The ‘Most Luxurious British Superbike Ever Created’
Norton has just handed us the all-new and re-engineered V4SV flagship of their fleet – and they’ve tweaked it a bit to keep the engine in check after the problems they had with their V4SS.
Norton has had a rich history on the track – and with the V4SS sporting, the nickname ‘TT racer reborn,’ expectations were high for the model to do well.
However, despite the bike’s performance figures, Norton had to deal with a bit of a problem; a large recall of over 30 defects this past spring were found on the V4SS – and for a racebike with a big name and a £44,000 price tag, the reparations were costly.
With the Birmingham-based motorcycle company unveiling theV4SS’s replacement, it will be interesting to see how this machine performs compared to its supersport sibling.
According to MCN, the Norton V4SV carries over that beautiful polished aluminum frame, complete with Brembo monobloc brakes, Öhlins suspension, and carbon bodywork.
The real change between the V4SS and V4SV can be found in the re-engineered 1200cc 72-degree V4 engine, where the report states that the V4SV’s specs have plummeted from an output of 200bhp to 185bhp @ 12,500rpm. Torque is down to match (from 95.8 lb-ft peak to 92.5 lb-ft), with the peak hitting 1000rpm earlier in the rev range.
Rumors are circulating that it’s possible Norton considered the V4SS’s engine to be the main reason for the list of safety recalls. With the drop in power and torque, there will be less danger of overstressing the engine in the new V4SV, in turn helping Norton’s supersport flagship regain its reputation.
For tech, the Norton V4SV will purportedly still sport a keyless ignition, TFT dash (although it’s dropped an inch to 6″), and rear-facing camera.
Should you wish for color options, you’re looking at the iconic Manx silver with red and black pinstriping and red Oz aluminum wheels or the Carbon finish complete with carbon-fibre BST wheels.
Norton has yet to release the pricing or availability on this beastie, so we will keep an eye out and update as the news comes our way; in the meantime, make sure to check out our interview with a Norton parts expert – and as always, stay safe on the twisties.
What is up with the word “beastie” in all of your columns? Even a dictionary.com search of the word does not produce any relevant meaning for the use in these articles. Maybe its a slang term I’m not familiar with. Just curious.
Hello Alan!
Glad you asked!
I actually have to think about this one.
My only contact with the motorcycle community when I was younger was with an old friend of the family who had an Irish accent. He used to call his bike a “wee beastie”, and I believe it stuck for me.