Brixton Crossfire 500
Austrian company KSR Group this week started production of their new Brixton Crossfire 500.
This new flagship model for the fledgling brand was first shown at EICMA in 2018 but has now officially entered production.
Brixton use a somewhat retro somewhat contemporary long but angular fuel tank that they refer to as their ‘X-Tank’ design that they put forward as their visual product language in a designer-speak and this is also where the model name Crossfire is derived from.
The new Crossfire design line was developed by the KSR Group design team, which has been working creatively in KSR’s own design studio in the Krems-Gedersdorf Business Park, Austria, for the past 2 years.
State-of-the-art software and hardware, including a clay studio with a hydraulic 360-degree rotating lift, where clay models of future models can be produced and viewed from all sides for refinement along with a 3D printer for the rapid production of prototypes of individual design elements.
At the heart of the Crossfire 500 is a completely new 486 cc parallel twin developed by 20 engineers over a two-year period. A total of 80,000 development hours went into the engine which at 35 kW (47 horsepower) is designed to fit the European A2 learner requirements perfectly and will also be eligible for learners under the Australian LAMS regimen.
Brixton say their prototypes have covered more than 40,000 kilometres of testing both on the road and on test tracks. During these particularly tough test runs, the load of one test kilometre corresponds to a multiple of the load of an everyday kilometre but still this is a fraction of what most manufacturers put any new platform through before releasing models to the public.
Brixton has chosen well-known suppliers though to help underpin the quality of the package with Japanese suspension components from KYB, the well regarded J.Juan brakes from Spain, rubber from Pirelli in Italy and the ABS system from just over the border in Germany from Bosch.
The Crossfire 500 was accompanied by the Crossfire 500 X from the start of production. The Crossfire 500 X has been given a more rustic look with coarser tyres, wider handlebars, a different seat and a license plate holder mounted in the extension of the seat.
Production of the Crossfire 500 and Crossfire 500 X, whose launch had to be postponed somewhat due to the Covid 19 pandemic, has now started, with the first models expected at Brixton dealers in Europe in August 2020. It is unclear what plans the company has for Australia.
“The launch of the Crossfire 500 is a very important milestone in the history of the Brixton Motorcycles brand. And we are very confident that this model will not only meet the spirit of the times, but above all the tastes of our target group,” explain Michael and Christian Kirschenhofer, owners and managing directors of the KSR Group.
“It all started with the presentation of the first Brixton 125 motorcycle at the EICMA 2016, and from then on it accelerated at an incredible pace! Being different and unconventional was and is the motto at Brixton Motorcycles – always in line with our mantra “Any directions, as long it is your own”. This approach is still very inspiring for us, especially when you see how the team and our large community identify with our brand!”
