Caterham is well known for its modern take on modern but retro/throwback roadsters as embodied by the Seven 620R, so what would happen if they got into the motorcycle business?
We’re about to find out.
Caterham has now launched Caterham Bikes, and while the two-wheel division’s name might not be overly imaginative, the opening salvo of bikes most certainly are.
Headlining the new effort is the Brutus 750 and if the name conjures up visions of an all-conquering dual-sport, then I guess they got that part of the name game just right.
The Brutus is a fat-tired all-terrain machine that looks like the Caterham engineers bought a Yamaha TW200 and then let it mate with a Confederate Hellcat.
While it doesn’t look like it should be street legal, it is. It likely won’t crack 100 mph, even with its liquid-cooled, fuel-injected 750cc single at full roar. It will, however, likely make a Long Way Anywhere ride a complete picnic thanks to the gigantic tires, automatic CVT transmission, and a general sense of mechanical invulnerability. And yes, it can even be converted to a snowmobile “in a few hours” according to the Caterham Bikes website. How about a jet ski or airplane? I’m sure that’s probably in the works, too.
But Caterham is only just getting started with the big Brutus. The next “bike” in the lineup is also technically a “motorbike.” It’s called the “Classic E-Bike” but let’s end the confusion right now: it’s an electric bicycle. With pedals.
Returning to the confusion, it’s an electric bicycle that looks like a vintage board track racing motorcycle, including a small-V-twin “engine”, which houses a 250-watt motor and 12 amp-hour battery. The bulbous “gas tank” allows room for storage of your Vertu phone and other bits and Caterham says the bike has a range of 25-50 miles. The bike can hold a second battery for more range, although details on that feature were thin.
It sports a three-speed Shimano hub, disc brakes, springer front fork, a sprung seat, leather grips and number plates. It will probably take forever to get you anywhere because you’re going to be answering a lot of question from anyone who sees it. Caterham didn’t specify a top speed for the Classic E-Bike but who really cares when it’s something this beautiful and unusual. Reveal photos showed the bike in equally attractive white and green paint schemes and Caterham says no license is required to ride it in the EU, so everyone there should hurry up and buy one.
Pedals also adorn Caterhams third bike, the Carbon E-Bike, an electric bicycle that is the polar opposite of the Classic E-Bike in terms of style. Utilizing some of the styling cues from the Brutus, the Carbon is essentially a powered mountain bike on steroids that’s made primarily of carbon fiber.
Instead of the Classic’s three-speed hub, the Cabon gets an eight-speed gearset along with full suspension, a gigantic front disc brake, huge Surly tires and rims, and the same 250-watt motor and 12 AH battery as the Classic.
A hearty dose of tech lives up top in the form of a sizable LCD panel showing all the vital stats on energy consumption, range, speed and more.
Caterham hasn’t divulged prices for their new slate of two-wheelers but toys like these are typically something you can’t pay for with whatever you find in the couch cushions.
Lastly, the Caterham Bikes website landing page includes a skeleton vector illustration of a fully-faired motorcycle so they may have more surprises waiting in the wings. So check back for more on these wacky Caterhams soon.
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