Norton Trademarks Six New Motorcycles

TVS acquired a major stake in Norton a while ago, saving it from bankruptcy

• As of now, only the names of the bikes have been revealed. 
• Expect more clarity on the new range by mid- to late-2021.
• Norton’s website currently doesn’t showcase the Commando and Dominator.

British bike maker Norton Motorcycles had been facing financial turmoil and was on the verge of filing for bankruptcy in April 2020. Luckily , TVS Motors stepped in and acquired a major stake in the company, thus saving it from insolvency. The team-up has now led to new developments in the form of six trademarks for future motorcycles: Electra, Fastback, Navigator, Nomad, Ranger and Combat. 

We already know that Norton has set aside the names Nomad and Ranger for two distinct variants of the 650cc Atlas adventure motorcycle slated for a global release in 2021. As for the other four, they were part of Norton’s lineup at some point in the past, which gives us some idea of where Norton's heading. The Navigator, for instance, was a 350cc bike manufactured in the early 1960s. The Electra was a bored-out version of the same bike. The Fastback was a sporty Mk 1 Commando introduced a little later in 1967. Norton then followed this up with the Mk 4 Commando, a bike that was powered by a high-performance motor, named Combat, with power outputs around 66PS in 1972.

These new bikes are likely to populate Norton’s neo-retro lineup. If the brand's website is anything to go by, we believe the old 961cc range consisting of the Commando and Dominator have been scrapped. You see, the previous ownership under Stuart Gardner sold off the engine plans, toolings and rights to China’s Jinlang. Essentially, TVS would have to pay Jinlang a huge sum of money to obtain production rights for the 961 range, which makes no financial sense. This forces Norton and TVS to shift its focus to the new parallel-twin engine platform, which could take a couple of years to develop.

Nevertheless, these new developments surely point the duo in the right direction and could bring back the British bike maker to its former glory.