Norton has finally released details on its exquisite V4 RR superbike. The gorgeous polished tube frame houses a 1200cc, 200-plus horsepower V4 motor with all the latest electronics, and along with many special touches there's carbon everywhere from the fairings to the fuel tank and the rims.
Historic brand Norton continues its revival with the release of its new V4 RR – a bespoke superbike dripping in carbon fiber and built around an all-new Norton V4 engine.
The v-angle of the 1200cc motor is 72 degrees, and despite this fact an an extra 200cc in displacement, Norton's engineers have managed to keep it to the size of Aprilia's 1,000cc donk in profile. Chain-driven cams keep it vertically compact, while titanium inlet valves reduce weight to perform better at high revs. It's fully fly-by-wire, enabling Euro IV compliance, multi-mode throttle mappings, and an interface with a six-axis Bosch IMU that delivers traction control, wheelie control, launch control, cruise control and a full loss of bowel control to the unprepared.
Power is specified at 200-plus horsepower and a meaty 95 ft-lbs of torque (149 kW, 129 Nm). With a dry weight of just 179 kg (395 lbs) it'll go just fine.
The frame is a beauty, a polished aluminum twin-tube shotgun special with lines that will spark a memory in anyone familiar with Spondon's custom frame work for streetfighters and sportsbikes – Norton owns the Derby-based company now.
The chassis features an adjustable swingarm pivot and steering rake angle, allowing super-finicky race pilots to make minute chassis dynamics adjustments as well as playing with the clickers on top-shelf Ohlins NIX30 forks and a bespoke TTXGP shock.
Norton's selling this thing for UK£28,000 – that's US$34,795 – and it wants every moment you spend with it to remind you what a premium experience you're getting. As such, there's fancy touches littered about the place.
There's no mirrors; you won't need them with a rear facing camera feeding through to your full-color 7-inch HD electronic dash. The triple clamps are machined billet, a highly technical design that frankly looks as hot as what you'd find on a lot of custom showbikes. The pincushion stitching on the seat is gorgeous, and every piece of bodywork is carbon fiber, including the tank itself, which Norton claims is the first kevlar-reinforced carbon tank on a production bike.
There's a full datalogging system to record everything from lap times to lean angles, speeds to telemetry data from the accelerometers. Ignition is keyless, and gearshifting won't trouble your clutch fingers, as there's a standard up/down auto-blip quickshifter.
If 200 and a bit horsepower isn't enough to tickle your proverbials, you can bolt on a full titanium race exhaust, which reduces weight by a massive 8 kg and throws about another 10 horsepower on top. Likewise you can choose to spec the V4 RR with a set of carbon fiber BST wheels for improved suspension action and quicker turning thanks to reduced gyroscopic inertia.
This is a beast of a thing, developed using data from the prototype SG racer Norton has been running at the Isle of Man TT in recent years. It will sell in small numbers, so if you see one on the road, drink it in. A special machine we hope to see more of.
Source: Norton Motorcycles