It's been a long time coming, but if you're one of the Norton fans who's patiently been waiting for one of the most storied brands in British motorcycle history to get itself together, your patience is about to be rewarded. There've been many positive signs over the past year or so, ever since Indian automotive giant TVS officially stepped in and righted the good ship Norton.
From a shiny new factory in Solihull and subsequent influxes of cash, to Norton (and TVS) inviting a tranche of motorcycle media (including us) to its Indian HQ for a close-up look at production, it's been clear more now than ever that Norton is working hard to get back in everyone's good graces. Heck, you can even see another not-so-subtle break with the past, in the form of the new and distinctly more modern Norton logo design.
Although it pays homage to its own storied past, it's clear that this isn't your grandfather's Norton. And it doesn't want to be, either; just ask our own Robbie Bacon, who's currently prowling the show floor at EICMA to bring RideApart readers all the juiciest stories from the most important motorcycle show in the world.
To kick off the proceedings, Norton showed off four brand-new bikes: the Atlas, Atlas GT, Manx, and Manx R. Lest you think they're just some rebadged TVS machines, you'd be mistaken. These are distinctly bigger and badder, and the Manx lineup is "positively dripping in carbon fiber," to quote Robbie directly.
Now, since it's EICMA, there's not really been any information yet about pricing for any of these, but we can imagine the Manx and especially the Manx R will likely not come cheap. The Atlas and Atlas GT look to bring a touch of space-age modernity to the Adventure category with their design, which is kind of nice to see. Adventure bikes are typically angular and pointy, and I kind of appreciate that these wouldn't look out of place on the surface of the moon (you know, assuming we had little issues like appropriate atmosphere for running both humans and motorbikes figured out).
In any case, be sure to check out Robbie's introduction to the new Norton lineup, and drop any questions you might have for him about these bikes here so he can get you up to speed.
