Wandering into the very impressive Bikeshop Rivonia the other day, we happened upon this beasty lurking innocuously among some of the other cruisers in the store. It’s been a long time since we’d ridden a Boss Hoss, so we asked for and received permission to take it out for the day.
By Glenn and Don.
Pics by Black Rock Studio
We’ll bet that most of you reading this feature were unaware of Boss Hoss’s existence. Who would try slapping a V8 Chevy engine into a motorcycle chassis – let’s rephrase that – who’d actually build a motorcycle around a V8 Chevy Block – and go on to build many more?
Well, the Americans of course!
Scientists who wear lab coats and do strange things to rodents say that if electrodes are attached to a rat’s brain so that whenever the rat hits a button it’ll experience an orgasm, the rat will keep pressing that button until it eventually dies of dehydration.
Humans, with our oversized brains and domination of Planet Earth, would look upon this with scorn: “Stupid rat, we would never do something like that.”
And then something as preposterous as a Boss Hoss shows up. The flashy American Flag paint job coupled with enough chrome to outshine the sun sings “‘Merica!” unashamedly before revealing the true trump card – this is essentially a giant motor with two wheels bolted on. The rider sits legs spread eagle like he’s having a very unfortunate procedure at the doctor. The bars are wide and the throttle is weighted by a massive Holly carb. This is a big motorcycle.
It weighs 500 kg; that’s the heaviest motorcycle we have ridden. Pushing it out of the driveway is a nerve-wracking exercise in both physical exertion and emotional havoc.
Yet, when it’s up and running it feels surprisingly balanced and sturdy. Perhaps it even handles surprisingly well. And it’s comfortable – that seat is built for ‘Mericans who take their comfort seriously.
‘Merican motorcycle suspension traditionally consists of a hardened steel pipe, and seemingly no one told Hoss Boss this because it soaks up bumps with the efficiency of a Cadillac cruiser. Apart from the cramp-inducing throttle, it truly is a comfortable motorcycle.
They got this one right. It’s an automatic, so you simply nudge the selector into “Drive” and off you head.
The Holly throttle bodies are opened unleashing 5,735cc of American muscle. It accelerates exactly how you’d think it accelerates – like a Corvette that has but a third the weight.
It grunts forward with a force ready to knock Planet Earth out of its orbit. It’s an intoxicating rush, sitting on a motorcycle that weighs as much as Pluto’s moon and yet shooting forward to an American V8 sound track.
As the revs pick up, you nudge said lever into second and there is even more V8 goodness. It’s all quite brilliant – at 2000RPM, you hurtle along at 150KPH.
The brakes are by Brembo, so you know they’re good
We wanted to do it again. And again, And again. And never stop. Ever. Until dehydration sends us blissfully away.
Stupid rats.
Here’s the Boss Hoss story:
Boss Hoss Cycles was established in 1990 when Monte Warne, the founder of Boss Hoss Cycles, created his first Chevy V-8 powered motorcycle in his shop in Dyersburg, Tennissee.
Monte, a commercial aircraft pilot and degreed Aviation Airframe and Powerplant technician, was the first to design a V-8 powered motorcycle that has a traditional cruiser motorcycle style, look and feel. This was accomplished by his unique approach to the motorcycles single speed (one gear) transmission design.
Boss Hoss Cycles, Inc. has grown from its humble beginnings in Monte’s shop to a 22,000 square foot manufacturing facility. The product line has also grown from the conventional two-wheeled motorcycle to include three wheeled trikes.
The product has seen significant improvements over the years through the R&D efforts of Boss Hoss Cycles’ in house engineering personnel and specialty contractors. Features like the 2-speed transmission with reverse on this one, inverted front suspension, vacuum formed body panels, investment, cast structural frame components, and many other specially designed components have helped improve the rigidity and ride of the Boss Hoss motorcycles.
Boss Hoss has continued to broaden and expand the V8 motorcycling horizons. In January of 2006 Boss Hoss motorcycles and manufacturing facility received full vehicle type-approval from the European Commission (EC), which at the time, made Boss Hoss Cycles, Inc. the only globally approved V8 motorcycle manufacturer.
This bike is a magnificent example of what these guys do. Brash, Loud, in your face.
Roaring out of the shop and down along Rivonia Road the bike literally brought traffic to a standstill as everyone tried to get a glimpse of the star spangled banner. In the traffic, people moved aside to let the bike through and just have a gawk. Out in the country people wandered across just to have a chat and admire the bike.
It’s for sale. Go and have a look. It’s the loudest bike in the shop. Quite simply magnificent!
