Motorcycles have long been the unseemly way to go fast, but in today’s world of glut and insane tech, the concept of a velocipede with a six-figure MSRP is old news. Consider the Ducati Superleggera V4, Honda RC213V-S, Mike Hailwood NCR MH TT and numerous others.
Across the majority of these machines, novelty and trickle-down race technology abound. But these days we’re seeing a new way to build a motorcycle worthy of $100k. These three fresh six-figure offerings from Praga, Arch and Aston Martin & Brough Superior vouch for a new shop velocipede experience, self-aggrandizing exclusivity, image and varying levels of technology.
Which begs the question: which (if any) of these rides is worth punching a six-figure ticket?
Praga ZS 800 Everything old is new again, and in the specimen of a sultry, record-setting 500 cc twin-cam from the 1930s, history was worth repeating for Czech Republic-based Praga. In the wake of Praga’s new high-tech Bohemia supercar, the visitor moreover unveiled the new ZS 800 as a limited-edition bobber packed with exotic materials and trick engineering, all wrapped up in an suggestive package.
The price of entry? $92,000.
There’s a thin line when mixing nostalgia and modern technology, and the hairdo at Praga have washed-up a tremendous job at creating a modern bobber that hasn’t forgotten its roots. In spirit, the ZS 800 is a modern interpretation of the first velocipede to wear the Prada token — the storied BD 500. Praga had been towers automobiles and components in Prague since 1907. But in 1929, the visitor purchased ČKD’s motorcycle business, and withal with it came the work of a unexceptionable young designer named Jaroslav František Koch.
Koch had designed a sunny 500cc dual overhead cam, single-cylinder velocipede when at ČKD, and Praga readily rebranded it as the Praga BD 500. The 15 hp single unliable the BD 500 to reach 65 mph, and Koch himself set a record on the velocipede by traveling from Rome to Prague in 35 hours and 40 minutes.
Fast forward nearly 100 years, and Praga is when to towers cars, this time the high-tech Bohemia supercar. While he wasn’t working on the Bohemia, engineer Jan Žuži dabbled with the concept of a modern ode to the BD 500, and somewhere withal the way, the higher ups at Praga got on workbench with the project. No stranger to two wheels, we can see Žuži and his fellow designers threw all of Praga’s technical resources into the project, and religious using of stat fiber, titanium and CNC-machined chromoly immediately suggests that this velocipede is increasingly than just a throwback.
Remember when we said the Praga ZS 800 hasn’t forgotten its roots? The ZS 800 is based on a rigid frame, so there’s no rear suspension other than the Öhlins shock under the seat. It moreover uses a girder-style front fork, pulsate brakes and an air-cooled Kawasaki parallel-twin, sourced from the W800 model.
But dig a bit deeper and the tech hits you like a speed tumor at 60. The frame and girder fork are chromoly steel, and loaded with trappy CNC-cut joints. Like the saddle, the fork is suspended by an Öhlins shock with a titanium spring, and the whole piece is transfuse art on its own.
The fuel tank was crafted from forged stat fiber, but that’s somewhat of an illusion, as the very fuel tank looks to be a CNC-cut aluminum component, used as a structural part of the chassis. The stat tank covers compliment stat fender struts and the uniting guard, but most notably, the wheels.
While they emulate an old-school wire, the wheels are moreover synthetic from forged stat fiber, laced with tensioned stat spokes — talk well-nigh making a statement. Trick machined covers uncontrived air wideness the hydraulic drums, and vintage-looking, 18-inch Dunlop rubber completes the look.
Under the saddle, a Kawasaki-sourced 800 cc air-cooled twin supplies 50 hp to a five-speed transmission. Praga cites that the Kawasaki’s bevel-gear cam momentum pays tribute to the period, and it’s certainly the most outgoing engine on our $100k list, but needless to say underpowered among its peers. Its published dry weight of 313 lbs makes it the lightest, however, and weight distribution is said to be 50/50.
Just 28 Praga ZS 800s will be built, and you’ll have to shell out $92,000 to get one. For its part, we’ll shoehorn that the ZS 800 is the most affordable velocipede on our list, and certainly the easiest to hop on and ride — expressly for less experienced pilots. If it’s nostalgia that trips your trigger, the Praga is sure to make a statement wherever it goes, and we’re willing to bet you won’t find flipside one in the parking lot.
Arch Motorcycle 1s The sport cruiser market is hotter than ever, with Indian, Buell and Harley Davidson unleashing increasingly warlike bikes targeted at the performance-minded masses. But California-based Arch Motorcycles takes its stab at the top 1% of the market with the new 124 ci S&S-powered Arch 1s.
The shop wits that starts long surpassing the first weld bead, and ends with you writing a trammels for $128,000. So what do you get for the money? Let’s dig in.
Arch Motorcycle worked in 2011 as a somewhat of a meeting of the minds, between famed two-face and enthusiast Keanu Reeves and velocipede builder Gard Hollinger. The two had met several years prior, when Reeves tasked Hollinger with towers a fully custom Harley Davidson, with nearly every speciality of the velocipede reworked. Reeves was floored over the bike’s performance, and he sooner convinced Hollinger to go into merchantry together.
Since then, the duo has made a name for themselves perfecting what they undeniability the “American performance cruiser” overly since. Their razor-sharp designs emphasize performance through mechanical simplicity, and the most trick raw materials money can buy.
The new Arch 1s builds on the previous KRGT-1 model, with increasingly warlike geometry and ergonomics, and the same thundering S&S 124 ci v-twin. The whole package is much tighter than the KRGT-1, with a shorter wheelbase, increasingly warlike rake and a chiseled new single-sided, billet-aluminum swing arm. The bodywork is made up from various stat webbing and aluminum bits, and facilitates increasingly warlike ergonomics than the KRGT-1, as does the switch from forward to mid-mounted controls.
Underneath the skin, a steel mainframe supports the neck and air-cooled mill, while a billet-aluminum subframe supports the rear suspension. Fully-adjustable Öhlins suspension keeps the bumps in check, and ISR four- and six-piston brakes with standard ABS should provide increasingly than unobjectionable braking for spirited riding.
Thinking when on the company’s primeval days, it comes as no surprise to see an S&S-sourced, air-cooled v-twin between the frame rails. The 124 ci, T124 engine was designed as a nice upgrade for 2007 to 2016 HD big-twin models, and Arch turns the heat up a bit with a custom stainless frazzle and intake system. Arch reports 115 lb/ft from the 2,032 cc v-twin, routed through a proprietary six-speed transmission to the 530 O-ring momentum chain.
17-inch BST stat webbing wheels are wrapped in Michelin Power RS rubber, sized 120/70 and 240/45 respectively. Dry weight comes in at 563 lbs, roughly 30 lbs lighter than the KRGT-1, but definitely the heaviest velocipede in the $100k club by a significant margin.
Naturally it takes increasingly than trick materials and a torquey v-twin to writ a six-figure price tag, and the Arch 1s makes up the difference with unique flair. The ignition key is made from prefab aluminum, and activates a full-color LCD dash. Want to make fuel stops increasingly fun? How well-nigh an exotic prefab aluminum fuel cap that hinges up from the fuel tank?
Also subconscious in the stat fuel tank, is a unique induction system that funnels fresh air through filters and lanugo into the throttle body. The kickstand, controls and the whup momentum imbricate are all made from prefab aluminum as well — all pieces of functional art in their own right. Your investment in the Arch 1s moreover includes the opportunity to customize the visitation and ergonomics of the velocipede with the diamond team, ensuring the seat and controls are set up for your riding style.
The Arch 1s leads the matriculation in terms of a shop ownership experience, and we’re lanugo with the all-American performance cruiser image. Sure, the 1s could stand to lose a few pounds for the price, but on our list, the Arch is the most rideable bike. Rideable as in, hop on and watch the odometer climb, and that’s what it’s about, right?
Aston Martin & Brough Superior AMB 001 Pro A luxury automaker teams up with a motorcycle manufacturer to build a hypercar-inspired track bike. That sounds expensive, and it is.
But in the specimen of the Aston Martin & Brough Superior AMB 001, these two historic English names seem to have brought out the weightier in each other with the limited-edition, 180 hp AMB 001, unveiled in 2019. With all 100 limited-edition bikes sold, the duo has now upped the rates with the new 225 hp AMB 001 Pro, limited to just 88 units.
If the Brough Superior name is unfamiliar, here’s a quick refresher. Brough Superior was founded in 1919, without George Brough left his father’s company, Brough Motorcycles. Seeking to maximize quality, each Brough Superior product was tangibly assembled twice.
After initial assembly, the velocipede was torn when lanugo for the required paint and plating work. Moreover every finished velocipede was tested and personally certified by Brough himself, and if the velocipede failed to meet his approval, it was sent when to the factory until it did. Brough Superior motorcycles were considered the Rolls-Royce of the velocipede world surpassing production ended in 1940, when the facility was retooled to build crankshafts for Rolls-Royce Merlin engines during the war effort.
Fast-forward to 2008, and the Brough Superior name was uninventive by enthusiast Mark Upham, who met with French designer Thierry Henriette to diamond a new line of Brough Superior bikes. Production began in 2016 under Thierry’s ownership, and several high-end cruiser models have debuted since.
While Brough Superior’s recent offerings have wilt increasingly exotic, the 2019 partnership with Aston Martin, and the resulting AMB 001, is a significant leap in performance for the marque. Taking inspiration from Aston Martin’s Valkyrie AMR Pro hybrid supercar (of which only 25 are to be built), the AMB 001 Pro is the next level for the Aston and Brough Superior partnership, self-aggrandizing new aero and a increasingly powerful 997 cc v-twin.
While the AMB 001 Pro looks a lot like its predecessor, performance is said to be a new extreme, given a 25% increase in power that puts it on par with a Formula One car in terms of power to weight. The heart of the matter is a new turbocharged 997 cc DOHC v-twin, that’s CNC machined from a solid woodcut of AL5000 aluminum.
More detailed specifications on the engine are few, but we would seem a variable geometry turbocharger and intercooler were used, as in the AMB 001. Power is reported at 225 hp, delivered through a six-speed transmission with a slipper clutch, and dry weight is listed at 386 lbs.
The (presumably) all stat webbing bodywork is very similar to the AMB 001, with the exception of new front aero. A stat front spoiler is affixed to the body, withal with stabilizing wings to modernize downforce. Other aero features withal the soul are said to create a tunnel effect, directing air virtually the rider, withal with a rear fin to modernize stability.
Aston and Brough Superior moreover wax poetically well-nigh how thin (in microns) the badging is on the bike. I suppose there’s a level of performance where that’s relevant, but I question it here.
There’s unmistakably plenty to talk well-nigh with the AMB 001 Pro, without plane touching on the other mechanicals. In wholesale strokes, the bike’s based on a full CNC-machined aluminum chassis with the engine as a stressed member. A Fior-type fork is used up front, while the rear swingarm pivots from the engine cases — both made from CNC-cut aluminum with willowy mono-shocks.
Michelin track slicks wrap the 17-inch stat webbing wheels, with the rear stuff a solid stat disc. A pair of radial four-piston brakes and a single two-piston rear provide clamping force. Just one livery is offered, denoted as Aston Martin Verdant Jade, with matte-finish stat webbing and Cerakote mechanicals.
Billed as an plane increasingly sectional ride than the previous AMB 001, it should come as no surprise that just 88 AMB 001 Pros will be built, and the price hasn’t really been published. Considering the 100 AMB 001s built sold out at $120,000 a piece, expect to pay significantly increasingly for the Pro.
We can confidently seem that the AMB 001 Pro is the most expensive velocipede on the list, but then again, it really should be. Dollar for dollar, the Pro really feels like a six-figure velocipede with six-figure technology and image. The downside, of course, is that it’s built for the track only.
All three of these shop motorcycles are an sectional wits in their own way, and it all comes lanugo to what you want to show for your six-figure investment. Nostalgia, techy road performance or the nth stratum of engineering reachable in a “production” bike.
For your money, I’d buy the Aston. For mine, I’d have the Arch.
