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Lotus enters motorcycle business with stunning "hyper bike"

Lotus enters motorcycle business with stunning "hyper bike"

Deeq

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blogentry-114362-0-35023200-1394438472_thumb.jpgEver since firing its CEO Dany Bahar in June 2012 and reporting a near $200 million loss, Lotus has sought to find solid footing. One way the British marque planned to achieve this was by entering the motorcycle business, promising to deliver a Lotus "hyper bike," built by German race team Kodewa and the Holzer Group, by the turn of the year.

 

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The storied sports car maker has become more of a branding company than the automotive innovator it once was, enlisting others to do the heavy lifting while licensing the Lotus name for the sheet metal. This was evident in the 2010 IndyCar season, slapping Lotus logos on the carbon body that covered the Honda powerplant (they did enter an engine in 2012, although I'm not sure Lotus wants to be reminded of that). In Formula One, the Lotus F1 team is powered by Renault, and according to Lotus' most recent press release, the C-01 bike "is not designed, engineered or produced by Group Lotus" at all.

 

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It remains another licensing deal where Lotus plays consultant, with Kodewa producing the bike and Holzer handling development. The glorious retro exterior was designed by Daniel Simon, the man behind the awesome glow-in-the-dark blue "Tron: Legacy" bike. It features carbon-fiber and integrated titanium, along with aerospace-quality steel. Powered by a 2-cylinder, four-stroke V-twin motor delivering 200 hp, weighing a tick under 400 lbs., the C-01 promises to be as racy as the Lotus name depicts.

 

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Only 100 bikes will be produced, and Lotus is yet to reveal pricing. (Translation: Outrageous.) A range of colors will be available, from the John Player Special black and gold from Senna's early years to the legendary British racing green from Jim Clark's latter. The Martini livery looks more Lancia than Lotus (Lotus had a darker background on its Martini F1 car), but it's nonetheless sensational. No word on whether luminous Tron blue will be an option.

 

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Does it matter that it's not technically a Lotus? Well, that depends on your view. What we know for sure is it's about as stunning a motorbike as one could imagine, which isn't surprising given its designer. It may not have the strongest business, but Lotus still knows how to get attention.

 

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Lotus is know for making cars that go fast not by means of big power, but by lightness and superb handling. This "Lotus" motorcycle is the opposite of everything Lotus stands for, its heavy, more powerful then common superbikes, it will obviously handle horribly with that rake angle and low seat hight. Its like a cruiser with less chrome and a "race" theme, it might be good for drag racing tho, but again thats the complete opposite to what Lotus represents which is good for twisty roads. This was designed by someone who doesn't ride motorcycles, its pretty obvious to any motorcyclist

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Lotus is really dead as a company. As the article pointed out they don't really make anything anymore. They let others do that & then just put their name on it.


Thats what happens when you get acquired by Malaysians. Indians do it way better. Look at Jaguar & Land Rover.

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Might look fancy as a display piece, totally useless as a an actual motorcycle.

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This is a way for Lotus to make a quick buck. No regulatory issues, i.e. safety and crash testing to deal with. Cheaper to manufacture than a car. They are selling them in limited numbers to people who will put these on display or rarely ride them. The profit margins on this bike are probably double what they would make off selling a custom Elise or Exige.

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