[cycleworld.com] - Brixton Storr Adventure Bike Revealed

[Ninjette Newsbot]

Although the Brixton name can be seen all over Europe, the Austrian/Chinese company has yet to set up shop in the US. Will the Storr be headed our way soon?

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Brixton has filed type-approval documents for its Storr adventure bike, which was first shown in prototype form back in 2022 at the EICMA show. (Brixton/)Back at the EICMA show in Milan in November 2022 Brixton showed off its Storr concept bike, a 500cc twin-cylinder adventure bike with a style not that dissimilar to that of the Husqvarna Norden 901. Now the showroom version has broken cover in new type-approval documents that confirm its specifications and that it’s on the verge of production.

The Brixton brand isn’t sold in the USA yet but the company’s website claims that a Stateside dealer network is “coming soon.” When it does, the company’s rugged-looking Crossfire 500 models and the big Cromwell 1200 and 1200 X—which are like a cut-price Triumph Bonneville and Scrambler—are likely to be its spearhead.


The Brixton Cromwell 1200 is clearly going after Triumph’s Bonneville range. (Brixton Motorcycles/)The company is an unusual collaboration between Europe and China. Based in Austria as part of the KSR Group, its bikes are built in China by Gaokin. Its name is borrowed from Brixton, a district in London (even though the brand’s bikes aren’t currently sold in England) and the Storr takes its title from The Old Man of Storr, a towering rock formation on the Isle of Skye, off the Scottish coast.


Documents included this image of a near-production version of the Storr. (Brixton/)When the Storr concept was first shown, technical details were few and far between, but the new type-approval confirms all the bike’s key dimensions and details. The engine is the same Gaokin-built, 486cc parallel twin that’s used in the Crossfire 500 models, with a peak of 47 hp. It’s one of many Chinese copies of the Honda CB500 motor, similar to the Honda both visually and in performance, and clearly positions the Storr as a rival to the Honda NX500 (the bike formerly known as the CB500X).


The Brixton engine is an obvious knockoff of Honda’s CB500 engine. (Honda/)The engine sits in a steel tube chassis with suspension that appears to be made up of KYB components borrowed from the existing, scrambler-style Brixton Crossfire 500 XC. The type-approval paperwork puts the Storr’s wheelbase at 56.7 inches and the weight at 461 pounds wet. Brixton’s other models use brakes from Brembo subsidiary J.Juan, and the Storr is likely to do the same, with a single front disc and radial-mount four-piston caliper, assisted by Bosch ABS.


The Brixton Crossfire 500 is very popular in Europe. (Brixton Motorcycles/)The bike’s styling is clearly tied to the Crossfire range, sharing the same horizontally split headlight design but adding an upper fairing and screen. That headlight bears the “Brixton” name in its center despite the Gaokin name on the side panel, and like the Crossfire models has Brixton’s signature “N, E, S, W” compass points around its edge.

The windshield is missing in the images accompanying the type approval, but its X-shaped mounting bracket is clearly visible. Like the original concept version, the production Storr uses unpainted black plastic for much of its upper front bodywork, preventing scratched paintwork, and the same parts form hollows on either side of the tank that can be filled with purpose-made soft storage bags, as demonstrated by the 2022 concept version.

Differences from the concept bike are few and far between, but we can see that the final model has new mirrors, a redesigned radiator cowl, and slight alterations to the bellypan protecting the exhaust. What doesn’t change is the portrait-oriented TFT dashboard, and some interesting elements including auxiliary lights built into the lower front edges of the fairing.

With no US dealers yet, it’s going to be a while before the Storr reaches these shores, but with the right price it could be an interesting addition to the market.