MOTUS: New Sport Tourer to be built in Alabama

[OldPete]

Google images of 59 club or british rocker or rocker vs mods.

[rocker59]

Originally Posted by LuciferMutt

Why do you keep mentioning that Motus has a stupid name? It's better than Rocker59!

I'm not marketing a $37k motorcycle with my moto-forum screen name.

[DAKEZ]

Originally Posted by rocker59

Quoted for posterity.

If they sell 100 bikes before folding, I'll be impressed.

[DynaSport]

Originally Posted by DAKEZ

Good grief you guys are a negative bunch. I'm glad there are those who take risks and attempt to make a difference instead of sitting on the sidelines and criticizing everyone else.

[McNeal]

Originally Posted by DynaSport

Good grief you guys are a negative bunch. I'm glad there are those who take risks and attempt to make a difference instead of sitting on the sidelines and criticizing everyone else.

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt

[DAKEZ]

Originally Posted by DynaSport

Good grief you guys are a negative bunch. I'm glad there are those who take risks and attempt to make a difference instead of sitting on the sidelines and criticizing everyone else.

I want them to be sucsesful... I just don't see it happening.

I even brought becoming a dealer of Motus up to my Boss. He was frank and to the point.

"I had a look at that and like the idea... I like that is it a U.S. company... I hope I have to kick myself for not jumping in... I just don't see it surviving... it is too small of a piece of a small piece of the pie"
G.L.

[ganze]

I think they are bringing something incredibly fresh to the market in that engine and that alone will make them sell. Remember as well as all the people that are looking at it as a race engine for various classes of cars.

They will make it. Tons of people spend tons more on much stupider stuff than a very cool motorcycle.

That I can't buy it doesn't matter one whit. In fact, I can't buy any new bike until I don't know when. I don't think it's bad marketing from the motorcycle companies that they don't make a $2000 new machine with 125+hp and 8 inches of suspension travel and super lightweight but tough as a SCORE truck and good on the track too. It's healthy to manage one's expectations.

And even when I can buy new again, I still will be shopping down the price spectrum, but that doesn't mean a damn thing about whether they will make it or not, I am not their target buyer but there are plenty of them out there and more for that totally badass engine. There's tons of stuff I can't buy but I don't take it personally. I would like a muti-strada, but that I can't get one doesn't insult me. I would like a speed triple too but it's not personal that i can't afford one. I can barely afford my skateboard these days. It's not any company's fault, it's just not in the cards that I can get one or much else right now. I will enjoy what I got and angle as best I can for anything else.

bitchin over



g

[dolomoto]

The MOTUS V4 is offered at two price levels...one around 30k, the other around 37k.

I can't find moto sales statistics by models, but IIRC, sport-touring motorcycles are a niche market. I believe the big 4 sell less than a thousand each of their ST models. If someone can find the numbers, please post them.

My point: if MOTUS can sell 200 units, then they are doing quite well vs. the big 4 manufacturers in this segment.

[Bueller]

My guess is they'll sell some expensive bikes, but then you'll see a less expensive release. Potentially less blingy components, less polish, higher volume. The reality is if they can start to recoup some R & D costs they'll then be looking to increase volume, which will require selling less expensive bikes. They can't simply lower the cost of the existing model, so it will be a "new" bike with changes some order of magnitude great enough to be accepted as different from the original.

Short of that they could wind up being absorbed by another larger company who winds up buying all of their hard work for pennies on the dollar and doesn't have to shoulder the tremendous start up costs. Then the price gets reduced. Either way, there will likely be a cheaper Motus available in a couple of years.

[Grainbelt]

Obvious answer is a naked/streetfighterish version, with that motor on full display.

[markjenn]

Originally Posted by DynaSport

Good grief you guys are a negative bunch. I'm glad there are those who take risks and attempt to make a difference instead of sitting on the sidelines and criticizing everyone else.

I think the criticism is towards the bike and the business model, not the folks behind it.

- Mark

[rocker59]

Originally Posted by Grainbelt

Obvious answer is a naked/streetfighterish......

....rebadged Hyusong!

Yeah. That's the ticket for a volume model. Just ask the other niche USA "builders"...

[Grainbelt]

Duc puts their biggest baddest motors in the Streetfighter, and before that the top-end Monster, at a lower price point.

[rocker59]

Ducati is not a niche USA "builder".

[Grainbelt]

Originally Posted by rocker59

Ducati is not a niche USA "builder".

Compared to HD, they're all a niche.