After changing its brand name from Confederate
Motors to Curtiss Motorcycle Company – taking the name of American aviator
Glenn P. Curtiss who is credited with inventing the V-twin – the Alabama, US,
company has unveiled what it says is the last internal combustion powered
motorcycle it will ever build, the 2018 Curtiss Warhawk. Produced in a limited
production run of only 35 units, Curtiss says pricing for the Warhawk begins
from USD 105,000.
Named after the World War II fighter flown by the
famous Flying Tigers in China, the Warhawk carries an air- and oil-cooled 2,163
cc V-twin with two-valves per cylinder that produces 150 rear-wheel horsepower
at 5,100 rpm and 217 Nm of torque at 2,000 rpm. Three camshafts actuate the
overhead valves, with fuel fed into the engine by EFI, via twin 51 mm S&S
throttle bodies.
Power gets to the ground via a Curtiss five-speed
stacked gearbox with Andrews gears, driven by a primary belt drive and chain
final drive. Weighing in at 258.5 kg with a modular frame machined out of
6061-T6 aluminium, the Warhawk has a claimed top speed of 265 km per hour.
Rolling on 18-inch BST carbon-fibre wheels with 160
and 180 width tyres, front and rear respectively, the Warhawk uses a
double-wishbone parallelogram fork with Racetech monoshock in front, and
cantilever Racetech monoshock at the back. Braking is by Beringer, with twin
230 mm Aeronal cast iron floating discs at the front wheel, and a single
stainless steel 240 mm disc at the back.
Fuel for the Warhawk is carried in a see-through
tank under the seat, which contains 16.25 litres.
The 2018 Curtiss Warhawk will be the last motorcycle
built by the company powered by internal combustion, as it moves to a future
using electric motors. “The American V-twin is undoubtedly the most iconic and
revered powertrain in motorcycle history,” said Chambers.
