not-at-all-blue monday

It has come to my attention via an email from Paul at The Kneeslider (always available from the sidebar at right) that we have reason to celebrate. Something new and strange and wonderful has been growing in secret in Alabama for a year and its name is Motus.

Brian Case, Kneeslider contributing writer and the designer responsible for the carbon backbone, aluminum frame and absolutely sweet carbon girder front end of the Wraith model while he was at Confederate Motorcycles (below right, click to embiggen), has partnered with medical equipment mogul Lee Conn to bring us an American made V4. No, it's not gonna be a ten foot long chrome trailer queen or a peaky, high-strung $40K track bike. It's to be a purpose built, from-scratch Sport Tourer, light, agile, comfortable and with plenty of range. And aimed squarely at the FJR1300/R1200R/ST1300 market. "Case said no United States motorcycle company produces the niche market bike where base models sell in the $15,000-$20,000 range" (from the Birmingham Business Journal article linked below).

I will wait, as I must, but not happily and not without butterflies (mmm...butter) for pictures and testing and information as it appears, but I've read Brian's articles and comments for a few years and he seems a sharp fella and if he says he's gonna make “a next-generation American V4 face-melter” that's got all-day (or even most-of-the-day) comfort and appreciable distance between fill-ups I believe him. I'm pretty sure he's making exactly what I want.

Motus Article on The Kneeslider

"Recession is prime time for Motus, a local R&D company" -Birmingham Business Journal, 27 Feb. 2009