The editor-in-chief of American Rider recently spoke with Reeves and Hollinger about progression and their ambitious bet on the future.
If you’re touting high-end motorcycles with big air-cooled V-Twin engines, there couldn’t be a bigger figure than world-renowned actor Keanu Reeves. It was Reeves who hired Gard Hollinger to modify his Harley more than a decade ago. , a dating that eventually gave rise to ARCH Motorcycle.
“I said no to that idea,” Hollinger says of Keanu’s preference for starting the company. “I tried to talk him out of it. Looking back, 12 years later, I’m glad it persisted.
The partnership bore its first fruit with the KRGT-1, a performance cruiser that featured scads of billet aluminum and carbon fiber. A lusty S&S crate motor was employed to meet emissions regulations necessary for official production. It arrived in 2015 with much fanfare and a princely price tag of $78,000.
“As soon as we were given a production KRGT-1, we started playing around with it,” Hollinger tells us. “Do you know what the next version might be, a sportier version?We started making some sketches of what it would be. Seems. Then, in 2017, we pulled out all the stops.
Hollinger entrusted his sketches and napkin drawings to Thomas Flueret, an experienced Vintech designer, who helped him do all the virtual design work.
“And we went to EICMA in November (2017) with an updated KRGT-1, a prototype 1, and a Method 143 prototype,” Hollinger says with a sense of pain and accomplishment. “It was a crazy time. “
“Of course, it was amazing!” Reeves roared with joy, remembering the EICMA. “It was super creative, inventive and ambitious. It took all of our resources to get there. And for me, it was like fulfilling a dream: planting the flag for ARCH Motorcycle.
Hollinger plays the pragmatist of the duo to the fullest, presenting himself as a temperamental guy who demands perfection. He credits Reeves for his enthusiastic inspiration.
“I’m one of the dreamers,” the John Wick star admits. “It’s like, ‘Let’s get in on it, let’s do it! Why can’t we do that?yes, let’s move on to EICMA, and let’s have 3 fucking models there!'”
Hollinger describes their dating as symbiotic and complementary.
“Even when he says things and my first reaction is, ‘No, we can’t do that,’ as we communicate about it, I start saying, ‘Okay, maybe we can do that. ‘” says Hollinger. ” I myself am the one who says ‘no’. It’s my favorite word. And it’s not because you don’t need to; It’s because I need to be convinced that we can do it.
ARCHers aspire to long-term sustainability, but at the same time to large-scale production. They are content to serve an elite organization of affluent consumers who demand fabulous handmade machines with an engaging story.
A component of ARCH’s charm lies in the ability to tailor motorcycles to the express tastes and sizes of their owner. “Tailor-made”, as they say. The seating features are almost limitless, as are the positions of the hand and foot controls. There are no limits to painting. No two bikes are the same.
“They’re part of that process from the beginning,” Hollinger says of her clients, “which is pretty unique: having that appointment with the visitor to create something that’s theirs. “
Reeves pipes in, “We’ve had clients say, ‘I wish we had one of those things where I could plug my phone in.’ Okay, let’s design that. Now we have the ‘Daniel’ package where we have this one owner that’s like, ‘I want the thing with my phone, and I want it to open my garage.’ Okay!”
Another advantage of owning ARCH is the opportunity to rub shoulders with the most down-to-earth movie star.
“We look forward to having ARCH owner events every year where we bring in new owners,” Reeves enthuses. “The opportunity to all come and spend two or three days together, riding, fainting and eating. Being part of a queue on the street and seeing 20 ARCHs in front of you. . . Woooo!
Thus far, ARCH has sold about 85 bikes, and the new 1s has expanded the brand’s appeal to new customers. All ARCHs are still powered by a massaged S&S crate motor but with unique downdraft induction.
Hollinger describes it as “an excellent engine,” but admits that a commercially available propulsion system restricts the parameters of long-term designs.
Read the full story on the American Rider website.