26/08/2026
Today, I road tested this..
Ok, firstly....I messed up by going on my old 1098, as I rode a very torquey, analogue v-twin from Derby to Notts. So by comparison, the Norton felt quite flat. Its not a dig at the Norton by any stretch, I just rode in on a sledge hammer, before jumping on a modern digital power tool, complete with safety features.
First reaction from getting on, she ain't light. Add to that with quite a wide waistline and wide (for class) seat, it almost gives it a retro sports bike "big bones" feel.
The bike was instantly easy to ride, switch gear was intuitive, with things such as indicators falling naturally to hand.
Clutch lever MUCH MUCH lighter than that of the V4ss. Finding neutral was much like the V4ss though ie the best approach was to snick it into neutral just before coming to a full stop, rather than frustratingly bouncing between 1st and 2nd, only to find neutral just as the lights change to green.
It was raining on part of the predetermined (& escorted) test route, but I didnt get on with Rain Mode, so switched it to Sport with wheelie control off, which felt much better to me (again, a draw back of riding to the event on the big old Italian stallion)....feeling more alive rather than riding a drug sedated beast
Overall, I enjoyed the ride....with literally my only gripe being the mirrors flapping around a bit over the poor condition roads of Nottingham....that gripe was so small, that I felt pretty embarrassed to even mention it when asked if I had any negatives. Its real world traffic manners were very good, and on the roll the weight wasn't anywhere near as noticeable. The engine kicks out a chunk of heat, noticeably on the back of my left thigh, which at one point did start to get more than just a little uncomfortable. Ambient temps were in the low to mid 20's, so I can only imagine how toasty you'd be in proper summer heat, and traffic.
Would I own one, based on just that short ride alone is difficult to entirely committ, but initial impressions lead to a yes I would, if I was in the market for such a bike.
It felt like an evolution of the V4ss, not the next generation, but more like the Manx was the grand child to the V4ss, but its dna is definitely felt.
I'd certainly welcome a proper road test, over a day or two....but I suspect Norton Motorcycles save that for the youtubers and bloggers of the world. But as a taster, today's ride was still pleasant....albeit not as special as my first ride (of many) on a V4ss, but at that time I worked for Norton, and wasn't escorted/nannied.
Exhaust is as to be expected, very muted....but the induction noise is very prominent, with its deep bellow when loaded up sounding like a Ducati 916/748.
I've not watched or read a single test ride report, so nothing influenced what I found.
I did record the whole event via my helmet camera, which I'll go through and post 👍🏻
Loved getting out for a brief run on the 1098 though....light (30kg lighter), angry and a "little twitchy" 😄 Ducati absolutely nailed that bike upon release nearly two decades ago.
