Motus

[Lemonhead]

I LIKE it !

Motus Motorcycles V4 engine impresses, puts out over 160 horsepower [w/video] — Autoblog)

[Bigdaa]

Automotive power plants skipping over to mc's, with pushrods, in what looks like a sportbike or sport tourer chassis is kinda weird in my mind right off, but I need to chew on it for a fortnite.

[gpzTurbo]

Pretty cool. The sound is awesome!

I can't help but wonder where the money is coming from and when it will run out. How will they distribute the bike? The r&d will cost so much only the Brad Pitts and Tom Cruises of the world will own them (like Confederate Motorcycles).

I hope it does well. I'd really like to see a supercharged one.

Anybody remember the Morbidelli V8?
Faster and Faster: From Dream to Disaster: The Morbidelli 850 V8

[Lemonhead]

of course it failed. it had MORBID in the name !

[gpzTurbo]

here's a little piece of racing trivia/history for you:

"Morbidelli bikes actually won three 125cc and one 250cc motorcycle GP racing world championships in the 1970s. Graziano Rossi (Valentino’s Dad) used to race for the Morbidelli team in the 1970s, and Morbidelli was a reasonably successful motorcycle brand till then. But then the Japanese onslaught happened and Morbidelli, like many other European bike companies, were caught unprepared. "

[Lemonhead]

Perhaps italy shoulda nuked them for it. LOL j/k

thank you for that tidbit, turbo

[hasbeenracer]

Chevy based V-4 are nothing new. Guys have been running them in Midgets for over 30 years. It'll be interesting to see how it works in a bike though.

[Blue Streak]

Lighter than the BMW 6 isn't the same as "light." Turning the drive 90 degrees to connect to a chain drive is illogical. No one's ever going to get this thing to run against GSX-Rs and CBR-RRs. On a bike as heavy as this is likely to be, making a super sport tourer with a shaft drive would make more sense. Then market it against the Connie and VFR1200, and the BMW 6.

[hoosier919]

There are some new videos of the Motus sport tourer out. Including one today from Daytona.

[2000TJ]

I've got high hopes for these guys.


This was taken from a publication (nytimes?) a few days ago....sorry I dont have more details.



March 4, 2011, 4:47 pm
Motus Motorcycles: Sport-Touring, American Style
By LINDSAY BROOKE

Brian Case and Lee Conn, co-founders of Motus Motorcycles, stand with the MST-01 prototype at the Pratt & Miller engineering firm on Thursday night.
So you want to start a motorcycle company? Better do your homework first, because the list of those who have succeeded in recent years is short indeed.

Among American brands trying to cheat the odds, only Minnesota-based Victory Motorcycles has managed to really make a mark. But Victory’s product range — all heavyweight cruisers and touring bikes with V-twin engines — doesn’t stray far from Milwaukee tradition in terms of style and performance.


Enter Lee Conn and Brian Case, co-founders of Motus Motorcycles, based in Birmingham, Ala. Their business model is essentially a rebuttal to the stereotype of the traditional American motorcycle.

Avid riders and entrepreneurs — Mr. Conn is company president and Mr. Case is vice-president and design director — the two founded Motus (Latin for “motion”) in 2007 to develop sport-touring bikes that are designed, engineered and built in the United States but pay no homage to the century-old format of Harley and Indian models.

At a low-key media event near Detroit on Thursday evening, the duo introduced the Motus MST-01 and MST-R — two 1,650 cc sport-touring machines scheduled to enter low-volume production later this year. The bikes are powered by an all-new V-4 engine that is fundamentally half of a Chevrolet Corvette V-8.

The MST-01 is the base model, with standard 43-millimeter Marzocchi fork and Hayes brakes. The R model features premium running gear, including an Ohlins fork and top-of-the-line Brembo brakes. Both come standard with direct fuel injection, a feature that bolsters performance and fuel efficiency — still relatively new in automobiles and a motorcycle-industry first from Motus.

“From our first discussions and sketches we knew we didn’t want to do another air-cooled V-twin,” Mr. Conn said at the unveiling. “We designed our motorcycle from the ground up to provide all-day riding comfort with hot-rod performance.

Discussions with hundreds of veteran sport and sport-touring riders, who tend to favor BMWs, Honda STs, Aprilias and Ducatis, helped establish the MST’s design specification. The bike’s target curb weight of 520 pounds — the engine and gearbox total less than 200 pounds — is enabled by the use of carbon fiber in the fairing, fuel tank, seat unit and front fender. The trellis frame, a type long favored by Ducati, is fabricated in chrome-moly tubing by Pratt & Miller. The bike’s 17-inch forged aluminum wheels are sourced from the Italian supplier Marchesini and wear Michelin’s new Pilot 3 radial tires.

The big V-4 engine is mounted longitudinally and sits forward in the chassis, tipped slightly toward the fork, for what Mr. Case asserts is the optimum for balance and handling. It is fitted with dual balance shafts for smoothness. The rear wheel is driven by chain, rather than by drive shaft as is common on BMW and Honda sport-touring bikes.

“Our first prospective customer is like me — an aging sport-bike rider who loves the performance but can no longer endure the cramped riding position, particularly on long-distance rides,” Mr. Conn, 37, said. “The second prospective customer has owned American V-twins and appreciates comfort, but is seeking higher performance.”

Motus’s business plan is to build and sell “in the hundreds of bikes per year, not thousands,” Mr. Conn explained. The plan is reflected in where the bikes were shown — the Michigan headquarters of Pratt & Miller, an automotive engineering firm famous for having built General Motors’ factory Corvette racers. Pratt & Miller was chosen by the Motus founders to lead the bike’s engineering, development, testing and validation work.

The bikes’ auto-industry connection also includes two other Michigan-based companies known among car racers and auto engineers: Katech, which designed the 160-horsepower Motus V-4 engine and is handling its dynamometer testing, and Liberty Gear, which collaborated with Pratt & Miller to develop the MST’s 6-speed cassette-type gearbox.

“We pretty quickly concluded that the best resources serving the U.S. auto industry can help us do it,” Mr. Case said. He and Mr. Conn “got in the car and drove up to Michigan, bringing only a PowerPoint presentation and a lot of determination.”

A small fleet of prototypes is currently undergoing testing and validation. The Motus executives will next stop at Daytona Bike Week, which runs from Friday to March 13, for another unveiling before embarking on an cross-country ride with Pratt & Miller engineers to evaluate the final prototypes, visit prospective dealers and proudly show off their new take on the American motorcycle.

[2000TJ]

Confirmed:
Motus: Sport-Touring, American Style - NYTimes.com

[2000TJ]

[hoosier919]

I am sure it will be unbelievably expensive but it sounds really cool. I hope they can make it work. I love the fact the the motor sits out in the open just like a naked bike.

[nd4spdbh]

... ya no fuggin way i would pay to have a GM power plant in my motorcycle.... the way the shitty 6.0L v8 is in my 01 2500hd, with its ridiculous piston slap, crazy oil consumption, shitty fuel consumption, and crappy power... naw ill stick with a legit motorcycle motor.

out of 1650cc's honda or any other motorcycle manufacture could make MUCH more power than whats being made outta this v4.

.... American muscle car technology.... they make shitty ole pushrods and 2 valve heads sound so amazing.... when its really not.

I love how they compare these guys to buell... whos downfall was the fact they were backed by an american motorcycle company and had to use their shitty american motorcycle motors.... anyone think it was kinda funny how HD pulled the plug on buell as soon as they released the 1125CR... the first legit buell not based on a HD motor?

This is not to say i dont think its cool, that motor is a pretty cool lil piece of work... just not something to be going WOW OMFG its amazing... also i cant even imagine the want for that sideways motor to put the bike on its side when u rev it!

[AllanB]

I'm inclined to agree with the above comments.

I read a interesting article about a company hot rodding Guzzi pushrod V2's - they got a lot of the technology from the Nascar guys as they are pretty much the world experts on extracting reliable performance out of a outdated old engine! The Guzzi donks are pulling out very impressive figures.

One thing that has surprised me is that the Japanese have not put out a true big bore IL4 - lets say 1800 -2000cc of stump pulling redline screaming power. Shit Honda make some of the worlds best 4 cylinder screamers (Type R Civic springs to mind) so a true big bore arse-kicking bike engine would really be a piece-of-piss for them.

I suppose it is what to categorise it as - Ultra hyper sports, touring (yawn), muscle bike to kill the V-max (naked of course). Meh - I can but dream of the test ride.

[nd4spdbh]

Originally Posted by AllanB

I'm inclined to agree with the above comments.

I read a interesting article about a company hot rodding Guzzi pushrod V2's - they got a lot of the technology from the Nascar guys as they are pretty much the world experts on extracting reliable performance out of a outdated old engine! The Guzzi donks are pulling out very impressive figures.

One thing that has surprised me is that the Japanese have not put out a true big bore IL4 - lets say 1800 -2000cc of stump pulling redline screaming power. Shit Honda make some of the worlds best 4 cylinder screamers (Type R Civic springs to mind) so a true big bore arse-kicking bike engine would really be a piece-of-piss for them.

I suppose it is what to categorise it as - Ultra hyper sports, touring (yawn), muscle bike to kill the V-max (naked of course). Meh - I can but dream of the test ride.

thats cus there isnt much of a market for em... so japs being the pencil pushers they are go... why?

but ya... a jap based 1800cc inline 4 4 valve DOHC in a moto would be fun... if we are pulling 180hp and 90+ ftlbs out of 999cc's... imagine!!!!

[hoosier919]

I agree... 160 hp and 130 lb/ft of torque out of a motor that never needs valves adjusted and should easily run 200K miles isn't exciting at all. Oh and sounds different than anything else on the road.

As an aside why does anyone ever get a gas motor in a 3/4 ton truck.

[brian]

Originally Posted by hoosier919

I agree... 160 hp and 130 lb/ft of torque out of a motor that never needs valves adjusted and should easily run 200K miles isn't exciting at all. Oh and sounds different than anything else on the road.

As an aside why does anyone ever get a gas motor in a 3/4 ton truck.

Gotta say I agree, GM makes a decent truck (different subject, kinda)

That aside, Ive been telling my friends for YEARS i WISH america made a decent vehicle for me (mid size truck and motorcycle) but we just dont and it makes me sad. We talk about the japs being pencil pushers but in the 80's (I belive it was Lee Iacoca but I could be wrong) someone brought to light the fact that american car manufactures were making vehicals with the intent for them to last 5-7 years. Thats it, try to find a unrestored american car from the late 70's-early 80's that looks decent, good luck. Now look for a unrestored car from the 50-60's era. There out there and they look good, hell I had a 66 mustang that still had the original single stage paint on it up till 2008 and it still looked alright. Quality of product went in the toilet, I still see late 80's early 90's accords and camrys ect. When was the lat time you saw a 88 escort going down the road? Probally around 94...

Now go look at a early 90's dodge...... Long story short I drive a toyota with 270k and it looks/runs great. And I ride a honda that starts like a champ with 40k on it never had the engine case open, kinda went off on a tangent there but you get the jist. Please let a decent automotive product come from the land of the free and I'll jump on the bandwagon.

[2000TJ]

You guys lost me with the truck comparisons. I guesss we'll just revisit in another year or so.

[brian]

I guess it was kinda dumb, but the cliff notes are the chopped a chevy v-8 in half. With some minor internal changes (cams ect.) I think it may make a decent plant. Ive been wrong before though.

[hoosier919]

Just got a message from Motus. They told me that they will be at the Indy MotoGP. I can't wait to hear this thing in person.