MOTUS: New Sport Tourer built in Alabama

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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=20 width=550><TBODY><TR><TD style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ffffff 0px; BORDER-LEFT: #ffffff 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 20px; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #dadbdd; PADDING-LEFT: 20px; PADDING-RIGHT: 20px; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; COLOR: #333333; FONT-SIZE: 12px; BORDER-TOP: #ffffff 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: #ffffff 0px; PADDING-TOP: 20px" class=defaultText vAlign=top align=left>Motus Insiders Update
In this update:

• Northeast tour announced
• Motus City Bike Night
• Magazine ride reviews, Penthouse feature
• Exclusive video interview with Alan Cathcart
• Wallpaper downloads
• Motus online store

The American Sport Tour rolls Northeast in October....
The MST's are getting readied and gear is being packed as we prepare to roll out on the second leg of the American Sport Tour, this time to the Northeast. If you live near Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, or Richmond, please ride out to see (and hear!) the prototypes, hang with the founders of Motus, and give us your feedback. The American Sport Tour is our way of piling on miles and testing the machines in varied environments, meeting with fans and friends, and promoting Motus at some top-shelf dealerships that have invited us. Stay tuned to our Facebook as we will be adding a few events and rides along the way. Go to our website to see the interactive map of dealers we'll be visiting this tour.
If your favorite NE dealership isn't on this tour already, please tell them you're interested in a Motus and that they should get in touch ASAP. Maybe we can ride by and let them check out the machines along the way.....
Motus City Bike Night....
This year's Barber Vintage Festival (10/7-10/9) is promising to be the best one yet with an incredible schedule of events throughout the weekend. After things wrap up at Barber on Saturday, Motus is hosting City Bike Night, a block party for out-of-town visitors and local riders to celebrate some of what Birmingham has to offer in the way of local food, drinks, music and motorcycle culture. Just a short ride from the track, the Lakeview Historic District is a perfect spot to meet and spend time with old friends and new. We'll have free motorcycle parking as well as valet parking for cars. Bring your historic, vintage, or modern bikes out and party with us as we kick off the 2nd leg of the American Sport Tour.
Motus "first rides" featured in major magazines.... The October issue of Penthouse men's magazine features a two-page spread on the Motus MST. There's even a rare photo taken of an early "naked" prototype. It's actually a great article, very tasteful.
The October issues of Motorcyclist and Cycle World magazines are on the stands now and feature in-depth "first ride" reviews of the Motus prototypes. World-renowned test rider and syndicated moto-journalist "Sir" Alan Cathcart came all the way across the pond to cash in on our promise to him for the very first official press ride, and he came away smiling after his time in the saddle.
The MST is featured on the cover of October's Motorcyclist magazine, and Cathcart's analysis is also accompanied by an exclusive bonus video interview hosted by Motorcyclistonline.com. You can click here to see it.

In October's Cycle World, you'll see Senior Editor Blake Connor's review of the MST-R. As Blake notes in the article, we were a bit hesitant to hand over the keys to a total stranger, but he quickly earned our trust, and the fact that we couldn't get him off of the MST told us he must like it.

WALLPAPERS!!
Download a selection of wallpapers here.

Motus online store....
Help show your support for Motus and purchase a cap or t-shirt today. The commemorative 2011 American Sport Tour shirt will be available while supplies last only. Click here to browse our new gear available for immediate shipment. Free shipping in the U.S.


Download the NEW MST data sheet:



Visit our Facebook page for more pictures and tour info. Click here.



Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where can I see, test ride, and purchase a Motus MST or MST-R?

• Motus motorcycles and related products will be sold through a network of existing, rider oriented dealerships. We are working with dealers that have inquired and we are reaching out to others that have been highly recommended by riders. We need your input! If you have a favorite dealer that may be a good fit for a new line of premium American sportbikes, please let us know who they are. And, please let the management there know you want to test ride a Motus.

Q: What are the differences between the MST and MST-R?

• Both the MST and MST-R are comfortable sportbikes designed for long range canyon carving, solo or two up. Both the base model MST and the premium MST-R are exhilarating, charismatic machines powered by the mighty V4 "baby block" engine. The premium "R" version is lighter and comes standard with the highest level of componentry available. Upgrade options and trim/feature packages will be offered on both models.

Q: What are the expected retail prices of the MST and MST-R?

• We will announce final pricing, options, and full production specifications for the MST series later in 2011. We are still evaluating key components and suppliers and are working hard to keep the base price affordable for a wide range of riders. Please stay tuned.

Q: What is the American Sport Tour?

• To make sure the MSTs meet strict durability, performance, comfort and range standards, we are conducting a high level validation program that includes internal static testing as well as extensive real world road tests. We are riding the MSTs to the four corners of the U.S. during separate legs of our American Sport Tour to test in every possible condition, altitude, road surface, and weather change, so that, by the time production begins, the MSTs meet or exceed each of our standards. Along the way, we are meeting with supporters and dealers that have voiced interest. Future itineraries will be published soon, but please feel free to send us your suggestions of beautiful routes, challenging road rides, and other interesting/notable places that we should consider including on our American Sport Tour. We would love for you to join us and ride along as well.

Q: Does Motus have plans to build a streetfighter, automatic transmission, 3 wheeler, side-car, adventure bike, dual sport, smaller/larger displacement, turbo charged version, hovercraft, track car, etc?

• Motus is focused squarely on building comfortable American sportbikes. We can not confirm nor deny any other future plans. Please stay tuned for a lot more from Motus in the years to come.

Q: Is Motus looking for test riders?

• We currently have a full slate of professional test and development riders.

Follow Motus on Facebook



About Motus
Motus is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama- the heart of the deep South- with Honda, Mercedes, Volkswagen and Toyota nearby. Also located conveniently is the Barber Motorsports Park which houses the world’s largest motorcycle museum and a spectacular race track. Founded in 2008, Motus is developing the first V4-powered American sport touring motorcycles. MST series motorcycles and accessories will be sold internationally through a network of rider oriented dealerships and distributors (please inquire if interested). The Motus MSTs are sportbikes being engineered for performance, comfort, and range. The MST concept is a fresh take on the popular sport touring experience designed for extended, spirited journeys, solo or two up. The Motus MST series, including the MST and the premium MST-R, are powered by proprietary, direct injected V4 engines that combine low maintenance with high performance and a completely unique character.
For more information about Motus, please visit www.motusmotorcycles.com or email info@motusmotorcycles.com or our Facebook fan page.

Previous Insider Updates:
Sep 09 2011 Motorcyclist and Cycle World test ride, video interview
Aug 09 2011 New Motus Tour Video, Photo Gallery, Job Posting
Jul 04 2011 American Sport Tour Dates Announced
Apr 26 2011 Motus Closed Course Testing
Mar 13 2011 Motus Wraps up Daytona
Mar 08 2011 Motus Unveils Bikes in Daytona
Feb 11 2011 Motus MST in Action
Nov 24 2010 Motus Gives Thanks
Jul 02 2010 First Motus video, KMV4 audio
Mar 15 2010 KMV4 Durability Testing
Jan 10 2010 CycleWorld.com Exclusive First Look
Jan 04 2010 Motorcyclist Magazine Feature
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I know where I'll be this Saturday night.

Looks a lot like the guzzi V4 they experimented with in the 80's http://www.moto.it/news/massimo-clarke-guzzi-sconosciute.html

anyone go see it?

I did. It is one sweet bike. It feel so light. It had a really good sound. Love the trellis frame and swingarm. There was a really good turnout.

Can anyone compare rider / passenger space compared to a Ulysses?

X or XT?

http://cycle-ergo.com/

I hve the X an the seat is more narrow, but still seems like it would be comfortable. The handlebars look as though they have some built in adjustment. I would like to have one parked next my Uly.

The missus says it is better. Or as better as you can tell from a two minute sit.

The missus and I went to Vintage Motorcycle Festival at Barbers yesterday. The folks from Motus were there with a couple of bikes. They were pretty much undefended and lots of folks were taking a sit; myself and the missus included.
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First impression was very very favorable. This thing feels light as a feather. The specs says 530 pounds; wet, dry I don't know. But it felt lighter than any bike I have sat on lately, except maybe my baby beemer (F650GS). The seat had a Sargent tag and was very narrow in the front. It looks a little strange, but I can tell you the most comfortable seat I have ever sat on is the tractor style seat on my Ural. This seat reminds a bit of that so I take it as a good thing. The missus was also favorably impresses with the rear seat accommodations.
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The egos were very mildly aggressive. I had some very slight weight on my wrists but not much. As a comparison it was less aggressive than the new Triumph Sprint GT. Leg room was also better than the GT. Here is a view of the cockpit for those of you who care about such things.
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Oh, one more thing, they took it out for a spin while I was there. This is what it sounds like.
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I second what YankeeDog stated. I went to the kick-off party in B'ham off of University Blvd/29th Street at a restaurant, for their northeast tour. It's a great bike, and they were mostly ungaurded again. I couldn't believe there wasn't a MOTUS person looking after the bikes at all times.

I think letting people sit on and otherwise fondle is a policy. While I said they were unguarded, in fact there were several MOTUS folks in the immediate vicinity. If they didnt want people to sit on the bike, it was only a couple or three step to walk over an tell us to stay off. I never heard a word, even when the missus climbed on behind me so she could check out its two up abilitities.

I am lusting badly after this thing. Too bad is almost certainly waaaay out of my price range. The only bad thing I saw was the luggage seemed a bit small for two up touring. It did however appear to be of Givi origin. Maybe the bags will be interchangable with other Givi bags making it easy to change sizes.

Are you referring to the demo at Barber's or the kick-off party in Birmingham, Saturday night ?

They are having a showing at Wagner Motorsports in Worcester, MA on Oct 11. I plan to check it out.

http://www.motusmotorcycles.com/PDF/American Sport Tour template_1_Wagner.pdf

My comments stem from a display booth MOTUS had set up at the Vintage Festival at Barbers, Saturday Oct 8th.

I can't say anything about the passenger space, but I sat on the Motus in Daytona and I have an XT. The Motus is much lower. It feels more compact to me. I felt more leaned over on the Motus. Of course, I am basing my comments on just a few moments sitting on the bike a year ago.

I'll be there!

Not sure of the prices, but when I talked to the guy at the booth at Barber's this weekend, he said that they will be for sale by Summer 2012 with about 20 dealers nationwide. So if I had to guess, I'd say prices will be announced sometime before that.

BTW, here's a pic of the prototype tested in some major magazines:

My guess the new Motus will cost the equivalent of 2 Honda ST1300's...
As for the sound-file the engine sounds pretty agricultural to me;lot's of mechanical clatter while the Honda sounds like a coffeemaker...