The racing legend called out Garner on Friday saying: "Struggling to get hold of Stuart Garner from @nortonceo if anybody has seen him, tell him to give me a shout."

McGuinness was disappointed after facing problems with Norton during the 2019 TT. But, although originally contracted to race with Norton again in the 2020 Isle of Man TT, he confirmed last week he had signed with Kawasaki for the year. His tweet indicating that there are some unresolved issues with Garner.

This comes amid growing uncertainty about Norton's future during financial difficulty. Just one month ago, Stuart Garner, CEO of Norton since 2008, started a campaign to raise £1 million. According to the company, the money would fulfil orders and fund future innovations. However, Garner pulled the appeal stating that a big investor had come forward.

But last week, news broke that Norton is facing a winding-up order over unpaid tax debts. It's claimed the company owed HRMC £600,000, half of which is now paid.

In a recent hearing, HMRC's barrister asked that the outstanding amount be settled within 63 days. Norton's financial director stated that the company has £135,000 in research and development tax credits due, which were with HMRC for approval. This money, he claimed, will be used to cover some of the remaining debt.

The hearing has been adjourned until February 12th.

Norton faced financial scrutiny last year when it was issued a winding-up notice in March. But the company claimed there had been an administration error and that the accounts had been filed late.

Garner stated on Facebook: "To clear this one up, guys. As the informed posts are saying here, it is simply late filing notice. Chill, we are going nowhere."

But now, it's not looking good for the company again, amidst its unsolved financial issues. And McGuinness' recent tweet has added to the scrutiny, sparking a backlash of comments against Garner such as 'does he own you money too John?'.

It’s unconfirmed what lies in store for Norton, but this is not the company's finest moment.

27/01/20: in the financial sh*t I think!! Still waiting for my V4 RR notification

27/01/20: Time for John Bloor to take it under Triumphs wing!

27/01/20: I'm sure i have seen it somewhere that another asian company is trying to buy Norton out but for the life of me i cannot remember where i saw it?

27/01/20: John half pint is a great racer , However doubt the extent of his manufacturing expertise.

27/01/20: Local norton dealer had 48 orders and deposits for one (overpriced imo) model.... Only 2 were delivered in 6 months... One customer apparently got his deposit back, went to norton direct, they supplied a bike in a week... But it developed issues so he took it to the local dealer, with the expectation of support (which the did... Reluctantly...)... Norton; sprinting before crawling and screwing dealers and customers over

25/01/20: Nice name shame about the bikes.

25/01/20: That grand marque the Norton has more history and racing excellence than you could shake a stick at. Come on guys if Royal Enfield can be resurrected then so can Norton. There is sufficient modern manufacturing facilities abound i’m sure to get things running again. This really is about British is best.

25/01/20: Good luck to norton... wish them nothing but success. Garner had the courage and drive to get them this far, should be applauded not jumped on by people who have never risked anything or achieved anything themselves.

25/01/20: I’m sooo glad I didn’t invest in the shares

          25/01/20: I applied to be considered for them and we all had emails saying they’d been withdrawn as one investor wanted them. So pleased we dodged a bullet there!

24/01/20: A company built solely on jingoism was never going to fly.

24/01/20: Garner is the problem.. ! Instead of building the bikes bought and paid for by customers.. He used that money to develop the Superlight... walk before you can Run..

23/01/20: Never a biker but love British bikes and our engineering is the best in the world, ask the F1 teams,do you remember the Norton Rotory Engine days,towards the end of the season they were winning every race,come the next season no one would back them, lets ALL HAVE FAITH IN BRITAIN

23/01/20: Probably jumped to Kawasaki not just because it will actually run and finish a race but the bloke might actually get paid! Think norton just made too many promises they couldn’t keep by sounds of it

          23/01/20: that all they ever do at Norton, Hickman should tell them to shove their bike and maybe they'll learn not to piss people about for years on end

          23/01/20: don’t know why people like them so much they don’t look great always break and wasn’t even their engine in the tt bike , aprilia one and they couldn’t even bolt that in properly

          23/01/20: well if the bike is capable of winning then the proper man is on it this year.

          25/01/20: yeah call them selves engineers what a laugh ..he was a plasterer before norton by all accounts .

          25/01/20: because capable mechanics on it ..

23/01/20: I’m a big fan of Norton bikes. I’ve had 2 and a half (2 Commandos and a Triton). I really hope this is not the end.

23/01/20: If there was a cores for the National Lottery , surly this is it Stuart Garner has worked hard on Norton and deserves a brake

          26/01/20: no, he has ripped of employees, emptied pensions, ripped off customers...

23/01/20: I just love the British attitude when a company struggles. Yeh lets just kick the crap out of it. Maybe thats the reason why British industry fails. I hope the issues are sorted soon and has anyone thought the reason why McGuiness needed to talk to him fast was because of the contract he was under to Norton and needed a get out so he could sign for Kawasaki? I really do hope they get it sorted sooner rather than later

          23/01/20: It's sad to see, but to me it seems that everyone that has got involved with Norton wants to milk the brand and then walk away

          23/01/20: I understand that but if you have seem the factory and the exspansion from what it started out from it may change your mind a little. But who knows I am no expert on it all. Just gutted for all the team.

          23/01/20: Couldn't agree more what you've said, But when you employ somebody under contract you expect to be paid for your services...I hope stuart does the right thing and sort Mcpint out..

          23/01/20: Garners woes extend way further than what he may owe John, but if I was him id get it sorted sharpish, seems a lynch mob is forming.

          23/01/20: not a matter of kicking the cr*p out of anybody but the company has been run but a bunch of prats trying to milk it for all,they can and screwing plenty of people over on the way. mcGuiness left because the pr*cks don’t pay him. I don’t want to see Norton fail but I do want the pr*cks running it disappear

          23/01/20: so you think the investment, the developement, the factory, the fabrication unit, the hand built bikes are all fake made by pr*cks? Think you maybe wrong there but each to their own views.

          23/01/20: the 4million government loan in 2015 may account for most

23/01/20: It pains me to see hes claiming a tax reduction for R and D purpose... there is no R and D.... he just wings it... no testing of parts or bikes of any sort... and I know having worked there...

23/01/20: Flybe got a deal with the tax man so do the same for Norton... be another great British company gone otherwise just like the rest of them.

          26/01/20: Norton don't deserve bailing out. They have fobbed off to many customers since garner took over the brand. Took deposits never delivered bikes and used shoddy parts and wasted a fortune at the tt with money that should have gone into developing a modern engine instead of flogging a dead horse with there 900 odd cc twin that was devolved 40 odd years ago when Norton ceased trading

23/01/20: As far as I'm concerned theyve been going down hill since the demise of the Featherbed frame!!!

          23/01/20: sh*t how many years ago was that. It was a great design though. I had the pleasure of going to the new factory and the hand build bikes are gorgeous. But I love engineering and it is something to behold

          23/01/20: and the move from Bracebridge St.to Woolwich.

23/01/20: This has already done the rounds, and Stuart Garner (Norton CEO) replied to his tweet, so that part is a bit of a non-story...

          23/01/20: seems not

23/01/20: Get it sorted, what the f__k,Wy are we slower than the others? Be £ maybe.

23/01/20: Slippery as a sh*t house rat, and that's being polite.

23/01/20: They lied the first time then. Asked for public money and fucked that off when a sole investor turned up, obviously didn't get that and shunned the people who were going to invest. Its like the 70s all over again, we never learn do we?

23/01/20: What’s that about the hand that feeds you?

23/01/20: That was reported last week wasn't it?

23/01/20: Snake oil salesman....

23/01/20: What s NON STORY

          24/01/20: not to Customers who are still waiting for Bikes over 2 years later .. !!

          25/01/20: agreed that’s bad, i meant the mcguinness tweet story.. not really ground breaking

23/01/20:I was reading inbetween the lines of what he said in mcn last week! Wondered who he meant lol

23/01/20: Leave norton alone

23/01/20: Norton needs to pay the suppliers bills befor tax they were responsible for motad going under for a start

          23/01/20: That's a real shame motad have been going years making full exhaust systems if I remember correctly

23/01/20: Norton deserve all that is coming for them, joke of a company

23/01/20: Oooops

22/01/20: Ok I am going to get slated for this but here we go. When Garner tried to make a British bike from scratch everyone jumped on him for choosing an Aprillia engine. The headlines posts and everything was more slating than anything else. Did anyone ever ask why? Did anyone ever ask Yamaha way back when they did it to Scott Motorcycles and stole the water cooled engine from under British noses? So where are Scott now and where are Yamaha? I totally get why Norton did it. Lets take a V4 engine and take it appart and try to make it better. Lets build a bike around a power unit changing small things here and there and rebrand it as Norton. Exactly the same thing Yamaha did to the greatest motorcycle production and design companies at that time. Yep the likes of BSA Scott and other British manufacturers. When Norton went looking for British manufacturers of parts within the UK who could produce smallish numbers of units to match demand Norton couldn't find any. They had to go to Spain for wheels and other places to make sure they could source the parts to make the bike in tje first place. But instead of continuing to use these non uk companies Garner decided to try to produce the next generation of British engineers right here in the UK. They went to Uni after Uni but the costs wete that high to Norton they decided to create their own Uni which now produces some fantastic engineers plus they are producing the parts now that were missing originally. But all of this is undone. The fact is Mr Garner should never ever have been sole trustee. Not in a million years. But there is nothing the press love more that the smell of blood in the water. Nothing will stop But all of this

          22/01/20: never heard those rumblings about the aprilia lump must admit

          22/01/20: He had the best brains in the country willing to help. all alienated one by one.

          22/01/20: you talking about the racing side or business side?

          22/01/20: both I’d imagine, but certainly the business side.

          22/01/20: Actually the Norton ridden by REM Fowler had a Peugeot engine I belive

          25/01/20: are you saying the TZ350 is based on a Scott ?

22/01/20: Who is John mcGuiness not a even a MVP rider tw*t

22/01/20: All this Norton battering on social media doesn't do anyone any good! Most of the comments are from people who haven't a clue what they're talking about. I've owned a 961 for 8 yrs now and it's a great bike-and i am glad it doesn't look or ride like a modern jap bike. Yes, i had to wait longer than planned for it, as i am for the new Norton i have on order now....but believe me its well worth the wait...Stop knockin em and instead be proud of a british bike firm givin it a go !

22/01/20: How about setting up a crowd funding page. We can't let them go to the wall this time

22/01/20: Norton... if you owe him money for trying to complete a lap on your pathetic excuse of a TT bike, I suggest you pay up. He did his best with the piece of scrap you provided

22/01/20: Tell the c*nt running it at Donigton with the nice bike to pull his head out his arse