You already know Motus created a really impressive machine for the rider in search of that All American V4 rumble in a very capable yet civilized sport bike, but what if Doctor Jekyll was allowed to break free of his bonds, what sort of brutal Mr Hyde would you get? Well, you might get this, the “Lone Star 2,” a naked Motus MSTR with forced induction and a bad attitude.
The mild mannered co-founder and designer of Motus motorcycles, Brian Case, has a wild streak, leave him alone with a pile of performance parts and he locks the door and gets a little crazy. He stripped away bodywork until he could clearly see the DNA of something a little more raw. A Procharger supercharger was waiting. Brian says:
The blower required a custom designed bracket and pulley drive system mounted to the left side of the Motus MV4 engine, and driven off of our alternator pulley. It was actually very easy to do, proving the MV4 is well suited for custom built applications. The stock Motus ECU also made an easy job of tuning the system, which already has PC-based programming features to recognize supercharging. I grabbed a set of dished pistons Mahle made us for our accessories catalog, lowering compression to 9.5:1.
He bolted on a set of 4-2-1 tri-y stainless exhaust headers with an Akrapovic GP slip-on muffler to quiet things down a little, then he mounted Pirelli Angel GT tires on a pair of one-off 7-spoke carbon fiber wheels made by BST. The result looks positively uncivilized, in all the right ways. Brian estimates output around 230 horsepower.
Brian’s been brewing this beast for the last four weeks and you can see it at the Handbuilt Show in Austin, Texas this weekend. He calls it the “Lone Star 2.” If you happen to be in Austin, you should check out what he’s done, get up close to see all the details, but not too close, this one looks a little dangerous.
And just so you don’t forget what this “Baby Block” V4 sounds like, here’s a little drive by:
Motus Motorcycles
Handbuilt Motorcycle Show
todd says
Pretty awesome, I’d say.
-todd
Paul Crowe says
Me, too. I think there’s a lot of guys who were looking at that MV4 and picturing a naked bike like this as the perfect place for it. Now, if Motus decided to add a model like this to their line …
biggyfries says
Can any Motus be had for under 30K? No? Time to move on. Nothing to see here.
Bob says
There ought to be a good market for an American styled/powered muscle bike/two wheeled hotrod. It needs a huge and unbreakable V2 or V4. Not too heavy and sort of practical, but just demanding enough to keep one’s attention. Good enough handling to encourage riding rather than posing. And look timeless yet easily refreshed without looking reheated. Yeah, what 50+ years of evolution rather than stagnation should have done to the Sportster. Something good to rise from the ashes of the “Junk bike pictures on the internet” fad.
It could have happened – just ask H-D about the “Overlord” project…
Jlg says
Ok I like now how do we put this motor in my HD bagger
Pirate Tom says
I know it’s heresy, but I kind of want that motor in my car.
Paul Crowe says
That’s not heresy, Motus encourages using the engine in all sorts of other applications and sells it as a crate engine, with or without the transmission. Cars, boats, airplanes, all sorts of racing vehicles, it’s all fair game.
GenWaylaid says
I agree. There might be some regulatory hurdles, but the Motus would make a great engine swap for many older four-cylinder sports cars. Most of the small sports cars sold in the U.S. in the 60s and 70s had 100 hp or less, so even a naturally aspirated Motus engine would give a bump in power. Then you can factor in a likely reduction in weight, a great sound, and modern engine reliability.
hoyt says
It is impressive for all of the mechanical bits to look that good for a liquid-cooled bike, especially while adding a blower. The long tank combined with the abbreviated tail section look odd though (even if those are the relatively easier parts).
Yeti2bikes says
Big fan of naked sport bikes! I like what Motus has done with the ground up design, even if they are a bit out of my price range.
mike kulp says
very nice.great to see an American made motorcycle that will be able to run with the best of the rest.brian is very sharp and his direction is true bad ass American.we need a lot more minds like his in the American motorcycle market.cant wait for a review on a test on that machine.turn up the boost!
Ken says
This makes me wish they had one in my price range, even without the blower! It even looks like it would be comfortable!
Paul, to date, how many bikes and crate engines have they sold? I really hope they are successful!
Richard Gozinya says
Don’t know how many they’ve sold, but they are finally making deliveries, which is great news.
Greg says
Very nice! But one thing i notice is the exhaust on the right side is not ducted into the blower. How does that work? Maybe I’m missing something?
Paul Crowe says
Supercharger, not turbocharger.
gobst says
Don’t get me wrong. I love what Motus & company are doing, and I DO understand that they need to make a profit. This bike as an exercise really showcases their talent and the adaptability of their design(s).
But as someone above noted, how justifiable is it to spend $30k + on a Motus, when you can buy a new Concours/FJR that will do essentially the same task(s) for much less than that?
Was seriously considering one, but just cannot justify getting rid of a perfectly good FJR for what seems to me to not be much gain.
But boy, does it sound good!!
WillyP says
I guess it’s just the sort of thing where if you have to ask the price, you can’t afford one. I’ll stick to my Concours 1000, I can’t even justify upgrading to the 14.