MOTUS: New Sport Tourer built in Alabama

I've owned several sport touring bikes over the years, and find the price of the Motus both
arrogant and insulting... and I'm one of those who can afford to buy one.

I certainly welcome comments by Motus management justifying the cost of the emperors new clothes.
That's the least they can do considering all the attention and free press they've been given by us !

Tom

The Motus is what it is, costs what it costs. If you want one. Get one. I could also afford this bike and if I didn't already have what I consider the best sports/touring machine available then the Motus would have been in my sights. Maybe someday it will be. So, it's not just price. But I would end up riding my K12r and I don't want to buy a bike to have it sit in the garage. Maybe they plan a super-striped down "sportster"-like version in the future.

As far as the collector thing goes... I don't think this bike would qualify for a very long time.. People want "period" machines or something with a racing pedigree.

I was one of those folks putting my penny's in a jar saving up to get a $20K Motus, when the $30k price was announced at Daytona I was surprised, Actually shocked by the rather large difference.
I, at this time do not know if this will keep me from buying one, This will give me some more time to put my penny's in a jar and watch what happens with the company and the product.
As others have stated, 30 large is A lot of money But In todays world it is not out of hand, and anyway it is MY hard earned money.

I have read with some amusement the haters, who have posted their views on how awful this bike is, instead of what has been accomplished without the huge finacial backing of a company like BMW or Honda.

I am going to watch this saga unfold and hope this little company keep growing and producing bikes.

I wish them luck, I think they will need it ...

In reading this string of comment, I ran across the statement that the Motus has no ABS available. Can this be true? If it is, then they have cut themselves off from the entire EU as a source of sales. Surely that must be an error right? Is ABS available on the Motus?

No ABS as of now - if they look at exporting it will be years down the road most likely, and they'll have time to add things like ABS (and a long list of other crap that would be required for export). I'd bet they have a long list of goodies they'd like to develop for this bike.

I cannot of course post an opinion on this bike without actually riding it. But the price alone tells me something is wrong. They plan to start selling them soon, and when some real people start getting a hold of them (I mean real owners, people who will ride them all the time, and do the maintenance on them, not magazine editors) then maybe we will find out what kind of bike it actually is. Personally I would be limited to $10K to $12K for a new bike, so this is WAY out of my reach. But I do find it interesting. The chain drive bothers me, the lack of ABS does not. I do not like ABS, or even LBS for that matter. I prefer to control my own bike. Especially a sport or sport touring bike, where the emphasis is on active riding, not sitting back and being carried across the country Goldwing style.

And I'm sure they do have a lot of features they would like to add, but if they do, what will that do to the the already stratospheric price.

Some brands can get away with selling bikes for more than they are actually worth, such as Harley, Ducati, BMW, even Vespa, because they are selling a name to go with it, a name with a long history and heritage. Motus does not have that. Their bike will be judged on what kind of a machine it is, on what it does better than existing bikes selling for half the price. There will always be those wealthy types out there that just have to have one based on the exclusivity. These are the type of people who own Ferraris and Lamborghinis. But I see that as a very limited market.

At least they got one thing right. It has a centerstand. I had just about given up on the future of centerstands



Anyway, since I cannot afford one, it does not concern me in any real way, but I do find it interesting to watch, and it will be interesting to see what happens.

JerryH,great minds think alike...
A bike without centerstand and driveshaft is useless...!
Sure driveshafts need maintenance like you have to change the differential-oil on any car,too.
The splines on the R1200/K1200/1300/1600 bikes don't need to be greased as a maintenance recommendation like the clutch-splines on any car...
As for the MOTUS it becomes painfully clear that car-guys developed the bike.
-No driveshaft sucks especially since the north-south crank would have been perfect for it as in any Boxer,Guzzi or ST1200/1300...
-No ABS even if already Honda offers it on a $3995 CBR250 entry level machine
-No TC sucks especially on a torqey engine like the low revving 1600 V4;will accelerate tire wear and dangerous in rain
-no dealer/parts-network to speak off
-a completely unproven design from a company that has no experience building motorcycles at all
and all that for a price that is at least 50% to high !
The odds are not in favour of MOTUS.
I applaud their effort but they already made some big mistakes that could have been avoided.
If they can't design a driveshaft or ABS/TC system they should have gone to specialists or let Bosch do the electronics package like they do for even for Ducati or Kawasaki...
And the guy who said the MOTUS will cover what the S1000RR and K1600GT does,dream on...
A MOTUS vs the S-RR on the track would be like bringing a knife to a gunfight as a super smooth inline six with clean shaft with the latest electronic gizmos will appeal to it's intended clientele than a analog bike with a V4 and chaindrive for a $15000 price premium...the god's must be crazy!
Enough said;this time for sure...

So all the R 1100 and R 1150 BMW's I needed to break in half to lube the clutch splines and shaft splines with the very special BMW grease every year or 15,000 miles, was a waste of my time ?

Yes and some of the best in the business, But what about Brian Case's years at Confederate ? Oh wait a moment, They are expensive and do not have a shaft drive so those bikes must not count.

Sucks for you, Good for me

I do not want ABS After having to have a BMW sent 200 miles to the nearest dealer to have the computer reset on a servo bike after a brake fluid change. I think it should be offered, but I do not want it for myself.

My right hand is my Traction Control.

Though BMW has more stores than Motus, I have been in western states that had no dealer coverage at all. Plus the nearest store to me is near 3 hours away. And when I had a U Joint burn up on a 1200 gs in Chicago at 3 am, I found there were no parts in the USA for the bike.:huh That bike finished a IBA certification run in a Penske Truck.

They made a machine from a concept in the last few years and have brought it to production, IN THIS CURRENT ECONOMY is downright amazing. I thought for sure the bike never would have gotten past the concept stage.

I have to say we agree there...

What you seem to not understand is there are riders like myself Who do not want that stuff on our bikes

Do you promise ?

All good... but who wants to pay a premium for NOT having those extras.

Hello Herr Professor/Hog Rider;funny name...
-On the older 1100/1150 boxers I never lubed the splines and rode my 1100S,1150RS & 1150GS each for 70-86K miles without any driveshaft issues before I traded them in...That you did it didn't hurt,but it was unnecessary.
-Confederate motorcycles are also made by car guys that is right.But looking at the prices and the bike itself they are nothing more than butt-jewelry for a few rich urban posers...
-I don't understand why you don't like the north/south crank that the Motus shares with the boxers,guzzis and ST12/13 Hondas.Good for handling and for driveshaft.With a chain it needs another power-sapping 90 degree gear which makes it so stupid from an engineering standpoint what Motus did.If they wanted to employ chaindrive they should it have done like Honda did on the VFR800 and they would have had a shorter engine,less weight,and no power loss with the chain.
-I agree the servo-ABS was a stupid idea,but it's long gone.
-TC is your right hand.Great but you must be a true genius because even Rossi uses it.I use my right hand for other things...
-You don't want ABS?Hopefully no stupid 4-wheeler or deer jumps right in front of your path when you least expect it.
Like others pointed already out without Motus will be able to export ZERO bikes to the huge european streetbike market.Not very bright either...
-I agree that BMW could use a few more dealerships in some states !
-And I also I agree that it is amazing that Motus is brave to try to pull off a stunt like this in todays economic climate!
But for this price,with an unknown and unproven product they need to back to the drawing boards and adress the ABS/TC problem and put a driveshaft or at least belt drive on that thing if they want to have fighting chance on the market...IMHO
Enough said # 3...

Good point, no way I'd want to do that!

To justify that sort of ownership deprivation it would have to also NOT have at least 100 lbs of lard compared with other 1600cc, four-plus cylinder sport tourers with similar power and torque outputs.

Oh, um, hmmm ... really? More power too? Yeah, but they aren't what you'd really call, umm, features.

I am greatly looking forward to the day someone buys one of these and comes on the board to tell us what a crap deal he got.

TC really is unnecessary on the street...even in the rain. Nice maybe, but unnecessary unless you have zero throttle control.

Comparing the need for TC on a street bike and a GP bike (or any race bike) is friggin' stupid. The power, and its delivery, are completely different...and more importantly, the bikes are ridden completely differently.

I agree with you that TC is uneccessary on a bike up to 120 or so hp maybe...
But on a real torquey bike like a Motus or K16 or something real powerful like a ZZR1400 or S1000RR I would never go without it.Especially on real roads with rain,oil,antifreeze,slippery white lines and all that hazardous stuff you'd never encounter on a clean racetrack...
I rode a S1000RR at a trackschool.One lap with TC off it was not fun and downright dangerous how easy that engine spins up the rearwheel coming out of turns,scary...
The Motus will do the same as the K16 would if it wasn't for the fact that is has TC with all that torque at low rpm...

My race bike makes ~130 hp at the rear wheel...no TC needed. Many local racers turn it off on their bikes...all of which are very powerful. We also race in the rain.

While it doesn't hurt to have it on the street, it defintely isn't a necessity like you suggest. Just because you apparently don't have throttle control, or don't trust yourself, doesn't mean everyone doesn't. A sub 120 hp bike can very easily spin up the rear in the rain if you're ham fisted...even an 85 hp bike will do that.

It's silly to criticize Motus for not putting TC on their bike. ABS is another story.

Ive ridden and continue to ride large streetbikes with out traction control or ABS,it doesnt even enter my mind that I dont have either.
I just ride the bike. Ive had 0 panic stops in the last 20 or 30000 miles,must be a fluke.

A Motus is an exclusive bike,its not built to a price. If your limit is 10 or 12000 dollars there are many bikes for you,this one isnt it. Im betting ABS will be available for a Motus,its not a big selling point for me,nor is traction control,Im not opposed to trying either.
The 1200 Triumph I have now is so smooth its not likely to light the tire on a corner exit,unless I spin it to 7500 rpm off a corner.

Magazine guys cant leave the shed unless they have every gadget under the sun to pamper their jaded white asses.
I tend to take much of what they say with a grain of salt,at most. 186 mph isnt necessary,for me. Long floating power wheelies through the first 4 gears arent necessary except on my dirt bike.
To a magazine guy its a make or break deal.

When you ride in the rain,just ride like your riding in the rain. Smooth and easy.

I too think it`s overpriced, ugly too. But that`s just my opinion. Others may see it as an exclusive thing of beauty. No ABS? not needed by most people but the eurocrats on our side of the Atlantic will want all bikes fitted with this by 2015. That`s why so many manufacturers are fitting them now, for us to get used to the idea. Me? Wtf do I need that for? Great for stopping quickly when upright, when leaned over?. But I`m old school and think this electronic stuff is trickery.

I have close to a half million miles under my belt in 44 yrs of riding on 53 bikes, including the latest sportbikes - inline fours and v-twins, CBR1100XX, ZX-14. I've never felt the need for TC and though I've had ABS on a few bikes, it's not on my list of requirements and if it's optional, I choose to go without.

How many decades have most of us been riding without the benefits of the latest gizmos....successfully and without incident. Now that they're available though, some people simply can't be without them.

B-L, your opinions are yours alone....there is no right or wrong, only your opinion.


If I had the money to spend, I would be on the list for a Motus. I like their approach, and I like what they've done to get there. It's not being built to compete with ANYthing - it is it's own bike, and you like it and want one....or you don't.

I would love to see Motus attract enough well-heeled buyers to start building in higher volumes and enable them to offer a bike that more people can afford.

Any time folks invest this much capital and time and energy in a new design, it deserves some support, not a bunch of internet hack know-it-alls telling everyone how wrong they think it is.

They designed traction control via all those stupid drive line losses and 90 degree power bends you keep dreaming about.

I can't decide if you are a troll that obtained the rank of master, or just really that inept at basic concepts. People wonder why BMW guys get bad reps as blowhard DBs...it's people like you that do it. I have to admit, the trainwreak is fun to read.

All I can say is why would anyone not get ABS when the latest systems have shorter stopping distances than without it.If a deer jumps out in front of you even the most experienced racer will panic and probably lock up the front and crash...
But of course there are still people who beat the pill and practice coitus interruptus...
As for TC I know here are people better than Rossi but all I can say from my own experience a bike as powerful as the S1000RR would be scary to ride fast and stressful without it...
A high torque bike like the K16GT,too if you crank that throttle as the Motus supposedly is very torquey,too.
A high-$$$ "premium machine" that claims to be a state of the art sport-tourer should not be without it;especially where you can get such systems on cheaper bikes...

I've been away from this thread for a long time, but I just read the last two pages..... $30 grand?!?!?

ABS and T/C are not necessary by any means, but what exactly is $30 grand getting you??? It's seeming more and more a novelty bike.