After setting the stage on fire with their brand new V4 Superbike venture, the British manufacturer shifted their attention to a set of machines that could be deemed as the most critical project for the company’s future.

Working for almost a year, Norton has finally released official sketches of their 650cc in-line twins under a scrambler-esque silhouette. And they are going to call it the Atlas, a modern “Urban-Tracker” and a reminiscent of the brand’s 1963 Atlas 750cc scrambler. The bike is due to be revealed at the NEC bike show in the UK this November, with UK deliveries set for 2019.

Originally a parts supplier since 1898, Norton only began making their own motorcycle from 1908. With a company making motorcycles for over a century now, has seen its boat sailing all the ups and downs. Luckily, it seems to be calm waters for now after stabilizing their investments and is making headways.

It wasn’t a secret that Norton was developing a couple of Scrambler models that are going to help them sustain as a mass manufacturer in the two-wheeled world. There were talks of having a flat tracker focussed for road and one scrambler for off the roads, both built using the same 650cc in-line twin motor.

These official images of the Atlas confirm all speculations. The engine architecture on the Atlas is borrowed from the V4’s, except that half of it is only seen here. It will have a 270-degree crank to give it excellent drive characteristics and a good throbbing exhaust note and will share the same head, pistons, valves, etc as the V4 bike.

This engine will be made for three power levels- a high-spec 175 hp supercharger version, a high-performance normally aspirated 100 hp version and a 70 hp entry-level version. The Atlas scramblers Norton is talking about here will be powered by the 75 hp or the 100 hp versions. Norton might also be generous and produce both flavors.

The idea here is to make a bike that you can ride around all day on the road and in the muck bashing it all around, and if you happen to drop it, you should still be able just to pick it up and continue riding around. Basically, Norton wants to make a practical bike that is all about function and a "proper scrambler".

Electronic aids will include switchable traction control and ABS. It also gets a decent equipment package that includes Brembos', Ohlins' and Pirellis'. Pricing and other specs are not up yet, but Norton is targetting £10k ($13,200) for the road version and £12k ($15,800) for the off-roaded.

Not exactly cheap but Norton believes that this will be their highest seller. If you ask me, I don’t think Norton will have an easy road, especially after seeing how good Triumph is running the show in Britain these days. Norton might be too late to the party and will have a difficult task to match Triumph’s offerings.

Company owner Stuart Garner says a 650cc sportbike is also in the works that will make use of a supercharger to gain 175 hp. The scramblers will be here towards the end of 2018. It is also believed that Norton will make these in India to cut down on production costs.

Reference

Triumph Scrambler