US Highland Viking 950 Streetfighter
I got to hand it to Kevin Duke at Motorcycle.com, he always seems to report on the hidden gems at the big shows. Check out this 318 lb. 950cc V-twin US Highland Viking MO shot at the Dealer Expo last week. There was a small picture of the bike on the US Highland site but this is the first good look at the lightweight powerhouse. Compare to the SV650 at 375 lbs dry this bike will roast the rear and loft the front on command. The powerful and light 950 engine is suspended in a Spondon Engineering frame and swing arm for a custom streetfighter look. Like all Highlands the bike comes with high end specs such as Ohlins shocks and Brembo brakes.
Dealers will not carry any inventory. The buying process will be automated via kiosk in the dealer’s showroom. After the customer evaluates a demo model details such as engine displacement and suspension will be tailored to the users riding style. Once the customer order is complete the bike will be shipped in 7 days as the bike is assembled in Tulsa, Oklahoma. No word on pricing or release date. Stay tuned to OtherMakes.net for updates.
More pics after the break…
Highland ATX Quad Racer ATV
It’s ironic that a bike so prone to dying would be reincarnated so many times. In early 2000 Cannondale transformed itself from US based bicycle manufacturer to US based powersports innovater with the launch of the x440s dirtbike and the Cannibal ATV. Both were based on a gound breaking programmable fuel injected four stroke with a reverse cylinder similar to the 2010 Yamaha YZ450, minus the reverse slant. Air in the front, exhaust out the back.
The all aluminum frame was covered with top shelf components from Domino throttle to Ohlins suspension to Talon hubs. The only problem was the bike had issues with the motor grenading, sealed fuel system leaks and slightly porky weight. Cannondale did a great job of servicing it’s customers (I know, I fried the ECU on my 2002 e440) but they eventually went bankrupt. ATK purchased the motorcycle rights and did a lot of work improving reliablility. Dinli purchased the ATV rights originally but ATK now sells a version of the Dale Quad. Read more