Number 28 was fabulous. A touch heavy for no prisoners puck scuff sport. Two up loaded touring should have been legendary for a lifetime. The only made in USA major part that did not fail catastrophically on 28 was the Birmingham tube frame. One example only. Four starters from top drawer US automotive supplier in 37,000 miles on 28. eg The nose bearing housing in starter three broke and jammed the flywheel. There’s lots more. The Motus guys were butt fucked by domestic suppliers. So much for chauvinism.
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Sport Touring Rigs
- Thread starter CaribooBC
- Start date
spanky
Well-known member
I "liked" your reply only because it's a Motus. To me, THAT was THE dream sports tourer to own. I've owned two (BMW K1 and a Ducati 907IE) of what have to be the rarest of motorcycles to come into the USA which kinda makes me the patron saint of lost causes. I'd have hit the trifecta if I bought a Yamaha GTS1000 that I was jonesing for about twenty years ago.Number 28 was fabulous. A touch heavy for no prisoners puck scuff sport. Two up loaded touring should have been legendary for a lifetime. The only made in USA major part that did not fail catastrophically on 28 was the Birmingham tube frame. One example only. Four starters from top drawer US automotive supplier in 37,000 miles on 28. eg The nose bearing housing in starter three broke and jammed the flywheel. There’s lots more. The Motus guys were butt fucked by domestic suppliers. So much for chauvinism.
WTF is wrong with me?
Please post more porn pics of your Motus.
Gone. A bargain new for what it was. No way to justify a complete five figure engine reconstruction. We are riders, not collectors.
Chickenstrip
Well-known member
The Motus is something akin to vaporware .... there was the buildup pre-release (even I signed up for notifications despite not having the $$), the release (I got to see one in a dealer), and then almost immediate collapse of the business, without much followup. Your bike bike here (now past bike) is one of maybe three I've seen on ADV. I have little idea of how the bike is to own - your experience may be just the tip of the iceberg.
They were built ‘15 into ‘18. Maybe 300.
We were sport tour riding ‘06 ST3s, suspension and ecu touched up by Duc race pro. Test rode Motus out of Rider’s Hill, Dahlonega, GA. Parked it and went in the office to write a check.
There were big US supplier problems from the beginning. Indiana foundry was pouring porous block and head castings. Big name engine machine outfit QC joke. Motus assembled everything, dynoed everything thoroughly. If there were one thing the guys in Birmingham should have done that would have been after dyno time do a leak down test. That would have exposed the poor machine work on heads.
Yada yada. Great machine. In conversation with principals one of them said “We are completely vulnerable to suppliers”
LuciferMutt
Well-known member
There was one for sale on consignment in a shop I frequent (same place I bought my F800GT) last year or the year before...don't remember. The PO had washed the bike with something corrosive, possibly simple green, and left it on the bike and frame, completely ruining the paint job on the frame -- it was speckled with black spots, missing paint, and the body work had a ton of scratches on it. Absolutely incredible that somebody would treat such an expensive bike so poorly. He also wanted nearly $30k for it.
Amazingly it sold, and quickly too. It was gone in less than a month.
Chickenstrip
Well-known member
Sad to see that - it's odd to see how carelessly some people treat their expensive possessions (phones, laptops ... $30K bikes). Good to hear someone bought it, though ... the Motus will be an important part of bike history.
kickstandsup
Why not?
I agree that it is sad to see someone treat anything, expensive or not, like trash. Says more about them then the item, and seems so wasteful to me.
Motus as an important part of Moto history...not so sure about that. When the bike was first announced, I followed it closely. Loved the concept, looks and uniqueness.
Was seriously considering one, but for the lack of ABS. The "justification" for that shortcoming always seemed incredibly weak to me, and made me question their longevity b/c of ABS becoming a requirement in Europe and potentially in the US. Agree or not...for me, I want ABS on any new travel motorcycle, especially one costing 30k. Not having it limited their market even further for what was already a niche machine...and completely took Europe off the table for them. Kept waiting to see if that would change, it never did, for what now seems like obvious reasons.
With the benefit of hindsight, I'm glad I didn't move forward. And with the quality issues outlined above, would not even consider one now as a "toy."
As far as Motus being at the mercy of their suppliers, I believe that is true of virtually all manufacturers today. It is a question of initial specifications, negotiated price, inspection and quality control. I have no idea what process was followed that led to so many fundamental failures, but it is certainly reasonable (to me) that consumers would hold the named brand selling the final product responsible. When BMW had their final drive problems, BMW got blamed, not the gear/bearing/seal suppliers. And rightly so, IMO.
Motus simply did not sell enough units nor last long enough nor inspire other designs to be anything more than a somewhat interesting footnote to Moto history. At least IMO, YMMV, of course. Cool bike tho.
Chickenstrip
Well-known member
By 'important to bike history,' it could be in the sense that the Edsel is, sorry to say.
I owned a Motus, briefly. I was, like many, initially really excited. I test rode one, cash in hand, but after the ride decided it wasn't $30K good. Decided if I could get one for $15K, maybe. Well, I got a brand new one for $15K. Rode it 2000 miles and got rid of it.
I got lucky and had "good" heads that passed the leak down test with flying colors, but I had a starter fail immediately, and after following some of the Facebook groups I decided it was probably a ticking time bomb with a very limited part supply. The "dual mass flywheel" made so much clatter at idle it was embarrassing. No TC or even ABS. I was glad when it left.
It was a great concept, but under funded and poorly executed.
They built 200 bikes.
Rob's Dyno Service is the source for most of the support and parts, but last I heard he was getting out of it too.
LAP (onwers of Buell?) bought up a bunch of stock too.
I got lucky and had "good" heads that passed the leak down test with flying colors, but I had a starter fail immediately, and after following some of the Facebook groups I decided it was probably a ticking time bomb with a very limited part supply. The "dual mass flywheel" made so much clatter at idle it was embarrassing. No TC or even ABS. I was glad when it left.
It was a great concept, but under funded and poorly executed.
They built 200 bikes.
Rob's Dyno Service is the source for most of the support and parts, but last I heard he was getting out of it too.
LAP (onwers of Buell?) bought up a bunch of stock too.
Crampman McFan
It kind of smells doesn't it?
I have #4 and I've had a few problems, and sometimes think about selling it but after I ride it I change my mind. So much fun!
Chickenstrip
Well-known member
^ Handsome bike! 
Absolutely love my FZ 09. It's very roomy. This thing is so smooth and quiet that you can forget it can be a pretty wild machine if you ask it to.
Leaving a friend house a while back and carried a wheelie through the neighborhood. Rounded the corner and a couple out walking their dog waved and wished me Merry Christmas. You can totally hoon it up and the people one block over can't even hear it 😁
Goofing off on the interstate once and decided to click down a couple extra gears at 70mph to pass some traffic. The bike just stood up on the back tire like it was nothing. Found myself effortlessly passing cars doing a wheelie at 90mph in near silence. Just an amazing machine that is also enjoyable to just cruise back roads for hours upon hours. Fuel mileage and range could be a bit better, but I can't believe how much I love this thing.
Leaving a friend house a while back and carried a wheelie through the neighborhood. Rounded the corner and a couple out walking their dog waved and wished me Merry Christmas. You can totally hoon it up and the people one block over can't even hear it 😁
Goofing off on the interstate once and decided to click down a couple extra gears at 70mph to pass some traffic. The bike just stood up on the back tire like it was nothing. Found myself effortlessly passing cars doing a wheelie at 90mph in near silence. Just an amazing machine that is also enjoyable to just cruise back roads for hours upon hours. Fuel mileage and range could be a bit better, but I can't believe how much I love this thing.
LuciferMutt
Well-known member
If you are at all mechanically-inclined, the Guzzi is easy to maintain and is a wonderful ride!
Very helpful owner forums are available, as well.
Just sayin'...
Chickenstrip
Well-known member
My 2002 Sprint RS in the Adirondacks
DeepBarney
Member
2007 Tiger 1050. Great machine but I really need to have the suspension resprung and valved for 170lb rider (instead of a 250lb one) if I'm going to keep it. It's got a real nice Penske shock on the rear, and who knows what done to it up front. Reckon' that'll cost half as much as I bought it for...
Cut down stock screen works really nice now that it's summer though.
Cut down stock screen works really nice now that it's summer though.
matty
Border raider.
I like my old Triumph Sprophy 900 , tough reliable and competent, The Old Hinkley Triples were built tough from the get go they had to hold together for triumph to get back on the ladder John bloor Built in a margin of TOUGH and It did the trick they chew up the miles fine.
Chickenstrip
Well-known member
^ Like the Laverda triples, that era of Triumph triples have a solid brawny look that looks the business.