A few days ago, Norton Motorcycles, through its new CEO Robert Henschel, announced that it could not handle V4SS repairs, however, urging owners not to use Gen 4 V1 SSs because of the 35 defects that have been identified, 20 of them are what the brand considers critical items. However, an owner of one of these models, Shaun Taylor, who introduces himself as a member of the recently formed Norton V4SS Generation One Owners club, raises some points that could be described as regrettable.
Indeed, he notes that around 50% of the defects of the V4 SS Generation 1 concern the engine and the gearbox. This same engine and gearbox will be used on the Generation 4 V2SS which will enter production in approximately 6 months.
He also recalls that the design of the V4SS engine was entrusted to Ricardo Motorcycles. Interestingly, between 2013 and 2017, the Global Head of Motorcycles within Ricardo was none other than Dr. Robert Hentschel, now CEO of Norton Motorcycles.
Also, Robert Hentschel joins Norton with in-depth knowledge of the First Generation V4 SS. It therefore has an obvious link dating back to the era of Stuart Garner, former boss of Norton, and Simon Skinner, head of design at Norton, when Ricardo Motorcycles designed the engine.
In his open letter to the CEO of Norton Motorcycles, which was also sent to us, Shaun Taylor questions the CEO of Norton Motorcycles about the possibility of reviewing his position, given the elements cited which, according to the author, would lead to a collective loss of £2,4 million.
We'll see if this has any effect...
Here is the letter he wrote to Robert Henschel, which, as he points out, has remained unanswered to this day.
“You will recall the statements made by Norton Motorcycles that you are in contact with the owners [Editor's note: to resolve the problems]. As an owner, I can assure you that this is about as far from the truth as it can be.
Our defect analysis indicates that about half are related to the same engine and gearbox they will use in the second generation V4 SS. We sought out Norton Motorcycles to explain why the faults fixed in the second generation cannot be fixed on the first generation motorcycles. Robert and his team are once again silent on this subject!
As for issues other than the engine and gearbox, We have clear concerns with the swingarm and frame, but again, they need to be addressed on the second generation motorcycles. And we believe that once Norton fixes these issues, fixes for the other issues should be easily made.
Norton Motorcycles is now part of a global automotive company with substantial resources; they are now free from the constraints of the old company. Therefore, with the wealth of research and development and associated engineering capabilities at their disposal, the claim that they can't take over the faults of gen 1 motorcycles is absurd.
I would say that not only they are capable of fixing the gen 1 issues, but they most likely addressed each one on a testing prototype. This assumption is not unreasonable: they would like to make sure they understand the flaws of the Generation 1 model and verify the fixes to extend to pre-production Generation 2 vehicles. Perhaps we will suddenly see the V4 SS developed by Simon Skinner [Editor's note: the head of Design and creator of the V4 SS] banned from driving on the road despite this engineering effort, which would be a cruel turn of events for each owner deprived of this use of their own V4 SS.
If this is true, refusal to address generation 1 issues is financially motivated. Let's not forget that TVS Norton didn't just seek to pass on the financial loss to owners of £2,4 million while saying they would offer owners the chance to buy a Gen 2 model with an offer special. Accounting for inflation, a motorbike that was worth £44 in 000 would now cost £2016. With a 50% discount, this means owners can expect to pay around £000 for a second-generation motorcycle, including the promotional offer.
At first glance, this may seem like a generous offer from TVS Norton. However, it is far from it: in one move, Norton avoids £2,4 million in liabilities while generating £2 million in revenue against a model that has a significant number of unsold units to date.
From the owners' point of view, it appears that TVS Norton is simply looking to find the most cost effective and commercially beneficial solution without considering the implications for owners.
In closing, I want to leave you with a question. Let's assume that a company as sophisticated as TVS Norton can't fix the kinks of Gen 1 and get these motorcycles back on the road. Will people have the necessary confidence to invest around £50 in a second generation Superbike of which the entire first generation was withdrawn from the road with uncorrectable defects?
I will not answer this question. In fact, I would say that if we want to restore people's confidence in the brand, we need to put the first generation V4 SS back on the road.
We are currently working with a specialist company to determine if all defects are present on each V4 SS and obtain expert witness statements to determine if the Generation 1 motorcycles left the factory in a dangerously defective condition. By its nature, a motorcycle is inherently dangerous, but Stuart Garner [editor's note: former boss of Norton] and Simon Skinner created motorcycles that increased the risk to a point far beyond what could reasonably be expected. of a motorcycle manufacturer. Norton's owners have asked BDO to investigate this [Editor's note: BDO is the firm that handled Norton's recovery], but so far they appear not to have done so, and again, they also ignore requests for clarification from owners.
The other owners and I remain open to the idea of working with TVS Norton and would welcome the opportunity to discuss our story with the media.
Sincerely,
Shaun Taylor »
The owners of these beautiful English cars will have to be patient, hoping for their sake that they win their case and that their machines are repaired!
