Interesting project that looks to be real and happening. Motus MST as it is called looks like a real nice sport tourer. http://www.motusmotorcycles.com/
Believe it or not, according to the designers , they basically took the front 4 cyl. of a modern Chevy small block Corvette LS series V8 and copied & scaled it to create this engine. According to reports I've read, it apparently is a very good engine and sounds awesome.
Wow I love the sound of that motor, kind of reminds me of an ST1100 with a 2 Bros exhaust I rode a few years back . I can only imagine what the price tag on it will be .
Yes, I've been following this one for awhile now Very exciting...'cause it's a proper bike....and it's made in America...it's like, I thought it'll never happen again after they shut down Buell
Does sound good. My 04 Aprilia RSV1000 Factory with full race exhaust was the best sounding bike I've ever heard. It would be nice to see an American made sport bike make it; good luck to them.
Best sound i have heard is Tim Troffers Aprilia twin, sweet sound. My Superhawk had a thunder that was fun to listen to as well.
A few more engine details... forget valve ADJ on this one ... Katech Engineering, a supplier of top-shelf racing engines, designed the KMV4 motor. It uses pushrods and a V configuration, but that’s where similarities between this bike and any other motorcycle built in the USA end. Sure, it’s dripping with good ol’ USA traditions—it’s essentially a scaled-down (and chopped in half) version of the famous LS7R motor from the GT1 Corvette, complete with two-valve per cylinder heads with hydraulically adjusted lifters and the aforementioned pushrods—but it’s also packed with 21st-Century high tech. Fueling is by direct injection—something becoming more common in cars but not seen before on a production motorcycle—which means fuel is sprayed directly into the cylinder head for optimum power and efficiency. Displacement is 1650cc, and the very compact mill weighs in at just 130 pounds. The power peak is at 8000 rpm (blame the pushrods and hydraulic adjusters, but with that much torque, who’s complaining?) and I’m going to go out on a limb and predict a particularly orgasmic exhaust note Power for the Motus MST prototype is said to be 161hp @ 7,800 rpm; 122 lbs•ft of torque @ 4,500 rpm, while the bike tips the scales around around 500 lbs dry. Chassis: Chromoly tubular trellis spaceframe
Boy, I could see replacing the Sprint with one of these someday..... Hope it gets some traction! We need it!
Magazines said it will be released as a limited production model first and only a few hundred will be made ....
It really looks to be a sound and logical engineering exercise. Not trying to reinvent the wheel and just building a reatively simple modern machine that is mostly a standard design motorcycle with a nice unique but not too far out there powerplant. Smart design good for maintaining a competitive price point.
Looks like she is production ready but not sure how many 31K-37K bikes your going to sell. If this came in at 14K it would sell well. ONE YEAR AFTER UNVEILING PROTOTYPES, MOTUS IS BACK AT DAYTONA WITH FULL PRODUCTION PLANS Daytona Beach, Florida - After a year of extensive testing and development, Motus Motorcycles are back at Daytona BikeWeek with full 2012 production plans, including pricing, accessories, specifications, availability, and an initial list of Authorized Motus Dealers. The 2011/2012 American Sport Tour led Motus through the laboratory, around racetracks, across the country, and back to Daytona for Bike Week. Both the MST and MST-R have been ridden from Alabama to California, up its coast and over its mountains, across the desert, through the Bonneville Salt Flats, over the Colorado Rockies, past purple mountains, and between fields of corn, cows, and amber waves of grain. In addition to the Big West leg of the Sport Tour, the MST’s also traveled to the Northeast from Birmingham to Boston and eventually covering a total of 29 states during this year of real-world dynamic testing. Motus is now preparing for Fall 2012 production of the initial 2013 model year of Motus. The MST and the premium MST-R are comfortable sportbikes designed for long-range canyon carving, solo or two-up. Both are exhilarating, charismatic machines powered by the mighty V4 Baby Block engines and both are offered with various accessories and upgrade options. 2013 Motus MST- starting at $30,975 2013 Motus MST Standard Equipment • V4 Baby Block, 1650cc liquid cooled, 165 horsepower • 6-Speed, dual-overdrive • Electronic fuel injection • Electronic throttle control • 720w alternator • Öhlins R&T adjustable front suspension • Progressive mono-shock rear suspension with remote preload adjuster • Brembo calipers • Aluminum wheels with wave rotors • Powerlet port • Michelin tires • Removable side cases by Givi • Premium Sargent seat • 20,000 mile XW-ring chain by RK • Hybrid rear sprocket with lifetime warranty • Centerstand 2013 Motus MST Optional Equipment • 30 liter top case by Givi • Adjustable windscreen • Adjustable handlebars • Dual rear Powerlet port • Heated seat • Heated grips • Premium low seat by Sargent • Rear storage rack • Touring windscreen 2013 Motus MST Color Options • Speed Silver Metallic • Flame Red Metallic 2013 Motus MST Warranty • 2 years, unlimited mileage 2013 Motus MST-R- starting at $36,975 2013 Motus MST-R Standard Equipment • V4R Baby Block, 1650cc liquid cooled, 185 horsepower • 6-Speed, dual-overdrive • Electronic fuel injection • Electronic throttle control • 720w alternator • Öhlins R&T NIX adjustable front suspension • Öhlins TTX mono-shock rear suspension with remote preload adjuster • Brembo M4 monoblock calipers • Forged OZ aluminum wheels with wave rotors • 3 Powerlet ports • Michelin tires • Removable side cases by Givi • Premium Sargent seat • 20,000 mile XW-ring chain by RK • Hybrid rear sprocket with lifetime warranty • Centerstand 2013 Motus MST-R Optional Equipment • 30 liter top case by Givi • Adjustable windscreen • Adjustable handlebars • BST carbon fiber wheels • Heated seat • Heated grips • Premium low seat by Sargent • Rear storage rack • Touring windscreen 2013 Motus MST-R Color Options • Strong White • Carbon Black 2013 Motus MST-R Warranty 2 years, unlimited mileage
They are bad ass in person, the Headquarters is here in Birmingham. The owner likes to ride the prototypes around the twisties here. We had a group ride from Barbers Museum to downtown for dinner a while back. Motus Bike Night in Birmingham http://bamarides.com/ride/index.php?topic=12725 Waiting for announcement of production jobs, haven't heard anything yet. Would love to give up assembling automobiles and start building motorcycles!
Had them on display at the BMW dealer during bike week. Really nice looking bikes, if they can get the pricepoint better they may have a winner.
I like the effort, but if we in America are going to compete globally, we have to more competitive price wise. I guess you could look at it like it is a 2 wheel Ferrari, but don't think you just declare yourself to be at that level.
