Production of the Norton Atlas 650 was supposed to kick-start later this year, but the company has now announced that the 650 cc model will now be postponed. carandbike has learnt that Norton Motorcycles, which is owned by India's TVS Motor Company, has yet to decide on a new production timeline for the 650 cc Atlas. In fact, late last year, Norton had even invited "expressions of interest" from prospective customers for the Atlas range of scramblers. But now, according to the latest update, production has been postponed yet again.
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Last year, Norton Motorcycles invited prospective customers to register their interest on the company's official website
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"Whilst we are eager to begin production of the Atlas as soon as possible, precision and craftsmanship simply cannot be rushed. We had originally aimed to begin production later this year, but this will no longer be possible. We are still defining the new timeline, taking into account the work that needs to be done. As soon as we are ready, we will provide you with an update," a statement from Norton Motorcycles said.
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The Norton Atlas Nomad and the Norton Atlas Ranger share the same 650 cc parallel-twin engine
The Norton Atlas 650 was to be introduced with two models, the Atlas Nomad and Atlas Ranger. Both bikes share a common engine and chassis, with different trim and equipment. The basic engine is a 650 cc parallel-twin with a 270-degree firing interval which puts out 84 bhp at 11,000 rpm with peak torque of 64 Nm.
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The Norton Atlas Ranger will get more suspension travel, and seat height
In fact, China's Zongshen will probably beat Norton to launch the first model based on the same engine. Norton's 'design and licence' agreement with the Chinese firm allows Zongshen to produce and use the same engine in its motorcycles, and the Zongshen Cyclone RX6 with the Norton 650 engine has already been revealed and is likely to go into production soon.
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Both the Norton Atlas Nomad and the Ranger will share the same 650 cc engine
British brand Norton Motorcycles may have got fresh investment and new direction under TVS Motor Company's ownership, and Norton is slowly and certainly pushing forward with its product strategy. But first the new management of Norton Motorcycle Company Limited (NMCL) is looking to re-establish the brand, which was saved from the brink of disaster by TVS, when it acquired Norton in 2020.
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The new Norton headquarters will be home to design, engineering, purchasing, sales, marketing, and support teams
A new senior management team has been recently appointed to spearhead the historic motorcycle brand's transformation, and Norton has also moved to new headquarters, with a state-of-the-art design, R&D and production facility.
