have fun.

Conclusion: This test will not answer all questions or calm down all doubters, but it is an important stop on the way there. Chassis and ergonomics are great, you will still see the engine. But the Commando is already donating truck-wise driving fun and proud ownership. You can sit down with her in the garage and admire her for hours. Especially this limited, 16 kilo and expensive SE in gala uniform. It is admittedly more of a gem than a driving machine, but it is already sold out."

Norton technical data


Manufacturer

The limited SE version of the Commando is supposedly already sold out.

Engine:
Air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, an underlying camshaft, two valves per cylinder, operated via bumpers and rocker arms, dry sump lubrication, injection, five-speed gearbox, chain.
Bore x stroke 88 x 79 mm
Displacement 961 cm3
rated capacity 64.7 kW (80 PS) at 6500 rpm
Max. Torque 90 Nm at 5200 rpm

Landing gear:
Double loop tubular frame with integrated oil reservoir, upside-down fork (sport: telescopic fork), two-arm swing arm made of tubular steel, two spring struts, directly hinged, double disc brake at the front, 320 mm, disc brake at the rear, 220 mm, carbon wheels
(Cafe Racer and Sport: wire-spoke wheels).
Rims 3.50 x 17; 5.00 x 17
Tires 120 / 70-17; 180 / 55-17

Mass and weight:
Wheelbase 1420 mm, steering head angle 65.5 degrees, caster 99 mm, suspension travel f / h 115/100 mm, seat height 813 mm, weight, dry 188 kg, tank capacity 17 liters.
Price incl. VAT. & Incidental costs 15,995 pounds (Cafe Racer 13,495, Sport 11,995) in the UK

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Driving report: Norton 961 SE
8th photos

Pictures: Driving report: Norton 961 SE

To home page

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Interview with the trademark holder


Norton

Stuart Garner, 40, has held the most important rights to the Norton brand since October 2008.

 ?  Mr. Garner, the NEC show in Birmingham appears to have been a huge success for Norton. Rumor has it you have received numerous orders for the Commando 961 models. How many?
 !  The trade fair went fantastic, our stand was well attended over the entire ten days. And we received a lot more orders than expected.

 ?  How many units do you want to produce in 2010??
 !  961 to be very precise.

 ?  Has more than half of this contingent been reserved?
 !  Yes I can confirm that.

 ?  If the Commando 961 series is homologated for the EU, it has the Certificate of Conformity?
 !  The Commando was initially accepted under IVA (a kind of individual acceptance; the ed.) And is currently undergoing Euro 3 homologation. We expect this to be completed in the next few weeks, maybe months.

 ?  Which countries do you want to export the motorcycles to??
 !  We have already found an importer for the USA and Canada; France, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Germany will follow in the coming months.

 ?  When the commandos come to Germany, what will they cost??
 !  The motorcycles should be available in Germany by the middle of the year. As soon as an importer is found, he will quote the price. In principle, the price will be at the level of the pound sterling prices, converted into euros.

 ?  If I were in Donington now to tour the Norton factory, what would I see on the production line?
 !  At the moment we are pre-assembling various assemblies on our workbenches, parts are being manufactured on the CNC machines and our warehouses are filling up with supplier parts. Delivery to local customers will begin in one to two weeks.

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Driving report: Norton 961 SE
8th photos

Pictures: Driving report: Norton 961 SE

To home page

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Driving report: Norton 961 SE

Norton

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *