These Are The V-Twin Engines That Power Arch Motorcycles

You hear that? It's the unmistakable report of a V-Twin, the iconic engine configuration you'll find in damn near every Milwaukee-built motorcycle since Harley-Davidson's switch to V-Twins in the early 1900s (and the headache that came along with doubling an H-D's number of cylinders). Today, well over a century after the V-Twin started powering Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles, you can find the popular configuration in everything from big lazy domestic cruisers to metric bikes. However, Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycles aren't the only names in American-made motorcycles anymore, especially when it comes to high-dollar performance cruisers.

If you've got the money to make it happen, you can buy a bike from California-based Arch Motorcycles. The brand deals in bespoke motorcycle offerings, and, though customizable, they feature a familiar presence in the cruiser segment: the V-Twin. Specifically, Arch-fiddled S&S V-Twin engines power the brand's bikes. Don't think of the carbureted overhead-valve S&S mill in your buddy's chopper, though. Every Arch motorcycle features a fuel-injected big twin with a downdraft intake system. The brand's racing aspirations, however, might change things.

Some celebrities diversify and pin their names to liquor, clothing, and even mobile phone brands (looking at you, Ryan Reynolds). Others, like none other than Keanu Reeves, would rather spend time building bikes that "challenge the perception of what an American motorcycle could be." Yes, that Keanu Reeves. The same guy who played Neo in "The Matrix" and lovable nitwit Ted in the "Bill and Ted" movie franchise. Along with co-founder and custom bike builder Gard Hollinger, the actor launched Arch Motorcycles back in 2011. 

The Arch KRGT-1 was the brand's first performance cruiser model, and it features, you guessed it, an Arch/S&S V-Twin engine. It's a 124 cubic-inch twin, seven cubes more than the displacement you'd find in a comparable, albeit much more affordable and less unique, performance cruiser from the Bar & Shield, such as the Low Rider S. Unlike the Milwaukee-Eight V-Twin in the Low Rider S, the Arch/S&S twin features a downdraft intake system, slimming things down by eliminating the more typical side-draft layout. In the KRGT-1 and the race-inspired, more aggressive Arch 1s, the Arch/S&S T124 45-degree twin produces 115.3 pound-feet of torque at the rear wheel.

The rarer-than-unicorn-tears Arch Method143 packs an even stouter S&S mill. The Method143's engine displaces 2,343 cubic centimeters (143 cubic inches). Arch says that big-boy twin is good for 151 pound-feet of smile-inducing twist. Better budget for rear tires in addition to the Method143's likely sweltering cost.

An Arch/S&S engine won't forever be the only mill you find in one of the brand's creations. Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger are building the future of Arch Motorcycles, and, spoiler alert, it's got a different engine at its core. It's the company's new 2s-R Super Hooligan bike. With riders Corey Alexander and Jeremy McWilliams aboard, Arch hopes to flex its new engine: a 119-cubic-inch twin developed in partnership with Switzerland's Suter Industries.

Still, S&S engines are a popular option for cruiser fans and custom bike builders. Outside of powering production Arch motorcycles, S&S builds and sells entire assembled V-Twin engines, ranging from modern interpretations of the classic Knucklehead twin to cammed replacements for the current Milwaukee-Eight V-Twin you'd see in Harley-Davidson cruisers and tourers, like the ever-popular Street Glide and Road Glide.

For now, a lumpy, beating S&S heart is what you'll find in your bike when you build a bespoke motorcycle with Arch. After all, what's more American in motorcycling than an air-cooled V-Twin? That's exactly what Arch says it set out to do with its pricey, adrenaline-summoning, and bespoke motorcycles.