Arch Motorcycle's flagship bike brings innovative design, crushing performance and artistic flair together for buyers looking for something, shall we say, a little more exclusive. Proprietary engine management components and an S&S twin-cam V-twin drive the bike with over 120 pound-feet of torque to work with, so it's far from being just a showy curb ornament. A monster 2,032 cc engine drives this lovely beast for a bike that is as much art as it is transportation.

Continue reading for my review of the Arch Motorcycles KRGT-1.

Design

This ride is the first fruit borne of the partnership between actor Keanu Reeves and self-taught engineer Gard Hollinger. Keanu's influence and star power is reflected in the first two letters of the KRGT-1 moniker, but he is far from just being a celebrity face-man for a company. This whole project got started when Mr. Reeves decided to build his own bike, and the relationship developed with Mr. Hollinger during this project gave birth to this bike, sort of. The original set the tone for the production model, but every part was re-worked for the limited-edition production model.

The overall look of the thing is almost Steampunk with its ultra-modern Euro streetfighter frame wrapped around a pushrod-actuated V-twin derived from an over 100-year old engine design. A flat-faced cam cover and low-profile primary drive kind of help tie the engine to the frame, and they accentuate the visual clash of technology that makes this such an interesting bike.

Inverted front forks and a smallish, carbon fiber front fender make the KRGT-1 look racy right out of the gate. A sportbike-like headlamp houses high-output LED high- and low-beams (those eye-searing and much-maligned blue headlights) and a teensy wind deflector caps the light can to form a recess for the programmable Motogadget Motoscope Pro Digital Instrumentation.

The split fuel tank halves add up to a total capacity of five gallons and incredibly, are milled from billet aluminum. While the shape forms a knee pocket that looks similar to some of Moto Guzzi's current tanks, it has it for a very different reason. It makes room for a pocket between the tanks that serves as the air box with the air cleaner nestled up atop the downdraft intake, a very clean solution to the ugly “side-breather” cleaners we usually see on Harley-type engines.

The upper lines follow the gentle arch of the backbone down to a very scooped seat before tapering off to almost nothing, and the taillight and turn signals come built under the reflective tail fairing for an ultra-clean ass end that comes to an almost alien-looking point and precludes the need for lensed light housings.

Foot controls can be mounted in either the mid-mount or forward position, but no matter where your feet are, the butt-to-bar line pulls the upper body forward and encourages a cruiser slouch while leaving room to tuck in for a more aggressive posture. Appropriate for a power-cruiser model, don't you think?

Chassis

The company's namesake arch makes an appearance in the tubular-steel backbone that stays visible sandwiched between the tanks and defines the upper line shape. Billet steel and billet aluminum parts make up the rest of the single-downtube, double-cradle frame, and a billet aluminum swingarm with lightweight, titanium axle adjusters completes the standing rigging.

Hollow axles, and carbon-fiber fenders keep unsprung weight down at both ends of the bike, a fact that helps the fully adjustable, 43 mm, usd, Ohlins front forks and fully-adjustable, coil-over, Ohlins monoshock tame the motion at the wheels. Carbon fiber rims mount a Michelin 120/70 R19 front hoop and a massive, 240/40 R18 rear. Handling is stable with a 30-degree rake and 5 inches of trail on a 68-inch wheelbase, and surprisingly eager in the corners in spite of the wide rear tire and steering geometry.

Dual, six-pot, opposed-piston, monoblock calipers bite the big front brake discs, and a four-pot caliper slows the rear with no ABS or brake linking to clutter up the works. This is one bike that probably could benefit from ABS, 'cause I've seen what overbraking with a pair of opposed, six-pot calipers looks like, and it ain't pretty. You had better respect that front brake lever, or it will bite you.

Drivetrain

At 124 cubic-inches (2,032 cc), the T124 mill is one of the biggest V-twins on the road. Built specifically for Arch by S&S, the engine is more-or-less an H-D twin-cam clone with Arch's proprietary, down-draft, fuel-injected engine management system on overwatch. Not only do the looks of the 45-degree mill peg this bike as an American cruiser, but they bring that old-school vibe that both clashes with, and compliments, the modern sportbike exterior.

That's not all this plant brings to the table, oh no; it cranks out a generous 121.7 pound-feet of torque, backed up by 122 horsepower. I don't have to tell you that's enough power to scratch the itch when you feel like getting twisty with it. A six-speed Baker transmixer comes built to Arch's specifications, and boasts a compact, high-torque mainshaft with a chain final drive to make the connection to the rear tire.

A two-into-one exhaust collector feeds an upswept muffler, but in spite of that, the KRGT-1 suffers from a lack of cornering clearance even with the silencer out of the way. As with the brakes, we have no traction control or rider-mode bollocks to muddy up the waters, just clean, honest, basic controls.

Price

Though the price tag is a bit of a shock at first, if you consider what it costs to build the bike it starts to make sense. Between buying billet aluminum at $3 per pound and selling the scrap for $0.50 per pound, the fuel-tank alone costs over $1300 to make, so the $78,000 sticker comes as less of a shock. Still out of reach for most of us, but exclusivity can be a big selling point. You can place an order with the company for $15,000 “earnest money.”

Competitor

Bikes that are more like works of rolling art than what you might call run-of-the-mill transportation pieces don't come along every day. Fortunately, my friends at Confederate Motorcycle had something that I think will appeal to the same sort of buyer, the P51 Combat Fighter.

While appearances are radically different, they share a similar sportbike stance and old-meets-new panache, but the P51 carries quite a bit more “Steampunk” than the KRGT-1, and is far more industrial than its sleek rival. One thing they do share is a pushrod-actuated V-twin in and amongst all the post-modern features; a nice contrast that really boosts curb appeal for both.

The Arch mill runs in a 45-degree V-twin configuration familiar to the U.S. consumer, but the wider 56.25-degree layout of the P51 mill kind of sticks out a little bit. Having said that, it fits the overall look of the bike well enough and brings performance numbers to the table that make aesthetics seem a trivial concern. The P51 cranks out a stump-pulling 170 pound-feet of torque at an amazingly low 2,000 rpm, and backs it up with 145 horsepower at 5,100 rpm, quite a bit more than the 122 ponies and pounds from the KRGT-1. I would remind the reader that these are meant to be power-cruisers, not sportbikes, and both are certainly more powerful than you can fully use legally on public roads, so the power difference shouldn't factor in much here.

Another thing that probably won't make a difference to the target buyer is price. At $78,000, the KRGT-1 is a bit cheaper than the $125,000 P51, but once a bike transcends into the status-symbol realm, such concerns become secondary at best. One thing is for certain, they're both out of my reach, though it doesn't cost anything to daydream about owning one of each.

He Said

“I've been looking forward to this bike, and I like what I see. It's really cool how what started as just a custom project turned into a company, and Mr. Reeves' has certainly got some extra respect from me, both for his tastes in bikes and his two-wheel preference. What I look to see now is a second model that shows this team isn't a one-trick pony. Get to work, guys”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, "I must admit that I knew Keanu Reeves was a motorcyclist, but I didn't know the depth and breadth of his passion for two wheels. So dedicated is he to cycles, he buys a motorcycle when on location and then sells it when shooting is done just so he can ride when away from home. And he's a Norton fan. Gotta love a man who likes Nortons."

Specifications

References

See our review of the Confederate P51 Combat Fighter.