The Bike That Gives You Cruiser Style With Sports Bike Attitude
Most of the time, motorcycles tend to fit neatly into a category. No matter how much we try to rationalize that this ADV is capable of being a commuter or that this sport bike is amazing for touring, the fact is, they still sit in their respective segments. Even cruiser motorcycles. They’re laid-back, lazy machines with comfortable ergonomics, long wheelbases, big engines, and a sense of occasion. But what about the cruisers that want to break out of that shell? This is the territory of the bruiser cruiser: big muscular rockets on two wheels that somehow break out of the cruiser mold and sneak into sport bike territory.
Cruisers Have Started Getting Serious About Performance
The modern performance-cruiser idea did not appear overnight. It sort of grew from people wondering what would happen if you gave a traditionally styled cruiser considerably more engine and sharper chassis hardware. The Triumph Rocket III is one of the most memorable answers. Introduced about two decades ago, it eventually evolved into the Rocket 3, whose current Storm R uses a massive 2.5-litre inline-three engine that produces 180 horsepower and 166 pound-feet of torque.
Triumph has deep roots in cruiser culture, but Ducati doesn’t. They come in from the opposite side of the spectrum. The Diavel V4 uses a 1,158cc V4 Granturismo engine producing 168 horsepower and 93 pound-feet of torque. What both of these have in common is this raw, visceral sport bike performance wrapped in the guise of a cruiser. It may be an odd combination for sure, but it is damned fun to think about.
There’s An American Interpretation Of This, Too
ARCH Motorcycle found an opportunity here. Founded in 2011 and famously co-founded by Keanu Reeves, ARCH Motorcycle set out to “challenge the perceptions of what an American Motorcycle could be.” The approach, too, has always been unusually hands-on, combining in-house manufacturing with components sourced from specialist suppliers and tailoring each motorcycle around its owner.
ARCH says its development program has accumulated more than 100,000 miles across different types of roads, from California canyon routes to freeways and coastal highways. The goal wasn’t to simply create an expensive custom motorcycle that looks spectacular, but for their motorcycles to function as serious road machines.
Meet The KRGT-1 That Established ARCH’s Performance-Cruiser Identity
The KRGT-1 was ARCH Motorcycle’s first bike, and is perhaps the clearest expression of ARCH’s philosophy. Almost every major component has a purpose beyond simply looking expensive. The interesting part is how the motorcycle is built around the rider. Every KRGT-1 is built to order at ARCH’s Los Angeles facility, with the company tailoring the aesthetic package and ergonomic setup to the individual owner. Seat shape, foot controls, and hand-control positioning can become part of the build rather than something selected from a set of factory accessories. This is what also gives you the illusion of a custom track bike in the sense that it is customized to you specifically.
The Twin Heart Of The KRGT-1
Powering the KRGT-1 is an American-made S&S Cycle T124 V-twin. This 2,032cc air-cooled engine produces 115.3 pound-feet of torque at the rear wheel. The engine is designed with a downdraft intake specifically to keep the motorcycle’s overall package relatively slender. Now, ARCH says the engine is tuned around high torque and a broad torque curve rather than chasing the redline. It makes sense for a cruiser, too. With so much displacement and torque on tap, you barely need to touch the higher revs just to feel fast.
The engine is also paired with a proprietary five-speed drivetrain using a compact high-torque mainshaft and a dry clutch. The dry clutch also delivers a mechanical character, something that is increasingly unusual in modern street motorcycles. Now, five gears sounds modest when compared to six-speed gearboxes on other performance machines, but the KRGT-1 is tuned more for strong, usable acceleration.
Suspension From Ohlins and Stopping Power From ISR Brakes
Suspension comes from 48mm inverted front forks from Ohlins and a custom-valved Ohlins rear shock absorber with an accessible hydraulic remote reservoir. Of course, there is full preload, compression, and rebound adjustability on both sides. Brakes are equally sporty, with components coming from ISR Brakes, a legendary Swedish company founded in 1968. At the front, two massive radially mounted six-piston monobloc calipers bite down on 320 mm discs. At the rear is a four-piston monobloc caliper also from ISR Brakes.
The Attitude Comes From The KRGT-1’s Design
The KRGT-1 does not resemble a conventional cruiser. Instead, it is an odd mix of cruiser silhouette and smooth, rounded surfaces from sport bikes. From the cowl over the headlamps to the pointy tail section, the can flow cleanly over and around the rider if you bend down enough. Of course, the entire ergonomic setup is customizable from the seat and footpegs to the reach for the handlebar.
You can have it sporty or as cruiser-like as you want. The ARCH needs to feel relaxed enough to cover long distances the way a cruiser would, but at the same time, it has to be focused enough for when the roads get twisty. By curating the bike for the rider, ARCH can focus on that balance much better than any other factory motorcycle.
The KRGT-1 Is Designed Around The Chassis
The chassis is another place where you can see the sport bike attitude. ARCH combines a tubular steel main frame with CNC-machined aluminum components, including the subframe and fuel-cell structure. The machined billet aluminum fuel cell also acts as a stressed member, which ARCH says contributes to the chassis’s rigidity. Now, the wheelbase measures 68 inches with a 30-degree rake and a 5-inch trail. This design choice was deliberate, and it allows the KRGT-1 to maintain a surprising amount of agility despite its rock-solid straight-line stability.
Technology Is Decidedly Lacking
The KRGT-1 gets a surprising lack of technology, and while this sort of fits in with a cruiser mindset, it is a little odd. ABS from Bosch is available so as not to lose traction under heavy braking or deceleration, and there is lean-angle detection, but it’s used to adjust the bike’s LED lighting array. There are no riding modes, but during the bespoke build process, ARCH can tune the throttle mapping and final drive to the rider’s preferences. Finally, you have a custom LCD that can pair with your smartphone but shows only status alerts like incoming phone calls.
The ARCH KRGT-1 Occupies A Peculiar Corner Of The Motorcycle World
Price: ~$93,000
Now, ARCH does not provide an official base price for the current model. However, at its 2015 launch, the KRGT-1 debuted at an introductory price of $78,000. This was then updated to $85,000 following a major overhaul to some components. Current estimates from media houses base the price at $93,000, with highly personalized builds often crossing $110,000. Now, because of this, the KRGT-1 occupies an extreme niche in the motorcycle market. It can directly compete with the likes of the Triumph Rocket 3 and the Ducati Diavel V4 when looking at it from a segment perspective. But its price puts it leagues above either of the two power cruisers.
Source: Arch Motorcycle
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