Brough Superior | GTAMotorcycle.com

Brough Superior

On the one hand, I can appreciate that they're doing something at least slightly different. I like the styled Hossack forks and rotor carriers.

On the other hand... a $73K USD scrambler. Just as useless as an AMG G-Wagon but enough people buy those so hey, maybe this is exactly what the boutique motorcycle market needs
 
I like the looks but can't comment on the functionality.

What gets me is the cache supposedly attached to an obsolete brand whether it is Brough Superior or Indian. The name is the only thing the bike shares with the original.

For me a scrambler would be for transportation through rough terrain. An uncle that served in WWII said that near the front lines the riders preferred light weight bikes that didn't need a plow horse to pull them out of a ditch in case a fast retreat was the only option.

$100 K Canadian would park a lot of vintage stuff in the garage.
 
Overthought and overdone. One for the Jay Leno's of the world, just so they can say they have one...
 
Priller said:
Overthought and overdone. One for the Jay Leno's of the world, just so they can say they have one...
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They priced the new ones high enough that you are in striking distance of an old one. The old one will keep going up in value. I do not have a similar outlook for the new one. Cost of owning the old one is probably a lot lower even if it may cost you a bit more up front.
 
I think the only way for them to come back is not to rest on their laurels.
They need to come back producing the fastest bike in production.
 
Low rider said:
I think the only way for them to come back is not to rest on their laurels.
They need to come back producing the fastest bike in production.
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Who is the competition for performance and at what price?

Outside of rich people who is the target market?

What will it do that a less expensive bike won't?
 
Seeing as the major manufacturers have abandoned top speed as a marketing tool, I could see a smaller manufacturer making a name by chasing the 'fastest production motorcycle' crown.

The originals used motors made by others, too, so they could theoretically use a tuned and/or turbo version of someone else's motor to avoid the massive expense of developing something from scratch.

The problem for Brough Superior, though, is getting past the Hayabusa/ZX-14 speeds north of 300 km/h becomes more about aerodynamics than raw power, which would require styling very different from the retro inspiration they are clearly going for. You can't make something truly fast that also harkens back to a 1920's design...
 
Priller said:
Seeing as the major manufacturers have abandoned top speed as a marketing tool, I could see a smaller manufacturer making a name by chasing the 'fastest production motorcycle' crown.

The originals used motors made by others, too, so they could theoretically use a tuned and/or turbo version of someone else's motor to avoid the massive expense of developing something from scratch.

The problem for Brough Superior, though, is getting past the Hayabusa/ZX-14 speeds north of 300 km/h becomes more about aerodynamics than raw power, which would require styling very different from the retro inspiration they are clearly going for. You can't make something truly fast that also harkens back to a 1920's design...
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I beg to differ. Retro and aero are possible. This one did 200 mph in 1960 on a 1920 bike. Now obviously it has issues with practicality and comfort.

5487.jpeg
 
GreyGhost said:
I beg to differ. Retro and aero are possible. This one did 200 mph in 1960 on a 1920 bike. Now obviously it has issues with practicality and comfort.

5487.jpeg
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Needing a crew to start and stop would definitely add to the cost and complexity. The speed hump on my street might be problematic, too.

What was that sit-in bike that had the training wheels that popped out automatically below a certain speed?
 
Its a Maybach with two less wheels . 'we' are not the target market here . this is for Saudi zillionaires , Euro riches and some tinsel town image folk.

I would not turn down the chance to ride one.
 
Priller said:
Seeing as the major manufacturers have abandoned top speed as a marketing tool, I could see a smaller manufacturer making a name by chasing the 'fastest production motorcycle' crown.

The originals used motors made by others, too, so they could theoretically use a tuned and/or turbo version of someone else's motor to avoid the massive expense of developing something from scratch.

The problem for Brough Superior, though, is getting past the Hayabusa/ZX-14 speeds north of 300 km/h becomes more about aerodynamics than raw power, which would require styling very different from the retro inspiration they are clearly going for. You can't make something truly fast that also harkens back to a 1920's design...
Click to expand...
To be competitive in an event a newcomer would have to bring in a quantum leap in motorcycle design.

If I wanted to build a race bike of any class and wanted to beat Honda, Ducati etc I have the following assets:

A 120 volt MIG welder, a drill press, assorted wrenches and a bathroom scale. My brother-in-law has a cousin that is a auto mechanic that built a go kart.

Cash on hand, $16.43 and some Canadian Tire money

The closest I have come to racing is going 85 MPH across North Dakota on a Goldwing.

Unless I can come up with some quantum leap in technology I don't think I can beat Honda's billions of dollar's worth of machinery, experience and engineering.

What does the new Brough Superior company have to throw into the fray?
 
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Slapping a famous or revered brand name on a completely new bike and expecting it to sell is ridiculous. "Norton" has tried to do the same thing and they're in perpetual bankruptcy and customers who purchased their bikes find that they suffer from major design issues and poor build quality.

Keanu Reeves started up Arch motorcycles that designs and assembles components into custom bikes selling for >$75k. I've no issue with this, he's not pretending Arch is something it is not and they seem to work relatively well. Maybe a bit of a vanity project for him and he genuinely seems to enjoy being involved with the company. I'm not a V twin fan, but I do love the look of all of that billet aluminum.

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The fellow that took over the Vincent brand , first Egli and now some Gadot cat in France have done a brilliant job with retro cool and awesome handling , at a paltry 150K a shot, with a waiting list.

sorry lads , this ain't us . This isn't even that Sonny the Trackrat guy.
 
nobbie48 said:
Unless I can come up with some quantum leap in technology I don't think I can beat Honda's billions of dollar's worth of machinery, experience and engineering.

What does the new Brough Superior company have to throw into the fray?
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I wasn't talking about actual racing, just the nebulous title of 'world's fastest production motorcycle', with the key word being 'production'.

It was something that used to matter to the big boys, with Kawasaki (ZX-11), Honda (Blackbird), and Suzuki (Hayabusa) all variously using the title to sell bikes. But they've all stopped, mostly because the speeds are stupid and they see the optics of encouraging riders to exceed 300 km/h as more negative than positive.

But a boutique maker could carve a niche by doing so, partly because they're not fussed about also selling scooters to kids. A company like Brough Superior could theoretically tune an existing motor (Hayabusa would be an obvious choice, but to make it more exotic, maybe an RSV4 or Panigale V4 lump?), pop it in a long wheelbase fancy frame with fancy suspension, add lots of billet and carbon fibre bits, and then wrap it all in swoopy aerodynamic bodywork for a straight line monster. On a much larger scale, Koenigsegg made their name in a similar way in the car world, borrowing Ford motors (or at least the design) and getting lots of media coverage about their cars being fastest. For a significant price. And as Jaguar knows from the XJ220, you don't even have to go as fast as you say you can, because hardly anyone can actually test it (XJ212.3 doesn't have the same ring).

Would I (or anyone I know) buy it? Absolutely not. But I'm a lot more interested in looking at and yammering about a theoretically fast bike than I am about an overdone styling exercise with vague retro ambitions to 'capture the spirit' of a hundred-year-old design. The original Brough Superiors were sold as the Rolls Royce of motorcycles, with guaranteed top speeds in excess of 100 mph, so a modern one with a smooth ride and big top speed would be more in keeping with that ethos...
 
nobbie48 said:
To be competitive in an event a newcomer would have to bring in a quantum leap in motorcycle design.

If I wanted to build a race bike of any class and wanted to beat Honda, Ducati etc I have the following assets:

A 120 volt MIG welder, a drill press, assorted wrenches and a bathroom scale. My brother-in-law has a cousin that is a auto mechanic that built a go kart.

Cash on hand, $16.43 and some Canadian Tire money

The closest I have come to racing is going 85 MPH across North Dakota on a Goldwing.

Unless I can come up with some quantum leap in technology I don't think I can beat Honda's billions of dollar's worth of machinery, experience and engineering.

What does the new Brough Superior company have to throw into the fray?
Click to expand...
Britten or Allen Millyard come to mind. Not much budget, no team to assist them, barely any equipment but mind blowing bikes. If I were sonny, I would be trying to get my hands on a Millyard. Any of them (preferably not the viper bike). I suspect the value of a Britten has run away so your net worth needs to start with a B to think about one.
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