Images have emerged of the new 1200cc V4 that Norton hopes will challenge Ducati in the premium superbike sector next year.
As revealed to Bike Social last year, the new model will be powered by an all-new V4 engine that is being developed in conjunction with Sussex-based Ricardo Engineering. The ultra-compact 72 degree V4 should see the iconic British marque join the illustrious‘200bhp club’ as they gun for the high-end superbike sector that's currently ruled by Ducati's 1299 Panigale.
The drawings of the as yet unnamed superbike, which we expect to be shown for the first time at November's Motorcycle Live, have been posted to Norton's website as they start marketing the new machine. They reveal a radical yet elegant machine presented in the chrome finish of Norton's SG5 TT racer. There's a hint of Triumph's T595 and Daytona 675 in some of the styling cues, notably the shape of the tank, nose cone and the frame design, but beyond that the in-house design owes little to anything else currently in the market.
Having said that....the current bikes are much better than I thought they'd be finish-wise, although they handle like you'd expect of any Bronze Age design...they're cumbersome & uninspiring. Remind me of my ex.
