Motus Motorcycles unveils MST series of American sportbikes

From a press release issued by Motus Motorcycles

Birmingham, AL- March 4, 2011 - Against the backdrop of the world’s most extensive motorcycle collection, Motus unveiled the stunning MST series of comfortable sportbikes, powered by the first gasoline direct injected V4 engine. The MST’s were designed by Motus, and built by one of the world’s most sophisticated engineering firms to help reshape the American motorcycle market with a machine that focuses squarely on performance, comfort and range.

The Motus MST’s were developed quietly and revealed privately first at the facility of Motus’s partner Pratt & Miller Engineering in New Hudson, Michigan and then at Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in the hometown of Motus, Birmingham, Alabama. Next, Motus heads to BikeWeek in Daytona Beach, Florida, for a public launch at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show on Thursday, March 10th at 2:00 pm and various private showings with press and supporters.

“We are so proud to show the world the MST series,” said Motus president, Lee Conn. “We poured our hearts and souls into these motorcycles and hope that it shows in terms of the quality and character of the machines. The MST’s are exhilarating to ride- a very powerful experience unlike any other motorcycle I’ve ever ridden. There is usable power everywhere in rev-range, excellent feedback from the road, very responsive to inputs and….the sound of the KMV4 still gives me goose bumps every time one cranks,” said Conn.

The MST prototypes, including the base model MST and the premium MST-R, are scheduled to go into production in late 2011 but will complete extensive testing and refinement first. Along with a team of engineers, co-founders Lee Conn and Brian Case are personally riding the MST’s on an “American Sport Tour” around the US to make sure the pre-production machines are of the quality and durability they demand.

“There is just no better way to make sure the MST’s meet our standards of durability, comfort, and performance than to personally ride the machines and iterate them as we identify issues. Along the way, we are meeting with friends, supporters and high quality dealers that have inquired about carrying Motus in their area,” said Brian Case, vice president and director of design.

“We decided early on that no corners would be cut with the MST series. Motus is about precision, quality and attention to detail rather than speed to production,” said Brian Case, vice president and director of design. “We are more focused on building great bikes than rushing to meet artificial deadlines,” said Case. “Rather than hype the brand with computer renderings of a bike we hadn’t even built yet, we engineered the bikes to be functional and actually work first, and then show the world what we have done so far.”

Conceived and designed in Alabama and engineered in Michigan, the MST prototypes were built using a combination of sophisticated computer aided engineering tools as well as rapid prototyping processes.

The transmission, chassis, and bodywork are all purpose built at Pratt&Miller Engineering for high performance, durability, all day comfort, and long range.

“Motus came to Pratt & Miller with some very ambitious engineering and technical challenges and we felt we had the right tools and resources to exceed their expectations in terms of a high level of work in a shortened period of time,” said Brandon Widmer, director of business development at Pratt & Miller Engineering. “The MST project has been exciting and challenging allowing us to employ many of our core strengths including complex chassis engineering and optimization, gearbox design and testing, metal and carbon composite fabrication and vehicle validation that is taking place now.”

“The MST project has been an absolute blast for us at Pratt & Miller. The work ethic and intensity of the guys at Motus meshes well with our mindset and it has been gratifying to apply some of the skills and technologies we have developed from our endurance racing programs to this new American motorcycle” said Gary Pratt, co-founder of Pratt & Miller.

About Motus
Motus is strategically located in Birmingham, Alabama, in the heart of the growing southern automotive corridor with Honda, Mercedes, Toyota, Hyundai, and Volkswagen nearby. Birmingham is also home of the Barber Motorsports Park which houses a world class road course and the world’s largest motorcycle museum. Founded in 2008, Motus is a privately held company preparing to enter the market with the first V4-powered American sport touring motorcycle. The MST series motorcycles and accessories will be sold internationally through a network of independent dealers and distributors.

The Motus MST series of comfortable American sportbikes have been engineered from the ground up for performance, comfort, and range. The MST concept is a fresh take on what an American motorcycle can be, with optimum rider and passenger comfort for extended, spirited journeys, and quality components for responsive handling. The Motus MST series, including the MST and the premium MST-R, are powered by KMV4 gasoline direct injected V4 engines that feature proven durability and range extending technologies.

For more information about Motus, please visit the website at www.motusmotorcycles.com or email info@motusmotorcycles.com

About Pratt & Miller
Pratt & Miller Engineering is one of the most sophisticated engineering companies in the world and a respected industry leader in the automotive, motorsports, military, and aerospace industries. Pratt & Miller’s extensive design, engineering, manufacturing, and vehicle program management capabilities are well established through their numerous championships in the American Le Mans Series, Rolex Grand-Am series, NASCAR and six 24 hours of Le Mans victories in the GT1 category. In addition to motorsports, Pratt&Miller Engineering has played a prominent role developing commercial, aerospace, and defense projects.

For more information about Pratt & Miller Engineering, please visit the website at www.prattmiller.com.

FAQ

About Motus Motorcycles

Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama:

• In the heart of an automotive corridor near Honda, Mercedes, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and Kia facilities and their 900+ ancillary providers.
• Located in proximity to Barber Motorsports Park, the world's finest motorcycle museum and a convenient test track.

Motus is entering an existing market segment with the MST and premium MST-R motorcycles. They are comfortable sportbikes designed for high performance touring with a uniquely American engine. Performance. Comfort. Range.

• “When we started designing the ultimate, modern American street bike, we realized quickly that we needed a purpose built engine. We didn’t focus on maximum horsepower; we focused on heightening the rider experience at all speeds. To us, that means a lot of torque over a wide RPM range, low vibes, high efficiency and bulletproof durability. Enter the KMV4, a liquid cooled, 1650cc V4 with gasoline direct injection.”- Brian Case

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% during cold starts when most harmful exhaust emissions are typically created. The MST concept will likely appeal to several groups. There is one group of sportbike riders who want an exciting riding experience, but also want to travel longer distances more comfortably. Then, there is another group of American motorcycle enthusiasts that may see a hot-rod sport tourer as an alternative to the Euro and Japanese analogues.

• “We hope the MST series will appeal to several kinds of riders. Some sportbike riders are looking for more comfort without sacrificing performance. Some cruiser riders want better performance and would love to find an American alternative”- Brian Case

Market validation included polling of hundreds of sport touring enthusiasts to determine the optimal feature set. There were tens of thousands of sport touring bikes sold domestically in 2010 and it is a steady segment appealing to a relatively high demographic. It is also a space that is not currently served by other US manufacturers.

• “We didn’t set out to make a sport tourer, initially. It wasn’t until after the dust settled from brainstorming about our “ultimate dreambike” that we realized the concept had all the ingredients of what is generally known as a sport tourer. Then, we polled hundreds of riders to determine the optimal feature set for things like fuel capacity targets, number of electrical outlets, suspension preferences, etc. That process helped us get to know the target customers a lot better.”- Lee Conn
• “Sport touring is more a style of riding than a specific type of bike. Some riders “sport tour” on race-replicas with clip-on’s and soft luggage and others modify standards with windscreens and other accessories. The unifying theme is that they want performance, comfort and range so we started there and injected some adrenaline.”- Brian Case

Motus motorcycles will be distributed and serviced through high quality dealerships that understand service and customer satisfaction and are receptive to new, desirable brands.

Customer- a rider looking for a unique, sporty, comfortable ride with plenty of power and responsiveness.

Application- “two-up or solo, ride into the mountains for a few hundred miles, leave the bags in the hotel and burn up the twisties for a few more hours without needing to seek a chiropractor”-Lee Conn

Production- development is ongoing and we will set an initial production date when we’ve completed durability testing, likely as a 2012 model.

Price- not available at this time. The MST incorporates premium components and the highest level of engineering, but will be affordable to a wide range of riders.

Company Founders
Lee Conn – President
Entrepreneur, leader, motorcycle enthusiast. Lee grew up in his family’s aircraft manufacturing plant learning business operations and precision manufacturing techniques. Then, having grown his first start-up from concept to industry leader to management buy-out in 12 years, Lee gained extensive experience as the president of a growing and innovative healthcare firm. His particular strengths are financial management, marketing, team building, infrastructure, sales and distribution.