There’s an ideal that lives way out on the horizon for every gearhead—one that resonates with DIY mechanics, performance junkies, and dreamers alike. Thinking beyond what’s offered at colorful multi-line dealerships, the conversation starts with the usual “what ifs” and “maybes” when pondering the perfect machine. What if you could fit this engine in that frame? Or maybe those wheels would work with a bit of tinkering? Few ever see those ruminations come to fruition. Yet the category-bending 2023 Arch 1s sport-cruiser motorcycle is what happens when fantasy comes to life—and we got to ride it.
Courtesy Arch Motorcycle
Birth of a Badass Brand
A little over a decade ago, Arch Motorcycle co-founders Gard Hollinger and Keanu Reeves signed on the dotted line and formed a radical new American V-twin brand based in Hawthorne, CA. Gard, a renowned custom motorcycle builder, and Keanu, a dyed-in-the-wool motorcycle fanatic that moonlights as a Hollywood A-lister, are cut from the same cloth with their shared appreciation of bikes. Their personal collections run the gamut from thoroughbred superbikes to vintage classics and quite a bit in between.
Forming an actual motorcycle company is what it took to bring their collective vision to life. That’s no small task, as the treacherous bureaucratic waters of safety and emissions compliance must be navigated, talent acquired, components procured or designed, milled and machined, tested and refined. Then, finally, a motorcycle can hit the road. Maybe.
Admittedly, that’s an oversimplification, but the Arch 1s represents the brand’s second production motorcycle that’s rolled out of its facilities, following up on its maiden power cruiser, the KRGT-1.
Courtesy Arch Motorcycle
Detailed Design
Should you have the $128,000 asking price burning a hole in your deep pockets, one does not simply walk into the Arch building and demand their pick of the litter. A bespoke motorcycle company treats its customers much differently, starting with a conversation about what makes the owner tick. While core components, such as the milled aluminum and steel cradle frame, the enormous air-cooled 124 cubic inch S&S Cycle T124 V-twin engine, and the basic design, are shared—your Arch will be yours. With a price tag like that, the sky is the limit when dialing things like touch points, colors, seat height, or even going as far as massaging suspension geometry and settings to suit the rider.
