Motus Builds One-Off Supercharged Custom Motorcycle

Dubbed the Lone Star 2, the company took just four weeks to build this high-performance machine. It started as a 2015 Motus MSTR, but all of the standard fairings were stripped away to be replaced by a single, circular headlight at the front. Of course, the real focus here was the supercharged version of Motus' 1.65-liter V4 engine. While looking mechanically complicated, the setup was actually rather easy to work out, according to the company. The supercharger bolted up thanks to a custom bracket, and the belt was oriented to drive off the alternator pulley. A custom ECU tune, lower compression pistons and reworked exhaust were the final pieces to get everything going.

All told, the supercharged mill's estimated output is 230 horsepower, compared to 180 hp stock, but you can't order a Motus like this; even when the MSTR starts shipping to US dealers in 2015. Instead, the project was meant to see how the ECU would adapt to boost for the company's crate engine clients, and it apparently went quite well.

These V4 engines have already shown themselves capable of interesting applications. Last year, a company built a replica of a 1958 Formula 1 car and stuck one of Motus' mills under the hood. The sound it made matched the intended era of racing quite well.