Top 10 Norton superbikes

Our ride on the new Norton Manx R had us thinking about previous stand-out bikes from this most storied of brands. Who can forget, for example, the Norton John Player Special of 1974, which was arguably the very first ‘replica racer’? Or how about the 1990 F1 – the exquisite road-going version of the then all-dominant (and controversial) rotary-powered F1 machine? Or even the flawed V4 SS and RR, the even more controversial, ‘Garner era’ superbike which was then fully revised into SV form under Norton’s new TVS ownership?


These, and many more have grabbed the headlines and fanned the expectations of loyal fans, eager to see where the brand goes in its new era. Here we revisit 10 bikes that got us here, and point you in the direction of where you can still find a good number of them for sale right here on Autotrader!

1967-1977 Norton Commando

1974 Norton John Player Special

The Norton JPS was a limited-run factory special conceived to exploit and replicate Norton’s successful Formula 750 factory race machines which, sponsored by cigarette manufacturer John Player, presented in striking red, white and blue livery. These were ridden most famously by Peter Williams and Dave Croxford, winning both the 1973 Formula 750 TT (Williams) and British 750 championship (Croxford). But although the road replica shared the racer’s fairing, styling and livery, it was effectively merely a rebodied 850 Commando with no performance advantage. Even so, around 200 were made with the majority exported to the USA and it remains one of the most collectable of all classic Nortons, with prices often well over £12K.

1990-1991 Norton F1

By the 1980s the remnants of the old Norton concern, now based in Shenstone and undergoing repeated ownership conflicts, focused on developing road and later race rotary-powered machines. The highlight was arguably the RCW588 racer, which successfully campaigned in British F1 racing between 1988 and 1994 and, with distinctive black and gold livery, won the 1989 British F1 championship. The F1 road machine was inspired by the RCW, styled by Seymour-Powell, had a Spondon twin-spar aluminium frame, replica black and gold livery and, at the time, caused something of a sensation with its circa £13,000 cost. Unfortunately, financial difficulties limited production with only around 140 built while its road trim rotary engine suffered for its thirst, lack of power and poor reliability. Today, though, it’s also something of a modern classic, with examples going for over £30,000. A later, slightly cheaper, F1 Sport variant was also briefly produced.

1998 Norton Nemesis V8

The Norton superbike that never was … or was it? Following the Shenstone concern’s collapse, the outlandish Nemesis was one of series of failed attempts to relaunch Norton. Conceived by Al Melling, it had a 1.5-litre V8 engine producing a claimed 280 horsepower, top speed of 225mph (again, claimed) and a lightweight cast magnesium frame. However, although being unveiled by Melling in April 1998 it was never seen running and production never began. However, more recently the National Motorcycle Museum in Coventry took possession of the sole prototype and, in cooperation with TV’s Henry Cole, ace engineer Allen Millyard got it running sufficiently for a series of low-speed tests in 2025. As for buying one, however, forget it!

2013 Peter Williams Norton JP Replica

OK, this one is perhaps even more obscure than the Nemesis but bear with us! Remember the aforementioned Peter Williams who developed and raced the John Player Norton in the early 70s? Well, that bike’s highlight came with a monocoque-framed version, of which just four were built. In 2013 Williams then set up a company to build a further 25 faithful replicas with all-new and bespoke parts, including tuned engines, magnesium wheels and more, all reproduced from the original drawings and priced at a heady £65,000. Unfortunately, only four were built before the project foundered and Williams died in 2020, aged 81.

2014 Norton Dominator

The Stuart Garner era of Norton ownership from 2008 to 2020 is mired in both his personal conviction for fraud and the reliability of the product. But he did succeed in collating the then disparate Norton brands, and in producing the first new Nortons since the early 1990s. Most were based on the  961 Commando, an updated but still crude push-rod air-cooled twin that reached its epoch when in a new, mono-shock chassis under the Dominator SS name. Sure, the drive remained agricultural, few were made and it cost an eye-watering £26K. But with its neo café racer vibe and alloy tank it looked fabulous, handled OK and even had a momentary appearance in James Bond flick Spectre.


​Find a Norton Dominator on Autotrader!​

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2017 Norton V4 RR/SS

Undoubtedly the most ambitious bike of the Garner era was this V4 superbike, originally unveiled in both RR and SS guise. On paper it sounded great thanks to a 200 horsepower 1,200cc V4 derived from Aprilia’s 72-degree RSV4 unit held in a Spondon tubular steel frame with single-sided swing-arm decked out in all the trick bits from the likes of Brembo and and Öhlins. In reality the attempt at TT glory with John McGuinness was shambolic, the bike hastily developed and then embroiled in scandal. Some have since been fixed and can still be had, but you’re probably better off getting the later SV built under the ownership of Norton’s current masters at TVS.


​Find a Norton V4 SS on Autotrader!​

2021 Crighton CR700W

Not a Norton, surely? Well, yes, it is – sort of. The Crighton CR700W was a limited-edition, 220 horsepower, track-only rotary-powered weapon intended as the spiritual successor to the Norton RCW588 racer and developed by Brian Crighton who had done the same for the original. At its heart was a 690cc, twin-rotor engine. Its lightweight, compact chassis featured the best cycle parts available, it delivered a massive 143Nm of torque, claimed a power-to-weight ratio superior to many MotoGP bikes and it was priced from a whopping £145,000. It’s not currently known how many were actually built out of the proposed run of just 25 examples.

2022-2025 Norton V4 SV

2026 Norton Manx R

Having ended production of the outgoing 961 Commando and V4 in 2025 the path has been cleared for a new era of Nortons developed under TVS ownership. These kick off with this Manx R sports bike and its super naked Manx off-shoot and the Atlas middle-weight adventure bike. We’ve already tried the Manx R, and you can read our review here. Whether it lives up to – or outperforms – Norton’s previous superbikes remains to be seen. But it’s an impressive opening gambit!


​Find a Norton Manx R on Autotrader!​