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
Keep the faith Michael;
Thank you Michael & Crew. Some people like supporting there local baseball team like in my area it’s the Phillies but for me I like hearing about teams working together like this.
Thanks Again guys & gals
Go Team MotoCzysz!!!!!
This is a message I wrote back in March.
Thank you again for letting a rider dream of new things to come.
Kelly Maupin Says:
March 26th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
To Michael, the whole team and there family members
Please do not loose your incredible vision. To have created what you have, with the limited time, money and resources you had available is nothing short of amazing. Not only have you created something beautiful in the eye of a rider, but also something singularly unique for the American rider.
If an average rider wanted to support the efforts of your Team and Dream to make sure that it makes it to the American rider and not just die for lack of support how could he do so?
I just wanted to say that I watched the MotoCzysz documentary that I had recorded on the Dicovery Channel last night. I was very impressed; I stayed up until 00:30 it was so gripping! I am a fluid dynamicist and I happen to work on projects relating to aeroengine development, which gives me some insight into the level of commitment and amount of work required to do what the team did and still do. Therefore very well done. I came here today hoping to find the team still going and to discover how much closer you were from racing. I’m glad you’re getting ever nearer. The irony is that although I like bikes and MotoGP I am not even a motorbike rider (yet?!). I am really coming at it as en engineer, and the level of prowess I saw was stupendous .
A shame what happened but I applaud you for showing what happened; it is part of the trial&error process and bikes do crash (although preferably not in front of potential customers
Keep up the work, show the world what can be achieved. Building a bike with almost everything new is the biggest challenge there is, but the reward is far greater at the end. Please show the latest spec C1 next week because people soak up your news 
I was told one thing more often than any other saying before I purchased a bike. “There are two types of riders, those who’ve been down and those who haven’t. Life isn’t peaches and cream and when your neck is on the chopping block that in never more apparent. Keep up the good work. America needs some uplifting. The contender may just become the savior. haha Never know, just keep praying and hopefully, along with my life, things work out. The Army has you back. Jason
P.S. If you ever test out east I will work for free. I can get coffee like no other and I hold a wrench well too.
I know how you feel, I have been there myself with a startup call Redline Snowmobiles. The Excitement, Anguish and constant tension in all your muscles I am sure allows you to work like you have never worked in your life. I also know you are having the time of your life and you should be proud of all that you are accomplishing on a daily basis. Keep the wheels on it and let those of us that have tried know that it is possible.
One more thing. I just switched from the Buell website. Please hurry.
The only bike I want other than the Buell 1125R that I already own is the Motoczysz C1.
Your tenacity is truly inspiring.
May you, your staff and investors keep the faith.
Godspeed to you all.
It’s good to know that the sense of losing a friend was only a temporary sensation and that you are back at it. I wish you well in that next test. Thanks for showing all that is going on, including the bad times. It will make owning one of these machines that much more special.
I have been following the progress since watching the doco on Discovery earlier in the year. I got even more excited after watching CRIBS then googling the Austionian House (now firmly in my top 5 fav house designs) and making the connection.
We all want to see you succeed with the bike.
You guys are an inspiration. The tenacity and dedication you have for your dream is amazing. And what a dream it is. I hope to one day have a production version……I can’t wait to see one rolling around Portland(with me on it). The details of the engine are so cool, finally some out of the box thinking that works. Others seem to do it for the sake of being different, this motorcycle is different for the sake of working better. Keep it up
You can only admire the new technologies and the work these guys have put into the development of this bike. Watching a guy (M.C – keep on miss-spelling his name) with no engineering background (if ever this is true) come up with something like this is totally awe-inspiring! As an engineer, I have to be overwhelmed but above all, being a human being, I am humbled to the veins by the shear passion these guys demonstrate.
Good luck Motocysz … hope to see you guys in Sepang and hope that you guys sign autographs.
if it makes you feel any better I have crashed every motorcycle I’ve ever owned…
at least once.
enfin des news du dream-bike ouf !! j’ai vraiment hâte de +.
quelle comparaisons 08 C1 /1098 ?
encore bravo à tous & toutes !!!
What a bastard but you are in the development business and certainly the high risk end of the develpoment business so now you know about the big end bolt fatigue!!
This is all going to shake out and be a success, and in the future you will all look back on these days and laugh at the memory, best of luck from a Brit in Belgium,
Sporting regards, Neil
ps. Is Discovery inteding to re run the original progrram and are they intending to make a sequel, just the most brilliant insite to a brilliant group of people, I visited Benelli a couple fo weeks ago in Italy and over lunch we were discusing you fellas and the extroadinary bike you have created
I am sorry to hear about the more painful side of research and development, keep at it guys, I am really cheering for you, I would love to be able to own a 600cc version of this monster, but I think I might be getting ahead of your dreams and mine at the same time, keep at it, you make me and every American that hears your story VERY VERY PROUD
Michael YOU ROCK!! Continue to follow your own dreams. We are handed a life by our surroundings, you can follow that path or pave your own. Life is short, be a dreamer but be methodical in your approach. Remember, the only difference between a dream and a goal is a date…
Best regards, DM
Hey guys, best of luck to you!! Production!!! Production!!! Ill be there to buy one!!
Oh…by the way DEFCON with an “N”. Just and editors note…4th paragraph. Defence Condition 5.
If you need a web/press release editor, please give me a jingle…
I recently learned about the history of Honda and the struggles he endured to make a dream come true after years of hard work and blind dedication.
On that same night I learned about your project. We can only hope that you have the same success. I hope that one day soon I will see one of your bikes on a showroom floor.