Motus Motorcycles

[sloride]

530 lbs and 31 inch adjustable seat height that will suit a lot short legged people

And my Local (100mi) BMW dealer is going to have them . Maybe a demo ride in my future.

[acejones]

Don't discount the people out there with $40,000 to spare . Motus may not be a volume producer but they could fill an elitist niche. They have a lot of quality equipment on those bikes along with a what looks like a well designed V-4 with 185 HP. They could get their foot in the door and produce a more moderately priced general consumer model.



Unfortunately I don't have a spare $40,000. However I do have a great BMW.

I'd love to see them succeed

I think they would have a better chance of getting their foot in the door if they were more accessible to larger part of the demographic. After establishing a name and rep, then they could produce a premium bike. There are plenty of automotive models to support a more conservative strategy. Example; Toyota waited a while to launch Lexus as did Honda/Acura and Nissan/Infinity.

[ANDYVH]

I'm not saying there aren't people out there with $40k to spend on a bike. But that is a small percentage of the small sport-touring market. The HD knock-offs/customs were mostly driven by a whole bunch of "look what I got" kind of buyers that purchase those items on emotional whims, or to piss off their soon to be ex. Riders satisfied with a 50 mile "ride" to show off their polished butt-jewelry.

To go head to head against BMW, Honda, a lot of other VERY capable bikes MUCH less costly, even Harley, you gotta still show real long term value. The Motus may well have it. But to get riders like me to pony up the bucks it needs to be within $5k of a top of the line BMW at most. Has there even been any bike-to-bike comparison tests of the Motus vs the competition?

[mika]

...
To go head to head against BMW, Honda, ...heavily snipped

This is the part of the conversation about the bike I don't think we are getting. Do they want to go up against BMW, Honda, Harley or anyone else? Not every small business dreams of growing up to be a big one. Some want to make a living by doing/building something that speaks to them. I am currently working in a small business that expanded from to shops to a local chain. Many, including myself, have made proposals to expand the operation to a regional company with the possibility of more. The core owner group (first and second gen) see the viability of the option to expand but is not interested in having their company or themselves head in that direction.

They may want to be a niche manufacturer. They aren't out of line at all for bikes built by specialty companies. Price some of the chopper shops, Confederate etc. There are buyers with the money and the inclination to spend it on motorcycles. I have my doubts about the number in the sport touring/ touring niche.

In the back of my mind I have wondered if the bike was a way of marketing their engine. The crate option builds on that thought. Is their profit / exit strategy to market their idea and R&D using this vehicle (literally) with a hope of being purchased by a Polaris, Bombardier, H-D or some other larger operation looking for such a power plant to adapt to their product line?

[71243]

Well I agree, with many here. I don't have $40,000 for a motorcycle, but I also agree, that i hope they succeed. {IMO} any competition improves the industry, and as consumers we can reap the benefit.

Wonder what currently available frame / chassis would be a good host for one of the crate engine ?.......hummmmm

[mika]

Wonder what currently available frame / chassis would be a good host for one of the crate engine ?.......hummmmm

Wish this engine was around when we were shoe horning small block V-8s into small sports cars.

[RINTY]

This is the part of the conversation about the bike I don't think we are getting.

Agreed. This is a bike for a high net worth individual who wants to have something that few others have. He wants to be sure that, when he takes it to Alice's on weekends, there is not another one in the lot.

[lmo1131]

Wish this engine was around when we were shoe horning small block V-8s into small sports cars.

One I remember ... my wife's father had one.

Sunbeam Tiger (160 bhp);
horse power is about the same as the Motus, but at 485 pounds the engine weight is almost as heavy as the complete Motus motorcycle (the wet weight of the bike is stated at 530 pounds).


And a couple of other machines that would have benefited from the Motus.

66 Ford (UK) Lotus Cortina MkI (105 bhp)
I owned a '66 Lotus Cortina MkI for three years... still kick myself every morning for having sold it.


66 Lotus Elan (125 bhp)


But where I'm thinkin' the Motus would really shine would be in a

Healey "BugEye" Sprite (43 bhp) or


MG Midget (56 bhp) ... a "big engine" conversion on these is usually something in the 1200cc range.


Dynamometer run


And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[BC1100S]

They may want to be a niche manufacturer. They aren't out of line at all for bikes built by specialty companies. Price some of the chopper shops, Confederate etc. There are buyers with the money and the inclination to spend it on motorcycles. I have my doubts about the number in the sport touring/ touring niche.

As has been pointed out earlier, my opinion is that the buyers of Confederates, OC Choppers, etc., type of bikes are not/were not, for the most part, motorcyclists. They wanted to own a motorcycle but they were not motorcyclists. A couple of guys I work with fit that mold exactly. Their typical ride is 50 km which takes them a couple of hours to complete and they almost kill themselves about 3 times each. Not at all interested in taking any kind of riding course.

I believe that buyers of a sport-touring motorcycle will be much more discerning in what they purchase and, for $31-37k, will be expecting something that performs as well as, or better than, the competition. I might pay $5k more for the luxury of having something different....but it better work well.

[sloride]

Motus

MST - $31000

MST-R -$37000

[mika]

As has been pointed out earlier, my opinion is that the buyers of Confederates, OC Choppers, etc., type of bikes are not/were not, for the most part, motorcyclists. They wanted to own a motorcycle but they were not motorcyclists. A couple of guys I work with fit that mold exactly. Their typical ride is 50 km which takes them a couple of hours to complete and they almost kill themselves about 3 times each. Not at all interested in taking any kind of riding course.

I believe that buyers of a sport-touring motorcycle will be much more discerning in what they purchase and, for $31-37k, will be expecting something that performs as well as, or better than, the competition. I might pay $5k more for the luxury of having something different....but it better work well.

Not big into dissing others no matter how stupid I may think their bike is or their reason for buying it. I dominantly use my BMW as a commuting bike (<50 miles one way), sport riding and I follow racing. That resume makes me more like the guys you are describing than the average rider here. In an average year I may not have the miles but most of you don't have the days in the saddle.

BMW and Motus don't give a hoot what we think makes a motorcyclist, biker, or squid as long as the check doesn't bounce. If you read what you quoted from me I do think there are plenty of check books big enough to buy in that price range just have serious doubts how many sports/touring riders are in it.

[BC1100S]

One I remember ... my wife's father had one.

If you own that Sunbeam I am going to be seriously jealous. I love those mini-lites, too.

A guy in my town pulled the 260, bolted in a hi-perf 289 and then proceeded to put the hurt on a few local 'Vette drivers. The thing was wicked fast.

[BC1100S]

That resume makes me more like the guys you are describing than the average rider here.

Not in the least. If you knew these two clowns, you'd see the difference immediately.

[racer7]

Well. compared to the most expensive things that might (some by stretching) be lumped into the expensive touring category the Motus is ay least a fairly appealing bike with an interesting motor. Its lighter, so will be faster and probably more fun than BMWs 6 cyl techno barge. Compared to the last made in NC Indian priced at a similar level, its a stunning bargain if actual riding is your goal. And compared to blinged out Harley customs that can be pushed to that price level- well, ...

Allegedly, the Motus circles the track in Birmingham at similar times as 600cc sportbikes- not bad for a the size and weight. No doubt the ponies ought to allow for stronger accel even if the weight detracts from the cornering limit.

I would like to see the motor in more affordable stuff- never really loved complex stuff for real transportation though I've owned some of it for track play. Wrenching on some of the 4 cyl J brand stuff or BMWs 6, all of which are models of inaccessibility isn't high on my fun list at my age.
The babyblock is utter simplicity, tough to get more simple unless its a two stroke (and yes I'd really like to see some of outboard motor developments find their way into bikes).

Maybe if they get bought out the potential for spreading the "technology" in the bike will spread. Polaris could do it if they chose though it means a different market than Victory, Indian and Harley...If we got lucky, the J brand guys would build a copy some day but its way out of their DNA...maybe the folks in India considering their tastes for acquiring western brands??

I agree right now they can only be a niche player. Most who shoot for that go belly up but maybe they'll be in the lucky few. Certainly there are no bargain aspects in the Motus by comparison to anything else. I assign it a big negative for having a chain drive, no doubt done for cost reasons- not exactly what I want on a touring bike. Takes more than a motor and a set of upscale parts to make a complete machine that's fun to ride

[sloride]

I hope they stay in the game for awhile

They must be offering a pretty good deal to dealers. The HD- BMW shop I deal with in Louisville has a huge inventory of Harley's and a decent inventory of BMW's. Millions of dollars worth of bikes and they are listed on the Motus web site as a dealer for Motus . Although they don't have a Motus there yet. We'll see