..."So I was like 'WHOA'!"

[Vance]

http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news--general-news/keanu-reeves-starts-motorcycle-company/21609.html



KEANU REEVES has announced he is teaming up with friend Gard Hollinger of L.A. County Choprods to launch the Arch Motorcycle Company.
The star of The Matrix and Speed has been a motorcycle enthusiast for 25 years.


Hollinger and Reeves met a number of years ago when Reeves commisioned Hollinger to undertake a customization job. After working together for five years on the bike, the pair decided to take the step of mass producing their creation.


Speaking to ultimatemotorcycling.com, Gard Hollinger said: 'We have a common vision. We started with the idea of a performance-based modern machine. Once the bike was complete, it looked like a production motorcycle but unlike anything we had ever seen. It's unique and we can't wait to introduce it to the world.'


Production of the signature bike, the Arch KR GT-1, is expected to begin in 2013.


Reeves is a dedicated fan of two-wheelers - his first ride was a Kawasaki 600 Enduro. He now owns a variety of Norton Commandos as well as the first Arch Motorcycle.


Speaking of his passion, Reeves said: 'I'm a guy that loves everything about motorcycles - the sounds, the style and the aesthetic combined with the function but most of all the riding experience. I've enjoyed motorcycles for as long as I can remember and I'm ready to share my passion with the world.'

[TransNone13]

Pretty nice!

[Mother Goose]

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2010/03/08/bill-ted-excellent-adventur.jpg

[madvlad]

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2010/03/08/bill-ted-excellent-adventur.jpg

Whoaaaaaa, win duuuude!

[vort3xr6]

http://img.humorsharing.com/media/images/1202/i_4230_keanu-reeves-conspiracy-meme.jpg

[salsashark]

http://s3.visordown.com/uploads/images/original/51536.jpg

http://www.trickfist.com/trickfist/image/1/sad-keanu-reeves-meme.jpg

[Wrider]

Bravo on re-inventing the Buell...
:facepalm:

[kawasakirob]

Looks somewhate similar to the Confederate bikes

[Vance]

Bravo on re-inventing the Buell...
:facepalm:


Looks somewhate similar to the Confederate bikes

My general thoughts are:
If there's someone out there in the Hollywood / other fame-based community helping to promote the motorcycling community - I'm all for it. Clearly he's not just another hog-riding poser, he's an enthusiast. We haven't had many of those who are willing to truly get behind the motorcycling community since the days of Steve McQueen, IMO.

Sure - Brad Pitt rides... even Tom "Bad Xenu" Cruise rides (sportbikes even)... Pink rides... most of the female cast of the Battlestar Galactica ride (Katie Sachoff in particular is quite the enthusiasts about it - (see her custom she had built for her below) - but not many are out there actively promoting the industry / hobby in a positive way or as publicly as they could.

I say more power to them. Good luck. Maybe one day we'll see someone with some star power throw themselves behind an american built sportbike.

http://www.bikeexif.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/honda-xl600-classified-moto-5.jpg

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Katee-Sackhoff-Classified-Moto-KT600-custom-11.jpg

[Wrider]

No I agree, but I'm tired of "American Sportbikes" meaning an air cooled twin powering what otherwise would be a good bike. Motus has the right idea with that V4, but 30K plus would get you a more powerful, better-for-touring GL1800...

[Vance]

No I agree, but I'm tired of "American Sportbikes" meaning an air cooled twin powering what otherwise would be a good bike. Motus has the right idea with that V4, but 30K plus would get you a more powerful, better-for-touring GL1800...

Well when I mean American Sportbike - I'd like to see a MFG that goes directly after the Ducati / Aprilia / MV Agusta / Bimota (maybe the Triumph triple market) enthusiasts.

It'd have to be all about power mixed with torque, style, and most importantly soul!

Forget the I4s - in that market you're not going to compete against the Big 4 Japanese MFGs... but I think if you could make a reasonable weight V engine, great light design, sufficient power, and keep it under 17k - you'd have yourself one hell of a market opportunity in the states if you targeted to that particular sector.

I think for cost effectiveness you'd have to likely start off with a naked bike - going against the Monster and the Tuono more than anything else... then expand the line into true sport bike stylings with full fairing setups, larger engines, but with the right engineers on the design, the right choice of engine design (hell - maybe revive the Rotax plant as the foundation?), and the right "celebrity backing" - you could easily make a smaller MFG plant that could easily produce as many, and as good if not better quality bikes as say a Bimota or MV Agusta.

I think it'd take some time (a good decade) to get to say Aprilia production levels,... but hell - if I won the powerball - it'd be an investment I'd make to see it come to fruition.

[TransNone13]

That's a good point. Why can't American companies make a sport bike people want to ride? The Japanese do it all; twins, inlines, v-4s, and triples! What gives?

[Snowman]

Just go old school...

http://www.motorcycleinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Tom-Cruise-Top-Gun-motorcycle.jpg

[laspariahs]

That's a good point. Why can't American companies make a sport bike people want to ride? The Japanese do it all; twins, inlines, v-4s, and triples! What gives?

I think it's because the profit margin is small, or at least much smaller than cruisers. I would bet the engineering to create a world class sportbike is much more expensive than a cruiser. Why bother when you can just pump out steel framed bikes with aircooled engines.

[TransNone13]

I think it's because the profit margin is small, or at least much smaller than cruisers. I would bet the engineering to create a world class sportbike is much more expensive than a cruiser. Why bother when you can just pump out steel framed bikes with aircooled engines.

Yeah, I already knew the answer. Just wanted to complain. Same reason why we don't have light or AWD sport cars and just heavy RWD muscle cars.

[Vance]

I think it's because the profit margin is small, or at least much smaller than cruisers. I would bet the engineering to create a world class sportbike is much more expensive than a cruiser. Why bother when you can just pump out steel framed bikes with aircooled engines.

Actually you know... as an experiment (working in a hypothetical "I just won the powerball" scenario here)...

I kind would be intrigued by the idea of buying an engine from say the Panigale - and going to PJD and commissioning him to build a sportbike around it. I don't care for the OCC-esque cruiser shit - but that guy has a very out-of-the-box design brain (I kind of like the fact he doesn't put anything on paper / redesign the same thing over and over in CAD) and I think given the parameters could actually do it. I'd at least be interested to see what he, or a designer like him perhaps, would come up with having just an engine and a few base expectations within the sport bike genre - and free reign from there.

It certainly might not be the ultimate design or the best design from a larger scale manufacturing potential perspective - but really - after seeing the Buell design - could it really be any worse?

[kawasakirob]

The EBR 1190RS is a kick ass bike that rivals all of the above bikes mentioned...and it's American built....and if things still look up there will be an "affordable" model that will be priced similarly ( if not already ) to the Panigale

Styling rocks on it I think.

EBR= Erik Buell Racing...he did a really fantastic job with that bike.

[TransNone13]

They have RX, SX, and AX listed on the site. No info though.

[asp_125]

Mmmm Katie Sachoff ... :drool:

[Bueller]

- after seeing the Buell design - could it really be any worse?
Coming from someone who requires community input to pick out his bikes for him are you sure you know good design from bad?

[TransNone13]

lol ZING!

[kawasakirob]

Coming from someone who requires community input to pick out his bikes for him are you sure you know good design from bad?

+1

[kawasakirob]

When Cycleworld did a comparison with the EBR vs the big 4 and Italian manufacturers, it did extremely well. It is in the August 12' issue with E-Boz at the helm.
East course----
EBR 1190RS time : 1:35.45

Panigale time. : 1:35.31

RSV4 time. : 1:34.94



Just some numbers from MMP East and West where the test was held.

Sure it costs more... But it's a small shop ( Wisconsin ) where everything is built in house. Like mentioned above there should be a less expensive version coming shortly.

Here's the website

www.erikbuellracing.com