Top left: Norton Dominator 1956
Bottom left: Norton Commando 1971
Right: Norton Commando ad, early 1970s
back to England, before the move to India.
The company went into administration
in January this year. Then, with the future
in the balance, the voiceof the old
Empire announced a survival plan.
“Norton presents us with an immense
opportunity to scale globally,” said TVS’
joint managing director Sudarshan Venu
speaking to Reuters news agency, adding
his firm would provide “full support for
Norton to regain its full glory”. Venu said
TVS, which is listed in India with a market
value of $1.8 billion, and is India’s third
largest motorcycle manufacturer. Venu
said they would work closely with Norton’s
employees, and customers, to retain its
identity and outline a specific business
plan. TVS say they will invest in some of
Norton’s most famous models, including
the Commando, and Dominator. It isn’t
only famous British motorcycles that are
finding a home in India, in the car world
Jaguar Land Rover has followed suit.
I think it’s worth noting at this point that
there is, and always will be, a considerable
difference between modern bikes and
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72 KIWI RIDER