In November last year, Norton signed a deal with India’s Kinetic Group as its first step towards entering our booming two-wheeler market. Now, our sources have confirmed that Norton Motorcycles has started accepting bookings for the Dominator and the Commando series (961 Sport and 962 Cafe Racer) across all Moto Royale dealerships. Our sources at the Moto Royale have informed that the bike will only be available on pre-order and dealers are accepting bookings for a token amount of Rs 2 lakh. However, some dealers are asking for almost 50 per cent of the total price as token money. As of now, the bikes will reach India through the CBU (Completely Built Unit) route, thus they are expected to carry a hefty price tag. The Dominator is expected to be priced around Rs 24 lakh while the two variants of the Commando may get a price tag of around Rs 20 lakh (both prices ex-showroom Delhi).
That said, construction of a new Kinetic-Norton manufacturing unit is in full swing at Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. Once this plant is ready, the bikes should be manufactured locally which will reduce their prices substantially. Yet the process will take some time and we can expect local manufacturing to commence only by late 2018 or early 2019.
The Commando range from Norton includes the 961 Sport and the 961 Cafe Racer. It’s the 961 Sport that we will be the first to be manufactured here, and we expect the 962 Cafe Racer to follow soon. The Sport looks like a neo-classic roadster with a round headlight, curvaceous body, spoke wheels and the dual exhaust pipes, while the Cafe Racer looks sportier, thanks to its clip-on handlebars and small flyscreen. On the other hand, the Dominator is more of a premium motorcycle.
The Norton Sport and Racer Cafe, both, come fitted with a 961cc, air-cooled, parallel-twin engine that churns out max power of 80PS @ 6500rpm and peak torque of 90Nm @ 5200rpm, mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Norton has fitted the Commando range with 43mm Ohlins USDs up front and Ohlins twin shocks at the back to handle the suspension duties. Braking, meanwhile, is handled by 320mm twin-discs with 4-piston caliper up front and a 240mm disc with 2-piston caliper at the back which are sourced from Brembo. Also, a dual-channel ABS is offered as standard.
The Commando 961 sport rivals the likes of the Ducati Monster 1200 S, the BMW R nineT, the MV Agusta Brutale 1090 RR and the Triumph Thruxton R. Currently, Norton Motorcycles can only be booked through the Kinetic group’s Moto Royale which also takes care of the sales and service of MV Agusta motorcycles in India. The Italian Motorcycle manufacturer SWM will also join the list by the end of the year.
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