What's in a name? Even a vivid description of the mythological half-horse, half-man, the Centaur leaves something to the imagination. You might have a Centaur picture in your mind, recalling a panting or drawing published in a old high school textbook. But, no one has really witnessed the mechanical version, in the metallic-flesh, until now.
There's only one of these Steed Sintaur's (that's how John Covington, Muscle President, spell it) in existence, and I saw it in the pearlescent-flesh at Steed Musclebike motorcycles in Scottsdale, Arizona. Almost a year ago, John Covington, heard the myth of a 300 Avon Tyre, an English subsidiary of Cooper Tires. The Brits have a habit of spelling things funny, too.
John created Steed motorcycles in Scottsdale in '92. His Cobra inspired bike was inducted into the motorcycle hall of fame last year. His reputation with the guys at AVON garnered him the hot new 300-tire dimensional specifications last summer. He immediately went to work re-designing his 7-year-old proprietary Monoglide Chassis (single shock under the seat), so it would accept this behemoth-sized chunk of rubber. Avon shipped an advance, pre-production tire directly to Steeds in mid-December.
Covington's individually crafted bikes are known for performance and styling aspects, but for some reason he never jumped into putting giant tire realm onto. “I felt that a 180/200 tire fitment on my Monoglide chassis would offer optimum handling,” John said. “So I didn't want to get into the Fat-Tire race, especially since there seemed to be a new, bigger, fatter tire coming out every other month. When will it end, you know? Then I got wind of the AVON 300. I found out that it was not only going to be substantially wider, it was going to be about an inch taller than every other rear motorcycle tire. That means it has more of a hump in the center so you'll still have cornering performance, and that's what it's all about to me: riding. Who wants a bike that won't lean into a corner?”
To propel the new fat-tire Steed bikes into the twisties, he's introduced an entirely new engine in their 2004 Muscle model. The revolutionary Powerhouse 114 Musclebike motor, made in the USA, now powers all 2004 Steed bikes. This engine isn't like anything you've ever experienced in an American V-Twin bike. Its design is different right down to the two separate connecting rods and “Pork chop” flywheels, like those found in car engines. This motor redlines way up at 7300 rpm and delivers 135 horsepower with 130 foot-pounds of torque. Its polished billet heads and cylinders are also very eye-catching.
It has incredible power that doesn't ever quit. I don't even know why they put the Baker 6 speed in it, because before I knew it I was doing 80 in fourth gear. Just amazing.
What's even more amazing is that Covington is going to offer copies of this Sintaur model with an MSRP of only $39,995. Instead of building one of these for some testosterone charged athlete for $80k a pop, he's enlisted the help of Patrick Coval. Pat worked at Titan Motorcycle as their General Manager and led their recent recovery. Coval is working on expanding and operating a lean production facility at Steeds to reproduce Covington's innovative motorcycle designs, at a price closer to reality.
No myths about it, the Steed Sintaur exists. The Sintaur is agile, meaty, powerful and stunning. This machine is a beast and produced with individual style. To find out more, check out their web site, http://www.musclebikes.com, or ask a dealer near you.
–H.J.
Questions For John From Bikernet
BN: What's with the design of that swingarm?
JC: It's design was inspired by the Right Side drive swingarm. I like the ideaof a tri-angulated swingarm so the bike will look like a rigid frame,traditional bike. But, Unless you make the swingarm an extra 5 inches wider,wider seat etc…Which will just look silly, we bent the tubing to thecenter, and used the same billet axle blocks that we make for the 200Monoglide. Form following function, for a reason…
BN: If someone orders this model can the frame dimensions be adjusted,more rake, longer stretch, etc?
JC: We do them any rake stretch, all it takes is a little $$$
BN:This is not a two-up bike. What's the deal?
JC: We have plans to make a two up version. If you look closely at the supportbehind the single seat, it bolts up to the chassis. All you'll have to dois bolt up the support for a two up seat. We've kept the dimensions underthe seat to fit a stock Softail seat, pre-99. That way you don't have to order a custom seat pans to swap out seats.
BN: Tell me about the transmission?
JC: The best of the best, from the innovator of the 6-Speed, Bert Baker. Rightside drive, Dyna style, so the motor oil is in the sump pan which is part ofthe tranny case.
BN: Tell me about the driveline design, how far is it offset, how will ithandle, where's the center of gravity?
JC: The drivetrain has no extra spacers whatsoever and is positioned right oncenter of the bike. Pretty cool huh? I been working on this design since lastApril, and we've run this single shock trademark Monoglide typechassis since '97. So this was the next logical progression. It's allZen…
BN: How much travel in the frame? What type of monster brakes does the Muscle bike sport?
JC:Wilwood, 4 piston chrome billet. We did all our DOT testing with these andfound them to be outstanding performers. The shock has a little over an1.5 inches of travel before the rubber bump stops. The rear wheel travels almost 3 inches. You can see the full travel in thebike shots, plus about a quarter of an inch. It's the distance between thefender and the concave seat back support.
BN:What makes a muscle Steed bike different from a Big Dog or American Ironhorse?
JC: We build pedigreed custom bikes, and I build them with a purpose in mind–TO PERFORM. We spend a bunch of time building bikes that have realengineering and thought put into them. We're not just selling tires andpaint jobs here.
BN:What about the exhaust system?
JC:That's a one off for the prototype 300. I like 'em. We may end upproducing them for a production run. I just got back from the LA NAMM show (music oriented dealer show), and the pipes went over well.
We're headed to Ohio for the V-Twin Expo. Our Sintuar model is book listed, EPA/CARB and DOT certified, insurable and financeable by most lenders. The MSRP is only $39, 995.
The 300 Appaloosa Chopper and 300 Clydesdale Pro-Street versions are coming soon. Limited quantities are available due to the exclusive nature of the proprietary STEED design.
Click to the Steed Musclebike web site for dealers or contacts.
Owner: Rick Allen, Scottsdale, AZ
Make/Model: 2004 Steed Sintaur
Designer: John Covington
Fabrication: Steed Musclebike Motorcycles
Painter: Steeds and G-Dawg, Art by T-Step
Engine: Powerhouse Steed Musclebike, USA V-Twin
Displacement:114 Cubic Inches
Power:135 horsepower, 130 Ft. Lbs. Torque
Heads:Powerhouse Billet Dual Plug, polished
Cylinders:Steel sleeved billet aluminum, polished
Cam Cover:Powerhouse chromed billet
Rocker Boxes:2 piece polished billet, O-ring type
Cam:Andrews Powerhouse
Air Cleaner:Hyper Charger / K&N
Exhaust: Steeds Custom, Perf-Temp wrapped
Transmission:Baker RSD 6-Speed Polished Dyna Style
Sheet Metal
Gas Tank:Steed Stretch
Front Fender:Wernimont/Steeds
Rear Fender:Wernimont/Steeds
Tail light:Steeds
Frame: Steed 300 Monoglide Platform
Rake, Stretch:40 degree neck, 5î out, 1î under
Swingarm:Steed 300 Cobra Venom Style
Oil Tank:Integral in the Dyna Transmission
Accessories
Saddle:Danny Gray, Steed Leather
Mirrors: Digital Heads-up instruments
Handlebars:Steed Fatties
Speedo:Digital, integral in left mirror
Tach:Digital, integral in right mirror
Foot Controls:Steed/UMI chrome billet
Handlebar Controls:Ergo Style, Chrome
Forks:Steed / GCB (Italy) Inverted 54mm
Wheels and Brakes
Front Wheel:Steed 3.5×18 w/ AVON 130 Super Venom Tire
Rear Wheel:Steed 10.5×18 w/AVON 300 Super Venom Tire
Brakes:Wilwood 4-piston Chromed Billet
Rotors:Steed Tri-spoke polished
