American Sport-Tourer the Motus Position

AMERICAN SPORT-TOURER THE MOTUS POSITION

IGNITION

NEWS

With pushrod V-Four power, the new Alabama-built Moti are the torque of the town

Andrew Bornhop

YOGI BERRA ONCE SAID you can observe a lot just by watching. In that spirit, we kept a close eye on the comments accompanying our web story on the Motus, the Alabama-built sport-tourer powered by a pushrod V-Four. Seems our readers fall into two camps. Some say the Motus is just what America needs, a comfortable touring bike with gobs of low-rpm torque and a curb weight that undercuts many Harleys by several hundred pounds. Others contend it looks clunky, and that its $30,975 price is simply too high for a touring bike without shaft drive, ABS or a power-adjustable windscreen.

While these points are all worthy of consideration, the only way for us to get a proper take on the 2014 production Motus is to test one, which will likely happen soon because we’ve been told that production bikes are expected to arrive in customer hands late this fall or early winter, pre-sold

through a network of 16 dealers. In the meantime, here’s what we know.

Motus tells us that “nearly everything” about the bike has changed since Senior Editor Blake Conner rode a prototype two years ago. The longitudinal-crank 1650CC V-Four engine, for instance, has 22 new castings to improve long-term durability, cooling and oiling, while new porting and splayed exhaust valves bump power. The liquid-cooled 90-degree engines are cast, machined and assembled in Lufkin, Texas, then shipped to Birmingham for installation in the bespoke 4130 chromemoly chassis. By itself, the aluminum-block engine weighs a claimed 140 pounds. When the stacked gearbox (with transverse input shaft) is attached, the unit tips the scales at a claimed 225 lb. The whole bike, ready to ride, says Motus, weighs around 500 lb.

In a significant update, Motus switched from direct injection to a conventional EFI unit with a ride-by-wire throttle. A new

multi-functional Thin Film Transistor LCD color instrument panel with an engine screen conveys information such as throttle position, engine load, coolant temp and oil pressure. There’s also a standard USB port that allows the owner to load new engine maps or perform diagnostic work.

Two Moti are available, the $30,975 MST (with a claimed 160 horsepower and 125 foot-pounds of torque) and the $36,975 MST-R (180,120). As sport-tourers, they’re designed for the long haul with a “sensible” riding position, adjustable windscreen and standard sidecases. Yet the chassis and suspension hardware, says Motus, make for a bike that relishes the twisty bits.

“You can’t buy a comfortable sportbike that’s built here in the U.S.,” explains Lee Conn, Motus president. “When I’m out street riding, I just want to have a ton of torque. I don’t want to be riding at 8000 rpm all day; I’d rather be at 4000 and not having to shift all the time.” ETU