The Warlord by Saxon is my favorite configuration. I’m 6’5” and 235 pounds. I’m also an old fart at 59 and riding a mid-control bike is uncomfortable. I like a bike that fits me and that’s the first obstacle, but not the last. The 6-up and 2-out configuration of this frame works like a deerskin glove.
I’ve ridden a lot of stretched bikes over the years that looked cool and fit me from a visual standpoint, but didn’t handle worth a crap. I ride fast and aggressively. I need a bike with balance and shear agility. It needs to be stable at 100 mph and able to slip between two roaring semis without flexing or walking. If I let go of the bars it better run straight. In a parking lot I don’t want to drag my feet because the bike doesn’t have slow speed balance and maneuvering ability.
Saxon is a young company, but there’s no weeds growing under their Arizona boots. They started with the Softail configuration and developed a line of solid bikes with left hand drives and reasonably large rear tires. Every year they’ve addressed changes to refine their designs and configurations. They’ve balanced their chassis, dialed in the suspension and installed right-side-drive transmissions for a much improved handling package.
Choppers are bitchin to stare at in the sun. They’re cool in front of a bar when your searching through large rounded cleavage for a night of pure bliss. But when the sun rises on the next morning, and you feel the need for wind and speed, because her husband is banging on the front door, you need to peel out, as if you’re straddling an American rocket to freedom.
We were fortunate to clamor aboard a series of Saxon choppers and blast into the desert surrounding Casa Grande, Arizona. That’s a space where some many aspects of the pure West come together. If you’re flying down a narrow desert highway between Joshua tree cactus and Yucca plants in 107-degree heat, and there’s nothing in site for 100 miles, you need mind, soul and mechanical perseverance. If you spit a valve, cough and rumble to a stop alongside the dusty road, the last living creature you might encounter will be a Diamondback rattlesnake or a gang of dusty gray Tarantulas. Your bones could be served later that night in a Gila Bend diner, “Blackened Biker Special.”
That may be the reason Saxon sticks securely with S&S, 96-inch engines for decades of performance experience and reliability. That’s also why they listen to their customers, dealers and look to the guys on the assembly line and their engineers for answers. They’ve reduced their wiring and connections dangerously close to water hazards. The tanks are rubber mounted. Their constructions techniques are checked and rechecked. The bikes are inspected, fired, test ridden and inspected again.
My first impression, once I straddled the beast was the seating position and controls. If you’re going to ride distances you need rubber isolation from vibration. Saxon has stepped away from the unruly pure billet controls to rubber inserts, and pads for a more comfortable ride. The position was right on and tested-out for fit. The foot controls are moveable and adjustable for long or short legs. The kickstand was easy to reach with my cowboy boot heal. Their seats are redesigned for comfort and available in a push forward models for fitment.
The bike was balanced and the clutch light. As I rode into the sun with a half dozen other journalists and my son Frank, memories of my outlaw past surfaced in the wilderness sun. I remember long rides across barren regions crossing the border into Wyoming red clay hillsides to reach a dark brunette’s side. I loved the feeling of the hot arid region, open roads and the female adventures ahead. There’s nothing like flying along the pavement, a two-wheeled pilot making his way to her side. There’s nothing on the surface of the earth that spells freedom more than a chopper on the open road.
We spent the day zipping from one desert enclave to another, testing the burrito flavors of southern Arizona against our desire not to get caught by a chilling nighttime winter wind. The Saxon staff encountered rare seasonal lows as we mustered for the ride.
I’ve got to tell you that there’s a strange sense when riding a 6-speed transmission. It’s as if through five gears I whipped the side of the thundering Warlord, like a locomotive storming out of its station, but when I hit sixth gear, suddenly I drop off the planet and soar along a distant galaxy in a mellow flight dancing on air above the pavement. I get a kick out of sixth gear. They’re like a disconnect from reality. Vibration drops, and suddenly you’re coasting to your next destination. I feel like I shifted into neutral, then a turn approached and I slam it back into fifth and back to reality for the curve, nail that puppy again and release it from its bonds into the 6th deminsion once more.
The Warlord had balls with tuned exhaust, as we peeled through Ajo, Why, Hickiwan, and Ventana through the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation on the border to Sonora, Mexico. You may wonder if I liked everything about this bike? That’s not the case. I couldn’t stand this gay paint job and I would prefer a reduced rear tire size. There’s so much more to a motorcycle that a monster, fat-assed, beach ball tire. Fortunately the Warlord is fitted with a 260. Tires nearing 300 begin to compromise handling.
So this stretched beauty rocked my world. Even the company test rider prefers the Warlord over the other models. If you’re in the market for a production chopper, check the Warlord price. It’s a tight well constructed chopper with dialed-in suspension and performance. I would love to strap a Bandit’s bedroll over the wide glide front end and make my move on Sturgis 2007.
Warlord
Warranty –2-Year Factory
Dry Weight — 629 Lbs
Engine — OHV 45 deg V-Twin
Displacement –96 ci 1573 cc
Bore and stroke –3-5/8 x 4-5/8
Compression Ratio –10.1 to 1
Fuel System –S&S Super E Carburator
Fuel Capacity –4 Gals
Oil Capacity –3.5 Qts
Transmission –6-Speed Right Side Drive
Primary Drive –Chain
Final Drive –Belt
Frame Stretch –6″ downtube, 2″ backbone
Rake –40° neck 5° tree 45° total
Seat Height –26″
Rear Suspension –Progressive Hidden Shocks
Front Suspension –41 mm Telescopic 11″ over
Wheelbase –83″
Total Length –108″
Front Brake –Brembo 4 Piston Caliper
Rear Brake –Brembo
Front Tire –21″ x 90/90
Rear Tire –260 mm x 18
Ignition –Electronic
Charging — Output32 Amps
Battery –550 CCA
Speedometer –Digital with integrated tach
