Cycle News

NORTON DOMIRACER 961 FIRST RIDE P70 etc. all similarly CNC-hewn from solid (same as the seat retain- ing bolt that is actually shaped to mimic the original Domiracer's oil cap) while the Monza filler on the delectable fuel tank is offset to the side, just as back then, and the wire wheels add to the period look. A more modern contrast is provided by the bare carbon fiber seat that's shaped the same as the racer's more humble PVC- lined such item, the carbon air- box under the seat whose fluted sides recall a period oil tank (even if this modern Norton's engine lubricant is carried in the frame's steel backbone), the Brembo radial brakes, and the fully adjustable Öhlins cantilever rear monoshock - operated by an all-new tubular steel swingarm giving a 20mm longer 56.6-inch wheelbase. This, together with the raised rear end obtained via the longer monoshock, throws more weight on to the front end for extra grip from the front Dunlop Qualifier when ridden hard, as the Domi- racer #1 (thus marked on the carbon airbox, indicating it's Gar- ner's bike). This is an angry-look- ing motorcycle that looks ready to pick a fight. The Domiracer bursts with ag- gression – an impression that's amplified in every sense of the word when you thumb the starter motor, and the parallel-twin motor thunders into life. What follows is a spine-tingling wall of sound from the open pipes. This modern day Domiracer sounds totally authentic, and completely stirring, but after briefly considering whether I should wear a set of earplugs to ride the new Norton on the open road (before rejecting that idea on the grounds that I'd have bought a ticket to the concert and then not heard the music), I set out for a ride that in every way was a trip down memory lane. No other latter-day look in the rearview mirror at all our Britbike yesterdays is as true to type as the Norton Domiracer in its vis- ceral, angry, as-delivered guise - not the Royal Enfield Continen- tal GT - especially not Triumph's Bonneville or Scrambler, nor even the eight-valve Métisse Scrambler. The raucous-sound- ing Domiracer tops them all. That's an impression rein- forced by the way the undeni- ably butch-looking 961cc motor settles to a throbbing 1300 rpm idle, with an irascible roar when you blip the throttle that sounds filled with menace, and totally raw. The Norton sounds like a Ducati, not a classic British twin, thanks to its 270-degree crank – which doesn't mean it doesn't sound good, though, just not like a traditional-type Norton twin like this one really should. Though the engine is com- pletely unmodified internally, it Is the Domiracer loud? What do you think?

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