I'm not so sure. I have the disposable income, can afford both a BMW or Motus (or other high priced Moto), and I personally don't see the value in the Motus. Yes, it is scarce, but aside from the motor config, what is its comparative edge? It sure isn't its looks, at least I don't think so. As I said earlier, until I ride one, or read an un-biased on road review, the Motus appears to be priced too high.
I'm in the same boat, and I agree that other than exclusivity, what is the added value that the extra money gets you? In the article they basically admit its overpriced for what it is -- "a low volume, high margin" bike -- so they know they aren't going to sell many, and price them accordingly to make a profit. I plan on test riding one when I can, but at this point I can't see spending an extra 15k on exclusivity. But people do that all the time with other expensive toys, so who knows.
You know, for the hell of it... there's a Caddy XLR-V (supercharged V-8, for those who don't know) retractable hardtop w/ 20k + original miles. black on black, fantastic handling car... asking $38k. Could probably get it for $35k or less and still have my K1200r. I mean...?
No, I'm the "fuck cages" type. I have a truck to haul stuff (sometimes bikes) that gets used when it's icy out or when my bike is down waiting on parts. An interesting cage would be a 1st gen Miata with one of those ford 5.0 conversions in it & a lot of motor work, if I had to have a cage. I'm thinking 5-600 horsies at the rear wheel would be good. Still not as fun as a bike though, too much stuff around me in a cage. Fuck traction control.
Was a joke, of course. Idea being the Motus is expensive. Been on bikes for 30 years but still like a fast car. Was more fun when I lived in Vt though. (Had a pal with a tweaked Miata that he ran off a cliff.)
Motus = doomed. The average bunch of Squids will not spend 30k+ for this bike... America is the land of HD's , wannabe HD's and rice rockets , with the occasional Beemer or Duc thrown in... can't see this working long term at all.
Their limited production isn't marketing towards the average squid. They aren't looking to compete with anything on a large scale, just sell 250 bikes a year, and probably only for a few years. Which won't be too hard. Long term, once they start making a profit, and pay off the R&D cost on their engine, they can really take the company in more directions, if they want. I still wouldn't buy one. But some people will.
Compared to the turbo Busa that one of the inmates here was selling (for only $8g's IIRC), I don't think there's much the auto world has to offer that will touch it from 0-150. Maybe a Veyron... I've already gotten a ticket on my Concours. I really hate living in Dog's waiting room. If I wasn't planning on moving back to Phoenix I'd get a 250 for the street and a 350-400 for the dirt/street. Sometimes the tweaks that people make are good for the track, not so much for the street. I had a friend that replaced all the bushings in his Rx-7 with soft metal. Turns out, that setup is really intolerant of mid-corner pavement irregularities. Who knew?
Got an e-mail from Motus today announcing West Coast dealers. Livermore (East Bay), Reno, and SeaTac. http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=80c5f8f2088bf98bbbb1cd00b&id=7cdbd932c4&e=dbc19e6598 Also interesting:
Anyone heard any new info? I was told there would be demo bikes this summer, and even got on a notification list, but have not heard a peep. I wonder if they are still planning on having bikes out in the fall?
Facebook posts show them moving into a new facility for construction and still riding the original demo bikes.