Motus merged threadfest

[kevdog3019]

Have y'all seen this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbn_uZ2Z3EY&feature=youtu.be

Thought not.  ;)

Interesting how the President of Motus cites Moto Guzzi as an example of what they are trying to make.  A bike with character.  "On paper, it doesn't do anything better than any other bike, but...  "

It's been rather obvious to me the likeness to Guzzi from the beginning (just seeing the engine alone as we did) as I'm sure it was to most of you.  Now I'm almost certain Guzzi had something to do with this engine design whether consciously or subconsciously.  It's just too ironic he mentions Guzzi like he does in such a glowing way as a pinnacle of character.  That was cool to hear!  ;-T
    

[sarg]

american made. guzzi style v4. anyone have pics??

[Chicago Mark]

Isn't the Motus engine more like the Honda ST1300 V4 than the Guzzi V twin?

Mark

[leafman60]

Yes and there are pictures everywhere.  They did a national promo tour recently and more than one national (california) cycle mag has an article about the V-4.

It is a set-up a la ST1300.  Ive seen an early model and it struck me as very crude.  Im sure by now that it has been polished to some degree.

Pulling this off is a tall order.

[kirb]

motus' web page has a lot of pics and video. CW and others have some ride reports. youtube has videos. LOTS of info on this bike out there.

They have sparked a lot of interest through social media. I, for one, am ~VERY~ interested and will wait for a price before trying to figure out how to afford one. Sub $25k and I'm in.

[oldmanjob]

Check here http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=48487.0

The old Bill ;D

[Avvocato]

I would love to go but unfortunately will be out of town on business.  I hope someone can go and give us a report on the Motus bikes.

 From an FBF email:

"The Motus MST's are getting readied and gear is being packed as they prepare to roll out on the second leg of the American Sport Tour, this time to the Northeast. They will be visiting Fast By Ferracci on Thursday, October 13 from 5 till 8 pm. Come see (and hear!) these amazing prototypes, hang with the founders of Motus, and give them your feedback. We'll be providing snacks and beverages, so mark your calendar now and plan to be there. "

 

[guzziboy66]

So I went down to FBF last night to see the Motus...

They had 2 bikes there: A white prototype which had been ridden there and a silver one.  The sound is truly beautiful.  Engineering is impressive.  But...  The pipes / exhaust are... underwhelming.  I guess that from an engineering perspective the exhaust is correct and has been designed for performance.  But this bike needs header pipes on the scale of a Griso.  It does not need huge ass exhaust cans - but the pipes need some more mass to balance the engine.  Just my opinion.  Oh and sorry - I did not take any pics.  Was anyone else from here there?

Eric

[Arizona Wayne]

So I went down to FBF last night to see the Motus...
  It does not need huge ass exhaust cans - but the pipes need some more mass to balance the engine.  Just my opinion.  Oh and sorry - I did not take any pics.  Was anyone else from here there?

Eric

You can thank the EPA for the size of the mufflers on those Motus', it sounds like.  Earlier views of the Motus showed mufflers that were OK by me, but I figured they wouldn't pass the EPA regulations.   :D

[guzziboy66]

I did not do a good enough job explaining myself.  The exhaust cans are NOT huge - They are fine.  I think they're made by Two Brothers Racing.

What I'm trying to say is that the exhaust pipes, headers if you will look tiny.  The Griso pipes look positively massive by comparison.  But the Griso pipes end up in a huge can, of which I'm not a fan. So what I was trying to say is:

Bigger header pipes would look better (to me) but the exhaust cans are fine as is.


Eric

[Avvocato]

Thanks for the write up, Eric.

[Chuck in Indiana]

I was wearing my Guzzi Land Speed Record t shirt (about 2000 IIRC) at Barber's, and looking at the Motus prototype when a youngish guy walked up and said he'd been there when "we" got the record on the LeMans.  ;D Introduced himself as Lee Conn, and asked if I knew his dad, Sydney.  :o
Well duh, Sydney was part of the LSR team from the old Topica Guzzi list, and had the hot air balloon with the Guzzi logo on it. Lee piloted it and gave rides to the salt racers. He said they really enjoyed seeing the festivities from another perspective. I asked him what he was doing for Motus, and he said, "President."  ;D
Told me to hop on, and tell him what I thought. ;D ;D Remember, I'm Guzzi sized and inseam challenged, but it felt perfect to me. Seating is narrow between your legs, and let me flat foot it. ;-T I don't flat foot any other sport touring bikes. The sound it makes is awesome...
I certainly wish them well, but kinda wonder about the target demographic. We're talking about a reasonably comfortable sport touring bike that should take on all comers when it gets to the twistys. Sounds like a young man's bike.. and how many young men will have the kind of resources to afford the price of admission?? I've been in manufacturing all my life, and *know* how expensive this startup is. This is going to be an extremely expensive motorcycle.
Did I like it?? Oh, yeah.. ;-T ;-T
 

[blackcat]

Photo from Barber's; bike sounded OK, sort of like a Guzzi.

[ohiorider]

Funny you mention the exhaust pipes.  Every now and then, a biker unfamiliar with Guzzi will be giving my 1200 Sport a once-over, and the one thing that catches their eye is the diameter of the exhaust pipes, and their reaction to them is always favorable.  Makes it look like it really breathes.  (personally, I don't know if they're large diameter for breathing purposes, or because they're double-walled?).

There is a lot of competition in the sport touring arena, including the Norge and Stelvio, not to mention offerings from BMW, Yamaha, Kaw, Triumph, and others.  

Their success depends on several factors, not the least being the MSRP.  They have a lot of work ahead of them to actually get the bike on dealer floors.

I wish them success.

Bob

Note - perhaps if this part of their business plan is successful, their company won't need to live or die by whether the bike is a stellar sales performer out of the box.  " ...... reading the Motus literature I noticed some vague hints about the possibility of using the engine for a car, boat and other uses, along with the possibility of smaller or bigger displacements ......."

[Aaron D.]

Young man's bike? Hmm.

If I decide I need a new bike, this one is definitely one that would get a look. I'm not a young feller though.

I also don't think I could bring myself to spend $25-30K on a bike. It just seems wrong.

[Lannis]

Young man's bike? Hmm.

If I decide I need a new bike, this one is definitely one that would get a look. I'm not a young feller though.

I also don't think I could bring myself to spend $25-30K on a bike. It just seems wrong.

Same for me ... that bike would be interesting to me and I'd consider it along with bikes like the Stelvio and Triumph Sprint GT when the time comes, even though I'll be an Old Guy in anyone's book by then.   Looks like a Rider's Bike, not another endless copy of a 1936 Vtwin ...

Same reaction, though, to the $25 - $30K.   That's above my pay grade and outside my demographic ... !

Lannis

[Skeeve]

But this bike needs header pipes on the scale of a Griso. 

Griso headers are double-walled. If a Griso had single wall headers the diameter of the outer pipe of the exhaust it comes with, it would be an utter DOG: those pipes are WAY too big for the size valves it carries, and are a direct result of form over function thinking from the Harley/cruiser demographic...

[Arizona Wayne]

...........in Maryland @ www.webbikeworld.co m

Someone earlier here had complained about this bike's mufflers.  They look good to me if these are the same ones!   ???

[drums4money]

What's with that rusty-ass chain in that one photo?  Interesting bike.. I'd like to see one in person.

[Lannis]

What's with that rusty-ass chain in that one photo?  Interesting bike.. I'd like to see one in person.

Odd, isn't it, that an engine with a longitudinal crank would have a chain final drive?   That's going to put a lot of people off.

Me personal, I stack up the hassle of replacing a chain and sprockets every 25,000 miles against having to replace a Guzzi clutch every XXXXX miles and it doesn't seem so bad.

I'd like to ride one and see what it's like.

Lannis

[guzziboy66]

...........in Maryland @ www.webbikeworld.co m

Someone earlier here had complained about this bike's mufflers.  They look good to me if these are the same ones!   ???

For the record I was not complaining about the mufflers.  I was opining that the head pipes need more mass.  They look too small in comparison to the mass of the engine/bike.  Just an opinion.  I compared the Motus pipes (headers) to those on the Griso, which look huge.  I complicated things by saying that it did not need big old mufflers.  I was hoping people would understand that I actually like the mufflers on the Motus...  Oh well.  Anyway - it is just my opinion.

Eric

[drums4money]

I agree about the garden-hose diameter exhausts exiting the heads.  Something about them just doesn't seem proportional / substantial.  I'm sure they function as necessary.  Maybe anything larger in diameter would be inappropriate for a cylinder with 400cc displacement.   Scratch that notion..my ducati has 2 cyls. @ 400cc each and the exhaust diameters seem larger.  

Yep- those motus exhaust straws just look a little odd.

Nice two brothers can on the end, though..

[Ambogal]

Saw the bike at Barbers.  Quite interesting!  Did you know that the person sitting on the bike at the end of the video is the guy in charge (I forgot his first name) but he is the son of Sidney and Eleanor Conn who were involved with Guzzis years ago and had the Guzzi hot air balloon.  They had a balloon factory in Statesville, NC for some time but now live in downtown Birmingham, AL.

He told us that Barber is somehow aiding him on this project. I think he's renting one of Barber's buildings.

[Arizona Wayne]

Saw the bike at Barbers.  Quite interesting!  Did you know that the person sitting on the bike at the end of the video is the guy in charge (I forgot his first name) but he is the son of Sidney and Eleanor Conn who were involved with Guzzis years ago and had the Guzzi hot air balloon.  They had a balloon factory in Statesville, NC for some time but now live in downtown Birmingham, AL.

He told us that Barber is somehow aiding him on this project. I think he's renting one of Barber's buildings.

Barber's former bike museum was downtown.  Maybe that's where the Motus operation hangs out.  :-X

[tellicomoto]

I got to sit on one last night. You can see the owners, Brian and his wife eating Chili at Cherie's in the back ground.  They headed up the Skyway shortly afterwards.  I really want one of these.  Cherie said I might have to sell a few bikes to make room for one.  Guess that's better than a "Hell No!"  



minimike

[travelingbyguzzi]

If they are serious about keeping weight down, and they seem to be, a double walled header would probably cost a couple pounds plus add to the $ cost.
 I agree that the skinny headers look flimsy, but thankfully, it is about function over form, IMHO.
 I, personally, would have to win the Lotto first.

Bill Lovelady          IS
Eskimo Spy.

[Big Block Jon]

What I'm trying to say is that the exhaust pipes, headers if you will look tiny.

Yes! Like spaghetti.

[Skeeve]

If they are serious about keeping weight down, and they seem to be, a double walled header would probably cost a couple pounds plus add to the $ cost.

Yes, but they'll stay [reasonably] shiny too, instead of turning all purple, grey & black. Given the price point for the machine, that might be justification enough to go down the 2-wall path, since someone laying out large coin for a bike generally prefers it to stay nice looking w/o constant maintenance.

[mtiberio]

when it comes to mufflers you can have
quiet
small size
power...
pick any 2, but never all 3

[cdkrall]

I like the look of the exhaust, it's simple and graceful and purposeful. Why carry extra size and weight in anything on a bike?