The Arch KRGT-1 receives 20 major changes featuring 150 newly designed components. We travelled to California to test this new 2032cc handmade machine. But what is the £90,000 performance cruiser like to ride?
I am one of the first test riders in the world to try the new KRGT-1, which has been significantly updated for 2020. And to add to the pressure, co-founder and designers Gard Hollinger and Keanu Reeves are observing and will be joining us on our test ride. Oh, and let’s not forget its power-plant: a tweaked S&S 2032cc V-twin delivering drive to a huge rear carbon wheel wrapped in 240-section Michelin Commander 2 rubber. Even an initial glance tells you that this is no ordinary motorbike.
For 2020 there are 20 major upgrades and 150 newly designed and manufactured components. Some of the changes – like the re-designed rear mudguard, have been forced upon the team to meet Euro4 homologation. Other components have been changed to improve the handling or simply to add visual value.
There are noticeable changes throughout the bike. New digital clocks, with more data; updated bodywork; a re-designed billet aluminium fuel tank, – yes, I did say billet aluminium fuel tank – that is truly special. The tail section, which is also billet, is all-new, as are the seat, suspension, ABS… the list is almost never ending.
Everything is CNC machined in-house, with some items requiring more than 15 hours of machine time alone. There is billet aluminium everywhere – over 540kg of aluminium is used to produce one bike.
The new digital, slightly retro, dash illuminates with a turn of the rather large central mounted key. One press of the starter button and that huge 2032cc air-cooled V-twin barks into life, along with a bespoke exhaust designed in partnership with Yoshimura.
The vibrations are noticeable and the new clocks shake charismatically as I blip the throttle. With my bum perched on the comfortable seat, bar-end mirrors positioned correctly, I snick into a surprisingly slick first gear on the forward-set controls – and we’re away.
The taut Öhlins-suspended chassis is on the firm and sporty side for a cruiser. Öhlins have been heavily involved in the KRGT-1’s development and, like so much on the bike, the rear shock and forks are not off-the-shelf items. The ride isn’t overly harsh, though, and the seat is comfortable.
Even in LA, the ARCH turns heads at every intersection. The two-into-one Yoshi exhaust has a charismatic bark. The bike’s song is distinctive and soulful without being offensive, popping on the overrun.
The S&S gearbox is far smoother than expected, a far cry from the agricultural American gearboxes of old. The clutch is lighter and easier to use. The dash is clearer than before, though not the full-colour display you might expect on a high-end cruiser.
Up onto the freeway and the KRGT-1 is in its element, grunting up to speed without hesitation. Acceleration from 1500rpm in any gear is like riding a tidal wave of torque. Without passing 3000rpm I’m already up to 80mph and breaking the speed limit. Away from the eyes of the law she’d hit 100mph with only a tickle of the throttle, and will continue climbing.
Now cruising on the freeway and the ergonomics feel natural. I’m relatively short, yet the bars and feet-forward controls aren’t a stretch. That firm suspension doesn’t bounce me out of the seat on bumps and undulations as I was expecting, in fact the ride quality is impressive. At 75-80mph the motor is ticking over smoothly around 3000rpm, giving a sense of vibration through the bars which is noticeable rather than annoying. With its 19-litre fuel tank you could easily go touring on the new ARCH, no problem.
As you’d imagine with a wide rear tyre, long wheelbase and a lazy raked out front end, stability was never going to be in issue. The initial turn is a little slow, but once past the initial five-degrees of lean the ARCH rolls into corners predictably. You can then just keep leaning. And unlike most sporty cruisers, I’m not dragging the footpegs and the exhaust on the apex.
That quality Öhlins suspension holds the heavy chassis extremely well. Despite the lack of squat, you can still dial in fistfuls of torque and feel the grip. Eventually, without any rider aids like traction control, that fat Michelin will break free but you’d need to be devilish with the throttle or have a cold tyre to do so.
The front 48mm fully-adjustable Öhlins forks are also on the sporty side, while the uprated six-piston ISR calipers are sportsbike-strong and free of fade, which is impressive given they have to haul down 244kg plus rider. The brake system itself has been updated for the new model with a new reservoir and twin-channel ABS developed in partnership with Bosch.
After riding through the endless twist and turns of the Californian mountains, what impressed me the most, aside from the class-leading ground clearance, is the bike’s capability to switch from one corner to the next without any dramatic counter steering input. Again, the control of the Öhlins suspension helps – you don’t have to pull the bike upright, lift it over the shock and force it back down the other side – and the ride is far more flowing and effort-free than I’d anticipated.
Verdict
If ARCH has designed the KRGT-1 to make you feel good then they have succeeded. In California, it doesn’t get much better than this. Before flying to LA, my assumption was the ARCH KRGT-1 was going to be a soft, vibey, slightly agricultural cruiser. Some power, certainly, but mainly just another custom built with bolt-on parts. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The level of workmanship and the man hours that have gone into this bike are mind-blowing. The level of the components, the CNC machine work, the creativity and craftsmanship are all first class. The pictures don’t do the bike justice.
The KRGT-1 handles, stops and certainly has some go. But for a price: at £90,000 it’s not realistic or achievable for most. For all but a few, it is simply a poster bike like that Ferrari Testarossa or one of those exotic Bimotas we had up on our walls in the 1980s.
What a dream to have though.
Specification
Make and model: ARCH KRGT-1
Price: £90,000
Engine: 2032cc air-cooled, fuel injected, twin-cam, V-Twin
Power: Not available
Torque: 164Nm (121lb-ft)
Frame: ARCH tube steel, billet aluminium members, swingarm billet aluminium
Wheelbase: 1727mm
Brakes: Front – Single 320mm discs, six-piston caliper radial ISR caliper. Rear, 240mm disc, four-piston ISR caliper
Transmission: Six speed gearbox with chain final drive
Suspension: 48 inverted Ohlins forks, fully-adjustable. Single Ohlins rear shock, fully-adjustable.
Wheels/tyres: Front 120/70×19 240/40×18 Rear, Michelin Commander 2
Seat height: 706mm
Fuel capacity: 19 litres
Dry weight: 244kg
Warranty: 24 months
Service intervals: 2500 miles (500 mile initial service)
