Yahoo Autos Keanu Reeves' Arch Motorcycles launches sportier 1s
California-based Arch Motorcycles, founded by Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger, has launched its second model, the 1s. The hand-built bikes are tailored to the preferences of each rider and have been likened by Jay Leno to a Pagani in two-wheeled form.
Arch describes the 1s as a performance cruiser, but it leans a bit more heavily on the performance side. As Hollinger says, you sit on it, not in it. There are elements that are unabashedly American, like a monster V-twin. The S&S downdraft fuel-injected motor built to Arch specs is a whopping 2.0 liters and churns out 122 pound-feet of torque at the rear wheel (The company did not disclose brake horsepower figures).
It's a version of same motor that underpins Arch's first bike, the KRGT-1. That one was more of a cruiser, inspired by Reeves' custom Harley-Davidson built by Hollinger, the bike that put the duo on the path to establishing Arch. But in both cases, surrounding the rumbling V-twin heart is loads of carbon fiber, billet aluminum and a thoroughly modern design. It's what a Harley would be if it wasn't stuck catering to a baby boomer past and allowed to evolve.
