Lotus Motorcycles has unveiled the Lotus C-01 high performance bike. In spite of carrying the Lotus badge, the British company had very little to do with the development of the motorcycle. The superbike is a result of a joint project between Kodewa Performance Motorcycles and Holzer Group under license from Lotus Motorcycles with the help of ace designer Daniel Simon known for his work in Bugatti.
The design reminds you of a leaping jaguar with its low swept back styling, focusing all of its attention to break a land speed record of sorts. The design for its sheer brilliance is a masterpiece. You can’t get tired of admiring the simple yet sophisticated lines and the single body shell used to cover the tank and engine. The muscular lines on the tank look intimidating but don’t add bulk to the looks of the superbike. The rear cowl on the other hand is sharp and brings closure to the design.
Cafe racer bits like the rear view mirrors on the grab handle and the front headlight cowl look interesting. The Daniel Simon design trademarks are pretty evident on the Lotus C-01 look (look at the Tron: legacy bikes) making it beautiful from every angle. Powering the Lotus C-01 is a 1200cc, twin-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 75-degree V-twin engine tuned to produce 200 HP of power and is mated to a 6-speed jaw-type shift-transmission with hydraulic slipper clutch. This engine is sourced from KTM.
The superbike uses a pretty modest suspension setup with USD forks up front and twin shocks at the rear. Stopping power comes from 320 mm twin discs up front with four-piston callipers, while a 220 mm single disc with two-piston calliper does duty at the rear. The C-01 rides on 120/70/ZR19 tyre for the front wheel and 190/55/ZR17 tyre for the rear wheel.
The frame of the Lotus C-01 is an ensemble of titanium, carbon fibre and aero tech steel keeping the weight in check at 181 kgs (dry). The Lotus C-01 gets a fuel tank of 10.5 litres, a tad bit small for the size of the motorcycle. Lotus is also offering paint customisation options on the C-01; with a range of shades, some of which pay homage to Lotus’ racing lineage.
The pricing of the Lotus C-01 hasn’t been revealed as yet and even if they did, it would take your house, car, your kidneys and maybe even half of your liver (if you opt for customisation) to purchase the bike and in spite of that you may not get be able to get one, since the company will be only manufacturing 100 examples, as it wants to maintain exclusivity of the motorcycle. What Kodewa and the Holzer group have essentially come up with is a must have poster for every bike lover’s room.
