Customizing motorcycles could go two ways. It could end up being done extremely well or it could fail to live up to expectations. Motus Motorcycles is all-too familiar with this and yet, none of the pressure that comes with building custom bikes has stopped the company from daring to be bold. It’s latest project, called the MSTR Lone Star 2 is living proof that when there’s an opportunity to make lemonade out of lemons, it won’t hesitate to seize the moment to do it.

The MSTR Lone Star 2 is based on Motus’ very own MSTR cafe racer. But that’s only a small part of the story. The real narrative surrounding this customization revolves around the methodical work Motus co-founder Brian Case put into turning the MSTR into a fire-breathing monster rolling on two wheels.

The work was meticulous as Case had to overhaul the setup of the MSTR, including stripping off the bike’s standard fairings, leaving nothing but an unassuming circular headlight in the front. This not only revealed the guts of the MSTR, it also showcased a different design orientation of the bike. Who knew the MSTR could look as intimidating as it does with this kind of aesthetic interpretation.

The new look suits the Lone Star 2 pretty nicely, but what’s really at the heart of the program is the supercharged version of Motus’ 1.65-liter V4 engine powering the Lone Star 2. In order to accommodate that powertrain, Case had to get a little creative so he could fit the supercharger into the mechanical setup of the bike without compromising its original orientation. Smart guy that he is, Case decided to use a custom bracket and a pulley drive system that was configured to drive off the alternator pulley. Case said it was pretty easy to do, but we all know that his mind operates in a far different level than us simpletons.

Once that issue was solved, Case gave the engine a custom ECU tune, grabbed a set of Mahle dashed pistons from Motus’ own accessories catalog, bolted on a set of 4-2-1 tri-y stainless exhaust headers with an Akrapovic GP slip-on muffler, and mounted a pair of Pirelli Angel GT tires onto a pair of one-off 7-spoke BST carbon fiber wheels.

Just like that, his work was done. With everything in place, the Lone Star 2 now has 230 horsepower on tap, a significant bump from the stock 180-horsepower output. More importantly, Motus now had a bike that can pierce the air with its unrelenting power.

Continue reading to read more about the Motus MSRT Lone Star 2.

Why it matters

The obvious take away from this custom build is whether or not Motus has any plans of selling it? Unfortunately, you can’t order a Motus MSTR with this kind of set-up. That’s a bummer considering that the bike is already scheduled to ship to US dealers later in the year. Had Motus opened this particular option to US customers, I’m guessing that a lot of them would avail of the option.

But the project wasn’t meant so that Case and Motus could make money out of it. What the company wanted to do was see how the company’s V4 engines would fare when the engine upgrades were put in place. Turns out, the experiment - if you can even call it that - turned out to be pretty successful.

If you were at the Handbuilt Show in Austin, Texas last weekend, chances are that you might have seen the Lone Star 2 up close and personal. As for the rest of us, this is probably as close as we’re going to get for the bike, at least until Motus has a change of heart and decides to offer the upgrades as an aftermarket option for the MSTR.

I wouldn’t count on that happening anytime soon, but I also wouldn’t close the door on it happening down the road.