That’s right, Caterham is putting two wheels on the roads for the first time! The Caterham Bikes division has been launched by Caterham Group at the International Motorcycle Exhibition in Milan, following the recent launch of the Caterham Moto2 race team at the Malaysian MotoGP.
Three prototype products have been unveiled for launch throughout 2014, with preliminary specs available on the Caterham Bikes website. The first to go into production will be the Brutus 750 (above). Dubbed “the SUV of motorcycles”, the dual-terrain bike is powered by a 750 cc twin-cam single-cylinder engine that’s mated to a CVT, and the company claims it can even be converted into a snowmobile in under four hours.
Next up, the Classic E-Bike (below). This one’s a bit of an anachronism: it features retro styling that harks “back to the golden age of British motorcycling”, but is totally electric, with a 40-80 km range. A 250-watt brushless centre motor with torque sensor is fed by a 36-volt lithium battery, with the option to add a second battery pack. Transmission is handled by a three-speed Shimano Nexus gearbox.
Finally, the Carbon E-Bike takes inspiration from Formula One tech, and is accordingly styled. The carbon-aluminium frame can be had in three sizes, and there are disc brakes all round. The electric powertrain is similar to the Classic E-Bike’s, except the Shimano has eight gears here. A limited edition version with exclusive F1 input and materials is currently being explored.
Caterham Bikes joins Caterham Cars, Caterham F1 Team, Caterham Racing (GP2), Caterham Technology & Innovation, Caterham Composites and the latest arm, Caterham Moto Racing Team, in the rapidly-growing Caterham Group, which Graham Macdonald is now CEO of, having been promoted from his role as Caterham Cars CEO.
The two-wheeled division will start with the European, North and South American markets, but Asia will be its key growth market. Al-Ishsal Ishak will lead Caterham Bikes as CEO, and on the management team are chief designer Alessandro Tartarini, chief engineer Zeno Panarari, plus businessman and ex-MotoGP racer Andreas Leuthe, who will be responsible for distribution and sales.
“Expanding our interests into the two-wheeled market is another natural progression for us and is a good opportunity to showcase the breadth of knowledge, experience and creativity we have at our disposal across the Group, now in the two-wheeled world in addition to all of our other automotive, technology and innovation interests,” said Caterham co-chairman Tony Fernandes.
Having brought out an entry-level Seven and a range-topping Seven, the Malaysian-owned British company recently unveiled the AeroSeven Concept at the Singapore GP. The AeroSeven previews a two-seater performance road car that’s set to go on sale next year. It has also been revealed that Caterham is planning a Renault-based SUV and subcompact car, and the Alpine-Caterham sports car has been spotted track-testing by our Euro spies.
“We are realistic and honest enough to know that we’re not in the business of rivalling the establishment; we’re here to offer an alternative that befits the spirit of Caterham,” said Ishsal, who was previously ancillary income group head at AirAsia.
“Just as the Caterham Seven is a motoring icon because of its unique design and engineering credibility, Caterham Bikes’ products will be aimed at a niche audience seeking exceptional quality, bespoke design flare and bikes easy enough for anyone to ride.”
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these bikes are for niche market.
IMO, I’m not sure if caterham bikes sell well given that this is their unexplored territory
Apart from the Brutus, are these not glorified bicycles?
Unfocussed company. Sure to fail. Then Malaysian gomen will buy it for 100 million Euro and then sell it for RM1
And syiok sendiri tell people we got British know how. Put labels like “powered by Caterham” on all our bikes.
What happened to MV Augusta? Our tax payers money loh….
But why would the gomen buy it? They are not even GLC like Proton/Lotus.
It is privately owned.
Dude, it’s owned by Tony Fernandez. He may not have succeeded in all his ventures, but he surely will put in lots of efforts in the businesses that he runs. Although he can’t guarantee profit at the end of the day (nobody can), his commitment and forward-thinking mentality separate him from those who run the GLCs. So it is most unfair to compare his Caterham to GLCs.
caterham creates product that is niche and for people with money. They are not producing a car of average people, its like comparing ferrari with toyota.
Actually this Sam Loo don’t know anything :D
Cars cannot sell.. So making bike? So obvious.. Some ppl reluctant to change. Prepare to bungkus.. Soon.. Very soon..
What the heck are you talking about? Caterham is not an everyday car company. They build midgets that suppose to be driven on racetrack and occasionally with enough bravery, on the road. Surely it will not sell by truckloads.
Im talking about cars that can sell.. Market.. Business.. Demand.. How big is not everyday cars market anyway? Why not you buy one.. Go ahead, buy la.. Or just talk cheap & crap… This company will bungkus.. You just wait & see… It’s not profit making company anyway.. Sold few times dy..
looks like the lubricant in the motor inside your head all leaked out already..
Ferrari make bicycles, deal with it
http://autos.yahoo.com/news/bikes-from-car-companies.html
Ugly…..
The Brutus is really really Badass!
Seems like a nuclear fallout ready bike haha.
A niche market low cost sportscar brand trying to sell premium motorcyles cobbled up with cheap taiwanese parts? Look at the brutus, fastace footwork (they do mostly cheap pocket dirtbikes suspension) and DINLI atv engine (charged with fraud in court by USA dealers) to name a few…
What a refreshing design. Compared to the same old same old that we get from all the japs, we finally have something unique and creative. They challenge our normal perception of how a bike should look like and it’s a much needed injection of fresh ideas into the biking world. Whether these prototypes will finally make production or priced attractively is still too early to judge, after all they are just prototypes. I wish they will do well as they have some interesting ideas.
I am really impressed by this Tony Fernandes’ visioned company, Caterham that is making new moves to grow the company, than Proton owned Lotus, where Proton has Lotus in their disposal for so long but nothing significant has been done to capitalise on its brand and know how to generate profit, either by helping Proton or growing Lotus as a car company itself.
Notice the trend:
Air Asia, bought over by Tony and Co. with millions of debts in its name.
After 3 years: Positive earnings over millions.
Oh really?
Tell Tony… MAHB says hi. They asking, when AirAsia going to pay the overdue airport tax? going to ask govt help to just delete em again?
Please look at Italy’s motorcycles company Italjet, it’s look similar?
http://italjet.com/en/
Correct, these are all just rebadged Italjet bikes, including the Brutus.
http://www.gizmag.com/et-tu-brutus-suv-motorcycle/25021/
what happen to lotus 2 wheel project. no update till today…aiya…
Brutus sounds vulgar….feels and sounds like the combination of ” brutal ” and ” anus “… After Brutus, maybe fisting? Maybe DPxtreme?
Well, Tony didn’t bought Caterham to make money, but to promo AirAsia through F1 racing team…make money is his second priority……… as long as AirAsia make money , he won’t mind to own caterham though not making profit, like how he bought over QPR…… AND HE NEVER ASK OUR GOVERNMENT TO GIVE MONEY TO RUN IT AS WHAT PROTON DO WITH LOTUS!!!!!
LOL… he did burn quite millions of govt money over the scam ‘1Malaysia Racing Team’…. right?
Some people think they manufacture & produce cars for fun eh? Not everyday cars eh? No need to sell meh? No need big market? No business also can meh? You think car industry worth how much? Workers no need to pay? Overheads? You think they build cars for fun? To please few people? It just business, it’s nothing personal. No business sure die one. Get real.