| Author | Message | ||
     Buellgirlie |
just saw the newest cover of robb report motorcycling today here's the bike on the cover http://www.ecossemoto.com/index.htm this is another one that originally caught my eye when it was on an earlier cover http://www.confederate.com/CMpages/CMmachines.html not sure if this one has been on cover, but its got a quote from the mag too - (correction, just found the pic. so all 3 have been on the cover of the mag) http://www.panteramotorcycles.com/ what do you guys think of these high dollar, handcrafted, american made custom machines? sustainable? anyone seen any of these in person? i saw a confederate hellcat at daytona this year, and it was breathtaking. D (Message edited by buellgirlie on August 06, 2006) | ||
| Statik |
the wraith is sick. how much do you think something like that would cost? | ||
| Brineusaf |
ecosse pulley cover looks nice. | ||
| Brineusaf |
Hey buellgirlie, did I ever thank you for the "items" you sent me? If not, thank you!  | ||
| Indy_bueller |
They're ok, but they seem like form over function to me. Designed to separate welathy people from thier money by telling them how special, different, and elite they are. | ||
| Mxer83 |
I am thinking straight line only cool!!!!! | ||
| Interceptor |
I think I have seen a couple prices. Nothing under 35k. Sweet bikes though. | ||
| Kano832003 |
That pantera lists the price. the base model is $45,000 and the upgraded model (has a 280 rear and different rims) is $49,000. I like all of the bikes and if I was thinking of purchasing a Corvette, I might just think about one of those instead (especially one of the confederates). | ||
| Freeflyer |
Pretty cool except that Confederate Wraith That thing is ugly  especially those front forks or whatever they are. looks like an antique bike that someone threw fairings on. | ||
| Dongalonga |
man look at all the room under those bikes for the exhaust!! | ||
| Buellgirlie |
brine - you're welcome! statik and interceptor - i cant find a price on the ecosse, but the pantera is (as kano said), $45-49K. the confederate wraith is $55K and the hellcat is $67.5K (from the pdf purchase order forms on the site) indy and mxer - i *think* that these are function and design based. it seems that they are very focused on performance amd premium componentry - and not as focused on "just" looks like average chopper where the point is the most raked out front end, craziest paint job, and fattest rear tire. someone with more tech/engineering in them than me, should take a look at them and offer an opinion! free - the wraith is the first bike i saw of this bunch. a couple years ago in a magazine. its definitely different. and looks very retro. i hated the appearance at first, but admired the design and ingenuity. its grown on me over the last 2 years, and i think that its pretty darn cool that there is at least *one* bike in this world, that competes in the custom/cruiser world, that no one will think is a "harley". D | ||
| Chainsaw |
what do you guys think of these high dollar, handcrafted, american made custom machines? The Confederate Hellcat is on my list of things to buy if I win the lottery. IIRC it's over $60,000, and they only make around 50 per year. Darn purdy! | ||
| Buellzebub |
ecosse priced from $49,800 (heretic c) to $139,800 for the top of the line heretic ti | ||
| Eboos |
If I had that kind of money to spend, I would rather have a Ducati Desmosedici RR. More bike then I could handle, but if I had that kind of money to chuck around, I would like to have this as a collector's piece. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
I wouldn't want to try to keep up with one of the 3%'s on an XB 9 with good tires down route 60 outta Suches on one of those beauties, that's for darn sure. Bet they are pretty expensive to repair.  | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
When I read "Exotic premium american motorcycles" I was thinking Buell. IMHO, these are made solely for rich people with more $ then brains (not motorcyclists) to buy because they want "the best". OK, and maybe the occasional motorcyclist that wins the lottery.  If I had $50k to spend on a toy, it wouldn't be one bike, more like a car and 2 bikes! | ||
| Bartimus |
The "BEST" american motorcycle made is plain and simple... You probably already own one. BUELL, different in every sense... | ||
| Chasespeed |
If I had that kind of money to spend, I would rather have a Ducati Desmosedici RR I have likes Confedderate's bikes since I first seen them... But, if I had that kinda money to toss around, I would buy me a }house... Chase | ||
| Diablobrian |
I have to agree with the general sentiment that's been voiced so far, These manufacturers have priced themselves out of the realm of "real motorcycles" that people buy and ride. They've made themselves into rich men's toys, of the garage ornament variety. They use premium components, but there is more style than substance in these machines. Every one of them is "pretty sporty for a Harley". They are no serious sporting machines, but I like them better than the choppers they compete with in the same price range. | ||
| Timbo |
The Hellcat is cool. I like it's styling the best of the bikes being discussed here. Main shortcoming of that bike is it has a very shallow lean angle. Cornering with any speed results in hard parts scraping in very short order, this has been well documented in reviews by various moto-journalists. Exotic, yes, but not a "sportbike" in any sense of the word First time I got a good look at the Wraith up close (Bonneville 2004), I was impressed. It looked great sitting there, and was just oozing with great concept, engineering and technology. Then I saw their rider riding it. I lost ALL interest immediately, it looked hideous.  I have also looked closely at the Eccosse in person. It looks impressive, but I really don't care for the exhaust, it throws off the overall looks of the bike. I have never heard one running or read a review of one ridden. Not familliar with the Pantera, it does look cool in a dragstrip kinda way. All opinions expressed subject to personal bias. YMMV. Timbo | ||
| Steve_mackay |
Dora, you forgot one... http://www.fischer1.com/BETA/PAGE.html Based out of Mukwonogo, WI. We should take a It sounds pretty good as well... http://www.fischer1.com/BETA/Ride01.html Hals has a confederate in the speed shop, btw. They usually take it out for the dyno drags during their open house, which is on August 26th. The thing has 165HP at the wheel(not stock). | ||
| Eboos |
That picture says it all.  | ||
| Bomber |
I really like the fact that there are small independant manufacturers at work -- I've seen some of these scoots in the flesh, and the workmanship is first rate -- I like (alot) the nicely-crafted race bike/hot-rod look that they all evidence to varying degrees --- all that said, with the exception of the fischer, none look like they were desinged for riding the way I like to ride -- wheelbases look awfully long, and the they (again, except for the fischer, which is an alledged race bike, not a street bike) seem to habve fairly high polar moments - - - I'll admit to being a lil confused at the insistance of most to stick to an HD or HD-inspired engine -- nothin wrong with that choice, certainly, but it does put one in mind of a bunch guys, in jeans and black t-shirts, all wearing black leather vests, singing the praises of being individuals, don't it? | ||
| Pwnzor |
Fischer really needs to work on that website. Broken links, tiny video you can't see.... makes me really want to buy a bike from him...NOT. They are all very nice to look at. At 100K plus, I'd have a new Peterbilt 379, Caterpillar 14C, 13 speed Eaton-Fuller trans, wheelbase stretched to 285", sitting on 24.5" Alcoa's and custom airbags all the way around. But that's just me.  | ||
| Buellgirlie |
so.....no one has ever really seen an ecosse, pantera,or fischer running and in use. and i agree, the fischer website desperately needs some help! and the confederate actually has a few models out in the "real world". they were recently in the NYTimes for relocating to Birmingham - their shop in New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. sounds like they got a hefty tax incentive package and some new investors to relocate to Alabama - any thoughts on that? i dont think they built anything from last Sept to this May... D | ||
| Buellgirlie |
the confederate hellcat i saw in daytona, roared to life and rode away, so that one definitely exists!  i've never seen any of the others in person. D | ||
| Diablobrian |
I've seen a couple of hellcats. Very nice Carbon Fiber work on them. Attention to detail is very good too. Also seen the "V" kit bike that custom chrome sells that is along the same lines. Not as nice, but not as expensive, and you can customize to your own personal taste without destroying the value of it. The Fischer is still in proof of concept and has been for a couple of years now. I think they have run out of money. I know that they have had problems with motor suppliers too. The others I haven't seen. | ||
| Skyguy |
I know some say that the Fisher folks are a little hard on Buell and pretty mouthy. I still like the looks of that bike though. | ||
| Road_thing |
I owned an early Confederate, the America GT (twin seat model). It had premium componentry throughout, but the whole was less than the sum of the parts. I fell out of love with it after a year or so. But I can confirm that it actually ran. rt | ||
| Glitch |
I still like the looks of that bike though. I'd hate to slide forward on that seat to hit that tank!  | ||
| Cowboy |
Some yrs ago when the Cofederate factory was located in Baton Rouge my daughter lived only 1 blk. away. I have spent many days there and watched them being built.I can honestly say they were the most strict manfactured machine I have ever had the pleasure watch. I was involved in manfacturing and research and development with Haliburton for a long time and was most impressed with thier operation.I beleave that the confedriate is equal to a Rolex watch. | ||
| Jayvee |
The Confederates came to the 2004 Cycle World Motorcycle show. They are awesome to behold, like some custom choppers. The prices are just unbelievable. But even at a Harley price level, still wouldn't want to own one. Certainly not over a Buell. | ||
| Buellgirlie |
roadthing - you got a pic of your old confederate? how did you find out about it? what made you buy it? how was your experience with the company, and how did the bike handle on the road? did you get a good price for it when you sold it? D | ||
| Road_thing |
D:  A friend bought one and let me ride his. The TORQUE (S&S 113" motor!) Bad. It was fine in a straight line, but it wouldn't turn for sh*t. So-so. rt How're you feeling, girl? Better, I hope? | ||
| Buellgirlie |
rt - feeling 97% better. thanks for asking. seems like they finally got the "lets just design our own" thing down.  doesn't sound like you had the world's best experience with it though, which is always a risk with a small manufacturer. but then again, we've seen that big doesnt always mean a good experience either through our beloved Buells. D | ||
| Buellgirlie |
cowboy - just checked your page. i remember you posted about it when you first got it up. looks like you've added some great pics, and i hope that one day i can have as many blessings as you have in yours now. D | ||
| Kootenay |
I do actually buy Robb Report Motorcycling every now and then (the writing is pretty shallow, and they're definitely not marketing to my demographic, but they DO have some stunning pics, and they review bikes other than the latest crop of Big Four sportbikes...). Anyway, I have that issue, and one thing that kinda hit me when I read the article was this, quote: "...the Heretic's Italian-inspired trellis frame..." Dunno about anyone else, but when I look at the pics, I see a rather old-fashion full-cradle backbone frame, with the only "trellis" in sight being the one stiffening the swingarm. Yeah, it's welded out of nice steel tubes like a Duc, but a "trellis" it ain't! I've always really liked the look of the Wraith, but looking at Timbo's pic...hmmm... One bike that was on the cover of Robb Report that I have seen "in the flesh" is the Goldammer BTR3 (that's Board Track Racer 3). It is stunning in person--very small, very lithe, and although it ain't really gonna win any races, the scuttlebutt I heard was that Goldammer rode it himself to the show where I saw it, over about 50+ km of very twisty (and somewhat rough) road.  | ||
| Loki |
Anyone watch Biker Build off last night? Finally Exile is building a bike with a swing arm and and under frame exhaust. Had the look of an S1, just with a twin cam motor. | ||
| Ikeman |
I watched it. I really liked the Exile bike - carbon fiber mmmmmmmmm... I still think the Billy Lane hubless rear wheel looks really cool but I don't care for his bikes in general. |
