Pierre Terblanche quits Norton

Just six months after joining the company, Pierre Terblanche has exclusively confirmed to Hell For Leather that he has quit the new Norton. “Norton, with the right finance and management, could do very well,” the designer told us this morning as he packed up his apartment. Acquiring Terblanche — designer of the Ducati Supermono, 999 and many other iconic motorcycles — from mega-manufacturer Piaggio was quite the coup for Norton, the reborn brand has only been operating since 2008. :continue:

Wes Siler. June 10th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (35)

Pierre Terblanche and Dan Van Epps on the new Norton

Despite an ailing economy, nose-diving new bike sales and naysayers insisting it simply cannot be done, looks like the new Norton’s comeback is on track. Two recent big-name hires certainly have increased the start-up company’s chances of success. First it was announced that American Dan Van Epps was coming onboard as head of Norton’s U.S. operations. Van Epps was formerly CEO of Ducati North America before transferring to Bologna to lead the company’s overseas sales and product marketing. More recently he was in charge of sales strategy at Bimota. Bigger news was that designer Pierre Terblanche, best known for the many Ducati models he has penned, was moving to the British Midlands to become Norton Motorcycles Ltd.’s new full-time chief of design.

Hell For Leather talked exclusively with Terblanche, who had been in his new office at Norton’s Donington Park headquarters for just two weeks. :continue:

David Edwards. February 4th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (33)

Pierre Terblanche joins Norton

He of the Ducati Supermono, Pierre Terblanche, has signed on with the reborn Norton Motorcycles. To say the move is shocking is a bit of an understatement. Pierre had been working with Miguel Galuzzi on reviving the Moto Guzzi brand and Piaggio is a gigantic company. Norton…well, Norton makes a single bike in three different flavors and has only been around, in its current form, since 2009 and will only be entering the US market for the first time this year. What’s Pierre have to say for himself? :continue:

Wes Siler. January 12th, 2011 - Permalink - Comments (12)

Terblanche on the new Ducati Multistrada

Probably the most dramatic example of the departure from the ambitious, elegant futurism of the Terblanche-era Ducatis into the dumbed-down-for-the-masses mundanity of the current generation is in the Multistrada. An utterly unique, if slightly awkward bike corrupted the traditional idea of a go-anywhere adventure tourer by eschewing dirt ability in 2003, but was replaced by the remarkable-only-in-its-schnoz (and, admittedly, performance) 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200. We asked Pierre for his thoughts on the new bike. Piaggio’s design supremo, Miguel Galluzzi, was also on the line and added some choice quotes of his own. :continue:

Wes Siler. July 26th, 2010 - Permalink - Comments (58)

Details: Moto Guzzi V12 strada concept

The Moto Guzzi V12 Strada concept is the third member of the trio that also includes the Moto Guzzi V12 Le Mans and Moto Guzzi V12 X and, like those bikes, these exclusive photos are first time we’ve seen it in a studio. The roadster-like Strada combines technical features seen on both those bikes, but includes some pretty neat new stuff too. :continue:

Wes Siler. July 22nd, 2010 - Permalink - Comments (21)

Details: Moto Guzzi V12 X concept

Like the Moto Guzzi 12 Le Mans concept, these are the first studio shots every published on the supermoto-like Moto Guzzi V12 X. A lot of the details differ from the Le Mans, here’s a rundown. > :continue:

Wes Siler. July 22nd, 2010 - Permalink - Comments (23)

Details: Moto Guzzi V12 Le Mans concept

Here’s the first studio photos of the Moto Guzzi V12 Le Mans concept ever published. There’s an awful lot going on here, so we had Pierre Terblanche talk us through all the details. > :continue:

Wes Siler. July 22nd, 2010 - Permalink - Comments (35)

Pierre Terblanche and Miguel Galluzzi on the future of Moto Guzzi

Think Moto Guzzi and you probably think more about a past than a future. It’s current products are overweight, underperforming and yet still only manage a tenuous connection to an illustrious heritage. That’s a huge problem, one that Piaggio has enlisted designers Miguel Galluzzi (original Ducati Monster, Aprilia RSV4) and Pierre Terblanche (Ducati Supermono, 999, first Multistrada, Hypermotard) to fix. We talked to them about what last year’s Moto Guzzi V12 concepts mean for the brand and where they plan to take it. They say you should expect to see the results of their work on a production motorcycle in two to three years. > :continue:

Wes Siler. July 22nd, 2010 - Permalink - Comments (36)

Detail shots of the Moto Guzzi V12 Le Mans Concept raise more questions than they answer

Photos: Maarten Timmer

We love Pierre Terblanche and Miguel Galluzzi’s Moto Guzzi V12 Le Mans concept, but that doesn’t mean we understand it. Thanks to these photos, we can now see how the shock works (check it out, it’s pretty straight forward), but don’t understand why it’s located on the swingarm. Surely this arrangement creates more problems than it solves, increasing unsprung weight. Other questions: are those rear view cameras on the cylinder heads? If so, where’s the screen? What on earth are the finned metal pieces high up on the front of the frame? Maybe oil coolers? The one-piece hinged tank/seat combo is neat, but does it carry any benefits other than looks? Hopefully we’ll be able to bring you answers soon.

Wes Siler. November 13th, 2009 - Permalink - Comments (17)

Moto Guzzi's V12 Strada concept: just in time for 2012

The third of Terblanche’s trinity of V12 concepts unveiled at EICMA, the Moto Guzzi V12 Strada concept is a purist’s motard, taking cues from classic enduro design and contemporary MX simplicity while keeping the focus on the mechanical details. Two of our favorite mash-ups of old-made-new are the flat-faced, numberplate-style LED headlamp and the MX fuel cap with breather hose. The real star of the machine however is the hollowed sweeping tail. Terblanche’s gives a highly sculptural form that looks like it came straight off a starship. Not only did he avoid being completely cheesy, he made it amazing. Moto Guzzi’s press statement calls the V12 Strada a commuter, great for two-up riding. We’re not fooled. This is a hoon machine built for the oncoming Apocalypse if ever we saw one. Press statement after the jump. Update: Piaggio misnamed the concepts on its press site. This concept is called the “X.” The “Strada” is the white concept.

> :continue:

Grant Ray. November 10th, 2009 - Permalink - Comments (17)

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