Unlike other start-ups, motorcycle start-ups never really hit rock bottom, even when you are positive you have, you can always go lower – it’s bottomless. – Michael Czysz, MotoCzysz
MotoCzysz, on many occasions, has demonstrated the C1 to interested parties. These guests, typically investors, are expecting to witness a standard routine occurrence; to watch a bike circulate a track. What they do not know is that we are in constant development and often riding in front of them with new parts for the first time and/or strategies that have never been tested before. This is not a desirable scenario, but given our constraints we have no option; this test would be no different.
The bike has never sounded, looked or felt better. That particular day the C1 was amazing. We were all extremely proud. Down the pit lane on the limiter and the C1 boomed a staccato sound, reminiscent of a huge automatic artillery weapon. The use of the limiter was not needed, but the sound that bounced off the pit wall was fantastic and intoxicating.
Clearing the pit exit and dropping the limiter, the bike rushed onto the straight with all cylinders firing at full pressure. The sound instantly ignited into an overall engulfing combination of growls and shrills; the same sound you would imagine if Ducati made a Formula One engine. One second later, second gear; a second after that, third, all while the front tire just hovered over the pavement. She felt eager and ready to shine. I remember thinking ‘Today was going to be a great day’.
The mood of the entire office changes before a test. The amount of work doubles, as does the effort, but the overall atmosphere is eerily electric with a real sense of purpose. Def-com level 5 preparation usually starts about two weeks prior to the test date. All the latest spec parts are finished and an engine build sheet is produced. It documents the hundreds of variables that have been specified for the next build. The engine is built, and then loaded on the engine dyno for a break in. It then runs through a series of tests for optimization, and then off to assembly. Before leaving for the track, the assembled bike is rolled onto the chassis dyno for a final check. The bike is ready to run, but still has yet to be set up for the track, where another set of parameters need to be optimized.
After our initial sighting lap, we were met with the usual series of problems you get with a new spec prototype. To be honest, the number and brevity of the issues were higher than normal that day, due to the large number of new parts. The most important guests to ever see the C1 were due in a few hours and we were far from showing our full potential. The pressure was getting to us; we were clearly starting to panic.
Finally, after two hours of tripping over each other, hunting for misplaced tools and waiting for spares left behind, we got the call. ‘We have finished our lunch early and are on our way to the track. Fluids in, warmers on; we needed to get in at least one lap at pace before they arrived.
I had been working with this particular company for months and the anticipation for this meeting was high from both sides. This company is a giant in the industry. They build hundreds of thousands of bikes, generate billions of dollars in annual revenue and have hundreds of millions of dollars, in cash, sitting in the bank. Just a small percentage of the interest they earn from their cash reserves is all we need.
After months of intense focus preparing for this meeting, while trying to launch a new company, while trying to raise money, and while trying to design a new motorcycle, everything slowed down and everything got really quiet. This is the hidden blessing of a helmet. All the peripheral distractions of business and life, with its constant interruptions and continuous white noise of problems, dissolve. In a helmet, it is an entirely new world; a world of quietness, peace and solitude. I love my helmet.
As I accelerated down the straight, I hoped all issues were resolved. Test riding is different than normal riding – it is much scarier. Within seconds, 150+ mph, break for the first corner, and BAM…as fast as you can think, you are sliding thru and off turn one with your single pursuit in life cartwheeling in front of you. Inside the insulated world of your helmet, the sound seems amplified. The crisp noise of carbon fiber being ground by asphalt. The gravely sound of aluminum being re-machined by the circuit. Everything is being destroyed. Everything is being ruined. Everything is sliding to a stop.
I could not bear to look. Seconds ago, I was riding a vehicle that could change our lives and hopefully make Americans proud. Before I stopped sliding, I stood up and walked away from a pile of what feels like a life long amount of work, I had to get back to the pits. I had VIP guests waiting.
After years of riding arguably, questionably, and at times, potentially very unsafe prototypes, this one was expected to be near perfect. A fatigued rod end bolt holing the case and oiling the rear tire caused the accident. I had gone through a lot of near misses with the C1. A crash was eventually inevitable, but the first was particularly painful, not only in the physical sense.
Next week, we will be testing the latest spec C1 that is yet again even better that the version we last tested and Cycle World reviewed. This is without question the best spec machine we have ever built. We are anticipating over 200hp at the crank. It is good to feel the pre-test electricity again.
- MC
