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I talked with Stuart Garner shortly after he purchased Oregonian Kenny Dreer's bankrupted attempt at building a modern Norton motorcycle. This would be around 2008 or so.

This was at the then South Bay Triumph dealership in the Los Angeles area (also no longer in business), and when he was there negotiating with the owner of the place to have him also sell his "soon to come"(which took well over five more years TO come) new modern Nortons.

I asked Garner how he could possibly make a success of this venture after Dreer lost HIS shirt trying to and reminded him that unless he (Garner) had really really REALLY deep pockets and such as has his fellow countryman John Bloor of Triumph's successful revival, I didn't see how he would or could possibly end up achieving a better outcome than Dreer's. And also at the same time was brazen enough to ask where and how he makes his money and enough so in order to have these deep pockets and make this thing a success.

Garner assured me that his income from his fireworks enterprise would be enough. I remember then replying to him that I was very surprised to learn that that sort of business is as profitable as he said it was and as big a financial enterprise enough to support this marque's revival, but he once again assured me it was.

Moral of the story: Always keep a healthy sense of suspicion about everything that's said to you.

(..and as I did the day I met Stuart Garner)



I think you hit the nail on the head early and spot on. But, I wonder if Garner took a hit on Norton. I think maybe suppliers, pre-orders and smaller investors took the hit along with the government. Thinking maybe Garner himself kept his kinda open, kinda not getting paid to appear to be a business.

I keep wondering where he hid the money. I think he may have succeeded in exactly what he set out to do. Make money on a dead marque then leave it for dead.



Maybe so Ron, but somehow and even though I didn't buy in the least his idea that the profits from his fireworks enterprise would be sufficient to make his newly acquired Norton venture a long-term success, I did come away from that conversation thinking he had reasonably honest and sincere intentions about the whole thing, anyway.

(...ya know, sometimes those guys who DO have those "deep pockets" can ALSO at the same time possess way too much ego and an unclear grasp of reality, don't ya?!)

Yep! Just like a good Single Malt Scotch, you might call me "an acquired taste" TOO.(among the many OTHER things you may care to call me, of course)