Here's Everything You Need To Know About Norton’s Atlas and Atlas GT. And Check Out That Price

Norton just dropped all the features of its new Atlas and Atlas GT models. These are tech-heavy packages with lower price tags than you'd expect.

Photo by: Norton Motorcycles

By: Robbie Bacon

Jun 19, at 7:24am ET

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Norton's resurgence under TVS ownership is well and truly underway. The brand's poster child, the Manx R, hit markets last month in Europe, but that won't be the bike to carry the brand. Right now, Norton needs high sales volume, and that looks set to come from the Atlas and Atlas GT. Here's everything you need to know.

The Atlas is a middleweight adventure-touring motorcycle with some off-road prowess, while its GT sibling is more road-focused. These bikes share the same parts, apart from the suspension, wheels, and rubber. The Atlas comes with a 19-inch front wheel and a 17-inch rear wheel with a choice of cast or spoked rims, while the GT features 17-inch wheels on both ends with cast aluminum as the only option.

Tires come courtesy of TVS's in-house tire brand. The Atlas rolls on a set of dual-purpose Explo R Plus rubber in 110/80 ZR19 front and 150/70 17 rear sizes, while the GT uses more road-focused tires from the same brand. The last difference between the two bikes is that the Atlas comes with KYB 43mm USD front forks with fully adjustable preload, compression, and rebound damping, and 180mm of travel, while the GT makes do with 140mm of travel and a sportier setup to keep things more composed on the road. Both bikes feature a rear KYB monoshock with rebound damping adjusters and a remote hydraulic preload adjuster dial.

Powering the latest models from Norton is a 585cc parallel twin unit with a 270-degree crank, DOHC eight-valve head, and ride-by-wire fuel injection. The engine pumps out 69 hp at 9,300 rpm and 42 lb-ft at 7,500 rpm, which puts it in the mix with bikes like Yamaha's Tracer 7 and Kawasaki's Versys 650. But, since the Atlas has a lower capacity, you can expect it to have a much revvier engine than its competition.

The engine design is fairly conventional for the class, and so is the steel trellis frame and dual-sided aluminum swingarm. Braking comes courtesy of Brembo’s Indian-based sub-brand ByBre. There are dual 310mm front discs with radially-mounted four-piston calipers and a 270mm rear disc. The braking setup is a far cry from the Brembo Hypure calipers found on the Manx R, but may be aptly suited to the type of riding most will do on the Atlas.

Photo by: Norton Motorcycles

The chassis and engine layout may be fairly standard for this class, but the electronics and rider aids are a cut above. The Atlas and Atlas GT come with a Bosch 6-axis IMU with lean-sensitive ABS, cornering traction control, cornering cruise control, wheelie control, and slide control as standard. Some of those features might be overkill on a sub-70 hp motorcycle, but this is a Norton and, as such, should have all the bells and whistles you can think of.

Both Atlas models will benefit from the same 8-inch touchscreen TFT display featured on the Manx R. Although the parts used on the Atlas aren't as high-end as the ones we saw on the Manx R, it appears that Norton followed the same design ethos. The switchgear, for example, looks to be more premium than what we see elsewhere in this segment, and the design is clean with smooth lines and flush panelwork throughout.

Photo by: Norton Motorcycles

Something else you won't find anywhere else in this segment is a keyless ignition as standard, along with a keyless electronic steering lock, keyless seat lock, and keyless fuel cap release. By all accounts, the Atlas is far more tech-heavy than the other models in this category, but it's not literally heavy; if anything, it's light. Norton lists that Atlas's wet weight is 188 kg (414 lbs) and 192 kg (423 lbs). But, in a fashion that I despise, this 'wet weight' doesn't include fuel, so let's add it.

Both machines have 4,07 US gal fuel tanks, so if they were full, the Atlas would weigh 199 kg (439 lbs), and the Atlas GT would stop the scales at 203 kg (448 lbs). Even with fuel, those figures make both models two of the lightest in this category. But having the lightest bike, with a premium badge, and tons of tech should mean it's in another price league, right? Wrong.

Photo by: Norton Motorcycles

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We don't have an official MSRP for the US yet, but the Atlas will cost £8,250 in the UK and €9,250 in the EU. If all things are equal, the atlas will cost somewhere between $10,700-11,050 in the US. That means the Atlas will be one of the best value bikes in this category, being cheaper than a Triumph Tiger Sport 660 and on par with a Kawasaki Versys 650.

If Norton can keep the Atlas at the same price point as it is in the EU, it should prove to be an extremely attractive offering in the US. If we've learned anything from motorcycle sales data over the past few years, it's that companies that sell lower-capacity bikes in large numbers come out on top, and that's exactly what Norton needs right now.