Interview with Stuart Bodycote of Motorvated Ltd about Norton 961s

[@pjhammer78]

Excellent video, a big shout out to Stuart Bodycote (Motorvated) for an insightful and very informative interview. ❤👍

[@bakepl]

Great interview thanks and good to put a face to a well known name in the 961 community. 😀

[@richard-7794]

Great stuff Stuart! It’s so sad how it went with Norton. My dad and I tried to help as much as possible but access norton was taking over my life. The bikes are fantastic when dialed in. Like you said, change out all the fake offbrand sensors with Bosch and you’re miles ahead. GREAT INTERVIEW !!!!! Thank you for helping all the 961 owners.

[@MyWarman]

Nice tank in the background.

[@colindowd3892]

Good morning, Proffessori. Great interview and very well presented without all the muck slinging you read in the bike mags. Like it very much.

[@NortonUnofficial]

Great interview, thanks for sharing!

[@kayoedowner6711]

Excellent interview and insight into the background and some of the challenges behind Nortons (recent) marketing re entry.

[@56Model30]

Really interesting conversation, thanks for sharing. As a Norton owner/rider for 45 years I was of course interested in a 961 but was put off by a number of factors, most obviously the poor price:performance ratio and questionable durability. Perhaps most importantly I was put off by the horror stories from people who placed orders in good faith and paid deposits, leaving me feeling that the guy at the top was a crook. Sadly, my impression of the 961 is that it’s a polishers machine rather than a serious riders bike (no crime in that, just not for me), which is confirmed by the mileages I see quoted on the bikes for sale… 8 year old machines with under 10,000 miles on the clock. My 1989 Norton Commander has over 120,000, even my unreliable 1972 Norton Commando managed 10,000 miles a year when I was a more active rider back in the 1980’s. All the best David.

[@SongsFromTheSaddle]

Yes, you are probably right that they are mainly owned by 'polishers' (I hold my hand up here - 6,500 miles only) but I do know (of) some owners who have put big miles on 961s, so I think this reflects on owners rather than the bikes. And of course this is not just a Norton 961 issue - I read somewhere recently that the average annual mileage of most bikes is only about 4,000 miles.

[@marcmarcm8596]

Back home after Stuart serviced my bike, she rides and sounds better than ever before. Top bloke!

[@jfro5867]

Enjoyed that, was hoping you’d have covered the ‘new’ TVS 961’s and their quality/ expected reliability moving forward because we all know about what happened before, it’s about prospective owners (i.e. me) taking the plunge and buying a new one now. Does Stuart have confidence in what they are making now?

[@itsalldoable]

You should watch some of Stuart's videos on the latest that's coming out of TVS Norton on his Motorvated YT Channel. Not much has changed...

[@jfro5867]

@@itsalldoable Thanks, will check those out. Take it that’s not good news then really…..

[@SongsFromTheSaddle]

I thought it best to stay off the TVS bikes for the moment, so there's no comeback on Stuart from TVS. We did discuss them off camera. I think a clearer picture of whether they are improved bikes, as claimed by TVS, will emerge from owners over time. I think the main issue in the mind of potential buyers at the moment is the warranty and factory support.

[@jfro5867]

Thank you for the reply. I do appreciate what you are saying. I wasn’t trying to be critical, it was genuinely because I would like to get one BUT it’s too much of a leap of faith for me, to leave my Jap bikes and dive into Norton ownership. I suppose I’m looking for the reassurance it would be ok but I’m just not going to get that. Not really.

[@nortoncommandoupgradestrav2474]

@@jfro5867 May be you should book a test ride. WTF?

[@nortoncommandoupgradestrav2474]

As Mr Bodycote was at Garners Norton up to the end you would have thought he must of at least heard rumours of e.g customers bikes stripped of parts to complete 'new' bikes amongst other examples of low level customer care? A pity you confusingly chose not to discuss what you apparently find an uncomfortable yet would have been informative subject. Weird.