US Highland Takes On the X-Games
Corey Green will ride a US Highland 450 MX in the 2010 X-Games Super X competition in LA this weekend. It is great to see US Highland pushing on after the devastating loss of Malmberg, Bales and Roddich. Super X should bring some great visibility to the US Highland effort.
US Highland will also have a presence off track at the X-Games to show off their extensive line of dirtbikes as well as the Streettracker and Viking road bikes. Check out the press release after the break for more information.
Dan Fischer’s MRX650 On Motorweek Two Wheelin’
Motorweek’s Two Wheelin’ recently featured the Fischer MRX 650. The segment had a nice summary of the history of the American made 650, a glimpse of the Fischer HQ and an interview with Mr. Fischer himself.
The frame is built by the same company that built the Harley VR1000 superbike and the 650cc engine provides similar usable power as the Suzuki SV650. However, the top shelf suspension and components combined with superbike handling make the MRX an even more versatile bike than the legendary SV.
Check out the video after the break.
Fischer MRX 650 L Features Low Seat Option
Press release: Fischer Motor Company Introduces Lower Seat-Height MRX
Pocomoke City, Maryland (March 19, 2010) – American motorcycle manufacturer Fischer Motor Company is pleased to announce a special new sport motorcycle with a lower seat height, the MRX 650 L.
Performance sport bike riders expect and demand sharp looks and great handling, but until now this has meant a high seat height that excluded some riders from being able to reach the ground when seated at a stop, or forcing these riders to ride cruisers. Sport motorcyclists can now ride on the street with style, comfort, and confidence on the Fischer MRX 650 L.
US Highland Wants To Build You A Works Bike
2010 US Highland 350 Trail
US Highland is set to take the offroad motorcycle market to a new level of custom fit and performance in 2010. Over the last decade the Highland 950 has become the Sasquatch of the motorcycle forum world. A big, powerful agile beast that very few have seen in real life. OK, I’m being over dramatic, some owners have posted some excellent information on the few bikes in circulation. The Highland bikes may have been elusive and hard to find but they are no lumbering oafs.
The 950 twin has been claimed capable of 120 hp on the old Highland.se site and the 1150cc engine will make 150 HP. The planned 950 Viking streetfighter will weigh 318 lbs. If they put the 1150 in it the motorcycle world could get really silly, really fast. The 450′s engines were designed with a similar philosophy of light and fast and the sharp looks come from Mikael Hallgren at Caran AB. Instead of waiting for news about the new US Highland to trickle out I got on the phone with their V.P. of Promotions Kurt King for the scoop.
US Highland Viking 950 Streetfighter
I got to hand it to Kevin Duke at Motorcycle.com, he always seems to report on the hidden gems at the big shows. Check out this 318 lb. 950cc V-twin US Highland Viking MO shot at the Dealer Expo last week. There was a small picture of the bike on the US Highland site but this is the first good look at the lightweight powerhouse. Compare to the SV650 at 375 lbs dry this bike will roast the rear and loft the front on command. The powerful and light 950 engine is suspended in a Spondon Engineering frame and swing arm for a custom streetfighter look. Like all Highlands the bike comes with high end specs such as Ohlins shocks and Brembo brakes.
Dealers will not carry any inventory. The buying process will be automated via kiosk in the dealer’s showroom. After the customer evaluates a demo model details such as engine displacement and suspension will be tailored to the users riding style. Once the customer order is complete the bike will be shipped in 7 days as the bike is assembled in Tulsa, Oklahoma. No word on pricing or release date. Stay tuned to OtherMakes.net for updates.
More pics after the break…
Highland Motorcycles And ATV Models Coming to US
Pictures of the Highland 950 vTwin has been popping up on discussion forums for years and teasing adventure riders with it’s high capacity, light weight, 120 HP engine and dirt ready design. Now it appears we may see these bikes in dirt and gravel near you. U.S. Highland is building the 950 vTwin dualsport in 750cc, 950cc and 1150cc capacities and multiple body styles. They also will produce several versions of a single cyinlar dirtbike and ATV from 250cc, 350, 450 and 550cc.
From what I can piece together, Highland was started started in Sweden by ex-Husqvarna employees. Later the company joined forces with Louyang Northern Enterprises Group Company, Ltd to start Luoyang Luojia Highland Motors Co., Ltd. ATK was working with Highland to rebadge the bikes but this fell through. Dirt Wheels claims Cannondale was involved along the way.
US Highland recently got their hands on the equipment to build the machines and have begun production of US made units in Bixby, Oklahoma. The US Highland machines have sophisticated and highly tunable electronic fuel injection. They also come equiped with trick features such as a “G-Meter” to record vertical acceleration and deceleration forces. The US Highland website will allow customers to built a bike with multiple choices of engine and specs to suit their riding style.
Fischer MRX650 Production Line Pics
Back in 2003 Dan Fischer set out to create the first American sport bike of the modern era. Originally slated to be a Rotax powered 1000cc VTwin the direction changed for a smaller, less expensive 650cc power plant by Hyosung. The Fischer MRX 650 eventually became a Glynn Kerr designed sportbike combines the versitility of a 650cc 90 degree VTwin engine with high end components and exotic design to deliver a unique, affordable, fun to ride machine. Pics and Video after the jump…
Buy a Zero X Motorcycle On Amazon
2009 Zero X Electric Motorcycle
A member of Electric Motorcycle Forum noticed that you can buy the Zero X on Amazon.com signaling Zero is experimenting with another minor shift from traditional motorcycle sales. Zero currently uses a system of sales representatives who host demo rides and educate perspective buyers about the bikes. When a rider chooses to buy a Zero the bike is drop shipped to the customer or the representative’s dealership if they have a retail location. If the rep has a retail location they get 10 to 13% profit on the deal. Representatives without brick and mortar get less.
Dealer News explains it very well on page 2 of their article…
As mentioned earlier, the company is forgoing the traditional distribution model. Instead, dealers offer demo rides only. If a customer decides to buy, he or she does so directly from Zero through its website (www.zeromotorcycles.com), entering a promotional code provided by the dealer, who then earns a commission of 10 percent to 13 percent. If a customer doesn’t enter a code, and resides in a territory with a Zero rep, the company says the agent will still earn a commission. Zero pays dealers monthly.
The article goes on to explain that representatives without brick and mortar location get less money for a sale.
If you have an Amazon Prime account you can get free shipping. I assume you can also save on sales tax in some states. Being on Amazon could be great advertising for Zero Motorcycles. Zero not only has an innovative set of motorcycles, they continue to innovate in their marketing, PR, sales, advertising and distribution. Zero is turning out to be a wild ride for the whole powersports industry.
Source: Electric Motorcycle Forum
Source: Dealer News
Motus Motorcycles Set To Hit The American Motorcycle Scene
TheKneeslider reported today that startup Motus Motorcycles will soon sell a V4 sport touring motorcycle. Did some digging and found a sketch by Brian Case, one of the owners of Motus. It does not look like a sport touring bike and I have not idea if it has anything to do with the Motus bike but it is interesting to see his designs. Well, besides “the box” crushing Wraith.
Motus appears to be working with venture capital firms and looking to raise $900K in funding.
The target market for the bike looks to be the 15K to 20K touring niche held by the Yamaha FJR1300 and BMW K1300S. According to theKneeslider they want to do something much more radical. Can’t wait to see what they do. Very happy to see American companies starting up with innovation in mind. Can’t wait to see the bike. I hope it gets as much coverage as the American auto industry demise.
Picture Source: http://cbcase.blogspot.com/2008/12/test-sketch.html
Motus Motorcycle Forum