Fischer Motorcycles

[Davidb1986]

So I was looking at the 2010 Motorcycle Buyers guide in Wal Mart and saw Fischer MRX motorcycle. I looked them up on the net and they look pretty sweet and come with Olhins suspension. The price tag is $7995 and has a liquid cooled 647 v-twin engine. My question is has anyone heard of them and if so what do you think of the bike? I would be able to afford that and keep my ninja after I get out of Paramedic School and get start working as a medic (I am an EMT Basic now and have worked on an ambulance for 3 years).

Here is a link to the website, most of it is still under construction. http://www.fischer1.com/Fischer_Motorcycle.htm

[adouglas]

The styling is take-it-or-leave-it... If you like origami it rocks!

Here's the thing about startups like this. It's a high-risk thing. If you need a part that isn't standard you may be totally out of luck in two or three years.

Most business startups run at a loss for few years, and most fail during that time. If it's a restaurant or something, then go ahead and give them your money... the product they sell you is produced and consumed on the spot.

But if it's a durable goods manufacturer, you either need some degree of confidence that they'll be around to support you for the life of the product, or a rock-solid backup plan... up to and including the ability to (or access to someone who can) make your own parts to keep the bike on the road.

This is not necessarily as daunting a prospect as it might seem. As I understand it Fischer is using an existing powerplant (IIRC it's a Suzuki SV650 engine, but I may be wrong) and the important bits like brakes and shocks are all aftermarket anyway.

The devil is in the details, though. What happens if Fischer goes belly-up and you drop the bike? Where are you going to get new fairing pieces?

Anyway, I like the concept and I wish them well. We need a US sportbike manufacturer now that Buell is toast.

[ScraitT]

I'm not crazy about the headlight, but I really like the rest of the bike.

IF you have the ability to work on a bike and make sure everything is going good, all the bolts are tight, it's running right etc...and you have the ability to fix things when something breaks, then it would probably be a pretty damn good bike. It looks to have a lot of good parts on it, it's just how well they are put on and how well everyhting works together over time.
As Andrew mentioned, you can't rely on the company to be around forever. IF it does have a Suzuki engine though, and you have the abilities listed above, it seems like a great bike, because you'll always be able to get the important engine parts if need be.

[adouglas]

My bad. It's got a Hyosung engine.

I think one of the prototypes may have had the Suzuki mill in it.

[CC Cowboy]

Are they made by Fischer-Price?

[tapdiggy]

Originally Posted by adouglas

My bad. It's got a Hyosung engine.

I think one of the prototypes may have had the Suzuki mill in it.

Hyosung: Suzuki without R&D funding.

[cnichols79us]

Hmmmmmmm......

[Samer]

I saw their website a while back. It is good to have an American company trying to be a player in a market that is dominated by Japan and Europe. However, as Andrew notes, it would be risky to buy from them now.

Also, in my personal opinion, the bike doesn't look that good. Compare to the one I really want the Daytona 675 which has about the same displacement, looks way better in my opinion, weighs probably about the same and produces ~128 HP vs. the ~80 quoted by the Fischer website. The Daytona also costs a lot more, but you get my point. For the consumer, more options are always good but let some braver folks buy them and see if they're any good in a few years.

[Dano]

Fischer started out trying to build a american made sportbike, I beieve they were planning their own engine and all that quite a few years ago,,they kinda fell off the map guess they are sourcing their engines from hyosung. I think the original plan was all american for around 10K. It was in all the moto mags back then.

[RaceBikeRentals]

I was really interested in the race version of the bike until I learned it had a Hyodung engine. No thanks.

[Daeldren]

Fischer MRX is an interesting bike. Take a look at fischer's frame and compare it to Harley's fated VR1000, notice any similarities? Keep in mind that Fischer is boasting top name suspension and brake components as well, not bad for the price.

[revstriker]

Horsepower, crankshaft 80 @ 9550 RPM (with Ram Air)
Torque 52 @ 7500 RPM

Seems a bit on the low end.

[gogoKawi]

I think I may have my next road trip! The factory is a couple of hours away from me. I've been looking for an excuse to checkout Salisbury. Now I have it. I am interested in seeing how the bike is made, as well as possibly riding it. There are some youtube videos of the bike in prototype testing. I'm not that fond of the way it sounds. But it doesn't look bad at all.

[Daeldren]

Originally Posted by revstriker

Horsepower, crankshaft 80 @ 9550 RPM (with Ram Air)
Torque 52 @ 7500 RPM

Seems a bit on the low end.

True, considering the amount of used middleweight sportbikes on the market I would be more inclined to pick up a $3,000 jap 600 as a dedicated track bike than to drop the dough on one of these fischers. Cost to race is going to be about the same, and with a used 600 they are all around the same power.

[k-os]

I think they look pretty cool, and the performance isn't that bad for a 650 parallel twin, considering the Ninja 650 puts out like 72hp.

[zenrush]

I like the looks though it took me a minute to decide. Wonder how it rides?

[Greg_E]

Used Buell XB9R has slightly higher power and certainly in the $3000 range. But I do want Fischer to succeed, and maybe there can be a future deal with a very creative person (once the Harley non-compete is over).

Funny, that VR1000 is something I might have actually considered buying. The Fischer looks decent, maybe a little more pleasing than the newer GSXR and if I was in the market for a new bike I would put it squarely into consideration.

[revstriker]

Originally Posted by k-os

I think they look pretty cool, and the performance isn't that bad for a 650 parallel twin, considering the Ninja 650 puts out like 72hp.

Just based on the aggressive styling of the bike, I would think that they were targeting the ZX6R as competition more than the 650R. Don't get me wrong, I am not implying that the HP is too low, it just seemed low compared to who I thought they were trying to compete with.

[revstriker]

Originally Posted by Greg_E

Used Buell XB9R has slightly higher power and certainly in the $3000 range. But I do want Fischer to succeed, and maybe there can be a future deal with a very creative person (once the Harley non-compete is over).

Funny, that VR1000 is something I might have actually considered buying. The Fischer looks decent, maybe a little more pleasing than the newer GSXR and if I was in the market for a new bike I would put it squarely into consideration.

The VR1000 would be a cool bike to own considering that there were only 50 street versions made. But of course, with such exclusivity comes price. I read that a VR1000 with 50 miles on it sold a few years ago on eBay for $60k.

[ScraitT]

Originally Posted by revstriker

Just based on the aggressive styling of the bike, I would think that they were targeting the ZX6R as competition more than the 650R. Don't get me wrong, I am not implying that the HP is too low, it just seemed low compared to who I thought they were trying to compete with.

I would say it is aimed at the zx6r, however you can't just compare horsepower numbers.

The zx6r puts out 124 hp, but only 49 torque. And looking at a dyno, it's only above 100 hp (80%+ of it's max) between approx 11-13000 rpms(15% of it's rev range).

I don't know any of the specifications of this bike to compare, but being a twin, it's probably got equal or slightly more torque, and the torque and power extend through most of the rev range....so the bike can probably use closer to 40% of it's rev range staying within 80% of it's power.

The 650r can't compete on the track, but everything about it is lower grade then the 6r... suspension, frame, brakes, etc. The Fischer comes with a compatible setup and a 650r type engine. It will probably loose ground in the straights, but pull much harder out of the turns and spend more time on the power and less time selecting the right gear.

Just an assumption, but I think it would fair quite well on a track with a 6r....well, as long as the track doesn't have a 2 mile long straight....and as long as the hyosung engine in the fischer doesnt break down

[Alex]

Originally Posted by revstriker

The VR1000 would be a cool bike to own considering that there were only 50 street versions made.

And they were only sold in Poland.

[Greg_E]

But if they had sold them here and in greater numbers..... Once again the short sighted morons tossed away an (almost) perfectly good sport bike.

[revstriker]

Originally Posted by ScraitT

I would say it is aimed at the zx6r, however you can't just compare horsepower numbers.

The zx6r puts out 124 hp, but only 49 torque. And looking at a dyno, it's only above 100 hp (80%+ of it's max) between approx 11-13000 rpms(15% of it's rev range).

I don't know any of the specifications of this bike to compare, but being a twin, it's probably got equal or slightly more torque, and the torque and power extend through most of the rev range....so the bike can probably use closer to 40% of it's rev range staying within 80% of it's power.

The 650r can't compete on the track, but everything about it is lower grade then the 6r... suspension, frame, brakes, etc. The Fischer comes with a compatible setup and a 650r type engine. It will probably loose ground in the straights, but pull much harder out of the turns and spend more time on the power and less time selecting the right gear.

Just an assumption, but I think it would fair quite well on a track with a 6r....well, as long as the track doesn't have a 2 mile long straight....and as long as the hyosung engine in the fischer doesnt break down

Very good points.