Motus is a little closer to being produced, but they are not going to be cheap.
Bike to the future: Motus Motorcycles makes home in Birmingham
Published: Friday, March 16, 2012, 6:00 AM
By Michael Tomberlin -- The Birmingham News
Motus Motorcycles will build the MST model in Birmingham (March 2012/Special) Motus Motorcycles said Thursday that its Birmingham-built bikes will sell for more than $30,000 each and that a network of dealers is already being established across the country.
At an event as part of Daytona Bike Week in Daytona, Fla., on Thursday night, Motus said its MST model will have a base price of $30,975, while the MST-R will start at $36,975. The motorcycles will be produced in Birmingham starting this fall and will be considered 2013 models.
Bike lovers in Birmingham who want to order a Motus will have to go to Georgia or Tennessee for the nearest dealer as there are no dealers in Alabama yet lined up to sell the bikes.
"We hope to have 20 dealers established by the end of the year," Lee Conn, president and co-founder of Motus, said in an interview this week.
"We don't have any dealers in Alabama, but that could change."
Brian Case, design director and co-founder of Motus, said the company already has enough orders to keep its production facility humming through year's end.
"The demand has already exceeded expectations," he said. "When we start production, it is going to take us a while just to feed the demand."
In Thursday's Birmingham News, Motus' leaders said they are actively working with Birmingham officials to find a site for a new corporate headquarters and production facility. The company plans to hire 15 employees in the first year and quickly grow to produce between 20 and 30 motorcycles per month.
Conn and Case started the company in 2008 with the belief there was a market for an American-made touring motorcycle.
Their belief was validated when they unveiled prototypes of the two motorcycles a year ago -- first at the Barber Motorsports Park and then at Daytona Bike Week, where a receptive motorcycle press praised the bikes for both their design and their innovative V-4, liquid-cooled engine.
When they begin production, Motus will join Confederate Motorcycles, which produces its own unique brand of bikes in the Magic City. The company's newest model of its Hellcat motorcycle has a pricetag that starts at $45,000.
For Bike Week, the two Motus motorcycles are on display at the patio of Daytona Ducati BMW Triumph dealership through Saturday.
Touring bikes are sporty and built for performance but, unlike racing bikes, are made for comfort and long rides. Both of the Motus models come with storage compartments as part of the standard package but also have the ability to add 30-liter compartments for additional space.
"We've designed a bike that is able to rock and roll when you hit the twisters, but can give you a comfortable ride when you are on the highway," Case said.
Some of the initial dealers stated their assessment of the Motus bikes in a release issued by the company.
Ed Cook, co-owner of AF1 Racing in Austin, Texas, praised the originality of what Motus has produced.
"The new Motus is such a high performance innovative American motorcycle and it's so different from anything out there," he said.
2013 Motus MST
Base price: $30,975
Colors: Speed silver metallic or flame red metallic
Engine: V-4 Baby Block, 1650cc liquid cooled, 165 horsepower, six-speed, dual overdrive, electronic fuel injection
Tires and wheels: Aluminum wheels with wave rotors and Michelin tires
Options: Adjustable handlebars, heated seat, heated grips
2013 Motus MST-R
Base price: $36,975
Colors: Strong white or carbon black
Engine: V-4R Baby Block, 1650cc liquid cooled, 185 horsepower, six-speed, dual overdrive, electronic fuel injection
Tires and wheels: Forged OZ aluminum wheels with wave rotors and Michelin tires
Options: Heated seat, heated grips, rear storage rack, premium low seat, touring windscreen
Bike to the future: Motus Motorcycles makes home in Birmingham
Published: Friday, March 16, 2012, 6:00 AM
By Michael Tomberlin -- The Birmingham News
At an event as part of Daytona Bike Week in Daytona, Fla., on Thursday night, Motus said its MST model will have a base price of $30,975, while the MST-R will start at $36,975. The motorcycles will be produced in Birmingham starting this fall and will be considered 2013 models.
Bike lovers in Birmingham who want to order a Motus will have to go to Georgia or Tennessee for the nearest dealer as there are no dealers in Alabama yet lined up to sell the bikes.
"We hope to have 20 dealers established by the end of the year," Lee Conn, president and co-founder of Motus, said in an interview this week.
"We don't have any dealers in Alabama, but that could change."
Brian Case, design director and co-founder of Motus, said the company already has enough orders to keep its production facility humming through year's end.
"The demand has already exceeded expectations," he said. "When we start production, it is going to take us a while just to feed the demand."
In Thursday's Birmingham News, Motus' leaders said they are actively working with Birmingham officials to find a site for a new corporate headquarters and production facility. The company plans to hire 15 employees in the first year and quickly grow to produce between 20 and 30 motorcycles per month.
Conn and Case started the company in 2008 with the belief there was a market for an American-made touring motorcycle.
Their belief was validated when they unveiled prototypes of the two motorcycles a year ago -- first at the Barber Motorsports Park and then at Daytona Bike Week, where a receptive motorcycle press praised the bikes for both their design and their innovative V-4, liquid-cooled engine.
When they begin production, Motus will join Confederate Motorcycles, which produces its own unique brand of bikes in the Magic City. The company's newest model of its Hellcat motorcycle has a pricetag that starts at $45,000.
For Bike Week, the two Motus motorcycles are on display at the patio of Daytona Ducati BMW Triumph dealership through Saturday.
Touring bikes are sporty and built for performance but, unlike racing bikes, are made for comfort and long rides. Both of the Motus models come with storage compartments as part of the standard package but also have the ability to add 30-liter compartments for additional space.
"We've designed a bike that is able to rock and roll when you hit the twisters, but can give you a comfortable ride when you are on the highway," Case said.
Some of the initial dealers stated their assessment of the Motus bikes in a release issued by the company.
Ed Cook, co-owner of AF1 Racing in Austin, Texas, praised the originality of what Motus has produced.
"The new Motus is such a high performance innovative American motorcycle and it's so different from anything out there," he said.
2013 Motus MST
Base price: $30,975
Colors: Speed silver metallic or flame red metallic
Engine: V-4 Baby Block, 1650cc liquid cooled, 165 horsepower, six-speed, dual overdrive, electronic fuel injection
Tires and wheels: Aluminum wheels with wave rotors and Michelin tires
Options: Adjustable handlebars, heated seat, heated grips
2013 Motus MST-R
Base price: $36,975
Colors: Strong white or carbon black
Engine: V-4R Baby Block, 1650cc liquid cooled, 185 horsepower, six-speed, dual overdrive, electronic fuel injection
Tires and wheels: Forged OZ aluminum wheels with wave rotors and Michelin tires
Options: Heated seat, heated grips, rear storage rack, premium low seat, touring windscreen
I think they need to get off the crack
