Here’s one more example of a chopper builder recognizing the move toward bikes that work and building something you can actually ride on the street. Russ Mitchell’s Exile Cycles has produced the RX-Streetfighter, powered by a Jims 120 inch twin cam with a 6 speed and loaded with carbon fiber. The exhaust is slung under the engine like a Buell and the bike has geometry and a wheelbase much like a real and functional motorcycle.
I’m not crazy about the design but it’s interesting that he built this at all. I’m curious whether the customers looking for a bike from Exile will warm up to this change of direction but it’s a smart move for him to test the waters a bit. I wonder what some of the other chopper shops are working on. Can you imagine something like this from the Orange County guys? I feel a disturbance in the force.
Link: Exile Cycles
Brian says
I like it a lot. I dare say they’re paying homage to (ie: stealing from) the Confederate Hellcat. Certainly not as fluid looking as the Hellcat, but gritty and minimal in its own way. I wonder what the dry weight is…
Ricky says
It will need a few more lights before you can really ride it on the street. And some more reflectors before they can sell it for the street. Another one-off prototype. I like the concept but not the execution.
kneeslider says
Actually, the lights are all there! The rear lights and turn signals are inside the perforated metal under the seat and show when lit. There are also small turn signals and a headlight up front. Well hidden but functional.
Gerhard says
Not to mention the fact that Russ is from Blighty, where the streetfighter is king! So, no points for guessing where he got his inspiration from. But that’s neither here nor there. Maybe this might lead to another genre of motorcycle building, not chopper, not streetfighter BUT THE CHOPFIGHTER!
But seriously, I quite like Tim Cameron’s VR2 power chopper, and I think Honda did something similar as a concept. I, for one, don’t want the chopper industry to go away completely, so an amalgam of interests seem to be the way forward. Stick your big V-Twin into a frame with some Öhlins suspension, Brembo brakes and 240 rear tyre (300 plus is gaudy, I agree), and you have yourself a sweet ass ride to go Gixxer hunting with, all from the confort of your sofa.
I don’t believe it, I just created a brand new motorcycle market single handedly. Now if only I had a hacksaw…and a dremel tool…and a grinder…and maybe some cash (not to mention talent) lying around!
hoyt says
It would be interesting to hear his “riding impression”. Those wheels must make a noticable difference in handling.
todd says
The frame seems as though it would still be pretty flexible. I doubt bolting some 17″ wheels on a ’70s tech chassis will allow it to go gixxer hunting. Never mind the fact that it still doesn’t have near the same amount of power. I think this bike will allow one to go GS or EX 500 hunting…
It still looks mighty unfinished. Imagine the stripe up your back the next time you ride through a dirty puddle.
-todd
Adrian says
That bike was in the Exile display at Sturgis, and I think I saw Russ Mitchell riding it around sturgis Friday afternoon, when I think the rest of the bikes went on a trailer. So maybe it’s a personal bike?
Gerhard says
Ha Ha “…GS or EX 500 hunting…”
But c’mon now, this is the 2nd time someone’s shot my comments down (previously for commenting on the new HD 1200 Sporter’s exhausts). I’m just trying to encourage some out of the box thinking here. Not all the choppers are that great, but out of every 10 built, maybe 1 or 2 really is a work of art. Russ’ limp wrist fighter might not be flavour of the month, but if more guys get in on it, they’ll try to improve on it (and surely succeed), and who knows what might be!
hoyt says
Gerhard — a new genre has been brewing for sometime. And, thanks in part to the Kneeslider, this genre is gaining some ground.
check out these builders…throughout the Kneeslider and elsewhere online
(I’m sure you’ve heard of some of these)
American Cafe Racer
Big Twin Racer – built a big twin sportbike nearly 10 years ago.
Confederate
Ecosse
Roland Sands
Wakan
Case says
(thanks for the plug, hoyt)
I like Mitchell’s work. Yes, he’s a British ex-pat, but Europe is responsible for fueling the streetfighter craze. It just isn’t catching on here because the “all show, no go” flame-and-skull-painted cartoon bike market is still huge. So it’s good to see Mitchell make something somewhat closer to his roots. The HD-based V-Twin market is such a huge market in the States, just look at how many aftermarket companies make bolt-on parts for Harley’s and clones. That’s all driven by the market size. It sucks, I know. That’s what made me want to work for a company who’s passionately trying to go against the grain.
I’ve heard about the similarities between Confederate and Exile before. But I don’t think any of it is intentional. I think it has to deal with two companies who refuse to follow the crowd. You know, “exile” and “confederate”, are kind of similar ideas aren’t they? What we make seems to be inspired by similar mission, not design. A lot of people think Confederate Motorcycles has something to do with a political agenda just because of the name. Maybe all the name comes from is the founder’s idea of a small motorcycle company rebelling against the dominance of a very large American motorcycle company. But, that’s a different topic.
Confederate has been using the same carbon wheels Mitchell chose, and I must say that they are the best performance part you can put on any bike. Well worth the money compared to other performance mods. Simple concept using lighter wheels: wheels spin quicker, stop quicker, turn quicker.
We’re also putting the Jims Twin-Cam race motor in the Wraith. Only, you’ll notice in Exile’s picture, they’re using the standard Harley-derived transmission. This engine/transmission design is not meant to be placed in a sport bike chassis. This is why the Wraith will have a proprietary transmission with vertically stacked shafts, thus making it a load-bearing semi-unit motor. The compact Confederate drivetrain, which is the core design of all Confederate bikes since 1994, allows the swing arm pivot to be much closer and tighter to the core of the chassis. This isn’t new motorcycle design folks, it just looks like HD stopped innovating decades ago. Nostalgia works better for them.
Although, Confederate isn’t really ‘made for TV’, and Sturgis and other rallies are a circus of collective followers, it’s unlikely that we’d run into each other on the street. But, I’d sure like to put a Hellcat next to Mitchell’s bike. The Hellcat will make him wanna slap his mamma. A popular cycle magazine due out next month should put any ideas to rest that our bikes are just expensive toys. I’ve heard our quarter mile et’s were resrectable, even giving a Hayabusa a run for it’s money. The Hellcat Dyno’d at 142 bhp and 154 ft-lb of torque. It’s got all of the best suspension components made, good wheels, and an extremely rigid chassis. We’ve got your Gixxer Hunter right here, GERHARD, stop by any time.
And just for the record, Ecosse founders used to be a dealer for Confederate bikes, until they started making their own bikes with very similar parts. I think they were planning on Confederate going belly up back then or something like that.
Well, we ain’t dead yet. We wish Ecosse much success.
We’ve also had a Fighter on the back burner for years, and I hope we will revisit it. But, we’re a small company so we can only handle so many projects at a time. It’s basically a ‘chopped’ Hellcat, with higher ground clearance, rear sets and clip-ons. Everything else is stock Hellcat.
Here are some old pictures of the Hellcat Fighter on the track:
http://www.confederate.com/con_web/home/news/video/images/iotm13.jpg
http://www.confederate.com/con_web/home/news/video/images/iotm16.jpg
http://www.confederate.com/con_web/home/news/video/images/iotm17.jpg
Now that we’re designing our own 90 deg water cooled V-twin motor, the Fighter may be revisited. We’ll see.
Bring that thing to B’ham Russell! We’ve got a world-class track in our back yard and we’re testing the Wraith next month. We’ll have our own ‘battle of the twins’! C’mon, it’ll be fun!
stacius says
Case, I’ll probably never be able to afford one but damn, that Streetfighter is COOL!
It’s exactly what the boys over at the UTMC board (www.blackletter.org) have been talking about. A solid, no bling, performance motorcycle!
mark says
That bike is the one Russell Mitchell built to compete against Billy Lane on “Biker Build-Off.” I was interested to see that he chose to build a practical style of bike, especially going up against Lane (whose bike burst into flames on the ride to Laconia — it had sprayed Lane with gasoline, so he was lucky not to catch fire too).
I’d love to see what Russell Mitchell could do with a cafe racer-style bike, but this one’s not bad either. I don’t care for the tail section, but the bike as a whole is a big improvement over the type of chopper Billy Lane builds.
Earl says
It sure is a cool looking bike – but why the 45* pushrod engine? Let’s see it with a desmo or SV1000 90* motor, and it might be something I want.
Keith_Indy says
And what should the “new class” of street bikes be called?
Sport-Bobber???
Case says
Earl –
It’s 45 degree because there’s plenty of companies making aftermarket motors based on the American air-cooled 45 degree V-twin push-rod design. Anyone can buy one and drop it in their custom project. It’s a little more difficult to buy other non-american motors, especially if you want to package it in a certified chassis and re-sell it.
And if an American company does design its own modern motor, are they going to sell it in the aftermarket to other companies or custom builders?
I think ‘Muscle Bikes’ still fits as the class today. Afterall, I believe the V-Max was actually designed in California in the early ’80s, for Americans.
hoyt says
why an American 45 pushrod? great torque, servicability, hop-up mods.
Victory will gain more and more ground. And more and more mods will be available (S&S already have a kit). …maybe to the point of aftermarket engines based on the more modern Victory engine.
Hopefully, someday, big torque sportbike builders will be able to pull a compact, Bert Baker transmission off the shelf and include it in their own chassis.
Case says
I think Confederate has given up on Baker. He must be too busy with TV appearances or something. I saw him on Biker Build off a few weeks back flaunting a tattoo of his new transmission on his arm. It all made sense then. He wouldn’t even return our calls (I mean, how hard is it to call someone back?) about developing a unit transmission together, so we just went ahead did it on our own. I’m actually in Detroit right now getting it prototyped. If all goes well, the bike will be running next week.
We are buying motors from Jims and they’ve been much more pleasant to work with. Jims makes transmissions too, and we’re very impressed with the quality and professionalism of the company. Their six-speed gear set will drop right into our new design. Jims is where it’s at.
Pretty soon the confederate.com parts store will go live, but probably not until after the new year. We’ve got a bunch of obsolete parts we’ll throw on there that would be good for any custom project. Don’t expect any chrome, though, sorry. We’ve got at least a dozen sets of black Marzzocci 50mm superbike forks that have scratched crowns from shipping. They’ll go quick.
hoyt says
I’ve mentioned Jims on theKneeslider before….if I had the dough, they would be on the list to check out, including Baker (even if he wouldn’t return the first call).
Hopefully, Jims will not be contractually bound to only sell &/or design a compact trans. to only one company such as Confederate. (not sure if that is the situation with Baker or not. He built the trans. for Ecosse.)
If Baker, Jims, etc. manufactures a compact transmisssion that is available to the public, the possibilities are great for both the supplier & the custom/small batch bike market….
1. cruisers/choppers would have more options to expand their designs
2. what about a custom sport tourer with a big twin? Yep, a custom sport tourer. The 6th gear is there for the open road & the torque is there for the winding roads.
3. more sportbike-spec geometry could be mated to the big twin
“No Regrets” made the cover of PB – Performance Bike last month. I dare say, the big lump with its torque has a certain appeal to anyone when given a chance. We’re not saying its intent is to replace the enjoyment of a high revving racebike; but the big twin has a place in two-wheeled fun when given a proper home.
Roland says the geometry of No Regrets is along the lines of a GSX-R 1000, but it still has a 60+” inch wheelbase. A smaller transmission could make the wheelbase between 57 and 59 inches
What exactly is taking up all of that space is a typical HD transmission anyway? I’ve read through Baker’s website where he discusses some of the design elements required to handle huge torque. However, the Hellcat, the Ecosse, & the gear-driven MT-01 prove it can be done in a compact way.
Victory – your engine with a smaller gear-driven primary & final drive would be awesome in a “big torque, naked cafe” bike.
bob says
“Stick your big V-Twin into a frame with some Öhlins suspension, Brembo brakes and 240 rear tyre (300 plus is gaudy, I agree), and you have yourself a sweet ass ride to go Gixxer hunting with, all from the confort of your sofa. ”
roland sands has been doing that and now exile is…
the future looks good for this type of bike. not a chopper, not a standard. just a motorcycle.
von says
in the search engine description for this site it says it is a bobber with a spring front end?….hummm?
filthy chris says
I thin k you people who dont like this bike are unoriginal in thought. this bike is BAD! sorry its not a cheesy bourget or cookie cutter chopper. It performs and looks tougher than any occ or jesse james bike. This is where bike building becomes art, by doing something different and not relying on aftermarket parts and cheese ball paint schemes to raise the value of your bike. Open your mind to the true art form, not just the fad!