MCN

‘the truth will eventually come out...’

Last Thursday, MCN spoke face-to-face with some of the ordinary people who look set to lose huge amounts of money after investing their pension pots into Norton Motorcycles. In an unusual move, the Pensions Ombudsman invited Norton boss and former trustee of these pension schemes, Stuart Garner, to a special hearing to give him the chance to explain in person to the 30 claimants about where their money had gone. But he didn’t show up and instead left them with yet more uncertainty and unanswered questions. When you add this to the potentially hundreds of riders who’ve lost deposits or full payments for machines they never received, or the numerous bikes that were taken back to the factory to have warranty work only for them to be stripped of their components…

‘we had to ask for a charge-up!’

Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman may have completed their latest ‘Long Way…’ adventure, reaching LA in December after setting off from South America in September aboard electric Harley LiveWires, but it seems the journey was anything but trouble-free. With the TV series yet to air, details about the trip have been scarce as Harley attempt to keep the story quiet ahead of the screening. But Hollywood actor Ewan has been discussing the journey on US chat shows which appear to indicate the electric bikes created their own unique problems. Speaking to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show last week, McGregor revealed that after the electric bikes ran out of charge the duo had to knock on strangers’ doors to ask for help in recharging them and even get tows! ‘The truth is I…

four-wheeled r1 is a lean machine

This wacky, leaning four-wheeler, powered by a 998cc Yamaha R1 motor, is the latest creation from French custom builder Ludovic Lazareth – and if you’ve a spare €100,000 (£84,116) you can have one. The LM 410 is the latest in a long line of extreme Lazareth machines. A previous one, the LM 847, featured a 470bhp Maserati V8 car engine and caused a sensation at the Geneva Motor Show. With that machine proving impossible to gain approval for road use, Lazareth decided to build this slightly toned-down, R1-powered version with 10 models being offered to the public. He said: “The LM 410 uses the visual signature of the LM 847 but is much more conventional. It was designed to be lighter, more manageable and accessible to as many people as possible.” The notoriously secretive…

garner’s a ‘no-show’ at pensions hearing

Hearing learns how Norton pension holders lost £100,000s Ombudsman to rule on whether Garner’s to blame Norton boss fails to appear or respond to MCN enquiries Norton CEO Stuart Garner failed to attend a hearing held to investigate 30 complaints regarding pension schemes he was trustee of between 2012 and 2018. The Pensions Ombudsman hearing last week heard how innocent people paid large sums of money into one of three schemes. It is believed there were 228 investors with the overall sum involved totalling around £14 million. Pensions Ombudsman Anthony Arter said it was his job to work out where the money had gone and whether Mr Garner or the scheme’s administrators, Liddell Dunbar, were personally responsible for any breach of regulations. The money from the pension schemes was invested into Norton Motorcycles, which…

calls grow for public inquiry

Norton went into administration last month leaving hundreds of customers and pension-savers potentially millions out of pocket. Over the last 12 years there have been a series of high-profile Government-backed loans and grants, plus public endorsements by the likes of George Osbourne. Now, the chair of parliament’s public accounts committee is calling for an official investigation into the Government’s funding of the company. Meg Hillier MP (Lab) accused officials of ‘blindly pouring’ millions of pounds into the ailing company and said she intends to write to the Government to ask for an enquiry. Officials ‘blindly poured’ millions into itMEG HILLIER MP MCN has also heard from Norton V4 buyers that their bikes were stripped while at the Norton factory undergoing warranty work. MCN’s last contact with Garner was on January 31 when he said he…

brough wows london

The Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show took over the ExCeL exhibition centre last weekend, treating nearly 40,000 bikers to more than 300 of the latest and greatest machines. Amongst them was the exclusive AMB 001, a tie-up between British legend Brough Superior and supercar brand, Aston Martin. “I’d seen the pictures online, but I don’t think they do it any justice,” Sam Saich, 42, from Dagenham, told MCN. “I like the paint as well. I don’t think I could see that in any other colour. It’s got the Aston Martin ethos all over it.” This was echoed by Adam Apostol, 42, from Hemel Hempstead, who said: “It’s beautiful – it’s really Aston Martin-ish! I really like that lower sidepanel, too – it’s like sportscar styling, but I wouldn’t want to scratch it.” The…