Motorcyclenews.com has rendered the upcoming Norton
650 Scrambler. The website reports that two scrambler bikes will be launched-
one would be road-biased and the other would be dual purpose.
Norton head of design Simon Skinner says that the
first bike in which the 650 twin will appear in is a Scrambler. The brand has
designed the engine to have three power levels. The entry-level one will make
70 bhp, followed by a high-performance version that makes 100 bhp. The third
version would be the top-end variant – a supercharged 175 bhp model. The engine
will have a 270-degree crank for optimal balance between refinement and power.
Skinner has also revealed that the engine shares its
architecture with the brand’s V4 engine, and that the cylinder head and
valvetrain are common. The motorcycle will use a steel trellis frame and
aluminium bolt-on sections; for optimal weight and stiffness.
According to Skinner, Norton has developed the
chassis on its own; and the off-road version of the scrambler will get a longer
swingarm for better terrain-taming capability. The rear wheel on both bikes
will be 17-inch, and the front wheel on the road-biased bike will be 18-inch
unit. The off-road friendly version would get a bigger 19-inch wheel.
Stuart Garner, CEO & Owner, Norton Motorcycles
says that the bikes will have ABS and traction control. He added that the brand
is planning to sell the bike at GBP 10,000 for the base version, and GBP 12,000
for the more powerful variant.