No, not mine! Just read on the MCN website that the 2 Atlas models developed at Donnington have been dropped by TVS- with Norton confirming that “there are no plans to produce the Atlas”
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new-bikes/2018/norton-scrambler-650/?email_hash=6c6d7ea8ccb613e6f13ac72f20401161
For my part I'd be happy to…
For my part I'd be happy to see TVS produce the new Atlas. The fact that it would bear little resemblance to the old Atlas, apart from being a parallel twin, doesn't necessarily detract from the heritage and associated appeal.
Consider the VW Golf; the first model came out in 1974 and the current version is Mk 8 in the series. The only thing in common between a 1974 Golf and a 2022 version is the name, but 35 million customers can't be entirely deceived about what they are getting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Golf
Also, this isn't what I would understand by "badge engineering". That got a bad name due to BMC producing their stodgy mid-market saloons as both the Morris Oxford and the Austin Cambridge, between which there really was little difference.
For discussion: as well as the VW Golf there is the SEAT Léon (and more remotely the Škoda Octavia) which share many features, but whose ranges offer rather different options in terms of engines, transmission, etc. Do these count as badge engineering? (Compare the Morris Minor/Riley One-Point-Five/Wolseley 1500 variants.)
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I'm not sure...
... that the BMC badge engineering got them a bad name. My recollection is that it was done as there were lots of die-hard Austin or Morris owners (like there is the occasional dedicated Norton owner) who wouldn't have anything else. Many models including the Mini sold well in both guises although the Riley and Wolseley badged Minis were a bit odd.....
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In the beginning?
Al, I understand your rightful concerns about a Norton badge being slapped on a Chinese bike, but surely there is (or was) a lot more to the story?
As anything to do with "that man" was a bit murky- and full details will take probably years to emerge- but surely the genesis of the engine was under Donnington's control? As I understood it, Simon Skinner was at the heart of the Donnington design team (and isn't he now part of the TVS operation?), and very instrumental in the V4 bikes, of which the 650 was effectively half? Again, according to MCN at the time- who SG seemed to have a hot line to- reported, a Chinese firm bought a licence including the design of the 650 engine and the rights to flog bikes with it in China/Asia, and would manufacture parts of the engine for use in the UK/RoW bikes?
As I said, all very murky, but a long way off badge engineering Al.
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There were two Chinese…
There were two Chinese companies involved, one bought the 961 engine manufacturing rights just before SG Norton folded, the other had the rights to build the 650 engine and put the lower powered version in its own bikes and no doubt was to build the Norton higher powered version for shipping to UK.
This second Chinese company has a joint venture subsidiary 50/50 with Aprilia, Aprilia use Riccardo as an engine design house, Riccardo were also used by Norton. Aprilia supplied Norton with the racing V4 engines.
Aprilia took that V4 extended it over 1000cc and took the front 2 cylinders to make a 650. Norton designed (well Riccardo did) an enlarged V4 (with Aprilia gearbox) and took the front 2 cylinders to make a 650.
All too much of a coincidence.
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Seeing the pictures of said Atlas and Ranger, brings one thought to mind. We love our Atlas and 650SS and Ranger. But what do these Chinese bikes have to do with them? These Chinese engined bikes might have been fabulous bikes, but I think they should stand on their own merit and not try to coin a market using names we are still fond of. It is called badge engineering. I personal have no time for it. But there again, a few years ago quite a few people said that a parallel twin wasn't a 'real' Norton!