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New LOTUS Motorcycle!
- Thread starter jeffdavison
- Start date
Interesting.
Comment has been made elsewhere about an engine that already puts out 200 hp - but the capacity hasn't been decided yet.
And would YOU buy a bike that hasn't even seen a prototype built yet.
Lotus being renowned for the high speed handling of the bikes they build.... ?
In the computer business, this would be called vapourware.
In the car business, a clay model...
Comment has been made elsewhere about an engine that already puts out 200 hp - but the capacity hasn't been decided yet.
And would YOU buy a bike that hasn't even seen a prototype built yet.
Lotus being renowned for the high speed handling of the bikes they build.... ?
In the computer business, this would be called vapourware.
In the car business, a clay model...
Fast Eddie
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wakeup said:
According to Motor Cycle News in UK a few weeks ago it is somewhat more than a clay model. I think they said it had run. Most of the chassis work was by a motorcycle race company, forgot the name but I think it was a German outfit. The engine is a proprietary unit, not a Lotus design.
Actually, it seems that Lotus are responsible for very little of the design!
If its too radical for you, how about a new Brough Superior... A mere snip at (est) £50,000 sterling...!
grandpaul said:
The 1st rule of motorcycle manufacturing is that you need customers to BUY them, to pay for it all. ?
And there are no roads or riders or trees etc in those pics, nor pics or reports of it bombing along the M1 or Autobahns,
so that comment about being a figment of someones mouse may be uncomfortably correct.
No price mentioned either - if it was ready for production, that would be out there in large print ?
No pics of engines either - which most makers can't wait to show off.
Maybe the real design wok will begin when the deposits start flowing in.
Now where have we heard that before.
We shall see...
At the risk of sounding like a reactionary old plonker, this (Lotus), the Caterham effort and the Rough Inferior are all in the same glitzy rubbish heap. The BS is in my considered opinion slightly less grotesque than the others.
If anyone can remember the British motor cycle weeklies from the 60s, nearly every week it seemed that they would come out with details of some pillocks idea of a "world beater". The recent crop of pipe dreams follows the same trend.
It's a valuable thing to have some imagination, and think outside the box, but that thought should have at least a modicum of realism involved. When function is replaced by styling, for the sake of it, it's a sad day. Motorcycles are, almost by definition, functional. A large part of their visual appeal comes from the way that function has been made visually attractive. The Lotus effort has some large elements taken from the custom builders grab bag of goodies (wheels, brakes) but the rest is, as I said earlier the wet dream of a 14 year old, let loose on a graphics package.
cheers
wakeup
If anyone can remember the British motor cycle weeklies from the 60s, nearly every week it seemed that they would come out with details of some pillocks idea of a "world beater". The recent crop of pipe dreams follows the same trend.
It's a valuable thing to have some imagination, and think outside the box, but that thought should have at least a modicum of realism involved. When function is replaced by styling, for the sake of it, it's a sad day. Motorcycles are, almost by definition, functional. A large part of their visual appeal comes from the way that function has been made visually attractive. The Lotus effort has some large elements taken from the custom builders grab bag of goodies (wheels, brakes) but the rest is, as I said earlier the wet dream of a 14 year old, let loose on a graphics package.
cheers
wakeup
Fast Eddie
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wakeup said:
Quite eloquent for a reactionary old plonker!
Good points though, I guess we'll have to weight and see. I do agree about the appeal of a motorcycle designed for function, that then looks good because of this. I guess that's why I like race bikes so much (and why I'm going for minimalism on my humble Roadster).
Personally, I think the new Bruff is amongst the worst of the current crop, a real bad mix of old and new, obviously just for the sake of it. I may be in a minority though as they claim to have received orders that outstrip their manufacturing plans and they've had to re-tool already. As I said, that is what they claim at least.
None of them will be getting my dosh, if I did have that kind of disposable dosh, I'd have an Egli Vincent again, I sold mine to put into brick n mortar sadly. But they are the epitome of 'function over form' providing 'beautiful form'! Well, in my book at least.
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