Brixton Motorcycles Crossfire 500 Storr

Austrian bike maker Brixton is preparing to launch one of its most significant products, the Crossfire 500 Storr, in India through its retail partner, MotoHaus. The bike will be entering the flourishing adventure tourer segment in our country in December this year, and the company has high hopes for it. While the Storr 500 does look impressive as a package on paper, the company wanted to give us a taste of what the motorcycle is like to ride and whether it needs any changes. To assess this, Brixton flew us down to the gorgeous city of Vienna in Austria, where we spent a brief period riding the motorcycle on the outskirts, trying to judge whether it has the potential to disrupt the profoundly competitive Indian ADV market.

When the first pictures of the Crossfire 500 Storr surfaced on the internet a few months back, we weren’t sure what to make of it – it looked odd and slightly disproportionate, like the huge gap between the top of the rear wheel and the tail. However, it’s a completely different story when you see the bike in the flesh. The muscular front section, which looks inspired by the Husqvarna Norden 901, comprises a round headlamp crowned by a tall windscreen and flanked by a Himalayan 411-like cage. The bulbous fuel tank adjoins the scooped-out and spacious seat, which is accompanied by a chunky luggage rack and a side-slung, high-mounted exhaust. Overall, the motorcycle looks purposeful and imposing and will certainly grab a lot of attention on Indian roads.

Powering the Storr 500 is the same 486cc, parallel-twin, liquid-cooled engine that does duty on the Crossfire 500 twins that are already available in India. It churns out 47bhp and 43Nm and comes mated to a six-speed gearbox. While the clutch is a slip and assist type, there’s no quick shifter.

This engine clings to a steel bridge-style frame and rides on a 19-17-inch cross spoke wheel combination. Shock absorption duties are handled by KYB suspension – USD forks up front with compression and rebound adjustability and a preload and rebound-adjustable rear monoshock. Stopping power comes from J.Juan callipers biting onto a 320mm disc up front and a 240mm rotor at the rear. It gets a sizeable 16-litre fuel tank, while the kerb weight is on the heavier side at 209kg.

When it comes to features, the Storr 500 truly shines with things like a massive seven-inch colour TFT screen, which shows ample data in a very legible format even under direct sunlight. This screen integrates two buttons on the side for toggling through options or adjusting ABS and traction control settings, both of which are switchable (ABS only for the rear).

It also gets two little tank bags and fog lights that are part of the standard package. These surely bump up the value quotient of the bike. Lastly, there is full-LED lighting, a USB charging port, and adjustable brake and clutch levers.

The Storr 500’s seat height of 839mm might be intimidating on paper, but the slender mid-section of the bike allowed my 5’11’’ frame to easily hop on and flat-foot on both sides. Take it off the stand and you feel all of its 209kg weight, most of which is concentrated towards the top. The bike feels heavy, not just while moving it in the parking lot but also at crawling speeds. Now, as I thumbed the starter button, I was greeted by the sweet and bassy twin-cylinder sound, which isn’t loud but is thoroughly enjoyable.

On the move, the Storr 500 doesn’t feel like a thrillingly quick motorcycle, but it isn’t a slouch either. The acceleration is quite linear, with a fairly strong low and mid-range punch. Stay anywhere above 4,000rpm and there’s enough urgency to pull off overtakes easily, especially in the city. It comfortably does 100kmph, with the revs hovering close to 5,000rpm. And since the redline occurs at 8,500rpm, you still have performance in reserve to overtake bigger vehicles on the highway. But I must reiterate, the power delivery is quite linear and nowhere do you feel a surge aggressive enough to go ‘wow.’ Moreover, at 100kmph, there are noticeable vibrations on the footpegs and seat, and they only increase with speed. While I was never bothered by the buzz, slightly better refinement would be welcome.

The clutch, however, is reasonably light and the gears shift almost seamlessly. Not once did I encounter a false neutral. Even the throttle response is crisp and direct, with no signs of lag.

One area in which the Storr 500 turns out to be commendable is seating comfort. The seat is quite spacious, cushioning is dense, and the handlebar and footpegs are positioned neutrally enough to keep you upright and comfortable. Being in the saddle all day over long rides shouldn’t be a problem at all. Even when I stood up and did a few sprints through dirt tracks, I didn’t need to bend down too much, and the position felt natural.

In terms of handling, taking on corners is a fun affair. While tipping it into corners isn’t really effortless due to its top-heavy nature, once leaned over, the Storr 500 feels composed and shows no signs of stress or nervousness. It sticks to your desired line without feeling wallowy, and the grippy Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres allow leaning the bike quite a bit. One thing to remember is that the blocky tread pattern and aggressively round profile of the tyres make the upright-to-lean transition feel sudden and snappy, but that’s just a matter of getting used to it.

As for the brakes, the front callipers offer a strong bite, but it comes in a progressive manner, which is acceptable on an ADV as it is also meant to go off-road. Similarly, the rear brake has good enough stopping power, but with a lot of progression.

While we couldn’t ride the bike through challenging trails, the Storr 500 was fun to ride on flat dirt tracks. Yes, you do feel the weight while flicking the bike from side to side, but the linear throttle, good low-end punch, and the ability to turn off TC and rear ABS make the Storr quite involving to ride off-road. Additionally, the slim mid-section allows you to properly grab the bike with your legs, which further helps.

The Brixton Storr 500 is a likeable motorcycle on many fronts. It offers comfortable ergonomics, engine sounds good and delivers useable performance, handling dynamics are sorted when pushed around corners, and it has plenty of features. Moreover, with the kind of hardware it packs, it can be perceived as a do-it-all motorcycle. Even the design is eye-catching and will appeal to those who want a distinctive-looking motorcycle.

As for the negatives, it could do with better engine refinement for calmer highway cruising and smarter weight distribution to not feel as heavy at slow speeds as it does in its current form. And before we can recommend the motorcycle, we need to test it thoroughly in Indian riding conditions to examine aspects like the ride quality, fuel efficiency, and the engine’s heat management. Moreover, a definite plan with regard to sales and service will be crucial for people to put their faith and money into the brand that isn’t well-known or proven yet.

While we are waiting for the prices to be announced, our logical guess says it will be priced very close to the Brixton Crossfire 500 XC, which costs Rs. 5.26 Lakh, ex-showroom. That’ll make the Storr 500 significantly more affordable than its closest rival, the Honda NX 500, which costs Rs. 6.33 Lakh. However, if Brixton and MotoHaus can manage to peg the Storr under Rs. 5 Lakh and market it well, the ADV has the potential to make the Austrian brand popular in India.