American Streetfighters
! SIZING UP AMERICAN EXOTICS ¡
By Kevin Duke
Imagine a world in which your pockets are overflowing with disposable income , a place where nothing but the best belongs in your garage . You won ’ t settle for anything less than an American V-Twin powerplant , but you want something sportier and more exclusive than what ’ s offered from Harley-Davidson or Indian Motorcycle .
Well , get out your checkbook and be prepared to write down a six-figure number if you desire any of the machines on these pages . All are powered by engines that displace more than 2,000cc and have enough torque to shift the globe off its axis , and each has a chassis CNC-carved from giant blocks of aluminum billet .
If you insist on having a motor with Harley-Davidson roots , take a look at the ARCH 1s ( below ) that we tested in our December 2022 issue . It ’ s powered by a 124ci S & S Cycle engine and comes with the pedigree of famed actor Keanu Reeves , who runs ARCH Motorcycle with builder Gard Hollinger .
If Indian motorcycles are more your flavor , feast your eyes on the splendor offered in the Audette Velos . It ’ s the first ground-up motorcycle built by craftsman Tony Audette , and its billet-aluminum frame is stuffed with 126ci of motivation from a hot-rodded Indian Thunderstroke powerplant .
And then there ’ s the incredible and otherworldly Wraith from Combat Motors , a rebranded company that picks up where Confederate Motors left off . It uses a triple-cam 132ci engine sourced from S & S and cuts though space and time with an unforgettable girder-type front end . The bike shares a clear airbox cover concept with the Velos , but the Wraith one-ups the Audette with a see-through fuel tank .
Take a look at how their specs match up , and read the following pages to learn more about the Wraith and the Velos . No matter which bike your deeppocketed self would choose , you can be pretty sure that it won ’ t be parked alongside another one . We invite you to dream big !
The ARCH 1s came from the minds of builder Gard Hollinger and superstar actor Keanu Reeves . Priced at $ 128,000 , it ’ s a stunning and sporty piece of rolling art .
Photo by Jordan Mastagni
26 | OCTOBER 2023 | AMERICANRIDER . COM