First Look: 2023 Norton V4CR
Limited-edition £42k edition of the firm’s 185bhp supernaked V4CR café racer
2023 Norton V4CR
One of the several problems facing the new owners of the Norton firm was its lineup. Okay, it had a very fancy V-four 1200 superbike, and the elderly Commando 961 roadster. But high-end sportsbikes and old-tech nakeds aren’t exactly where the market is booming these days.
2023 Norton V4CR
So rejigging the V-four into a modern mega-trick supernaked café racer made perfect sense – tapping into the popularity of both the heritage sector and unfaired machinery.
The firm showed off a prototype – dubed the V4CR – at the end of last year, and it attracted a lot of attention on the Norton stand at the NEC show.
2023 Norton V4CR
And now the final production machine has been released, launched at the Bike Shed Show in Wapping, London.
It’s a limited-edition launch edition: just 200 examples of the V4CR will be hand-built on Solihull, with a steep price tag of £42k, and a very posh spec list. It’s fair to say that the TVS-owned firm has kept almost all of the kit that makes the superbike so exotic – so you have the 185bhp 1200cc 72° V-four motor with eight fuel injectors, ride by wire throttle, hand-made titanium exhaust and a full suite of electronic aids.
2023 Norton V4CR
It’s bolted into a hand-made aluminium tube frame, with machined billet single-sided swingarm, and the finest running gear. Bespoke Öhlins forks and rear monoshock, plus radial monobloc Brembo brakes and an Öhlins steering damper is all out of the top drawer – and the frame is also fully adjustable at swingarm pivot and steering head, for the ultimate in fine-tuning.
Styling is an interesting mix of new and old. The stance is pretty hardcore, with the engine and massive water/oil radiators dominating the centre of the bike.
2023 Norton V4CR
The clip-on bars give a classic ‘ton-up’ 60s Ace Café run feel, and the orange seat contrasts nicely with the polished aluminium and silver finish on the Manx Platinum version.
That variant also comes with forged aluminium OZ Racing wheels, while the all-black Carbon version of the V4CR has carbon wheels and more exposed carbon bodywork.
2023 Norton V4CR
It looks top – and should ride well too. You’d also expect that a cheaper, more accessible unlimited version will follow too. More on Norton as we get it…
2023 Norton V4CR TECH HIGHLIGHTS
ENGINE
Engine: 72° liquid-cooled V4, 1200cc. Chain-driven cams with idler gear for reduced engine height. Titanium inlet valves. Slipper clutch
Bore/stroke: 82mm x 56.8mm
Compression ratio: 13.6:1
Fuel injection: Electronic fuel-injection system. 8-fuel injectors. Full drive-by-wire system independent on front and rear banks of cylinders for ultimate control and feel
PERFORMANCE
Power: 185bhp@12,000rpm
Torque: 125Nm@9,000rpm
DESIGN
Bodywork: Full carbon fibre
Fuel tank: Under-seat carbon fibre 15-litre fuel tank, with Kevlar reinforcement
Footrests: Billet footrests and pedals
CHASSIS
Chassis: Aluminium tubular chassis. CNC-machined outriggers and headstock. Frame is hand TIG welded at Norton HQ and hand-polished to a mirror finish
Adjustable geometry: Adjustable rake, steering offset and swingarm pivot position
Swingarm: Braced and underslung single-sided billet swingarm with rising rate linkage geometry developed from the TT race bikes
Wheelbase: 1,435mm
Kerb Weight: 204kg
Headstock Angle: 23.5°
Wheels: Carbon fibre BSTs (Carbon model), OZ racing forged aluminium (Manx model)
Steering Damper: Öhlins
BRAKES
Front brakes: 2 x 330mm floating discs. Radially mounted Brembo monobloc calipers. Brembo discs, and Brembo master cylinder.
Rear brakes: Brembo 245mm rear disc. Brembo caliper and master cylinder
SUSPENSION
Front suspension: 43mm Öhlins NIX30 fully adjustable upside-down forks
Rear suspension: Öhlins TTXGP Norton bespoke fully adjustable rear shock with hydraulic preload adjustment
ELECTRONICS
Lighting: LED lighting for low beam, high beam, indicators and taillight
Instruments: Full-colour 6-inch display with auto brightness adjustment. Engine Mode adjustment
Engine modes: Wet, Road and Sport
Quickshifter: Full quick shift system and auto-blipper
Electronic aids: Linked to engine mode. Lean-angle sensitive traction-control using six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU). Front and rear ABS. Wheelie control.
Ignition: Keyless ignition system with electronic steering lock (manual fuel filler cap).
COLOUR OPTIONS
