A ride on the Motus

[Deans BMW]

Copied from part of a post on the Motorcyclistcafe Forum.

I had a nice ride on a friends Motus yesterday after Gary (Ridemore) my friend and I had a great ride to Two Wheels of Suches and beyond yesterday. After we got home and Gary headed back to his place and a .......nap...

After a well rested nap, I jumped on the Motus with Daves blessing and set off to see what the Motus was really all about..... The bike provides a strong visceral experience from a mechanical stand point. The fueling is spot on, the brakes as good and as controllable as any experienced. The handling is outstanding perfectly neutral at any speed and in any attitude from a full lean at 125 in a beautiful all the way over sweeper to a rapid back and forth in a tight twisty situation.

The motor very visceral, extreme torque thru out the rev range. Rapidly gains revs very quickly and easily all the way to hitting the rev limiter. What a fun bike to ride, pulls like a freight train in any gear, my favorite gear was 4th, twist the throttle and it just launches, perfectly composed and BAM....well into the triple didgets in an eye blink. The power is very similar to my K1600GT similar Horse Powers and Torques. The difference is that the BMW is 100-150 pounds heavier a typically highly refined outstanding BMW world class straight 6 cylinder engine as compared to what feels like a high performance American V 8 in a lighter excellent handling package with all the very best parts available. The High End Ohlins......WOW, the Hi End Brembos.....Equally WOW and on and on. It is very easy to see why the Motus costs what it does.

If I had this bike, my license would be gone in a very short order. A world class outstanding day.

[sgoodwin]

So your saying it's a better first attempt than Buell's EBR's?

[Chris Canning]

Clearly had a lot of time effort and no small amount of money invested in it,but I couldn't be done with walking past that thing in the garage every day

[Deans BMW]

Good question, never have ridden a Buell.

The Motus is in a class all its own, the polar opposite to what one would characterize a similar to the same ride in an equally Honda.

The Motus at idle is noisy with all sorts of rattling and clanging that after a lot of studying seems to come from the tranny. Picture a Chevy V-8 that has been worked on with a lumpty lump Hi Performance cam and hi compression. The idle is not a study in smoothness at all, the Motus V-4, 1/2 of a Chevy motor, is and has the very same characteristics. Definitely part of the intrinsic soul of the bike. This seems to me cause the whirling tranny gears while idling to clang and bang. As the revs increase, all of this noise goes away. Couple this motor with one of the best equipped and best balanced bike I have ever ridden and you have a soul stirring experience that is totally addictive to those of us that have experienced non appliance soul stirring performance bikes.

The bike is absolutely beautifully built. It is clear that getting the bike right was more important that rushing into production. There is even the proper torque settings cast into the structure adjacent to the critical fastners. There is no need to go to the aftermarket for upgrades anywhere.......It's already included. It was even given a close inspection up on my lift.

[th535is]

I took a tour through the Motus factory on Saturday during their annual block party they do after the Barber Vintage Motorcycle Festival. The attention to detail was very impressive. They had a two partially finished customer bikes on work stands and it was cool to see how neatly the wiring and everything was arranged in the frame and the general quality of all of the parts. Nothing that goes into that bike looks halfa****.

They also let us hold some of the carbon fiber parts and it was crazy how light they were. Especially the wheels. While I'm not really in a position to drop $30k+ on a bike, I can see where the money is going. Also, with my pretend money, I would definitely be springing for the carbon wheels upgrade.

[RIQUE]

Originally Posted by th535is

They also let us hold some of the carbon fiber parts and it was crazy how light they were. Especially the wheels. While I'm not really in a position to drop $30k+ on a bike, I can see where the money is going. Also, with my pretend money, I would definitely be springing for the carbon wheels upgrade.

30K can buy a lot of bikes that can out perform it. It does look quite exclusive though.

[JRMSR]

More like TTL $34K with no added options for the MST.

TTL $42K+ with no added options for the MSTR

BST CF Wheel are only available on the MSTR and it's just out of range for most riders.

RT and GTL are much better platforms for the job and can be had for below $28K loaded.

I suppose you could always justify the purchase, if your a NASCAR fan. Exhaust note is a novelty and would wear thin on a long tour.

http://www.motusmotorcycles.com/files/Motus_MST_3000_rpm_Pass_By.mp3
http://www.motusmotorcycles.com/files/Motus_MST_2_Revs.mp3
http://www.motusmotorcycles.com/files/Motus_MST_Revs.mp3

Dealer Network is a problem and I presume parts would be also; Dealers | Motus Motorcycles You could always fly and ride, without a test ride??

Originally Posted by sgoodwin

So your saying it's a better first attempt than Buell's EBR's?

Two completely different motorcycles.

[ama]

This supercharged Motus was sitting in front of the Museum at Barber during the Fall Festival last weekend.............as if the stock unit wasn't powerful enough!!

[JRMSR]

Looks a bit funky, especially without the tail section. If the width of the tank is any indication of added fuel capacity, I'm sure it's more of a requirement then a design cue.

[Ray R]

Are you considering a new purchase, Dean?

[Deans BMW]

Originally Posted by Ray R

Are you considering a new purchase, Dean?

No, but it was a fun ride, makes one appreciate top notch suspension.....especially at speed......in a full lean................

If I owned that bike................Jail in a week.

[Nitro]

I guess the company's owners found lots cash to burn, so why couldn’t they make them more eye-candy? I bet it's a fun engine but they sure are as ugly as a hell sin!

[jbennett111]

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[jbennett111]

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[jbennett111]

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[jbennett111]

Next to a Ducati Monster 1200


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[LeftCoast Peter]

Originally Posted by jbennett111

I've base jumped that bridge. And Droptarotter has ridden his bicycle over it many times.

Not this guy but you get the idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNfgu-bYEvc

[Bob Hancock]

Having test ridden an MST at Riders Hill in Dahlonega, GA, I agree with Deans report on the ride. It is a splendid bike. Good power and handling and fit and finish. I didn't think it was anything to impress one in the extreme though power wise. Fast yes but not bloody fast. I've owned Ducati's that give more rush. For my ride I was following one of the principles on his MSTR and we went extra legal speeds....a fun ride on roads I know.
The word on supporting the bike is most of the support parts, including the engine, should be available in most any local parts shop, so they say that it's easy to support without living in Birmingham. We shall see. Any buyer now is a beta tester.
Am I interested in one? For the power and comfort, yes. Ergo's aren't too different from the GS which I consider the best riding position for someone of my...um...maturity. For the price and looks, no. Too expensive and too busy. Look at all those lines in the frame and motor and everywhere else. I agree with the stated opinion, it's ugly. Life is too short to ride ugly bikes that cost too much.
That said I do wish them well as they are made here in the USA and don't go potato-potato.

[Lentz]

if they had ABS.

What they've done with the budget they have is kind of remarkable. I've been to the factory and seen the bike and talked with Lee and the guys there.

They wouldn't let me sign up for a test though as I told them that I wouldn't buy unless it had ABS.

[throttlemeister]

I kinda dig this bike, especially the V4. Ever since I got a VFR I have had a soft spot for that config. But.. what is it with American automotive companies and inefficient, outdated engine technology? I mean, bottom cam, pushrods, 2 valves per cylinder? WTF? What century are they living in? It's stupid, it can't rev, it's fuel inefficient and it can't deliver power unless you massively increase engine size. It's a philosophy that was pretty much abandoned by anyone before waaay before the previous century was over. It's an engine design that might have been cool 50 odd years ago, but the world has moved on.