Yes, Keanu Reeves is involved with a motorcycle company. Arch Motorcycle Company is a startup bike business that he is partnered with Gard Hollinger with, and they make…well, motorcycles. Specifically, a V-twin bike that is a lot of aluminum, carbon fiber, and really doesn’t fit well into a category that I’m personally familiar with. If anything, it’s reminding me of a Buell or a Harley V-Rod in mission, as a torquey bike that won’t embarass itself in the turns, but isn’t quite a crotch-rocket. It’s not a flash in the pan kind of deal either…to build five or ten bikes is one thing, but to go to the trouble of 50-state compliance, Euro NCAP compliance, and to deal with every bit of paperwork and red tape that goes along with it takes commitment and patience. You don’t do that if you aren’t in it for the long haul.
The Arch KRGT-1 is a pretty bike, a two-liter cruiser hybrid that costs…well, more than you are ready for. Think eighty grand and you are in the ballpark, but think about the people who buy one-off bike builds, and it might make a bit more sense. Maybe. But to see two guys who are putting together a useable bike that can still be customized…just about all of the billet aluminum parts put into the creation of one of these motorcycles is done on-site and can be adjusted to a buyer’s wish.
Keanu has been a bike guy since he was a kid, and Hollinger was doing custom bike builds before Arch came into being, so two motorcycle guys focusing on one product that can be custom-tailored? Yes, that works. And to prove it, they brought Jay Leno some bikes, one of which to sample for himself. Check it out:
Looks like the sort of bike that used to be called a standard – ironically enough, one of the harder types of bikes to find these days in a sea of cruisers and sport bikes.
Just like the crapass Confederate. Built for people with more skills writing cheques than riding skills.