Motus Motorcycle Now In Production

[ionbeam]

If you feel that BMW is not expensive enough and parts too easy to find and too inexpensive then this is the motorcycle for you. $31K, 2X the cost of a FJR that produces a similar riding experience plus the bonus of unknown reliability to boot. The ride report. Cool factor -- priceless. Except to a frugal Yankee.

Will this be your next motorcycle?

Motus Sets Two Land Speed Records, Rides Home

Motus Factory Racing set the two fastest land speed records of any American production motorcycle at the AMA-sanctioned 2014 Bonneville Speed Trials. Competing in P-PP and P-PG classes, the new records also establish the stock Motus MSTR as the fastest production pushrod motorcycle in the world.

The Motus MSTR motorcycles were raced in stock, unmodified condition with just the mirrors, turn signals and license plates removed. With top speeds of 168.69 mph and records of 163.98 mph and 165.81 mph respectively, company founders Brian Case and Lee Conn set the records before re-attaching the mirrors and license plates and riding 1900 miles back to the Motus factory in Alabama…in 30 hours.

 

[Spud]

It's really cool they made the effort to do this, but..... I'm afraid it's going to be DOA. Since they started that bike, so many advances in electronics have been made. It doesn't even have ABS. Look at the features on an FJR ES, compare price, game over. There are people that will buy very expensive motorcycles to have something unique. Custom choppers. Trailer them around, don't worry about lack of dealer or reliability. But a sport touring bike? Seems to me a very tough sell to that market. Things like dealer network, proven reliability etc., and doing your own maintenance are really important to this part of the market. Also, a 5.5 gallon tank with a 165hp motor. I'm thinking well under 200 mile range. OK, I'll stop--I do hope they make a go of it but I'm not holding my breath....

 

[lonerider]

Interesting read, thanks for sharing. Hope they are able to survive, but at that price, I won't be able to afford a "cool factor".

 

[lnewlf]

Saw these at Americade...very nice build, supposedly all made in USA, a lot smaller that the FJR. To bad the price isn't.

 

[SkooterG]

Oh, I wish I could get one. Bad. But one of these won't be in my budget anytime soon.

 

[rPGoatBoy]

Beautiful looking bike, even better sounding (

), but alas, waaay out of my price range. Happy to see them be able to separate the transmission from the crankcase for a glimmer of hope of a future shafty version. And no ABS, that should've been high on the list of needs. They could've gone to Bosch or someone and bought an entire system and integrated it into the bike.
Maybe next year.

 

[08FJR4ME]

All that money and they put a chain drive on it? Go figure.

 

[lnewlf]

could buy 3 FJ-09 's for that...and still be stuck with a chain...

 

[Fred W]

All that money and they put a chain drive on it? Go figure.

Yeah, but they also slapped some off the shelf Givi V35 side cases ($500 a pair) and an E260 skooter top-case on it too. Sparing no expense for that exotic beast.

 

[ndivita]

1. It's ugly

2. It sounds good

3. It's impractical

4. It costs too much

5. I admire the engineering and entrepreneurial initiative

6. It's behind the times on nearly every level except the engine and the suspension and for all I know it is behind the times on those two things

7. I would like to have one if they would give it to me and promise to follow me around the country to fix it if something went wrong

8. Pretty damn fast and probably loads of fun to ride - wait that's my FJR I am talking about

9. Strikes me as a two wheeled DeLorean

10. The appeal to U.S. patriotism is a little cloying but I get it

 

[ucwinters]

I agree w/ pretty much everything that ndivita said except that I don't think that it's ugly. However, for less than 1/2 the price, I'll keep my FJR that has access to dealerships/service in most major cities and no chain to mess with. I wish them well but at $30,000+ per unit, that's more than my social security check can afford..........................

 

[Canadian FJR]

I like them. The 2015 Iron Butt Rally is just around the corner. Too bad they don't hook up with one of the more experienced IB vets. It would be a great test for the bike.

Canadian FJR

 

[SkooterG]

I like them. The 2015 Iron Butt Rally is just around the corner. Too bad they don't hook up with one of the more experienced IB vets. It would be a great test for the bike.





Canadian FJR

I was thinking the same thing. I would do it in a heartbeat!

 

[HotRodZilla]

They sure talk about the FJR a LOT in that article. I wonder why that is??

This is undoubtedly a cool bike, and I hope it works out for them. I'm sure Jay Lennon will buy one, but who is gonna spend that kind of cash for a bike that is missing so much? The engine is cool, but is new, and has a lot of potential problems that won't come to fruition until people start racking real miles on them.

I hope they do well, but, in my dumb opinion, they are pricing themselves out of the market. All the buyer is really getting is a high HP motor. Ducati already has that, and it doesn't take much to put Givi bags on a Busa or ZX14 to get the same effect. There has to be more than, "Yeah, but our bike is fast."

 

[G Squared]

What about the (total) lacking of any type of heat/air management?? A high horsepower version of another longitudinal v-4 and its headers right in front of your legs. I'll bet the ST 1300 ran cold compared to this heat monster. Very low level of engineering in that department as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

It is not perfect for sure and it definitely has some rough edges but I wish I could afford one. A Red one. I am proud of these guys for building this bike and for building a bike that they wanted to ride.

I would not want this to be my primary bike, I would not dream of trading the FJR for a Motus. My FJR is as reliable as anything on the market, is comfortable enough to go anywhere I want, looks fantastic and sounds great. If I could only have one motorcycle, the FJR would be it. Obviously.

BUT!!! If I had a bigger garage and a bigger bank account there would be an American made Motus parked there. Of course there would also be a couple of Harley Davidson's a couple BMWs and at least one Ducati. But if I wanted to ride one of them I would have to go past the FJR to get out the door. Because the FJR would still be my favorite and my most useful.

 

[russperry]

I agree w/ pretty much everything that ndivita said except that I don't think that it's ugly. However, for less than 1/2 the price, I'll keep my FJR that has access to dealerships/service in most major cities and no chain to mess with. I wish them well but at $30,000+ per unit, that's more than my social security check can afford..........................

I bet BeemerDons could swing it - maybe slap a BMW badge on it and it would probably be in his garage by next week!

 

[supertankerm60a3]

I like it... cannot afford it. It is great to see an American Sports-tourer. I hope the cool factor keeps them going long enough to come out with version 2.0 and it has shaft drive and ABS. That and mass production makes them more affordable.

 

[RossKean]

I expect that the open exhaust header might be a welcome source of heat on a frosty morning but less advantageous at 100° riding slowly in traffic. I would be interested in seeing some more information including real rider tests, fuel economy and mechanical reliability records. As others have noted, this is, at best, a novelty motorcycle for people with more money than they know what to do with. At twice the price plus the lack of ABS and shaft drive it won't be replacing my FJR anytime soon. I wouldn't even do an even swap with my high-mileage '07!