MOTUS: New Sport Tourer built in Alabama

Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure Snoopy only ever flew a biplane (Sopwith Camel, no?), so at least I got that part right. I think.

I'm almost afraid to ask... but what happened with the Albatros D.IV?

Well, that was at last year's biketoberfest, so it has been a year since then.

In typical German fashion it had final drive failures and was immediately pulled from the market.

Fuck me, there are some real armchair experts in this thread!



The bike looks great, sounds horn and has 1st class running gear.

AND it is made in the US.

If you can't afford it, well don't buy the fucking thing.

Not hard, really.



So easy to criticise.....

From the consumers perspective, it really is that simple. From a manufacturers perspective, if it's priced to high for too many people, they won't sell enough, and that's not good for business.

It also keeps your overhead low. Hand build from parts sourced from suppliers and charge more per unit. The cost per unit is higher, but you can sell everything you build and don't have to invest in a large mfg environment. You can ebb and flow with sales and not have a large stock of bikes sitting on the showroom floor waiting for discounts to move.

It does take longer to recover your R&D, but gives you far less exposure to costs in large capital eating shops. Labor, the most costly item of all, is kept low and allows you to source very talented people.

The videos taken along the first tour explained the exact business model. They are going to be exclusive bikes that are not 'old rich guy only' priced. I think they are filling a market hole that could easily see some progress. I'm still in.

Depends on what your 'business' model is as well as your ROI goals are. For some, that exact business model works fine. Define your production goal, determine the price that will move product and not create long wait lists, sell every unit you can. Repeat.

I think that target price to do the above is $25k base, $30k optioned out. I'd love to see those numbers $5k lower for myself to have a realistic chance of owning one.

Saw it,sat on it and heard it at Barber.Very cool bike,maybe someday....They refused to give ANY pricing info.

I got to sit on one of the prototypes yesterday. I was impressed, Cherie couldn't understand my excitement though. I want one really bad. My inseam is only 29"; but, the seat design was perfect for me. No problem flat footing it.

Thanks for that pic...hard to find a good side pic 2 up. Gives me some idea of room. lean angle, leg room, etc. I hope to get hands on with that bike soon.

Hey, that's the same one I sat one ! Well, probably.

Wow, that looks really comfortable and roomy. But could we get a picture of your wife in front and you in back?

Hmmmm... 160hp and 122lbs.ft. of torque. Will a rear tire hold up to that much power for more than 4000 miles? My Uly xt is nowhere near that powerful and I only get 6000 miles out its rear. Does it have the ground clearance to use the tire to its edge? I`m interested but don`t want to be buying 3 tires a season, and how easy have they designed the rear wheel to come off? front wheel too for that matter? Center stand too! I miss having one on the Uly but have acquired front and rear stands for tire changes.

I'm not expecting to hear anything until the springtime bike announcements in January-March.

......I sat on them in Houston and as a short legged guy, it was a real eye opening experience. I could flat foot both feet. I have only been able to do that on Harleys. To be able to do that on this bad-ass sport touring machine was a revelation.

I want one of these very, very, badly.

The '84 FJ-1100 I once had was like that too... seems The Big 4 'forgot' how to build 'em that way...?

Yeah, my FJ had a very low seat, but it was short on legroom.

Is Motus expected to exhibit at the "International Motorcycle Show" as it makes it's way around the US?

Might be something to encourage me to attend, tired of seeing the same ol' hundred pirate gear vendors and street video vendors.