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Norton V4 Cafe Racer Prototype Revealed, Looks Like Art on Wheels

Norton has presented a new prototype in the form of the V4 Café Racer. The model is derived from the recently unveiled V4SV superbike and comes with a powerful engine and superb looks. While it is making its public debut at the Motorcycle Live 2021 show, we still have to wait to see the production version.
Norton V4 Cafe Racer prototype 7 photos
Photo: Norton
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The new motorcycle has been designed and engineered in the company's new headquarters in Solihull. The center was opened after the company had been taken over by the Indians at TVS Motors, and it looks like Norton is set to build interesting motorcycles in its new facility.

Norton has revised the V4 platform over the last 16 months, and the 72-degree V4 platform's 1.2-liter engine is the heart of this Café Racer proposal from the British marque. As they underline, this is just a prototype, for now, so all figures are provisional, but that does not mean they are not promising.

The new motorcycle showcased by Norton is meant to pay homage to this manufacturer's first bikes, while also offering a modern design philosophy. For those of you who were not aware, Norton was founded back in 1898, so it does have a lot of history to its name.

The prototype was exhibited with a carbon-fiber fuel tank, carbon-fiber body panels, a single round LED headlight, a short and aggressive-looking exhaust, and a beautiful shade of silver to match its billet aluminum swingarm and frame, both polished to underline their carefully-made welds.

Norton has imagined the V4 Café Racer in two color schemes – Carbon or Manx Silver. The latter involves painting the few body elements in Silver, while the former could mean leaving a few of them in a bare-carbon-fiber finish that is just lacquered to a shine.

If this motorcycle gets the green light for production, the Brits have a proper contender for Aprilia's Tuono V4 1100, KTM's 1290 Super Duke R, and Triumph's Speed Triple 1200, just to name a few. The British marque will have to price the bike in a manner that will make it competitive on the market, also making sure it will stay afloat financially.

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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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