Norton Motorcycles has been through quite an interesting time in the past couple of years. From UK motorcycling's golden child to seeming financial ruin, the Norton brand looked set to be set for the bin before Indian giant TVS Motors snapped it up.
It wasn't long after TVS took ownership and did a stock take that serious problems were found with Norton's premium V4 offering and the model was pulled for a full overhaul. Now we've been treated to our first glimpse of the reborn Norton V4SV.
According to Norton, the re-engineered V4SV has reached the last engineering improvement phase, after benefitting from significant investment and testing during the last 12 months to deliver a quality luxury product befitting the Norton name.
Each component has been repackaged and revised, with the in-house developed engine getting a thorough going over in particular. The new Norton 1200cc V4 sits elegantly in its handcrafted aluminium tubed frame and is said to deliver a thoroughbred 185bhp.
With fully adjustable Ohlins front forks and a bespoke Norton Ohlins TTXGP adjustable rear shock, the V4SV definitely has the goods of an Isle of Man TT-inspired performance machine.
While the V4SV motorcycle is the first model to be shown since the brand was bought out of administration by TVS Motors, the company has yet to give a timeline on when we can expect to see the Norton V4 (or the rest of the Norton range) back in showrooms.
According to Norton's website, the entire range is getting "fine-tuning" to bring them up to the expectation of the motorcycling public.
"Guided by a design-led philosophy and quality assurance programme, we’re fine-tuning our range, finalising our long term product plan, and securing an indomitable future for Norton. We’re working on the legend reimagined."
So far, the legend reimagined is looking pretty good.