The Dealer Lab

27 | Steve Radt: Norton Motorcycles USA CEO

1 h 35 min · 11 de may de 2026
Portada del episodio 27 | Steve Radt: Norton Motorcycles USA CEO

Descripción

Norton Motorcycles USA CEO Steve Radt on Bringing Norton Back to America, TVS Backing, and the Future of Dealer ExperienceSteve Radt, Norton Motorcycles USA’s first hire and CEO, discusses building Norton’s U.S. subsidiary from scratch (LLC, licensing, homologation, facility, staffing, and dealer strategy) and Norton’s plan to return to the U.S. market. He recounts his background in mechanical engineering, early Ducati roles, turning around and later selling Ducati/Triumph New York, and his work growing Polestar’s dealer network. Radt explains Norton’s revival under TVS, including $300M invested, UK-based design/testing and manufacturing in Solihull for the V4 Manx R, with additional production planned in Hosur, India, and details TVS’s scale, quality culture, and BMW contract manufacturing. He outlines a franchise-dealer approach, a planned U.S. launch target of November, a three-year/36,000-mile warranty, and a focus on reducing purchase/service friction through technology to improve ownership experience.00:00 Big Norton Ambitions01:42 Meet Steve Radt02:22 Norton NYC Backdrop04:23 Restoration Shop Culture05:47 Building Norton USA08:06 Jersey City HQ Plans10:30 Engineering Roots Ducati Dream12:25 Cagiva Chaos Typewriter Era15:25 Back to Ducati Consulting Rise20:47 Leaving Ducati Startup Detour22:03 Saving Ducati New York25:40 Mototainment Dealer Success27:02 NYC Parking Tickets Elevator29:51 Selling During COVID Surge32:52 Polestar EV Network Growth34:30 Why Return to Norton37:10 TVS Buys And Invests43:07 TVS Legacy and Halo43:45 Quality Roots and Kaizen50:19 Bus Line Origin Story52:14 Norton Leadership Bench55:02 Engineering Muscle in Bologna56:27 Manx R Launch Timeline57:21 Building the US Dealer Network01:01:39 Frictionless Buying with Tech01:05:48 Dealer Model and Norton Hub01:10:49 Factory Scale and Logistics01:12:12 Future Dealerships and AI01:30:05 Product Roadmap and Accessibility01:35:06 Closing Thoughts and Thanks

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episode 29 | Jayson Davis: NPDA Chairman & DP of PowerSports of Greenville artwork

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episode 28 | Jamie Dewar: Legend Boats CEO talks AI artwork

28 | Jamie Dewar: Legend Boats CEO talks AI

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episode 27 | Steve Radt: Norton Motorcycles USA CEO artwork

27 | Steve Radt: Norton Motorcycles USA CEO

Norton Motorcycles USA CEO Steve Radt on Bringing Norton Back to America, TVS Backing, and the Future of Dealer ExperienceSteve Radt, Norton Motorcycles USA’s first hire and CEO, discusses building Norton’s U.S. subsidiary from scratch (LLC, licensing, homologation, facility, staffing, and dealer strategy) and Norton’s plan to return to the U.S. market. He recounts his background in mechanical engineering, early Ducati roles, turning around and later selling Ducati/Triumph New York, and his work growing Polestar’s dealer network. Radt explains Norton’s revival under TVS, including $300M invested, UK-based design/testing and manufacturing in Solihull for the V4 Manx R, with additional production planned in Hosur, India, and details TVS’s scale, quality culture, and BMW contract manufacturing. He outlines a franchise-dealer approach, a planned U.S. launch target of November, a three-year/36,000-mile warranty, and a focus on reducing purchase/service friction through technology to improve ownership experience.00:00 Big Norton Ambitions01:42 Meet Steve Radt02:22 Norton NYC Backdrop04:23 Restoration Shop Culture05:47 Building Norton USA08:06 Jersey City HQ Plans10:30 Engineering Roots Ducati Dream12:25 Cagiva Chaos Typewriter Era15:25 Back to Ducati Consulting Rise20:47 Leaving Ducati Startup Detour22:03 Saving Ducati New York25:40 Mototainment Dealer Success27:02 NYC Parking Tickets Elevator29:51 Selling During COVID Surge32:52 Polestar EV Network Growth34:30 Why Return to Norton37:10 TVS Buys And Invests43:07 TVS Legacy and Halo43:45 Quality Roots and Kaizen50:19 Bus Line Origin Story52:14 Norton Leadership Bench55:02 Engineering Muscle in Bologna56:27 Manx R Launch Timeline57:21 Building the US Dealer Network01:01:39 Frictionless Buying with Tech01:05:48 Dealer Model and Norton Hub01:10:49 Factory Scale and Logistics01:12:12 Future Dealerships and AI01:30:05 Product Roadmap and Accessibility01:35:06 Closing Thoughts and Thanks

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episode 26 | Brendan Baker: Powersports Business Editor in Chief artwork

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