An affordable Norton? Looks like it…
The Norton brand been associated with many things but ‘affordable’ probably isn’t the first word that springs to mind when you hear the name. That’s set to change with the Norton Atlas adventure bike and the more road-biased Atlas GT, though, which have been priced to compete with the likes of Kawasaki’s Versys 650 in Europe.
The Atlas was first shown at EICMA last year but specs were limited at the time. Now full details of the standard Atlas have been announced along with most of the information about the Atlas GT that will follow it. Both models will be offered in two trim levels – a base version and a higher-spec ‘Apex’ variant – with the entry version starting at €9,250 in mainland Europe and £8,250 in the UK, each equating to around AU$15,500.
All versions get 43mm inverted KYB forks, with 180mm of travel on the Atlas and 140mm for the GT, which also swaps the standard bike’s 19-inch front wheel for a 17-incher. The rear suspension travel matches the front on each model, with a fully-adjustable KYB monoshock.
The engine, made by Norton’s Indian parent company TVS, is a parallel twin with a conventional 270-degree crankshaft and a 585cc capacity for peaks of 51.5kW at 9,300rpm and 57.5Nm at 8,500rpm. It’s bolted to a six-speed transmission with a bidirectional quick-shifter and a chain final drive.
The Norton’s electronics package appears to be a step above its rivals, with an IMU enabling both cornering traction control and lean sensitive ABS, via ByBre calipers front and rear. That’s on top of multiple riding modes, wheelie control, slide control and even a hill-hold assist system. On board there’s an 8-inch touchscreen, with all the usual phone connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation, and even integrated GoPro camera controls. Keyless locking and ignition is also standard on all versions of the bike.
The higher-spec Apex versions get extras including a luggage rack, cornering lights, tyre pressure monitoring and heated grips as standard, although each is also available as an option on the base models.
While the Norton competes head-on with some Japanese rivals, and handily undercuts some others, the same market segment is increasingly packed with Chinese-made machines that offer similarly strong on-paper specifications at even lower prices. But that Norton badge allied to the undeniably clean and modern styling of the Atlas, makes it look like a bargain.
