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Paulo
29th May 2009, 10:13
Hadn't seen these before , British company MAC motorcycles build cafe and bobber inspired bikes based on a Buell blast motor, Oil in Frame and some really nice design, Lots of empty space in the frame and about as naked as you could get. Kind of in the Deus and Wrench Monkee school of design but different again. Bloody nice looking bike in my opinion. If you like Cafes and bobbers this is worth a look.

http://www.mac-motorcycles.com/spud_black.html

pritch
29th May 2009, 10:16
There might be a shortage of the raw material. There were two Blasts in town here, both owned by ladies, but it isn't like you see them every day.

Taz
29th May 2009, 10:24
Luckily America is a little larger than New Plymouth then aint it?? Lots of blasts there that no one wants.

Hitcher
29th May 2009, 13:06
Something new and different from the UK.

http://www.mac-motorcycles.com/story.html

Marknz
29th May 2009, 13:23
Looks good.

Similar to http://www.deus.com.au/#/bikes/

Bob
30th May 2009, 00:19
Another new UK motorcycle company has announced plans to launch a range of bikes. Worcestershire based Mac Motorcycles – a collaboration between design studio Xenophya Design and Ellis Pitt – is to produce a small range of 500cc, single-cylinder models.

The four models – designed around the Buell ‘Blast’ engine and featuring a tubular backbone frame – are described by Pitt as “‘Spud’, for dossing about on, ‘Ruby’, the motorcycle equivalent of ‘the girl-next-door’, ‘Peashooter’, for squirting to your favourite pub and gassing with your mates and the ‘Roarer’, a modern-day dinosaur-chaser!”

Pitt said “Between us we’d designed, modified, built and ridden all sorts of motorcycles over the last 30 years. Our influences have been diverse and we’ve made unusual connections between genres of motorcycles such as choppers, Italian singles from the 1950s, flat-trackers and competition specials. What underpins Mac Motorcycles’ philosophy though is the belief that the riding experience and the stories that go with motorcycle journeys seem to have been hijacked by technology and plastic.”

The plan is for each model to be built in small batches. Depending on preferred specification and tuning options, the expected price for any of the bikes is between
£ 8k - £ 10k.

For more information: http://www.mac-motorcycles.com

YellowDog
30th May 2009, 00:24
So that's around $25k for a 500cc single cylinder bike.

Tell them not to give up their day jobs.

ajturbo
30th May 2009, 07:15
So that's around $25k for a 500cc single cylinder bike.

Tell them not to give up their day jobs.
but.... but it has a BUELL engin.. thats GOT to be worth 20k!!!

Headbanger
30th May 2009, 22:36
Im still waiting for the damn Norton.

Come on you pommy bastards.

Bob
30th May 2009, 22:58
Im still waiting for the damn Norton.

Come on you pommy bastards.

It all seems to be coming together - from looking at their site, another partner has been found, this time for the instrumentation contract. Latest news etc available at:

http://www.nortonmotorcycles.com/

They're still talking about a Summer 2009 launch - you can register at the site for more information.

xwhatsit
31st May 2009, 00:46
So that's around $25k for a 500cc single cylinder bike.

Tell them not to give up their day jobs.
They're a bespoke, low-production motorcycle. Something like CCM; you'd expect the prices to be similar. 500cc is about where you want a single to be, any higher is pushing it, and the single is integral to the whole concept, you can't use a twin. Expensive but fairly priced, really.

Very cool, I wish the Japs would make something like this again (GB500 and SRX600 were the last things even remotely similar) so that one day mere mortals like me could snap one up. The Buell engine (is it half a Harley?) is visually very cool (the gearbox out behind) and by the look of the torque/horsepower/RPM specs it would seem a really fun engine to punt along with in a chassis like that.

I hope it's got a good cush-drive, adjusting and lubing the chain is going to be tricky with it on the RHS on the inside of the silencer. Also, compare this model with the next model -- where's the shock/rear frame downtube gone on the first bike? Is it rigid -- don't see any springs in the seat, ouch!

<img src="http://www.mac-motorcycles.com/images/roarer_black.jpg" />
<img src="http://www.mac-motorcycles.com/images/spud_black.jpg" />

Motu
31st May 2009, 10:52
Yes,it's a pity that these days people consider a 500cc single too gutless to ride on the road....as they ride around on their large capacity high horsepower bikes,using only a fraction of the power available.What a waste,it's so much more fun to thrash the tits off a lower powered bike.50hp is very respectable for a 500cc single....I'd like to see how much these things weigh....I reckon they'd be a shit load of fun.

A bike a normal low income bike enthusiast will never be able to afford....even when they are on the scrap heap.

I guess it's back to making our own then Tim....

Paulo
31st May 2009, 14:03
totally agree with you Motu, Thrashing around the bays on my GB gives me much more fun then Idling around in second gear on a larger bike. Much rather ride a slow bike fast then a fast bike slow as they say. I think these bike's look bloody nice.

Voltaire
31st May 2009, 15:44
Do they come with fries ?
:innocent:

Beeza
31st May 2009, 16:04
500 singles are iconic. And they represent the ideal power/economy/fun compromise as they are adequately grunty for any use, frugal and they're light and flickable.

But if they look anything like the weirdo one-seater dog's breakfasts in the photos, they're going right where the old Ariel 3 shopcart went --- into well-deserved oblivion, taking their company with them.

xwhatsit
31st May 2009, 16:23
But if they look anything like the weirdo one-seater dog's breakfasts in the photos, they're going right where the old Ariel 3 shopcart went --- into well-deserved oblivion, taking their company with them.
I dunno. They're not really my cup of tea, but I think they're about right. You can't go out and design a straight-up classic café racer/flat-tracker/bobber as every man and his custom shop are pumping those out -- and they're all beautiful and unique and not production models, so they're always going to have an advantage. Conversely it needs to look completely different from anything the big companies are churning out so you're not competing with them either (plus the whole idea is to get away from the plasticky moulded thing). So they've had to strike a compromise somewhere inbetween.

The engine is quite cool to look at and making it the focal point is surely a good move. All that empty space, too! Love it.

I reckon with some nicer wheels (narrower for a start, it may put out 50hp but surely you don't need superbike rims and tyres) and a bit of attention around the guards and headlight and they'd look very tasty :niceone: Keep the funny little single seat. A bike like that isn't really for two-up touring, is it?

moko
1st June 2009, 08:26
Don't you guys get these in N.Z? Derbi Mulcahen 659,uses the Yam 660 motor and they're not a lot more expensive either.Quite a few other bikes around using the same motor,a handful of really nice Aprilias,the new Jawa and Yamaha's own MT-03 which is a real looker.
Oh yeah,that Buell motor is basically half a Harley motor and is notoriously unreliable.

http://www.raptorsandrockets.com/images/Derbi/rrDerbi_Mulhacen_659_Barcel.jpg

Paulo
1st June 2009, 16:53
500 singles are iconic. And they represent the ideal power/economy/fun compromise as they are adequately grunty for any use, frugal and they're light and flickable.

But if they look anything like the weirdo one-seater dog's breakfasts in the photos, they're going right where the old Ariel 3 shopcart went --- into well-deserved oblivion, taking their company with them.

Hmmm well beauty is in the eye of the beholder ;) , good thing too or we;d all be riding the same bike. I do get the feeling that cafe and bobber customs are the new chopper at least in the states judging by the number of custom build sites and parts online. Went to Sydney recently and saw Deus cafes and other project bikes everywhere. Deus are opening up in Auckland , just wondering if that's going to catch on as a bunch of people want to move from Vespas to something a bit bigger ? it's seems to be a bit of a trend.

Indiana_Jones
9th June 2009, 08:27
Cup of tea or not, I'm just glad to see some more British motorcycle production getting back into the game.

*Shameless English git*

-Indy

Dave-
9th June 2009, 10:02
mac motorcycles?

I was expecting the Apple iBike...*shudder*

The Pastor
9th June 2009, 15:30
nows that what i call a motorcycle

martybabe
9th June 2009, 15:42
Yamaha's own MT-03 which is a real looker.

]

I'll never understand why that wasn't a huge seller, a bit under powered perhaps but a good step up from a 250, looks gorgeous IMO and is an absolute hoot to ride in the twisties . Don't think they had them here, at least I've never seen one here. NZ does tend to get shafted a bit with bikes, they're selling stuff here that was discontinued in the UK eons ago.

ManDownUnder
12th June 2009, 12:44
but.... but it has a BUELL engin.. thats GOT to be worth 20k!!!

Zimbabwean Dollars you mean?

ajturbo
12th June 2009, 15:45
Zimbabwean Dollars you mean?
na... that would be $20000000000000000000000000000000000000000billion

cambridgedan
12th June 2009, 16:17
i dnt really like that mac bike, for me its ugly, i guess its cool if you like the old style tho :niceone: