Press

You’ve seen the videos. Two men in hoodies. An angle grinder screaming against hardened steel. Sparks flying across a city pavement like fireworks at a celebration no one asked for. Pedestrians drift past with takeaway coffees. A bus rolls by. Someone films from ten metres away. No one steps in.

We arrived at Norton’s state-of-the-art Solihull facility with a mixture of excitement and cautious curiosity. Memories of the rather underwhelming Donington site visit back in 2020 still lingered, so expectations were balanced somewhere between hope and healthy scepticism.

For most riders, global politics feels a long way from the garage. We think about tyres, fuel range, weather and the open road. Yet every time you fill the tank, you are quietly connected to events happening thousands of miles away.

We tell ourselves younger riders are choosing retro bikes because they crave authenticity. Because they want steel frames, analogue dials and “real feel.” Because they’re rejecting rider modes and radar cruise control in favour of purity.

There was a time when blatant theft in broad daylight caused a scene. Voices would rise. People would gather. Someone would intervene. The shock alone would stop a criminal mid-act.