Alex is a techno/engineering guy who builds stuff to blow up terrorists by profession, so naturally he went hunting for his dream bike on the Internet. He was searching for a fat tire bike, and wanted a performance bike that he could ride. He actually narrowed the field down to 3 builders, and intended to visit each builders shop and test ride a bike prior to placing an order.
He flew to Arizona specifically to ride a 300 monster-tire Steed. We took him on a tour of our newly expanded shop, and then we fired up two bikes. The first bike was our new Sintaur 300-LM which is a long low bike with a 40 degree 1” drop neck and a 5” top tube stretch. The second bike was a Thoroughbred 300-CM which is a chopper version with a 8” down-tube stretch and a 5” top tube stretch on a 40 degree neck for him to ride that day.
Alex was interested in our Quarterhorse model. We hadn’t built one yet on our new 300 Monoglide Chassis. We were the first American Builder with advance specs of the Avon 300mm foot wide motorcycle tire, and spent most of 2003 re-designing the single shock monoglide platform to accept the giant tire. The new chassis features a Baker Right Side Drive 6-Speed with ZERO engine offset for a balanced feel that takes equal rider input to steer either right or left and cruises straight down the road effortlessly.
Alex saw an artist rendering of our Quarterhorse model and the spec’s of the frame geometry, with only a 2” Stretched top tube and a 38-degree neck with no down tube stretch. The Quarterhorse model was designed with the performance rider in mind, that’s why we cut back on the rake and stretch, to improve the handling feel without losing much of the radical look of the Sintaur bike. We had similar geometry on our previous year Quarterhorse bikes so we new what the handling characteristics would be, but at this stage I only had engineering drawings developed for the latest addition to the Steed line-up, and that’s what Alex saw when cruising the net for his next bike.
He was impressed with the ride. Even though the AVON 300-tire is massively wide, it is also about 1-1/2” taller than any other 18” motorcycle tire in existence. This added height adds more crest in the center of the tire and enables the giant rubber to roll over in the turns easier. Steeds has developed a chassis with almost as much lean angle as any sport- bike out there with the curb appeal of a low slung custom featuring a 24” seat height.
After the Sintaur test ride, Alex flew back home to California and weighed all his options, and decided that he was ready to be the first guy in America with a 300-PM, Performance Monoglide Steed. We had one in process at our shop, so the build only took 4 weeks to complete, which included the ‘realistic’ looking flame job by Steed artist Rick Westop.
Alex flew out to Arizona the second time to pick up his new bike and he stuck around for 2 days, riding between thunderstorms, to put 500 break-in miles on his new bike. Steeds certified mechanics at their Scottsdale Arizona retail store performed a 500 mile service on a Friday Morning. By Friday afternoon he had over a thousand miles on his bike by the time he rode it back home to Santa Barbra, California. He e-mailed me the next day saying his trip was pretty uneventful, the only issue he has was that every time he stopped for gas he lost too much time talking to people who were admiring his bike.
The Quarterhorse features a 5-gallon custom tank that we fabricate in-house. The tank also features digital gauges built in the top of the unit displaying a voltmeter and fuel gauge. All the rest of the gauges are featured the Steed Heads-Up digital instrumentation system which neatly hide all the normally style detracting cumbersome instrumentation of a Speedo, Tach, Odometer, Trip-meter and indicator lights (turn signals, oil pressure, neutral and high-beam) neatly in the chrome billet mirrors.
Solo seat.
The Steed Quarterhorse model also features to interchangeable seat combinations; one solo seat support and a second dual seat support for a passenger. Both supports feature LED signal lights to maintain the sparse clean lines of the bike. Danny Gray hand stitches the Steed saddles, and there are four options for seats from Steeds, and just about any seat that fits on a pre ’99 HD Softail will slip right onto the Steed platform without any modifications. So there is virtually an endless supply of custom seats for these bikes without breaking the bank building a custom seat.
S&S 124” motor fitted with a Mikuni HSR 45 Carburetor provide power. The S&S comes complete with automatic compression releases, so the bike fires up effortlessly every time.
Steeds is the oldest federally licensed builder, established in 1989, with a history of building leading edge machines. They doubled the size of their facility in 2004 to increase production of their “pedigreed” custom machines, which feature a 2-year limited warranty, and all the governmental certifications to assure you of a quality ride. The Steed bikes are also listed in the NADA and Kelly Blue Books so you can insure them and finance them without any hassles.
Steed Motorcycle Co. is in the process of expanding their dealership network this year. If you don’t have a Steed dealer near you, contact them like Alex did at sales@musclebikes.com to make arrangements to ride one home too. There’s a ton of information about all the 6 Steed models currently in production at www.musclebikes.com, and you can also call them toll free at 877 4-STEEDS Monday through Friday. Steed motorcycles are built to ride. Get on one and see for yourself.
