The partnership first creation is this KR GT1 prototype that you can see below being ridden by Keanu Reeves. The actor visited for the 1st time Gard in 2007 at his L.A. County Choprods shop for a customizing job on one of his favorite rides. That led to a friendship and an ongoing dialogue about riding the ideal machine. Both sharing the same passion for life on two wheels, having common design taste and preference for performance motorcycles, they decided to collaborate under the brand name of Arch Motorcycle Company on a first prototype named the KR GT1s characterized by its power, stability, agility, and aesthetic beauty, offering smooth and impressive power in addition to a comfortable ride. This first prototype is the result of a five-year collaboration with the goal of building a custom motorcycle focused on its ride-ability. A bike begging to be ridden.
“We have a common vision,” says Gard of his partnership with Reeves. “We started with the idea of a performance-based modern machine. Once the bike was complete, it looked like a production motorcycle but unlike anything we had ever seen.
It’s unique and we can’t wait to introduce it to the world.” The KR GT1 is destined for production with Arch Motorcycle Company currently in the industrial design process with plan to have production models for sale in 2013.
Reeves, an avid motorcycle enthusiast has been quietly enjoying motorcycles for more than 25 years. Whether rain or shine, he rides daily and has even had long stints where he didn’t own a car and relied solely on two-wheeled forms of transportation. His passion for motorcycles dates back to his youth. His first ride was a Kawasaki 600 Enduro and he currently owns a variety of Norton Commandos as well as the first Arch Motorcycle. “I’m a guy that loves everything about motorcycles – the sounds, the style and the aesthetic combined with the function but most of all the riding experience. I’ve enjoyed motorcycles for as long as I can remember and I’m ready to share my passion with the world,” explains Reeves. Arch Motorcycle Company.
specs? HP? etc? Looks great, if Confederates looked like that there’d be probably a line around the block.
Cool idea, Just not sold on the look of the bike.
nice craftsmanship as always Gard..good luck with the endevor!
Great job Gard. Like to see bikes that are performance based. Good luck with the new business.
Hey Gard
Long time no see buddy. I thought you bailed. Glad to see your still around. The bike looks great and I wish you both all the best.
Again, we see the same style as most all new sport bikes, i.e., same rear {open} tire, small seat, and definitely not a bike to be ridden anywhere farther than stop light to stop light. What has happened to
style WITH comfort ?? We see many of these bikes that were made in the past, strangely enough, NOT being seen on the road. Where do they go ?? I would like to find out if anyone has asked that same
question, I have pondered on it and can’t come up with any real answers. Any ideas, anybody ?
We are so happy to see this project finished! This build has been a labor of love for Gard as well as a thorn in his side! Kudos to Gard and congrats to Keauno..The bike is crafted with a myriad of one of a kind features and countless R&D hours behind it.
Nice to see something with a new line in design and performance.
Nothing against Gard. But involvment of celebrities with builders never last. Re: Steven Tyler, Branscombe Richmond, Lorenzo Lamas.
Nice scoot! Don’t see many custom builds using a Twin Cam. Hope it is a dependble as an Evo.
I like it. The de facto American Diavel..? Perhaps, but certainly much more real-world than any Confederate and far better looking, than the Ecosse Heretic.
It is a handsome, athletic machine, for one who fits the part – certainly not for those with a midlife spread that started in their 20’s already.
I think the Reeves-lineage will give it a load of ‘cred’ and it should hold its value beyond its peers – a solid investment, that may in fact sell in numbers. Certainly what you need with the end of the global financial crises still a decade away…
My buddy built one like that out of a Sportster: http://www.coopersmithingco.com/sale.html
No celebrity endorsement, but I bet he’d race for pink slips.
I like it a lot Gard, nice work… best of luck with it my friend.
Cool bike!
Hmmm….wow , I also would like to know specs, HP,rear wheel torque , motor mods ? … Kudos ………love to test ride it …just test rode 2 confederates , be curious if road like a confederate
Hell I like it. Hey Gard, let me “test” ride one for a couple months! peace
nice,,nice
A rolling work of art that looks like it could give all sport bikes a run for the money. I can’t wait to ride one!
He wouldn’t need those manual compression releases if he used ez start cams!
primary belt drive are so out unless its for looking good only in the living room. it is so easy to built not legal street bike. try to make e,m pretty and for every day use. i think thats what baby boomers are lookink for day,s. my way of thinking sorry
Well this bike is great BUT I have a couple of gripe’s ! 1: Front controls and 2: a softail . this bike should have twin shocks and mid or rear sets its to much of a cafe style for those two features. All the rest is great. dont know if this is a finished bike but it could use dome color. I would much rather have the DP custom Sportster that was feature on here recently !
SSDD; David
Hate to be a spoil sport, Looks a lot like a Diavel for starters, can’t say much for the load path of the rear suspension. Brake on the sprocket…gonna be tough to stop and still use chain lube…unless this is just window dressing. No heat shield on the exhaust and forward controls…not a good idea
Build quality looks great, engineering, not so much. To be safe and work properly, form shouldn’t be the main goal, form should follow function to use an old but true axiom. If this is to be just for posing, I suppose it works.
Again the craftsmanship is great, nice job.
Steve Trujillo…. I must say… seems like a very weird comment
a stock 883 against a highly customized twincam???? and a link to a bike for “for sale” seems like a comment trying to drive a sale of a bike and not a legit comment about what Gard and Keanu are doing.
I know Joe, I know Gard, and the bikes share little in common from a style or power-plant standpoint.
Joe does very nice work…. Gard builds sick bikes too. But both these bikes are VERY, VERY different and the comparision is lost on me.
Using this “forum” to try to sell, or re-promote a bike “for sale”, seems “off” to me. Both Joe and Gard stand on their own as top quality style and engineering. Trying to post a comment about how one can beat the other stoplight to stoplight, makes no sense as the platform and design are very, very different (and a 883 sporty motor would not hold up against a modd’d twin cam, even in stock trim)..
Not trying to take away from Coopersmithing as Joe does amazing work. and Gard does as well…. but comments like this seem to be driven by the need to drive sales and marketing only.
why not mid controls ?
solis….. I totally agree….. the forward controls seem TOTALLY out of place! Thanks for calling it out
nice bike , don’t like the forward controls & seat set up . and doesn’t anyone take a girl for a ride anymore ? bunch of stick grabbers ……………………
Glad to see another soldier on the battle field like Reeves to help feed and keep this industry alive along with all the other veterans that have done so for so long. Glad to have ya aboard bro!
celeberties,, yawn, also remember ami james.
Do these guys not have girlfriends,,,or believe that nobody else has one?!!? It is a cool looking bike and I would like to give it a ride, but I don’t see anything in the way of innovation. I would have to see some “wow factor” before I would drop the $20K+ I’m sure they would want for this urban terrorist.
It looks like a nice custom with some nice design features,,,but no comfort triangle and plus no passenger! Just another gut buster to wrap around a pole or straighten the curve.
Boss Hawg
I like it. I hope you do well with it!
Nice bike and good guys to boot , best of the best to Arch!
Great job gard. You always build top quality parts and bikes. Good luck hope you make millions you deserve it.
Great looking Proto. Id be interested to see what it rode like. Like the exhaust.
Very interesting. As usual there are many that think this should be a multipropose bike. From where I sit, it isn’t. It is meant to be ridden and ridden hard. MIdvs. foward controls. Personal preference. Easy to change and probably a factory option(Just a guess). Looks like would be a great way to travel fast and comfortable with minor corrections for rider size and preference. Hope it works out.
love the bike, love Norton Commandos, like Reeves.. Too bad this bike will probably be priced out of reach for working class..
Really slick bike. Would love to put a badazz paint job on one…
Ducati Diavel Chromo?
Let me re-phrase my statement… I LOVE this bike.
And anyone thinking it should have passenger amenities, is the same kind of person who thinks Corvettes need to seat 4 people.
Best of luck to the brothers from different mothers with Arch Motorcycle Company. Gard is a solid builder of all things custom & Keanu has been an avid two wheeler who knows his way on & around a bike for decades. Cheers & God Speed…….
why is it everytime a purpose built motorcycle is posted all these trolls come out and tell you what it cant do? its a muscle bike, want to put a girl on the back, go on a trip or carry stuff buy a bagger! This is a great looking bike that screams to be ridden. to me that is the best measure of a motorcycle. Gard is one of the best at doing this and i wish him luck in his new venture.
Hope it’s not just another boat anchor…. weight? HP? I don’t know how many years it will take America to ‘catch’ the rest of the WORLD on a motorcycle but the HAVE to get the weight DOWN! Head downl, bum up….
Why not rear controls so laying over the tank would be ‘fun’….
Anything Gard touches will be quality and highly functional. It may not be “the” bike for everyone, but if this is what you want, Gard & company will supply a first-rate ride.
If this ISN’T what you want, I’d call Gard and talk to him about some of the other creations he’s built that might be available.
Congrats Gard on staying in front of the curve once again!
You can call it: “Arch Motorcycle Company” all you want but to some of us it’s always gonna be: “Gard & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” looks like their off to a good start to me.
Not my style of bike but it is cool, so was the video. Someone put some thought in both of these tasks.
Cool……. and its got a Chain………..!!!!
-nicker-
@ Dave Blevins , Corvettes are for guys that can’t get laid . just sayin . And their are LOTS of bad ass sport bikes on the road that can carry TWO passengers . Dave , take a girl for a ride , you just might enjoy the rewards ?
Commendations! No pillion?? I’m hurt!!!
Its bitchin. All business. Showcases fabrication, engineering and design with flow. With the subgenre of exotic V-Twin offerings out there, this contender will be a force.
@RUB
I’ve never met anyone who got laid beacause they had a Vette, or a bike for that matter. Guess it must have been my enormous… PERSONALITY, that made the chicks dig me, heh- heh- heh.
Nah, probably just my thick wallet. Good luck with your giant seat.
I ride my Road King mostly with just the solo seat on it………………..just sayin. peace
This is the bike that should been in the “Matix” series
I’m not a big fan of the rocket style but guess what? To each his own !!!
Would be a boring world if we all did / liked and rode the same damn thing
Looks like a well executed machine & so what if it doesn’t have room for a passenger
Sometimes you might WANT a solo bike to ride around on
@Dave Blevins….Last comment, well said! “Good luck with your giant seat” hahaaa….. good stuff.
Anyways, I like the bike as it is and wish them both the best. As I’ve said before, folks on here are so quick to criticize and complain because a bike or product doesn’t suit their particular needs or likes. I’m just glad to see projects/builds like this and admire the will and determination involved, whether it be to my liking or not.
@ Dave , just sayin its all about riding , with the ladies or not , be safe and buy some drinks with that fat wallet ! 😉
1 – Forwards (whyyyyyyy?)
2 – Sprotor – not on a performance bike, please