The Vanguard Roadster is a new low production volume motorcycle designed and built in New York, that’s due to go on sale in 2018 for $29,995 USD.
At its heart, the Vanguard Roadster utilises a modified S&S X-Wedge Engine, which is used as a stressed member to both reduce kerb weight and improve rigidity. The X-Wedge is a 117 cubic inch (1917cc) 56.25 degree V-twin designed entirely in-house at S&S, it has the distinction of being the engine chosen by Morgan for the Morgan 3 Wheeler thanks to its excellent torque characteristics. It’s also being used by Arch Motorcycles and Confederate Motorcycles in their production bikes.
The design of the Vanguard Roadster is the work of Edward Jacobs, working with Francois-Xavier Terny the company plans to create three motorcycles on a common platform to cover three major genres – Roadster, Cruiser, and Racer.
With 110 ft lbs of torque, the Roadster should have no problem wrinkling the rear tire’s sidewalls. It has twin Brembo 4-piston callipers on the front with a single 2-piston calliper on the rear.
The fuel tank is a bespoke carbon fibre unit with a capacity of 5.5 gallons (21 litres), and the X-Wedge sends power to the rear wheel via a 6-speed transmission and a low-maintenance shaft drive. There are fully adjustable 48mm Öhlins forks up front with a hidden Öhlins monoshock on the rear, and the Roadster has a kerb weight of 550lbs (~250 kilograms).
The plan is to build the Roadster in New York at the Brooklyn Navy Yard using modular construction techniques – the first time a production motorcycle has been built in the city for decades.
Vanguard released the information and specifications of the new Roadster this week, and the bike will be shown publicly at the International Motorcycle Show in New York starting on December the 9th. If you’d like to enquire or pre-order you can click here to visit the official website.
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