Exclusive AMB 002 Roadster packs an all-new 1083cc V-twin, exotic materials and styling cues derived from the British marque’s supercars
Aston Martin has unveiled its first street-legal motorcycle, the spectacularly styled AMB 002 Roadster. Developed in conjunction with Brough Superior, who will manufacture the model in France at its factory in Toulouse, the new model represents the latest chapter in the now seven year-old partnership between these iconic, historic British brands.
This collaboration, pairing Aston Martin’s design talents with Brough Superior’s state-of-the-art motorcycle engineering, kicked off with the debut of the turbocharged 182 bhp/136 kW Aston Martin AMB 001 in 2019 – the year in which Brough Superior marked the Centenary of its creation by George Brough in 1919. Hand-built production of this exquisitely detailed, uniquely styled 997cc V-twin hyperbike was restricted to just 100 examples priced at €108,000 each. But with no street equipment fitted these could only be ridden on the race track, which did not deter customers from placing orders, and all 100 examples have since been sold, and delivered to their owners.
Following on from this was the even more strictly limited-edition AMB 001 Pro, introduced in 2022 as a two-wheeled tribute to Aston Martin’s Valkyrie AMR Pro hypercar in taking on-track performance to the extreme. This offered a 25% power increase compared to its predecessor, with its 225 bhp/167 kW motor producing a power to weight ratio of 1.28 hp/kg, similar to that of a Formula 1 car. 88 examples of this are being built at a price of €148,900, and 53 have so far been delivered, with more orders in hand but a few remaining slots available, according to Albert Castaigne, Executive Director of Brough Superior Motorcycles. Hypercars don’t come cheap, and neither do hyperbikes! But once again, this is a track day only machine, leaving many Aston Martin owners and potential customers who want to ride their purchase on the street, frustrated.
The British luxury car manufacturer has now responded to their concerns by launching the AMB 002 Roadster, deliveries of which are targeted to begin in Q3 2027 at a price of €120,000, with a production ceiling of just 300 bikes being built. These will all be Euro 5+ compliant, so capable of being road registered almost anywhere in the world, in terms of meeting local noise and emissions restrictions. “That’s the reason for the delay in starting production,” says Albert Castaigne. “We have a heavy ongoing homologation programme to achieve Euro 5+ which we need time to complete. But it’s very important for both Aston Martin and ourselves that this bike has the potential to be road legal in all developed markets, including the USA, Japan and Australasia, and anywhere in the EU – and Britain, too!”
Unlike the two previous turbocharged joint venture models, the AMB 002 is powered by an all-new normally aspirated liquid-cooled DOHC 88° V-twin eight-valve engine developed and manufactured in house in Toulouse by Brough Superior. Measuring 98 x 71.8 mm, this upsized 1083cc motor has a 4mm larger bore than the previous 997cc motor in the AMB 001/Pro and all new-gen Brough Superior models produced since the marque known historically as the ‘Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles’ was relaunched under legendary French design guru Thierry Henriette’s ownership in 2013.
As on the AMB 001 Pro, all the AMB 002’s major components like the crankcase and cylinders which would normally be castings have been entirely CNC-machined from AL 5000 solid aluminium billet. Besides saving weight this is claimed to improve the stiffness of the engine’s structure, while a new cylinder design with wet cylinder liners helps to improve cooling. The resultant 1083cc powerplant with composite chain/gear drive to the twin overhead cams on each cylinder weighs just 70kg without throttle bodies, helping lower weight of the complete bike to 190kg with twin catalysts and full street equipment. The forged steel conrods sit side by side on a shared crankpin, with the forged crankshaft running on plain bearings.
Thanks to bigger valves and an all-new cylinder head design with enhanced flow and optimised porting both for the twin 50mm Synerject throttle bodies and the 2-1 exhaust, plus a high 13:1 compression ratio, the AMB 002 is claimed to offer a 30% increase in power vs. previous non-turbo BS models to 130 bhp/94.5 kW at 8,200 rpm. There’s also been a big hike in torque, up from 90Nm to 113 Nm/83.3 ft-lb of grunt available at just 6,500 rpm. “Our aim is to make this bike super enjoyable to ride on the highway,” says Albert Castaigne. “We have a really broad spread of torque which helps achieve that. We want to make it sporty to ride, but not too much – this is a real world road bike!” The six-speed extractable cassette-type gearbox made by CIMA in Italy is a carry-over from the AMB 001 duo, together with the Adler/APTC oil-bath slipper clutch.
This new V-Twin motor sits in a minimalist frame milled from a solid titanium billet to form a structural spine with the engine acting as a fully stressed chassis component via a CNC aluminium subframe. Weighing just 5kg – a fraction of the weight of a conventional design – the AMB 002’s chassis is key to achieving an ideal 50/50% weight distribution for the bike along the quite rangy 1472mm wheelbase.
With an exceptionally low centre of gravity – achieved with the help of using carbon fibre for all the body panels and 18-litre fuel tank – the AMB 002’s centralised mass is claimed to create an immediate sense of balance coupled with agility. Combined with the light weight of the entire bike, the AMB 002 is described by Aston Martin as ‘combining muscular performance with nimble athleticism’.
Another unique Brough Superior solution refined and applied to the AMB 002 is the distinctive double-wishbone ‘Fior fork’ front suspension. Avoiding the compromises of conventional telescopic forks, the Fior design separates steering and braking forces, while maintaining precise control of the front-end geometry. An evolution of the system developed for the AMB 001 Pro, the AMB 002’s front suspension is based on the wishbone fork design created by French engineer Claude Fior in 1988, and raced to points-scoring finishes in the FIM Endurance series some two years before the first bike bearing the similar Hossack format was created. The fourche Fior was also later copied by John Britten on his V-1000 racer, as well as by BMW on the Duolever front end fitted to their K-series models, since the race-minded Claude Fior omitted to patent it!
The twin wishbone struts set at a 21.30° rake with 85.50mm of trail are CNC machined from aluminium billet with twin articulated titanium triangular links, and carry a front Donerre monoshock adjustable for spring preload and rebound damping, with 100mm of wheel travel. At the rear the twin-sided swingarm CNC machined from aluminium billet pivots in the engine crankcases, with another Donerre monoshock that’s fully adjustable for spring preload plus compression and rebound damping, and a progressive rate link yielding 130mm of travel. Donerre is a Czech-owned French competition suspension specialist based in Toulouse, which has developed a series of dedicated shocks for Brough Superior and now Aston Martin models. Likewise a local concern, Beringer has long supplied Brough and now Aston Martin with brakes, and their twin 320mm front discs on the AMB 002 are gripped by their radially-mounted four-piston Monobloc calipers, with a 230mm rear disc and twin-pot caliper.
The complete bike is clothed in ultra-distinctive carbon fibre bodywork designed by the Aston Martin Design Studio led by the company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman, a motorcycle nut and Ducati owner. The AMB 002’s curvaceous styling sees the relationship between form and function ideally expressed in the pebble smooth shape of the carbon fibre fuel tank and side fairings, which rise to meet the rider when tucked out of the slipstream. Crescent-shaped gills slice into the flanks to aid engine cooling and streamline the airflow, while wire-design stalks for the low-slung mirrors embody the AMB 002’s lightweight construction. Seat height is a tall 875mm, but Albert Castaigne insists you don’t have to be a 190cm giant to ride this bike: “The stepover is really narrow where it meets the fuel tank shroud,” he says. “In recognition of the fact that it’s a road bike where you must be able to stop at a light without falling over, it’s much easier to put your feet on the ground than with the track day models, on which by definition you only ever stop at the pit boxes!”
There are several details with a direct four-wheeled influence. The iconic side-strake has been reimagined, piercing through the side fairing and extending forwards to encapsulate the headlamp. Twin oval exhausts feature ribbed heat sinks which echo the exhaust finisher design of Aston Martin’s Vanquish, DB12 S and DBX S models. A dramatic array of rear light blades are the same type as those seen on the tail end of the Vulcan, Valkyrie and Valhalla hypercars, while keyless function, a backlit ignition button and hand-crafted saddle leather seat pads bring similar touches of luxury and craftsmanship found in Aston Martin’s series production road cars.
“Having created two of the most remarkable track-only motorcycles ever built in the AMB 001 and AMB 001 Pro, it was always our long-term dream to make an Aston Martin motorcycle for the road,” says Marek Reichman. “Combining the bold design aesthetic and pioneering engineering innovation which define Aston Martin and Brough Superior’s work to date, the AMB 002 is the vivid expression of our shared passion for sculptural, visceral, covetable machines. It promises an ownership and a riding experience unique in the world of motorcycling. We believe it’ll be an irresistible road bike.”
Brough Superior boss Thierry Henriette, added: “Marek and his team have created a brilliantly innovative and really enticing road bike design – nothing else on the highway will look like this. It was a pleasure to work with them in refining their original concept for hand-made production in our factory, and to equip it with the new engine we’ve created for it. This motorcycle is truly one of a kind, both in its design and in the riding experience it delivers. The rider’s upright posture and the completely unobstructed field of vision combine to create a unique feeling of gliding above the road, with absolute confidence and complete control. It sets a new standard in road bike performance.”
The AMB 002 has been launched in satin finished carbon fibre with black Cerakote engine and suspension. But it’ll be available in a choice of five official colours yet to be revealed by Aston Martin, though certain to include the company’s trademark Verdant Jade green livery used on the AMB 001 Pro, paying a nod to Aston Martin’s winning bloodline of track racers.
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE
Type 1083cc liquid-cooled, DOHC, 88° V-twin four-stroke, four valves per cylinder, composite chain/gear cam drive
Bore x stroke 98 x 71.8mm
Power 130bhp (94.5kW) @ 8200rpm
Torque 113Nm (83.3lb-ft) @ 6500rpm
Compression ratio 13:1
Fuel system Electronic fuel injection with twin 50mm throttle bodies, each with a single injector
Gearbox Six-speed cassette-type
Clutch Multiplate wet clutch with hydraulic operation, APTC slipper clutch
CHASSIS
Machined titanium frame with CNC aluminium subframe
SUSPENSION
Front Fior-type fork CNC-machined from solid aluminium, with twin articulated triangular titanium links and preload/rebound-adjustable monoshock, 100mm travel
Rear Swingarm CNC-machined from solid aluminium and pivoting in the engine crankcases, with preload/rebound-adjustable monoshock and progressive-rate linkage, 130mm travel
BRAKES
Front Twin 320mm stainless steel discs, four-piston radial calipers
Rear Single 230mm stainless steel disc, two-piston caliper
WHEELS & TYRES
Wheels Machined aluminium
Front tyre 120/70 ZR17 on 3.50in rim
Rear tyre 200/55 ZR17 on 6.00in rim
DIMENSIONS
Caster angle 21.3°
Trail 85.5mm
Wheelbase 1472mm
Weight 190kg (410lb)
Weight distribution 50/50
PRICE
€120,000 ($200,000 AUD)
