First ride of the Vyrus 986 M2 Moto2 bike at Misano

Our exclusive, world first, ride of the Vyrus 986 M2 Moto2 bike at the Misano circuit in Italy. The CBR600RR powered Vyrus features hub-centre steering and other technical innovations, including a laterally-mounted F1-style rear shock, underslung radiators, an 'omega' frame (using the engine as a stressed member) and a carbon-fibre monocoque tank and seat unit. Could it be the future of Moto2?
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[@atomicorang]

19 years ago you shot this and the machine still looks like it just came off the engineers brain. I watch over and over to absorb the ingenuity.

[@chir0pter]

19?

[@joshshoot]

i always speculated and thought about a bike that had a style like that, and now finnaly i see just one on MCN on youtube haha, that front swingarm looks really amazing i really really love it.

[@kieranh2005]

To All Critics: The Tryphonos (By Mike Tryphonos, british design, very similar) got 11th at the 1995 Isle of Man TT with Shaun Harris riding. I have spoken to the Gremlin himself about this design, and he said that, despite the tired GSXR750 engine, and the shocks that were weeping oil (because the team came up short on money and couldn't afford new shocks or rebuilds on their existing shocks) it was one of the best handling bikes he has ever ridden, and had more potential than any other he had ridden up 'till that date (2003-2005) Also, there is a team in the UK racing one of the Ducati powered Vyrus racers, and doing fairly well on it.

[@wiwbiz2]

Design itself seems quiet convincing for good corner rides..

[@Danevader2]

Imagine this being your job, day in and day out...that would be sooo awesome!

[@davidherringgo]

Thanks for sharing this wonderful video , I've seen Bimotos setup , but never on the track .is quite impressive .

[@gbonephilly4010]

Can't wait for the Vyrus 1100 CV19 to come out

[@killingfields1424]

Hope soon the steering rod is embedded or integrated to the front swing arm

[@ThemadViking793]

I love Vyrus motorcycles. ❤

[@corbelius6]

Great Video! Great Bike! that thing is Nasty! cant wait to see more bikes with that set up in the future.

[@BikerDarren24]

This is not a Bike!!! This is a Transformer in Disguise!!! Stunning :)

[@CAJFB]

Man!!!!!I am blown away!!!!!!!!!Great bike!!!!Great review!!!!Ill add that to my list of must get Bikes!!!!!

[@truthseeker8483]

Like a "Citroen motorcycle"...a superior design that everybody ignores and continues with old technology

[@davemiatke8264]

139. it has a Honda clutch cover. and if you read the uploaders comment it says powered by a CBR600RR engine.

[@Metal4Truth]

the reason hub center steering has never been widely used was criticism of the lack of feel through the handlebars. remember the handlebars are connected to the front wheel through a series of push rods, not a direct link through the suspension suspension as we currently see. Vyrus is attempting to resolve that. study a bit more before you knock something please. while there are problems to overcome, hub center steering is a viable and beneficiary technology.

[@motoxyogi]

@sunny4kill. I seem to recall Yamaha building 1. This concept has been around for about that long, yes. But telescopic forks have been the most common design for almost a century. As a result people see forks as normal and hub-center steering, telelever, duolever, etc. as different and avoid these products. Because telescopic forks have been used in racing they have been developed to perfection. The purpose of this Vyrus is to prove hubcenter steering on a world stage. I wish them good luck!

[@absentofficial]

WHAT A BEAST!

[@CamiloZapata77]

@holymacarony This is only a especial design for MOTO2 by Vyrus, but obviously with the motor HONDA 600CC.It was created because they have the intention of compete in MOTO2 with this model.

[@jebbadiah]

I actually hear the guy talking and the video dos not look like it has been filmed trough my toaster! well done guys!

[@TheTonicro]

looks fantastic, great video keep'em coming

[@tchoupii49]

The Metiss ! From France with a JBB front suspension. It racing on 24h of Le Mans and the Bol d'or on Magny-cours track.

[@GOINFINITI]

Nice editing - fantastic bike :)

[@Garrison64]

Weird and amazing. I love the look and the front suspension seems like a terrific idea. It will be interesting to see if any of the big mfrs. head in that direction.

[@Antifaith29]

@dulfo678 They use a controll engine on all bikes to keep the racing more competitive. Thats why i love watching moto2 , while there are certainly stand out riders, its more about rider skill and setup than spending massive amounts of money on the bike.

[@rosenfeld8]

no wonder this bike is called the Vyrus, it's sick!!

[@Snakehealer]

That bike is stunning

[@K2shadowfax]

Very interesting...good to see...and it sounded / looked great! Thanks for sharing!

[@AliFugginB]

one radical looking bike.

[@hughc023]

Nice looking ride . . .

[@vtwinlunatic]

That bike must be very light, they must have to ballast it to bring it UP to the Moto2 minimum weight limit. This has great advantages as you can then put the weight where you want and indeed move it around somewhat as part of bike set up. Very cool indeed, I bloody want one!! Gotta be £100k at least!

[@rolid311]

lately the best review MCN, keep up the good work

[@TheExopolitics]

If I'm not wrong, they tailor the bike to every buyer/rider. So that's a cool thing.

[@Skratche17]

Also the forks on a HCS bike are more robust because of their positioning. The near-vertical forks of a traditional bike can be easily bent or snapped by potholes, curbs, and in extreme cases even little rocks on the road. The horizontal forks of a HCS bike will move up and down with bumps and if the wheel hits something dead on all that metal is compressed instead of bent. Simpler doesn't always mean more robust.

[@TychoCelchu]

IIRC both BMW and Bimota tried the whole hub centre steering back in the 90s.

[@7430060]

Nice job guys. The reviews are visually great. But you should spend a few quids and get a proper mic with some fluffy stuff on it so the wind noise doesn't destroy the audio...

[@Crana]

Work of art!

[@typeonegfr]

Awsome to see the steering wooble under full acceleration ;o))))))))))))))))))

[@Skratche17]

The advantages of hub-center steering is better suspension, braking, more robust, and better handling through corners at high speeds (less wobble). The disadvantages (and reason why they aren't widespread) is weight, cost, and size. A bike of similar power with a traditional fork setup will weigh up to 50lbs more, be slightly longer and/or wider, and cost much more (mainly because demand is lower).

[@SrJFK]

well done...great review

[@vinnychoff]

I would like to see it compete in racing. it has some lovely ideas that would be nice to see in bikes for the road at a reasonable price..

[@PepegaPig]

would look good in moto2 cant wait to see it.

[@thesoapster]

What a cool motorcycle!

[@NeonLuvBar]

1:37 " ...is what they call an Omega frame " Actually it's what Yamaha call an Omega frame, as they did it first in the early 90's with the GTS 1000

[@federico297]

mobit76 1983, the first prototype by bimota of what it will become the tesi 1d. vyrus took the project of the 2nd generation of bimota tesi's and continues the evolution

[@NeonLuvBar]

I'm not sure if Bimota or Yamaha used the Omega name first, but it certainly wasn't Vyrus.

[@federico297]

Yes, vyrus took the frame from the tesi 2d, surely bimota and Yamaha came before vyrus

[@33pastas]

Italians do it better.

[@NeonLuvBar]

It's better if you have €55,000 to pay for it

[@Vermeullen]

Isnt there a hub-centre steering bike running on the endurance championship? I dont exactly remember what race I saw it, but I remember watching this type of bike running on an endurance race this year. It would be a good test for MCN to do.

[@blacksonne19]

It looks advanced but like it was already created the cradle engine frame is cool though

[@johnreynolds2055]

Who is the gentleman talking and ride the bike? In the mcn kit ?

[@AneeshAntal]

Now Thats Lamborghini of the bike world.

[@me2ontube]

will you guys ever do a review of suter racing's v4 2 stroke with 200hp

[@faafo2]

This, with a Suter 500 MMX engine is my dream ...

[@haashimj]

Is the speedometer working :p ?

[@industrialkhaos]

You carefully missed out Yamaha who actually did build a hub centre bike which failed completely. Maybe we where not open minded enough to see the potential of such technology. As riders we are due for some sort of revolution, could this be it?

[@TWISM1337]

@sunny4kill So what you're saying is that since pushrod suspension isn't that widely used in road cars, crap? You're not seeing the full picture here. Hub-center steering hasn't been researched as much as regular forks, meaning that it'll be more expensive than regular forks. If you think that all bike manufacturers are constantly striving for the optimal level of performance, you're sorely mistaken. Looking at the vid, Neeves seemed impressed by it. Are you saying your expertise is greater?

[@cnealmartin]

That front end has some advantages but.... it has so many freaking parts compared to a conventional fork. I am thinking in terms of maintenance and cost to maintain. Dose that complicated expensive front end performance justify the cost ??

[@opmike343]

You just contradicted yourself in your second paragraph. Also, a traditional fork setup is always going to be "more robust" than the highly complex hub-center design of the Vyrus.

[@sampsalol]

What are those sunglasses? I really like them!

[@jakestarbbq]

try to see bimota they have this kind of design long time ago

[@sc28Tricolour]

nice ride

[@cypherpunk12]

Is there a street legal version? How much?

[@blaneysiktube]

I want one! Will they be attempting to make production bikes in the future or are they all for motorsports?

[@giusal1000l]

Moto veramente bella e innovativa con una meccanica unica da vero artigiano made in Italy. Mi farebbe molto piacere conoscere idettagli tecnici di tutta la tiranteria dello sterzo e sapere se parteciperà al mondiale di MOTO 2.

[@laurensdierickx]

Just curious: how much would this bike cost?

[@MrJames969]

@sunny4kill I'm not saying this is the solution. Sometimes things need further development to get right. Do you think Eddison stopped at the 1st version of the light bulb because it didnt work. No he continued, ending up holding 1,093 patents to his name. Should we have stopped at the first petrol engine in the 1880's? Should we have stopped developing flight because the Wright brothers cracked it. Note BMW, Kawa, Suzuki & Honda have all developed & raced this type of front historically.

[@MrGrandure]

The zx12r had a monocock too

[@shukrisharif5257]

wow.. awesome look

[@future62]

Very interesting stuff. I think the big reason big companies don't branch out is because of naysayers and mindless traditionalists who would scare away from this bike. But it seems to work. Shorter wheelbase, stability under braking, lower chassis weight... it's an awesome idea. And companies do use this setup in some way... damn near all of BMW's bike (except the F800R & S1000RRRRR) have that telelever up front. If a company could make such a setup look sporty they would have it...

[@psk1w1]

Not forgetting the Beemers with Duo-Lever front end. This is the same layout as the Britten V1000 of fond memory, and Claud Fior GP bikes, and Norman Hossack as well....

[@4ldenpierce]

Sick

[@ZZRgirl11]

Looks like the front assembly around the tire would drag at full lean...

[@nickandtanya]

@holymacarony because it has the honda powered moto2 engine. Any manufacturer that uses the honda power plant and created their chassis around it is a moto2 bike :)

[@Exilelangely]

what catergory that cycle??? Cafe racer ?? Street fighter ??? Sport bike ???

[@tonyhamilton7785]

All of'em

[@pokies100]

How does the steering work?

[@s13silly]

reminds me of the old "Britton" mc's from NZ

[@ZendPro]

amazing bike!!!

[@Danielson761729]

£31k basic price £62k top model and £15k for a kit requiring a CBR 600 RR donor bike

[@Spreaders88]

MCN forgot to mention the other stressed member you also receive with this bike... IN YOUR PANTS!

[@unit764]

I'd expect it to show up production about a decade after it hits motogp if it does (it just may, the handling advantages are ridiculous)

[@giusal1000l]

Il video è molto bello e intrigante, con mio grande dispiacere non conosco la lingua inglese ,conosco solo qualche termine tecnico legato alla meccannica automobilistica io sono un autoriparatore. Nel video ho visto il sistema di sterzata,è molto complesso e sicuramente deve essere molto preciso la Virus mi ha stupito e farò ricerche dettagliate.

[@Kevinlinaresroller]

Nice Honda 👀👀

[@orescares2]

you're wrong...nobody use the hub centre steering because it's patented!!! in the past elf used a different steering system...

[@87apx]

what kind of arai is that??

[@Crana]

@sampsalol they look like they're from the 80's and similar to what Arnie wore in Terminator 2 too actually - "I'll be back." :P

[@nazlinour7197]

lovely

[@dlb83082]

3:13 bit of headshake

[@dv2045]

take my money!

[@Skratche17]

The wording in it was bad. I meant to say something along the lines of a bike of similar power with a traditional fork setup will weight up to 50lbs less, be slightly shorter and/or thinner, and cost much less.

[@mugget]

@vtwinlunatic It's not that expensive. I think the actual bike in this vid would cost you Teriffic riding, wonderful camera shots, horrible music…. £31,000. There is a high-spec version for Moto2 teams (minus control engine) for £49,000 and a 'factory' machine that comes with technical support and the best of the best for £62,000. Or if you just want a track day bike the kit will cost £15,000. Just add an engine, dash, wiring loom, ECU, brakes & exhaust.

[@koengixxer]

want ... to ...... ride... it...

[@GOBbluthagain]

so much tech and R&D on the bike... same ugly Oem 2007 cbr600rr gauges..

[@powersliding]

sounds much nicer than hondas own

[@rama6maiden]

no its powered by the cbr600rr engine!!

[@0Sirk0]

sexy digital sound.

[@dlb83082]

+0Sirk0 llike a cbr600rr?

[@0Sirk0]

no, satirically pointing out the bad quality

[@dlb83082]

0Sirk0 I was just being an ass - because it has a cbr600rr engine :)

[@rama6maiden]

@sunny4kill definelty not!! any motorcycle factory could make a 200bhb engine but the question is why would they?

[@Crazylalalalala]

the vyrus 985 weights 50 lb less then the ducati from which the engine come from. it is also an inch shorter. it is a lot more expansive but that is mostly because you are paying for the Italian design and engineering team who are making one offs. just like a ferrari is really expansive but its performance can be match by much cheaper cars.

[@psk1w1]

Never seen a Ducati with a straight 4 engine. Try Honda CBR600RR

[@alessiomarino3411]

Ma non è la stradale?

[@IgorKostyuchenok]

@rickrussell it's chassis!

[@MgDDoTX]

Honda elf 500cc motogp bike has the same suspension setup.

[@frechproff]

yes and no... the Vyrus has horizontal shocks, the elf didn't

[@opmike343]

Not a valid comparison, considering the current HP wars going on with the 1000CC sport bikes. Companies ARE gunning for the S1000RR and we'll be seeing factory superbikes pushing 200 HP at the crank in the next few years.

[@trblcumn]

near identical to the ELF Ron Haslam rode in the mid `80s

[@mad4tarmac]

that should be the next "batbike".

[@rayvelasquez267]

I want a front swing arm suspension bike on the market for less than 20 g's by a major manufacturer within the next 5 years. this bike is AMAZING imagine how many looks you'd get riding a sports bike with a front swing arm suspension.

[@MrJames969]

What twitching or wobbles? Come on guy's, everything exaggerated on camera, especially when it’s that close. This is so much more stable than a normal bike, hardly any dive and good control through the corner. Have you ridden a fast bike or any bike before? Innovation always has its critics. Try leading not criticising.