MOTUS: New Sport Tourer built in Alabama

Yeah they need to make a naked


For certain.

WOW.

Sound is amazing, and the looks are stunning to my eye. Faired or un-fared....Love the transverse V4...Killer...

Impressive. I wish them all the best.

That thing looks sweet, and with a super torquey V4 should be a pleasure to ride. I like it.

Not necessarily. I remember reading somewhere that while the engine was first being deployed in a motorcycle it wasn't the sole objective. Depending on the investors the bike could be sold at a much lower price point if they weren't worried about running a profitable motorcycle business, but had a larger target in mind. The motorcycle is simple a means of getting press. Already there's quite a bit of attention being paid to this bike/engine because it's an American made motorcycle. With that in mind it's possible the bike could be sold at Ducati prices instead of KLR prices.

:huh

Do you mean KTM?

No, from the sounds of it there are folks who were wanting the bike sold at KLR prices. Of course, I wouldn't complain either, but that's not likely to happen. Production could be limited because they don't have the facilities to produce more. Not because the bike is priced so high there's only going to be a limited number of buyers. If the bike was priced like a Ducati I would certainly think there'd be enough American riders wanting a modern bike that would willing step up to the plate even with the limited dealer network.

It will be interesting to see how much they ask for the bike. It's got some oddities in the styling, but there's something about it that I like.

I think it's only unemployed guys who hang out on ADVrider and comment all day that want it priced like a KLR.
The consumers who can and will buy at a reasonable price point are really your KTM/BMW/MG buyers who want exclusivity and can afford to pay for it.
Every bike has styling oddities. It's part of what people like in a bike like this.

But, again... there are styling oddities and then there's just plain blah...

I'm not saying it's the ugliest bike ever, but there's so much more potential there.

The engine, american-made, torque for days... what's not to like?

But there's no denying that looks matter. Big time.

http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2011/03/why-the-motus-mst-01-needs-design-strength/

I love what they are doing, actually building something rather than sitting around and bitching. The engine looks amazing to me and I love the "note". But what really interest me is seeing if the engine would be avaliable for installation in a small experimental aircraft! Crazy I know but what the hell. I wish Motus the best of luck, anybody that wants to design, build and hire in America, has my total support.

www.motorcycle.com has a write up in today's issue - check it out.

Or to fly closer to the ground , how about an updated version of the Morgan?

With the 160 HP Motus for power it could be fun.

Morgan themselves are building an updated three-wheeler, only with S&S power. http://www.morgan3wheeler.co.uk/home.html

http://cycle-car.com/

Made right here in Seattle.

yep

ktm headlight

not only the ZX-14, but the Ninja 1000 - less power, but a similar package from a size and features perspective.

I wouldn't compare the ZX with the Motus as far as appeal. The Motus is much lighter and vastly easier to work on: Hyd Valves vs 10 hours to dress and undress the ZX for valve adjustments. Additionally, the Motus is going to appeal to owners that want to 'tweak' their engines for more horsepower. This little V4 will find itself in race cars immediately in 2 liter form, with turbos and superchargers, all of which will appeal to those wanting big horsepower (chain drive vs shaft another advantage to this crowd). In my view, the price of the Motus will be partially underwritten by the companies who have developed the engine and is not going to be 'jewelry' high. Bruce

FWIW the ZX14 had a dry weight of 485 lbs a few years ago. Plenty of people mod them. Other than that they have very close chassis specifications.