Norton goes into administration.

[Smokin Joe]

View attachment 502959

Norton's problems have nothing to do with whether we are in or out of the EU. They are entirely self inflicted.

 

[Archie_tect]

In 1977 a friend bought a new Norton Bonneville Silver Jubilee... it rusted faster than a WW2 sea mine.

 

[Smudge]

In 1977 a friend bought a new Norton Bonneville Silver Jubilee... it rusted faster than a WW2 sea mine.

That would be a Triumph Bonnie, not a Norton.
That time was also the dying days of of the original Triumph company.

 

[Drago]

I remember those, red, silver and blue.

 

[Archie_tect]

That would be a Triumph Bonnie, not a Norton.
That time was also the dying days of of the original Triumph company.

Ah, you're right Smudge- thought it didn't look right when I typed it!! It was 43 years ago!

 

[Smokin Joe]

If only British bikes had performed as good as they looked...

Mind you, Harley Davidson have managed to do well from selling overpriced shyte.

 

[Pale Rider]

View attachment 502959

The trawl for specious anti-Brexit stories continues.

 

[MarkF]

I read somewhere that Royal Enfield had increased UK sales profits by 112% in the last year. Mostly by Interceptor sales, there is an RE dealer near me, with a Triumph dealer 200 yards away. The Interceptor at about £5k makes the cheapest, bottom of the range Bonneveille at £8k+ look ridiculous and a tad ugly too. The Norton range was dafter, maybe their customer base had just died? When the new 300 comes out RE, with real heritage, will come out winners worldwide.

 

[raleighnut]

I read somewhere that Royal Enfield had increased UK sales profits by 112% in the last year. Mostly by Interceptor sales, there is an RE dealer near me, with a Triumph dealer 200 yards away. The Interceptor at about £5k makes the cheapest, bottom of the range Bonneveille at £8k+ look ridiculous and a tad ugly too. The Norton range was dafter, maybe their customer base had just died? When the new 300 comes out RE, with real heritage, will come out winners worldwide.

View attachment 503221

I think Norton were aiming a bit higher than Enfield India,

View: https://youtu.be/aGqHo2WPjN0

 

[Smokin Joe]

I think Norton were aiming a bit higher than Enfield India,

They were, but they missed.

 

[MarkF]

They were, but they missed.

Unsurprisingly, it was a tiny target.

HD & Triumph will be next to suffer, once they started to outsource manufacturing/assembly then their USP diminished and the prices become harder to justify, the Interceptor has shaken up the market for middle aged riders like myself.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Unsurprisingly, it was a tiny target.

HD & Triumph will be next to suffer, once they started to outsource manufacturing/assembly then their USP diminished and the prices become harder to justify, the Interceptor has shaken up the market for middle aged riders like myself.

I agree with Triumph but not HD, well not in the US which is their biggest market, the protectionism & patriotism will keep them alive.

 

[Smudge]

HD would have gone tits up back in the noughties, had they not had a massive financial bailout by the American government.

 

[Smokin Joe]

HD would have gone tits up back in the noughties, had they not had a massive financial bailout by the American government.

Ironically it is the very people HD hated and didn't want associated with their bikes who gave the brand it's worldwide status, and that was the Hells Angels. It turned the machines into cult classics.

 

[Smudge]

Ironically it is the very people HD hated and didn't want associated with their bikes who gave the brand it's worldwide status, and that was the Hells Angels. It turned the machines into cult classics.

The trouble now though, is that their customer base is getting too old & dying. HD have introduced models of 500 & 750cc to appeal to younger buyers. But it isn't working very well.
There will always be fans of HD, but i think the glory days of that brand are diminishing every year.

About the HA, i read Sonny Barger's book some years back. Originally the HA used Triumphs, then switched to HD. In SB's opinion in the book, they should have stayed with Triumph, but ended up being stuck with HD.