Confederate Motormacyles - Art or pants?

[Biff]

Now here's something a little different - Confederate Motormacycles (http://www.confederate.com/).

Yank tanks? Art? According to the reviews they're possibly the first American bikes that you can honestly say not only looks good but handles to boot.

The Wraith (first photo) has a 1490c motor, and kicks out an impressive 125bhp (claimed) @7200 rpm. Nice.

The second phot is of the Congederate Hellcat. Mmmmmmmmm.

[crashe]

hmmmmmmm is all I can say about the first pic.... :rofl: :rofl:

[Waylander]

Not for me personally but apparently Brad Pitt likes the Hellcat Jeniffer got him a while back....

[zadok]

I don't know what to say...... :blink:

[scooterboynz]

anything with two wheels , an engine , handle bars , etc rocks as far as i am concerned!

[Toast]

Hmmmm, indeed. I think they'd qualify as 'art'...

cue massive discussion about the nature of what exactly 'art' is...

Wolf, help!

[Coyote]

I think they're bloody awesome and would be the first bikes I'd buy if I won the Lotto. Everybody has disagreed with me so far on here and have responded with bad rep but I still think they look shit hot

[SPORK]

Victory are my favourite Amererericancan brand.

First pic looks amazing...

...ly horrible.

[Coyote]

Black wraith (Drool)

[Blackadda]

HELLCAT for me. Check out my Profile pic!

A bikes gotta have that something special, something a bit different. Like an old car, its gotta have some style!

[skidz]

Black wraith (Drool)
I'd prefer the hellcat.

[Back Fire]

Black wraith (Drool)

yes please

[Shagg]

definately Wraith!!

[Mental Trousers]

I think the Wraith was developed to see if they could make a bike without a single weld. So there's heaps of composite bonding and pressed together bits etc. They took it to Bonneville last year and did a few runs to see what it could do, ie see if it'd hold together. There was a magazine article about it a wee while back (can't remember which mag though)

Apparently the Hellcat understeers like a bitch.

Oh, and I think they were both featured in the background of a number of scenes in the movie The Island with Sean Bean, Ewan MacGregor and Scarlett Johansen.

[Matt Bleck]

Art, surely?!? :mellow:

How far do you reckon a tank of gas would get ya on one of those wraith bikes??

[Back Fire]

I think the Wraith was developed to see if they could make a bike without a single weld. So there's heaps of composite bonding and pressed together bits etc. They took it to Bonneville last year and did a few runs to see what it could do, ie see if it'd hold together. There was a magazine article about it a wee while back (can't remember which mag though)

Apparently the Hellcat understeers like a bitch.

Oh, and I think they were both featured in the background of a number of scenes in the movie The Island with Sean Bean, Ewan MacGregor and Scarlett Johansen.

Motorcycle Trader did articles on them

[Toast]

Here's a ride review of the Hellcat...kinda funky looking, can't recall their verdict on it though, have to read yourselves.

Mental riding position, God that'd be hard to hold on with the pegs that far forward.

edit: my bad, forgot the link, here it is...

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Article_Page.aspx?ArticleID=1952

They actually reckoned it performed pretty well.

[Biff]

Art, surely?!? :mellow:

How far do you reckon a tank of gas would get ya on one of those wraith bikes??

Dont know - but the Hellcat has an 18 litre tank. So possibly around a couple o hundy k's.

[Sniper]

Strange looking bikes. Im sort of curious though because they are "different" in a good way.

[SPORK]

Weelll, seeing as those bikes damaged my trust in American's, I thought that I'd be kind to all of youse, and show you what a real cruiser should look like:

http://www.azvictory.com/victorymotorcycles.htm

Check out the 8-Ball!

[Blackbird]

Looks like the Wraith has a Britten front end.

[DMNTD]

Strange looking bikes. Im sort of curious though because they are "different" in a good way.

...Agreed. Not your usual bike but pretty cool just due to them being diff.
I'd definately have one but there are a few more I'd buy first

[SARGE]

...Agreed. Not your usual bike but pretty cool just due to them being diff.
I'd definately have one but there are a few more I'd buy first



i think if i was looking for "Different".. i'd go with a Cagiva Xtra-Raptor or X-3.. still got all the looks with a big suzuki Vtwin to keep reliability up and maintenance costs down..

[James Deuce]

Definitely art, but in a Post-Industrial over-engineered fashion. Built by a Capitalist with his eye on a niche. Just like John Britten. All clever stuff.

Doesn't matter if bikes understeer in the US. Bikes like this will be ridden in cities that only have 90 degree turns, or trailered to Sturgis and Daytona Beach. All that matters is how broad is your tractor seat, and how fat is your rear tyre.

[Waylander]

Hey Jim2, only about 5% of the peaple (not stall opperators just the peaple that show up) trailor thier rides. And the stall opperators only trailor becouse they have so much stuff. Everyone else rides there from where ever they are in the country, some take several days to get there from thier home town.

So how many days straight can you ride your R6?

[thehollowmen]

have you seen the rear tyre on a hammer?
I have
you can't tell me that will handle. I'll find a pic for ya

EDIT:

Duh I'm stupid.
Yes those look gorgeous, it is victory motorcycles that I saw..

[James Deuce]

Hey Jim2, only about 5% of the peaple (not stall opperators just the peaple that show up) trailor thier rides. And the stall opperators only trailor becouse they have so much stuff. Everyone else rides there from where ever they are in the country, some take several days to get there from thier home town.

So how many days straight can you ride your R6?

Crikey that was easy.

:calm:

[Waylander]

Crikey that was easy.

:calm:
Knew what you were doin mate I just don't care.:bleh:

[HenryDorsetCase]

Black wraith (Drool)

same. that pic has been my work compu screen wallpaper for a couple of months now (replaced the Jesse James VTX 1800).

and for about $60kNZD (I think the quoted price is $45kus) you would get something actually cool... theres lots of H-Ds around that people want that much money for.

Alan Cathcart had an interesting take on it when he tested it. He was surprised it wasnt more sorted considering the amount of money it cost. the video (downloadable from their site over your work high speed connection) is pretty cool too. as is the sound they make.

to my eye its an update of a 50's bobber... Id have one.

[Wolf]

Hmmmm, indeed. I think they'd qualify as 'art'...

cue massive discussion about the nature of what exactly 'art' is...

Wolf, help!
Why ask me? I'm of the "I know nothing about art, but I know what I like" school (which rules out a lot of Impressionism, Expressionism and many other isms, IMO).

The bikes look pretty cool - not conventional by any stretch of the imagination, possibly "art". They'd certainly turn heads anywhere. I'd put them in my "like" category.

[SPORK]

have you seen the rear tyre on a hammer?
I have
you can't tell me that will handle. I'll find a pic for ya

EDIT:

Duh I'm stupid.
Yes those look gorgeous, it is victory motorcycles that I saw..
From what I read at MotorcycleUSA.com they're not actually that bad handling. And they certainly look far better than HDs.

[Wolf]

I note that the Wraith has an LED headlamp, according to its specs. Interesting

[Sniper]

...Agreed. Not your usual bike but pretty cool just due to them being diff.
I'd definately have one but there are a few more I'd buy first

Thats my silent thoughts too.

[Storm]

Ditto what Sniper said. A lot more daring than some designers these days

[Coyote]

I'd prefer the hellcat.
Same here but you've got to love the low down look of the Wraith

Wonder what it would look like with standard forks?

[SPORK]

Same here but you've got to love the low down look of the Wraith

Wonder what it would look like with standard forks?
Less of a steaming pile of elephant excretement?

I doubt it.

[thehollowmen]

From what I read at MotorcycleUSA.com they're not actually that bad handling. And they certainly look far better than HDs.

One of them has a factory flat spot in the middle of the tyre.
saw it in a review and they managed to get the forks completely compressed without spinning the back wheel.. it had that much 'straight' grip.