While the sales of mass-made superbikes are lagging far behind their heyday numbers there’s a clear market for high-priced exotics and that’s just what the new Norton V4 will be when it appears later this year.
The company has released this design drawing of the new 1200cc V4-powered superbike that it will unveil at Motorcycle Live in Birmingham, England, in November. It’s designed to mimic the style of the Aprilia-engined racer that it’s used at the Isle of Man TT for the last few years but the road bike has a pure Norton engine. Developed with the help of engineering firm Ricardo, it’s a DOHC, 16-valve V4 that promises to make at least 200bhp.
The 1200cc capacity is a result of the firm’s decision not to race the bike. As a pure road-going model, it’s under no capacity constraints. As such, the Norton V4 should easily reach 200bhp while meeting emissions limits and providing around 20% more torque than a 1000cc four-cylinder superbike can muster.
The engine is believed to be a modular design, rather like the Aprilia engine used in Norton’s race bike. As such, the cylinder heads for both banks are expected to be identical, and like the Aprilia engine, it will be narrower than the 90-degree V usually chosen for V4 motors. Where the Aprilia uses a 65 degree V-angle, the Norton will be a 72-degree V.
Norton also plans to use the same cylinder head on a 650cc parallel twin engine that will eventually power a host of new models.
Initially, Norton will offer the superbike as a limited-edition machine, costing around £40,000 (€46,000/$51,000). Later, a cheaper version is planned, but it will still be twice as expensive as a Japanese 1000cc superbike. The frame is an aluminium design, similar to the IoM racer’s, with billet aluminium front and rear sections and tubular rails between them. A single-sided swingarm adds to the exotic feel, and the bodywork is largely carbon fibre. It will be finished either in lacquer over the bare carbon or with a chrome-effect paint job like the race bike.
