Norton Superlight 650 SS 2020 — Specifications

Imagine a 650cc twin — a displacement readily associated with lightweight Sunday tourers — and ask yourself what would happen if you grafted a Rotrex centrifugal supercharger with intercooler onto it. The answer comes down to a single figure that makes skeptics smile: 175 horsepower, or 128.7 kilowatts wrung out at 12,500 rpm. Norton doesn't do things by halves. The Superlight SS is the result of this equation, as absurd as it is fascinating — a €58,200 bomb destined for fifty hand-picked buyers.

The principle is one Kawasaki initiated with the H2 and H2R, but Norton pushes the concept in an even more radical direction. The 650cc block retains its 82mm bore and 61.5mm stroke, its four-valve-per-cylinder architecture, but its compression ratio drops to 9:1 to accept the pressurized air fed by the Rotrex. The gain over the standard Superlight exceeds seventy horsepower, and torque climbs to 124.5 Nm — a figure that would hold its own on a large-displacement machine. To handle this thrust, Norton carried over the six-speed gearbox and transmission from the V4. The result: 159 kg dry and a claimed top speed of 280 km/h. The power-to-weight ratio reaches territory previously reserved for far larger Japanese hypersports.

What truly sets the Superlight SS apart from its supercharged rivals is an obsession with carbon fiber. The tubular perimeter frame, the BST wheels, the swingarm, the fairing, the 18-liter tank — everything is built from this material. Norton claims a frame 47% lighter than an aluminium equivalent and a swingarm trimmed by 20%. This philosophy places the machine in a club alongside the BMW HP4 Race, the Ducati 1299 Superleggera, and a handful of Bimotas — a small group of global benchmarks produced in near-confidential numbers. The suspension follows the same pursuit of excellence: 43mm Öhlins NIX30 inverted fork at the front, TTX-GP monoshock at the rear, steering damper included, all adjustable across three dimensions. Brembo supplies M50 four-piston calipers biting 330mm discs up front, backed by a twin-piston unit at the rear. Nothing has been left to chance.

The onboard electronics are equally impressive. A six-axis inertial measurement unit feeds traction control, anti-wheelie, launch control, and a bidirectional quickshifter. Three riding modes span the spectrum from wet-weather caution to full sporting commitment. A seven-inch color TFT display centralizes information, and keyless ignition rounds out a dashboard worthy of a luxury GT. Norton has also attended to the finer details: a double-fabric embossed seat, machined triple clamps, a chromed clutch cover, and a titanium exhaust. The Union Jack prominently displayed on the bodywork serves as a reminder of this machine's British origins, despite its deeply international mechanical DNA.

At €58,200, the Superlight SS is not aimed at ordinary mortals, let alone novices searching for their first supersport. It is as much a collector's piece as a radical track tool, designed for riders who know exactly what they are doing with 175 horsepower at their fingertips. Compared to Kawasaki's H2R, it gains in refinement and theoretical versatility thanks to its road homologation. Compared to naturally aspirated hypersports in the same price bracket, it offers torque and tractability that high revs alone cannot guarantee. Its main limitation remains that derisory production run of fifty units, which makes it more an object of desire than a serious commercial proposition. But that is precisely what has been building the Norton legend for over a century.