since a company called Crocker made V-twins there in the 1930s.)Įach is bespoke to its owner, so speed and power specs are subject to change, but in general they weigh around 538 pounds and, at 121 hp, can cruise easily at 100 mph. (Arch is possibly the first motorcycle brand to be completely assembled in L.A. The bikes are made of more than 200 individual parts, most of which he fabricates with a small team of workers in the Hawthorne shop. Hollinger says he expects to make roughly 30 or just slightly more a year-exclusivity is important. "It has to make you giggle when you ride it," Hollinger says.Īrch has sold a handful of KRGT-1s since 2014 (the guys won't specify how many). (Reeves declined to say how much, other than noting they have no outside investors.) But there's a much simpler explanation: They're searching for a feeling. But that is what Reeves wanted.Īt least, that's the official story for why two 40-somethings continue to spend countless hours and their own money building a brand. Practicality and extreme design are often mutually exclusive when it comes to expensive bikes (just look at the awkward angles of the extreme choppers that cruise up and down the 405 every weekend). "The original bike was the result of Keanu expressing what he was hoping for in a motorcycle," Hollinger said. It was the rider to the bike, the experience of riding a motorcycle, our relationship, the idea with connecting with the company and our client." They called the company Arch because it "sounded good in the mouth," Reeves said: "Arches, doorways, bridges, beautiful, functional - it made me think of tunnels and bridges and connections and journey. It took them three years between finishing the prototype and getting the final result to production. He would design the bikes himself based on Reeves' vision, and the actor would road test them. "I told him, 'OK, the reason that we should do this is because the machine is amazing, and we're going to die' ," Reeves said, laughing. His company, LA County Chop Rods already generated plenty of business the former motocross racer had developed a cult following of riders who loved his ability to coax beauty and power out of raw metals.īut Reeves the A-list actor wasn't used to hearing "no." He asked Hollinger three more times - after long dinners and booze-filled nights brainstorming how good it could be - before winning him over. "It was this package that I wanted from the first time riding that bike. "It was this idea of a big V-twin, a long wheel base with modern grade suspension and the telemetry that Gard had designed and the ergonomics," he said. That's when he started bugging Hollinger to make more. But the bike was so fun, Reeves' said, that he couldn't get it out of his mind. They never planned to start a company - he had commissioned the prototype just for laughs and long rides. "It was really riding the prototype that was the proof of the business concept, even though we didn't know it," Reeves said. A lot more - some for himself, and some to share with friends. When Hollinger finished the bike, Reeves loved it so much he wanted more. That's when they started talking about building a completely new bike that would look beautiful and cruise, a gleaming silver prototype with thick tires and a gas tank curved like the fender of a Bugatti. "That wasn't really my thing," he told me with a wry grin. Reeves first approached Hollinger in 2007 with the request to modify his Harley with a "sissy bar" - the backrest you can attach on the rear seat of a motorcycle so your passenger can lean back. But he has already logged tens of thousands of miles on the backs of Nortons, Suzukis, a 1974 BMW 750, a Kawasaki KZ 900, a 1984 Harley Shovelhead, and a Moto Guzzi racer - all from his own personal collection. Unlike most experienced riders who started riding from a very young age on dirt bikes, scooters, and Groms, Keanu learned to ride as an adult. "Building that bike is where we got to know each other," Reeves said in July during an interview at their shop. The $78,000 motorcycles are based on a prototype Hollinger made for Reeves years ago each of the 2,032cc, V-twin-engine beasts are made to order in Hawthorne, Calif., an hour south of Los Angeles. He is, on the other hand, more than happy to talk with you about the Arch Motorcycles KRGT-1 superbikes he makes with his longtime friend, Gard Hollinger, a revered designer in the motorcycle world. And he definitely doesn't want to ride your pretty little café racer. He doesn't care about your trendy Scrambler-riding blue jeans or your fashion-forward "motorcycle" jacket. Don't mistake Keanu Reeves for some nice-guy motorcycle dilettante.
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