Hell On Wheels
HELL ON WHEELS
LAST WE’D HEARD, THE Confederate Motorcycle Company was on the ropes, a right hook away from knockout status. No new models were forthcoming, and months had passed since we’d spoken with its founder, former trial lawyer Matthew Chambers.
Turns out, the Louisiana outfit was simply regrouping.
According to Chambers, the new Hellcat G2 “incorporates everything we’ve learned about designing and manufacturing high-performance American motorcycles during the past 11 years. The bike is lighter and faster, handling is improved and power is increased. It’s the best and fastest machine we have ever created.”
Chambers says the 114cubic-inch, air-cooled, 45-degree V-Twin-now with lightweight Keith Black pistons, dual-plug heads, Carillo con-rods and a patented onepiece crank-makes 135 rearwheel horsepower at 6700 rpm. That’s right, 135 bhp, 27 percent more than the America GT we tested two years ago. Torque is way up, too, from 116 footpounds to a claimed 140 ft.-lbs.
And that’s not all. Revised frame geometry and a lighter, stiffer swingarm that doubles as the muffler (!) make for a more compact and rigid chassis. The inverted Paioli fork is revalved and features new spring rates, while fully adjustable Penske shocks have an inch more travel than the previous Works Performance dampers. Front brakes are race-spec Brembos. Three PIAA projector-beam headlights nestle within the billet triple-clamps. The handlebar, footpegs, controls and seat are changed, too, the latter coming in both solo and passenger-ready styles. A carbonfiber gas tank and fenders, 18-inch forged wheels and slimmed-down electronics help cut claimed dry weight to 485 pounds.
As with its predecessors (some 500 are on the road), the Hellcat G2 will be built by hand. A new modular manufacturing process and more precise toot ing, however, are aimed at upping quality control. Looks like the South may rise again. Matthew Miles
