Norton Atlas First Ride Review

The Visuals

The first thing that stood out about the Atlas was its size. This motorcycle looks much bigger and more substantial in person than it does in photographs. A lot of that visual presence comes from the bodywork. There are large panels across the motorcycle, giving it a chunky and muscular appearance. The design is minimalistic. There is little going on in terms of lines and detailing, which makes it pleasing to look at. It also has an understated charm. The Atlas doesn't scream for attention, but it has enough presence to stand out when you see it in the flesh.

Other design highlights include the short tail section, the kicked-up rear seat, and the low and inviting-looking rider's seat. The latter is clearly designed to offset the motorcycle's 220mm ground clearance and make it more accessible. As for quality, most of it appears well put together. We did spot a couple of areas where the plastic panels didn't match perfectly, but we'll reserve judgement until we ride the India-spec version.

The Package

The Atlas gets an 845mm seat height, but because of its narrow waist, it feels more approachable than the numbers suggest. That said, the seat shape creates a compromise. Because the rider sits deep in the saddle, the distance between the seat and the footpegs feels slightly tight. It also restricts movement. So, shifting around to relieve pressure on long riding days, might be challenging. The rest of the ergonomics work well. The handlebar is easy to reach, wide enough, and the relationship between the seat and handlebar feels natural. Overall, apart from the seat, the riding position is well sorted.

The Atlas is among the most feature-rich motorcycles in its class. You get adjustable levers, an adjustable windscreen, and a rear luggage rack as standard. Plus, lighting is all LED, with twin-projector headlamps, integrated DRLs, handguard-mounted indicators, cornering lights, a multifunction tail lamp, and even a puddle lamp. The headlamps also feature variable intensity that deepens the reach of the head lamp throw as speeds increase.

It also comes with an eight-inch full-colour touchscreen TFT display with Bluetooth and an inbuilt e-SIM. It offers navigation, music and call controls, GoPro integration, ride telemetry, Norton app connectivity, and over-the-air software and firmware updates.

Convenience features include keyless ignition with an electronic steering lock and keyless seat opening. You get USB-C charging, tyre pressure monitoring, and integrated heated grips; the latter were a boon in the Iceland mountains with rain and temperatures dropping in the low single digits.

You also get five ride modes: Urban delivers a friendly and linear throttle response with ABS and traction control working at one step under their most restrictive. Rain apes Urban’s throttle response but with the strictest ABS and TC settings. The throttle response is at its most aggressive in Tour with the ABS and TC settings somewhere in the middle. Sport mimics Tour’s throttle response, but is the least restrictive when it comes to intervention from ABS and TC. Finally, there is Enduro. The throttle response and engine braking go back to mellower settings, while traction control and rear ABS are completely switched off. These ride modes are backed by Bosch’s six-axis IMU and a comprehensive electronics package that includes drag torque control, cornering ABS, cruise control, wheelie control, and rear lift control.

The Ride

The Atlas is lovely to ride, helped in no small measure by its parallel-twin engine and a chassis and suspension setup that lends it excellent riding dynamics.

The liquid-cooled parallel-twin runs a 270-degree crank and has a distinctive character. It sounds good, feels smooth, and delivers strong performance. Norton claims that over 90 per cent of the torque is available from around 4,500rpm, and out on the road, the engine feels effortless once you're above 3,000rpm. Open the throttle and it responds immediately and with intent.

In the city, we found ourselves short-shifting because the flat, thick torque curve makes for a very tractable engine. On the highway, getting to 100kmph was a breeze. 120kmph came and went without much ceremony either. We saw 160kmph on the speedo before we had to roll off, and even then, the Atlas had enough in reserve to go quicker. Plus, there were no undue vibrations, no harshness, and no complaints from the engine whatsoever when we kept it singing up top in the rpm range.

There are a couple of areas that need work, however. The engine doesn't feel particularly happy below 3,000rpm, and there is some inconsistency in the fuelling when holding a constant throttle opening. Hopefully, this will be addressed before the motorcycle reaches India. Apart from that, the engine is smooth, tractable, and quite enjoyable.

The Atlas's other big highlight is the way its chassis and suspension are set up. The motorcycle gets adjustable KYB suspension at both ends. The front is adjustable for rebound and compression damping, while the rear can be tweaked for rebound damping and preload. Now, regardless of what settings our test bike was running (apologies, but we didn’t check), we never felt the need to change anything.

Iceland's roads aren't perfect. There are ripples, bumps, potholes, off-camber sections, and large undulations. Through all of it, the Atlas remained impressively composed. The ride quality is accomplished. It absorbs imperfections well, but more importantly, it settles quickly afterwards. Ride over a series of high-frequency, low-amplitude bumps stays remarkably flat as well. It continues to impress at high speeds. It stays properly anchored, no matter large undulations, crosswinds, or sweeping corners even at around 130-140kmph.

What's equally impressive is that the comfort doesn't come at the expense of handling. The Atlas feels intuitive in corners, settles well under braking, and offers plenty of grip and feel. The chassis communicates clearly, and there's plenty of feedback coming through the tyres as well. Together, they build confidence. So much so that we found ourselves pushing progressively harder around the wet mountain roads without feeling nervous. The same confidence carries over off-road.

We rode the Atlas on rocky sections, gravel, and hard-packed dirt. Despite being a 200kg-plus motorcycle, it feels lighter than the numbers suggest, courtesy of good weight distribution. Plus, the front end handles the hits without throwing a tantrum.

The rear doesn't snap out abruptly under power; instead, it moves progressively, allowing you to feel exactly what's happening underneath you. And the tyres offer good purchase be it loose gravel or hard packed dirt. Standing ergonomics work well too. The only issue is that the tank and midsection are quite smooth, making it difficult to grip the motorcycle with your knees. Tank grips would be a worthwhile addition if off-road riding is on the agenda.

Should You Buy It?

The Norton Atlas gets a lot of things right. It has a strong visual presence, a smooth and flexible engine, good ride quality, impressive stability, and a chassis that manages to balance comfort with handling remarkably well indeed. It is a motorcycle that should work well for touring, commuting and even some mild off-roading.

The list of negatives is comparatively short. The adjustable windscreen creates too much buffeting. The rider’s seat needed to be more comfortable and accommodating, particularly over long distances. And the fuelling still needs refinement at steady throttle openings.

That leaves pricing as the big question. If the base Atlas is priced around Rs. 5.5 lakh and the top-spec Apex version stays within the Rs. 6-6.5 lakh range, Norton could have a very compelling motorcycle on its hands that addresses the needs of a wide cross section of buyers spanning many segments.