Cycle News Staff | August 10, 2023
Here’s something cool that came through our inboxes today. A new American company, Dust Moto, launched a crowdfunding campaign for their new electric motorcycle, the Dust_Model 1. Their goal is to be ultra-transparent on how money is allocated within the company and to take customers on the 20-month build journey. They also see this bike as one that lives side-by-side with the current crop of internal combustion engines, not a replacement. Through their Founders50 program, supporters get early access to the bike and receive it for 50% off the MSRP value of $10,000.
Our take? Seems like a creative idea and new brands are almost always beneficial to the industry, especially when it’s American made. Check out the full press release below.
Dust Moto has launched a crowd funding campaign for their new electric motorcycle.
Dust Moto launched a radical Founders50 crowdfund program for the electric dirt bike on Tuesday, 8th August using an approach called ‘building in public’ (BIP). Taking backers on a 20-month behind-the-scenes journey contributing as Dust develops the first Dust_Model 1 bike and brand from a clean sheet. This unique crowdfund structure creates alignment of incentives for customers as well as the business. Customers get to see how funds are being used in full view with the opportunity to help, while the business has a more significant commitment than a single small deposit from backers.
Dust_Model 1 will be the ultimate mid-weight eMoto. Designed and built in America. Targeted at crossover athletes and core moto riders looking for something unique. Leveraging traditional dirt bike design and components, with some fresh thinking applied. They’ve described it as equivalent to 250cc MX bike level of power but 15% lighter, “wet”.
Backers join a tight network of business, brand and product leaders on monthly Google video calls for regular updates alongside early access to prototypes.The primary reward in the Founders50 program is the receipt of one of the first 50 bikes made, with customized F50 details to match. Members join by subscribing via the Dust website and pay $250 per month for 20 months, which is $5,000 in total. After 20 months of supporting Dust, the subscription ends and members will be presented with their bike in May 2025 in Bend (or shipped direct). The bike will have an MSRP of $10,000 once it launches to the general public, therefore members will have saved 50% through Founders50.
Colin Godby Dust Moto CEO explains “The past 24 hours has been awesome. The amazing response to Dust proves we are on to something approaching the journey as a community. Over the past day we have had 50 founding members join Dust (and we’re leaving sign-up open for a couple more days for a few known stragglers who are on holiday, up mountains, etc). Newsletter subscribers via www.dustmoto.com has doubled. Instagram @dustmoto_official has 10x to 1,000+ followers. Plus we’ve had hundreds of supportive public messages and DMs. The magnitude of the commitment of our first 50 is not lost on us, and the best thing that we can do now that we have proven the demand for the bike is simply to GET. STUFF. DONE.”
About Dust
Dust Moto is an electric dirt bike company on a mission to be the #1 American Moto Brand, globally. We’ve committed to the vision of building an iconic brand through amazing product, storytelling and community building. There’s a massive gap in the market and we are confident that by engaging you, the passionate enthusiast, we can build something amazing, together. DUST believes we can help create a new golden age for dirt biking by bridging the powersports industry to emerging mobility tech. Dust builds affordable performance electric vehicles that maximize the connection between riders, machine and environment. With the right ingredients, more people can connect with the sport than ever before; enabling riders to break free from the shackles of the attention-economy, push their personal limits, build deeper connections to the people and world around them, and ultimately lead a life worth living.
Learn more about the team at https://www.dustmoto.com/about/
