For the first time in history, the Aston Martin badge will sit on the nose of a roadgoing motorcycle. As part of its collaboration with Brough Superior, the English sports car manufacturer is rolling out the AMB 002 Roadster, an aggressively styled muscle bike that boasts 130 horsepower motivating just 419 pounds soaking wet. That’s a better power-to-weight ratio than any of its modern, four-wheeled siblings save the hybrid Valkyrie and Valhalla hypercars.
This isn’t the first tie-up between Brough and Aston Martin, which also worked together on the track-only AMB 001 and AMB 001 Pro superbikes. But the first road-legal two-wheeler takes after its predecessors in more ways than just the logo on the tank.
It Looks Like It Could Devour Your Ducati Alive
Aston Martin/Brough Superior AMB 002 RoadsterAston Martin / Brough Superior
The Aston Martin Design Studio handled much of the AMB 002 Roadster’s styling, with a pared-down aesthetic that’s much smoother and more refined than those of other naked sportbikes. The fairing over the Terminator-like headlight, for example, blends seamlessly into the pebble-shaped fuel tank when viewed in profile, with knife-slash side vents over the V-twin engine for improved cooling and aerodynamics. A low-mounted, dual-oval-exit exhaust features the same fluted design as that of the Aston Martin Vanquish super-GT, while the taillight’s individual LED blades recall the limited-production Vulcan.
Aston Martin/Brough Superior AMB 002 RoadsterAston Martin / Brough Superior
Extensive carbon fiber upper bodywork gives the AMB 002 both a modern design and a lower center of gravity, an important characteristic for a sporty motorcycle since it needs to lean in and out of corners with minimal resistance. The single-seat configuration emphasizes this performance; the Aston Martin two-wheeler isn’t here to impress friends and take love interests out for a spin on the back. Instead, it’s meant for pure, selfish riding pleasure.
Aiding in that goal is an impressively light frame that’s been CNC-machined from a solid billet of titanium. Suspended from the nose of that 11-pound chassis is Brough Superior’s Fior fork front suspension, which improves on a conventional inverted fork front end by separating the steering and braking geometry for more consistent performance and reduced dive when stopping hard.
Are Those Looks Deceiving?
Aston Martin/Brough Superior AMB 002 RoadsterAston Martin / Brough Superior
Powering the AMB 002 is a 1,083-cubic-centimeter (1.1-liter) V2 engine (or V-twin, in motorcycle parlance). The companies didn’t specify the engine’s origin, but we presume it’s a development of the Brough 998cc two-cylinder. In the Aston Martin, it makes 130 horses and 81 pound-feet, while its 419-pound mass is good for a power-to-weight rating of 620 hp per ton. That would be an impressive stat for a sports car, considering the twin-turbocharged, V12-powered Valiant musters about 396 hp per 2,000 pounds.
Aston Martin/Brough Superior AMB 002 RoadsterAston Martin / Brough Superior
But for a high-performance motorcycle, the ratio is pretty standard. For example, the $13,295 Ducati Monster V2’s 997cc V-twin produces 111 hp, but it motivates a bike that weighs 386 hp. Do the math and that comes out to 575 ponies per ton, less than the AMB 002 but still impressive for a mass-produced motorcycle. Move into the $39,995 Ducati Diavel V4 RS and you’ll get an 1,103cc inline-four that produces an unreal 184 hp, which combines with a 485-pound wet weight for 763 horses per ton.
Direct comparisons to series-produced bikes are rather difficult considering neither Brough Superior nor Aston Martin have confirmed the AMB 002 Roadster’s price, but considering the amount of carbon fiber and bespoke tech on board, we can’t envision that it’ll be cheap. If you want one, you’d better get on the horn with your Aston Martin dealer quick, because the companies will only build 300 units, with delvieries to start about one year from now.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Car companies building motorcycles isn’t hugely uncommon. Apart from the obvious – BMW, Honda, and Suzuki have each built two- and four-wheelers alongside one another for decades now – other automakers have gotten in on the fun. Dodge introduced the Tomahawk concept in 2004, showing an oddball leaning four-wheeled motorcycle powered by the comtemporary Viper’s 8.3-liter, 500-horsepower V10. It even planned a limited production run before safety regulations forestalled that plan – shocker.
But the Aston Martin AMB 002 Roadster is a slightly more serious take on the formula. Considering it’s the third such tie-up between the automaker and Brough Superior, two-wheelers with that famed wing badge seem like they’re here to stay.
Sources: Aston Martin and Brough Superior
