One of the surprise announcements at EICMA, the world’s biggest motorcycle show, was the launch of Caterham Bikes. It’s a new two-wheeled division from the group that owns the sportscar company and F1 team.
The Brutus 750 is a pitched as a multi-purpose bike that works both on- and off-road, and we’re told it will also come with a kit to convert it to a snowmobile. It’s a kind of 21st century Rokon, albeit without the two-wheel drive. The raw, angular styling looks even better in the metal than in these images.
The official spec sheet doesn’t reveal much: the engine is a 750cc liquid-cooled DOHC unit, and it’s hooked up to a CVT transmission. There’s no word on where that powertrain comes from, but I’m guessing that it’s a Southeast Asian quad bike unit with the usual carburetor replaced by fuel injection. Weight is listed as 235 kg, the forks are 43mm USDs, and the wheels are 14” front and back.
If the bike looks familiar, it’s because it’s a rebranded design from Alessandro Tartarini, the son of the founder of Italjet and now Caterham’s chief designer. But the signs do point towards serious intent on Caterham’s part. The company is planning to run a Moto2 race team in 2014, and has strong engineering and technology subsidiaries within the group.
So maybe this is one concept that will be put into production. And judging by the crowds milling around the machine at Caterham’s booth, the market is ready for it.
What about you?
