All right, all right. I know it’s probably not technically a sportbike. But all Confederates are extremely rare by their nature, and the very definition of exotic. The X132 Hellcat is more musclebike in terms of looks and riding position, the components list looks like an exotic owner’s Christmas wish list: BST carbon-fiber wheels, Berringer brake and clutch master cylinders, huge Brembo calipers, WP suspension, and a classy, high-tech MotoGadget gauge to keep tabs on the revs and other parameters.
There’s an American v-twin powering the Hellcat, but you’re looking at much more than a warmed-over Harley engine. It’s been built by Harley specialists S&S, but is their own design and shares nothing but inspiration with Harley’s 45° twin. Cylinders are splayed at 56°, with square internal dimensions and huge pistons that displace 2163cc. The result? 121 horses and an insane 14o ft-lbs of twist that almost justifies the 240-section rear tire wrapped around the carbon-fiber wheel. The box has just five speeds but, given that torque, it’d probably work just fine with four. Or three…
Sure, the Hellcat sacrifices cornering a bit for style, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since most of us shouldn’t be pushing the limits of a bike this valuable. And even if you don’t like the overall looks, it’s hard not to get lost in the details: the clear window in side of the cases that show off the gears that drive the cams, the sight glass in the frame behind the steering head that shows the oil level, since it’s conveniently stored there, the machined-from-billet everything… Love it or hate it, this is a boutique motorcycle with the very best hand-crafted components.
From the original eBay listing: 2012 Confederate X132 Hellcat Prototype Serial # 001 for Sale
Up for auction OR TRADE FOR COLLECTOR/SPORT CARS (AND TRADES FOR 1986 HONDA Z50 CHROME CHRISTMAS SPECIAL MINI BIKES) is a rare opportunity to own a piece of motorcycle history. This bike was owned and operated by the land speed record holder, James Hoegh until I purchased it directly from him. I purchased this bike because I fell in love with the design, and the history. Its not a practical bike for me and it belongs in a collection or a museum. This is a unique bike that has lots of custom attributes listed below: It does have Dual high intensity xenon headlights. Clip on handle bars. 132 CI S&S Engine with a 1 piece forged crank. 132 HP and 145 ft’ of torque. 5 speed manual transmission with GP style shifting, 1 gear up and 4 gears down. Custom Marzocchi 50MM race forks that are adjustable. Race tech coil over shock in rear that is fully adjustable. Dual disc Brembo brakes up front with a single brembo disc in the rear with a 2 piston caliper. BST carbon fiber wheel, front and rear. 28″ seat height. Oil is circulated through the frame for cooling purposes. Large oil sight glass on on driver side where triple tree meets frame. There are a couple rock nicks in the forks which I have photo graphed. This bike is sold with a framed certificate of provenance & authenticity from Confederate motorcycle company.
The price for muscle-bike perfection and visibly, spin-y gears? A Buy-It-Now price of $40,000 which seems almost reasonable, considering the prices of new Confederates. Certainly, if you’re looking to add something rare and unusual to your collection, you can’t go wrong with #001, although it’s a shame you’d damage the value by putting miles on it. Maybe if you just live your life a quarter mile at a time and blast from stoplight-to-stoplight, it’ll take a long time to add up any meaningful mileage…
-tad
Not what I expected to see here. Hope I never see another one. What’s next? A Boss Hoss?
actually given that this is supposed to be Bike #1, it does seem worthy of a RSBFS post.
Rare? Yes! Sportbike? Ummmmm….no.
“Never see another one”? You must be new around here. Welcome to the site. Honestly though, this is way closer to a buffed-up, American Monster than it is to a Boss Hoss. It even has mid-mounted controls! And whatever sportbike[s] you own, you should still be drooling over the components on display here. Basically the only thing a Hellcat has in common with a cruiser is the impractically wide rear tire.
Yeah, as I said in my actual post: “it’s probably not technically a sportbike.” But honestly, I’ve made the argument a hundred times: “sportbike” is a made-up category that has changed significantly over time. Which is more sportbike, a KTM Superduke R or a Ninja 300? But even though I could argue this one all day, I basically just wanted to post it because it’s weird and rare and is technically very fast, at least until the aerodynamics come into play.
For what it is worth. I am I die hard sport bike aficionado. However I have always been intrigued and astonished at the engineering spectacle this man and his company build. I would have one now if I could scratch up the funds to get one. To all those haters out there, it’s ok to be loyal to something, but open your eyes to experience something different once in a while. That’s what keeps this industry alive. Monotony and closed mindedness will be the end of it if we aren’t careful.
Imagine blowing real sport bikes in the weeds stoplight to stoplight with this. ????????
I’m all for making the site more inclusive, sportbikes or sporting bikes – it’s all good. I’ve got a Ducati M695 and a Honda VFR400RR and love them both. But don’t get me started on the collector thing – has anyone else noticed that he would consider trading for “…1987 Honda Z50 chrome Christmas Special mini bikes”? Help me out here…
None of the Confederate bikes ever interested me, not sure why. But post them up! The more bikes the better
Neat looking bruiser of a bike. Looks like it’d be a blast to tear around on, and nice to see something a little different.
Hey Tad, Fantastic job! As always! Most of the reply’s on this one got it right. Anyone that is looking for the normal everyday blah, blah, blah, needs to look elsewhere. Don’t forget, there are haters everywhere you go in life. This is a super interesting bike. Weather you may want to own it or not. Please keep up the awesome work that you do. Thank you!
This is every bit as “sporty” as a Ducati Monster or HD-powered Buell and plenty interesting to put on this site. If you don’t like it, blow on past it and shut your pie hole. I have little/no interest in certain bikes on this site (e.g. damn near every late model “limited edition” Ducati… “Oh look, forged wheels and Ohlins, again…”) but different strokes for different folks, which keeps things interesting. I’d much rather take a spin on this than probably half the bikes that show up on this site, even if I don’t care to own it. And those S&S X-Wedge motors are made/designed right here in ‘Merica and really do have a significant amount of technology contained within – just look past the push rods!
Yeah, after the Wraith, they’re a little bit overdesigned for my taste, but you can see what you’re paying for at least. The Fighter is amazing up close, but sort of looks too busy as you step back from it. The Hellcat falls in between for me.
Heh heh. Yeah, I was sort of trolling with this bike anyway: our readership can be very conservative when it comes to what actually constitutes a “sportbike” and I knew this bike might generate some strong opinions. People seem to get it though: it’s not to everyone’s taste, but it’s pretty interesting!
Oh no! You said the B-Word! It’s amazing the hate Buells get around here. So what if they “could have been better” with a Japanese inline four? That was pretty obviously not his point. I’m a fan myself, and don’t get why folks can’t appreciate bikes they don’t personally want to own. I often post up bikes that I think are interesting and that I know will get a discussion going, rather than ones I know are safe. Frankly, I’m happy to get negative comments about a particular bike, as long as they actually contribute to the discussion.