If you’re into big cruisers, there’s a new kid on the block that you need to know about. Jonathan Schofield tells us what we need to know.
Cruisers are a style of motorcycle that have never really caught my eye. The low-slung seat and raised bars all seemed a little impractical on the tight, uneven roads that I have been used to. Open, long American transcontinental highways and plain-spanning smooth stripes of Tarmac with little or no corners make sense for this kind of design and construction. Super-wide rear tyres and next-to-no suspension all added up to my half century spine telling me to give up and leave it to the youngsters. But then from the back of my adolescent psyche shouts my true self: ‘Get on it and try, you don’t know if you don’t try!’ So, with a smile and the thought of a new challenge and experience in my mind I accepted the keys two days before our planned 300-mile day.
I was very pleased to have given myself the time to get acquainted with all 997cc of the MBP’s 80° v-twin power plant. First was the 268kg (dry) weight, which you would think should make the MBP C1002V unruly and unsteady when pushing it around the garage, but as its centre of gravity is so low it makes manhandling the beautiful (yes, I said it) beast a lot easier than expected – although its raked-out front forks give it a rather large turning circle.
Enjoy everything MSL by reading the monthly magazine, Subscribe here.
There’s a lot of black on the MBP C1002V; more than I would choose. I’m not a shell suit kind of guy but a flash of colour to accent a solid block makes a bike stand out. After a few short rides I found myself liking the solidity and almost gothic stance and pallet the MBP presented. It suited it; its gruff look accompanied by its snorting exhaust note, with a gut-tingling burble on deceleration (the wife knew when I was on the way home, let’s say that!).
With riding kit on, I stood and took stock of the MBP before taking my place aboard. Big, forward-placed gear-shifter and rear brake pedal, and foot boards instead of pegs. This may take a little getting used to. My muscle memory will be telling me to bring my feet up and back a little to drop on to the sports-style footrests, and the handlebars are not as raised as I had anticipated. They were comfortable looking with the mirrors being high and round, which should give good rear visibility. She be low, though. Very low. With only a 680mm seat height, this is possibly the lowest motorcycle I have slung my leg over (with a lot of ease I may add). I feel like an extra from that fantastic TV show, ‘Sons of Anarchy’, albeit without the tattoos and leather cut. Okay, and the dirt and oil-stained hardworking hands and muscular physique. I’d be okay at the back of shot, all out of focus.
Key in and ignition on wakes up the 5-inch full-colour TFT LCD dashboard that shows all your important ride metrics at a glance and with some reading of the user manual, additional customizability.
Starting up the MBP C1002V awakens a rumbling gruff and throaty engine note with comforting vibrations at tick-over. The gearbox is a six-speed unit, crisp and precise with buckets of low-down torque from the 80° v-twin power plant. Should you make the mistake of being in second it will easily pull you away from a junction. Such a smooth engine with a belt drive of the massive 240 section rear wheel clad in Metzeler rubber on an 18-inch rim gives you all the traction you could ever want. The front tyre is a 130/70R18 tied to 137mm USD front forks. The rear suspension is only 52mm but can be adjusted for when carrying a pillion.
My initial worries about the comfort of this bike were unfounded. Even with such short travel the massive rear tyre helped take up some of the uneven roads we have in rural Lincolnshire and yes, I scuffed my boots a couple of times getting used to the feet forward riding position, which after about 20 or so miles felt really relaxed.
Cornering must be one of the areas of riding that excites me the most… getting that perfect line, sweeping down leafy lanes, and dropping into a rhythm. It’s a style of motorcycle that I thought would mean this would be completely different. I’m happy to inform you that you’d have to be close on track-day cornering speed before you’d start grinding foot plates or side stand and exhausts. The turn in is slower (obviously) than a sports bike, but soon it became second nature to back off a touch and just cruise. Enjoy the feeling of calm and the super-relaxed riding position. I liked seeing people’s heads turning as I passed, hearing the low, resonant exhaust note which, if at slightly higher revs when backing off, has a beautiful pop and bang from the over-run.
The MBP C1002V comes with modern LED headlights, tail-lights, and turn signals which ensure visibility and safety, combining classic design with contemporary efficiency. A stylish single vertical strip running light integrated into a classic round headlight which at night throws a brilliant wide beam projecting well down the road ahead, and that’s just in dip; in high beam you will be hard pushed to find a bike with better. There are some nice touches, too, including illuminated switch gear and cruise control – which is even better when you consider its sub-10k price tag.
Like a lot of modern cars and bikes, MBP motorcycles incorporate IOT technology with a geolocation positioning system (GPS) and cellular connection. MBP Connect is an exclusive app that gives MBP vehicle owners new security and ride options once they have completed the brief pre-registration and activation process. The app automatically updates and records routes without the need for a Bluetooth connection since the motorcycle features its own internet connection.
This is probably one of the most stylish and impressive v-twin bikes from a company that you have possibly never heard of. Take a look, I reckon you might be impressed.
