Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1545293
P122 RIDE REVIEW I 2026 NORTON MANX R tire and keep it loaded through the corner to carve quick back- road lines, and side-to-side agil- ity isn't as fast as I'd have liked. However, mid-corner stabil- ity is rock solid. Get your brak- ing done via those stupendous Brembo Hypure stoppers, pick your cornering line, stick to it, and the Manx R will love you for it. In this case, the Manx R lives up perfectly to its design brief about being a good street super - bike, as its chassis is forgiving and won't get all out of shape if you make a mistake. Slow your movements down, guide the Manx R into the corner with the correct load, and you guys will be great friends. Around town, manners are impeccable on the Manx R. Low-speed throttle response is exceptionally well mapped, and the dreaded clunk from a closed throttle, prevalent on so many machines, is minimized at pedestrian speeds. You could easily use this bike as a com - muter—a very fast, very stylish commuter. Norton's repeated insistence that this is primarily a good streetbike engine shines through almost immediately. There's torque for days right in the place they said it would be, with waves of pulling power over a wide 6000 rpm range that, through the twisty roads in the hills around Seville, was a delight to experience. You can rev the V4 out be- tween corners if you really wish, but to do so means you miss out on what the engine is good at. It pulls so cleanly in third and fourth gears, pumping along from corner to corner, giving the rider a relaxed vibe. This isn't an engine whose neck must be wrung—sit back and use that mid-range muscle and life is indeed peachy on the Manx R. However, it's not perfect. Sampling the different modes re - vealed varying levels of throttle response that were not condu- cive to pinpoint-accurate throttle openings, especially when leaned over. In each of the street modes, the throttle response was too delayed, with the lean- angle-sensitive throttle making me wait a hair too long before I had the bike at an angle the computer agreed was sufficient to deliver the power I was after. It was a minor gripe as I even - tually learned how the system liked to be ridden, but considering the price of the Manx R, I would have liked a more direct throttle (more on that in a minute). It is equally interesting on the chassis front. The Marzoc - chi semi-active suspension is delightfully smooth in its action. Higher-paced road speeds gave the Marzocchi's plenty of time to shine, with high-speed compres- sion bumps largely negated so that when you hit them at speed, the suspension took much of the shock before transferring the remainder to the rider. The Manx R is not a machine that will slice through corners like a Yamaha YZF-R6. It's a slower-steering steed than I expected, especially given that it comes with carbon-fiber wheels. You must really load that front (Left) Name me a better-looking seat. I'll wait. (Above) Anyone else getting Tron movie vibes with this rear light unit? Man, it looks good in the metal.