Norton Exits Connecticut

Another business is leaving Connecticut…

It’s not as ground-shaking, though, as the previous sentence might suggest. There will be no massive layoffs, no shuttering of buildings and no huge loss of tax dollars.

It was with little fanfare that the revived British motorcycle company Norton set up its North American headquarters in Connecticut some five years ago when it hired state resident Dan Van Epps.

The former CEO of Ducati North America was tasked to obtain the federal and state permits needed to sell Nortons on this side of the Atlantic Ocean and to build a dealer network. (Original story here.)

Up until recently, Norton’s website listed Beacon Falls,  CT as its stateside place of business. That listing has been stricken and South Bay Norton, a dealership in Lomita, CA, is now shown as the company’s distributor in the U.S.

In a brief email Thursday evening, Van Epps explained, “Norton UK has decided to establish a traditional distributor strategy (vs a subsidiary) in the USA.”

Despite years of effort, Norton’s website only shows seven dealers in the U.S., the lone one in the region being Gold Coast Motorsports in New Hyde Park, NY.

However, an expansive dealer network hasn’t really been needed by Norton as many delays in securing capital and building infrastructure have occurred since U.K. businessman Stuart Garner secured the rights to Norton in late 2008. The company simply hasn’t been able to supply product.

“I’ll be kicking around for a bit to help with the transition,” Van Epps added in his email. After that, he said he plans to take some time to ride the vintage 1966 Triumph Bonneville that he’s owned since high school.

Van Epps is a native of Woodbridge, CT and got his start in the motorcycle business as a mechanic at Buckland Cycles on the Southington-Plainville line. Norton hired him in December 2010.