Motus Motorcycles: MST Barber Test

Motus MST Video

Regardless of the skepticism, pragmatism, realities, competition, naysaying, and sheer common sense surrounding the wisdom of launching a new American motorcycle company, I have to applaud the team behind Motus Motorcycles.

Call me sentimental, but I grew up hero-worshiping the Wright Brothers, fascinated at how many people told them they would never fly. Therefore I tend to look upon these types of gargantuan endeavors with a certain hopeful, optimistic view.

Motus recently unveiled their MST series (prototypes) in Daytona for the public. The bikes-brand new from the ground-up-are the dream of Motus co-founders Lee Conn and Brian Case. Their plan; to create purely American motorcycles in the sport touring category. That alone speaks to their individualistic nature, the fact that in the land renowned for heavy V-twins, Motus have leapt directly into the realm of sport touring.

The Motus MST series have some unique design characteristics, but certainly the most dynamic element is the bike’s heart; the KMV4 engine. The liquid-cooled, 1650cc V-4 configuration was developed in partnership with Pratt & Miller Engineering, and is the first gasoline direct-injected engine*.

It’s one thing to announce a new bike. It’s another to show one off. And then it’s a whole other thing to produce a video of the motorcycle circulating the Barber Motorsports Circuit in Alabama. As you can see, Motus has officially entered the “proof-of-concept” phase of the manufacturing process.

It must be, to some degree, vindication for the founders, the engineers, everyone involved with Motus, to actually see and hear their dream putting in laps.

The first Motus motorcycles are expected to enter production in late 2011. Until then, enjoy the sights and sounds of the Motus MST prototypes circulating the Barber circuit.

*Gasoline direct injection is a proven technology where fuel is digitally atomized at extremely high pressures and injected directly into the combustion chamber, as opposed to conventional port fuel injection where fuel is applied in the intake ports.

Through the use of highly advanced engine management systems, fuel delivery can be precisely optimized for increased power with better fuel economy and reduced emissions. The highly atomized fuel also cools the air-fuel mixture, allowing increased compression for better power and efficiency.

Direct injected engines can increase power and torque by up to 10%, while reducing emissions as much as 25-percent during cold starts when most harmful exhaust emissions are typically created.