Quote: Yep Chad. Sorry to say, but that dude wasn't talkin' outta school at all.
There have been a number of delays involved with getting the new Nortons out in the marketplace, and which where originally slated to become available for purchase over two years ago now. Some of these delays were caused by general R&D problems with the bike and some have been caused by their delays in passing EPA guidelines.
Over two years ago I was at South Bay Triumph In SoCal when Stuart Garner, the new owner of Norton Motorcycles, happened to be there. We talked for about half hour about his purchasing of what remained of Kenny Dreer's bankrupt attempt at reviving and modernizing the Norton brand, and he also told me a bit of his business plan for his venture. At that time he had hoped to have the bikes available for purchase by April of 2010, and even in California where C.A.R.B. emission standards are the strictest in the nation.
However, as that guy told you, here we are about a year and a half after that date, and still as far as I know, there aren't any new Nortons on American roads.
(...and from what I hear, there's very few even on English roads)
Don't seem like a very effective business model.
There are not many bikes out there that I don't find interesting. I guess the modern jap cruisers seem like rice flavored yogurt, so they don't do anything for me. Although I like older Jap bikes like the ones from the 70s. That being said nearly all other bikes have some character that turns me on about it.
I have no faith in human perfectability. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active - not more happy - nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago.
Edgar Allan Poe
