The Duu Two-Liter Monster

Keeping a secret in the motoring world is nearly impossible. Maybe that’s why Italian bike manufacturer CR&S let the cat out of the bag just shy of the EICMA Milan motorcycle show on November 10th.
The Duu — Italian for two — follows the “two” theme throughout the bike. It’s a two-seater with a V-twin engine and it fuses the sporty European and muscular American motorcycle cultures. But the most impressive specification in this repertoire of twos is the massive 2.0-liter engine.
That’s right. It’s a naked sport-bike with a powerplant that dwarfs those in a lot of small cars.
CR&S says the Duu is much like its smaller sibling the Vun –“one”— as “a motorcycle made for bikers by bikers.” But goes further as an exercise in innovation. The company claims it’s a combination of modularity and muscle. The muscle is indisputable, but the modularity isn’t something that goes beyond the factory floor. It’s more of a made to order personalization from an à la carte menu. If the menu ever changes, you can be sure of one thing — the house specialty will remain a healthy two-liter helping of aluminum.

The engine is the very same designed by specialty tuning company S&S in celebration of its 50th anniversary. A big player in the specialty parts market for American V-twins, S&S is responsible for a plethora of motorcycle drag racing and land speed titles. The two-liter X-Wedge engine was its call for a big-bore work of art that met the latest emission and noise standards. What we’re really itching to find out are what kind of performance numbers we can expect.
Based on looks alone, the Duu seems poised to tackle any corner, cruise any straight or own any drag strip with a high level of panache. We have seen motorcycles reminiscent of the MV Agusta Brutale in styling and others similar to Confederate Motorcycles in raw aggressive look. But much like a wife meeting a mistress, not once did we imagine such an encounter would create so much passion and sex-appeal.

Just as you suspected, all that muscle and personalization doesn’t come without a premium. Weighing in at a base-price of €20,000.00 ($29,500) the Duu costs enough to buy a Brutale almost twice over. And if its not worth it for the looks and power, how about owning a bike rarer than the Bugatti Veyron?