40 amcn.com.au
Glenn Curtiss’ most notable two-wheel
achievement was to set a Land Speed Record on a
30kW (40hp) 4410cc V8 motorcycle which Curtiss
designed and built himself. He rode it to a speed
of 136.36mph (219.45km/h) in January 1907 at
Ormond Beach in Florida. He then sw itched his
attention to aviation, but his record would stand
for another 23 years.
So, it’s goodbye Confederate and hello Curtiss.
Since that first Hellcat, Confederate models have
all been named after USAF warplanes, and the
final limited-edition 13 motorcycles are named
for the biggest bird yet, the FA-13 Combat Bomber.
Ref lecting this, and their rarity, these are also the
most expensive Confederates yet, retailing for
$249,000. This does include a bespoke couture
leather jacket, made from the same horsehide as
the machine’s seat.
All of the 13 examples have already been sold –
including three overseas, to Germany, Malaysia
and China, making this the truly last-ever test of a
brand-new Confederate. The monocoque chassis,
suspension and crankcases are carved from
aircraft-spec 6061 aluminium billet and covered
with a distinctive matte finish worthy of a stealth
bomber. This may be the last-ever Confederate,
but it’s one hell of a way to exit the stage.
The Bomber is based on the company’s
previous limited-edition model, the P51 Combat
Fighter, all 61 of which sold for $US130,000 each.
Its successor is dominated by the same 178mm
diameter aluminium tube comprising its spine
frame, with the name, emblem and identity
number carved into the upper face.This fuselage is CNC-machined from solid
billets bolted together to create a monocoque
chassis to hold the rigidly mounted V-twin that’s
a fully-stressed frame part. It’s a true monocoque
and includes the 16-litre fuel tank, extending
under the seat. There are five sight glasses in the
chassis, the upper trio looking into the airbox,
while the lower pair monitor fuel levels.
Proving Confederates have muscle to match
their machismo looks, in August 2014 Confederate
customer Jim Hoegh (he has five of them!)
set a new Land Speed Record at Bonneville of
172.211mph (277.146km/h) in the APF-3000
category for unstreamlined, naturally aspirated,
pushrod V-twin engines above 2000cc. A one-way
pass of 176.458mph (282.33km/h) made his S&S-
powered Confederate the fastest big block V-twin
in the world, ahead of any thing Harley-Davidson,
Indian or Victory had to offer.
The rear wheel 112kW (150hp) at 5100rpm from
the Bomber’s X-Wedge engine is derived from
Hoegh’s salt f lats record-breaker and is 3kW (4hp)
up on the Fighter’s tune, plus there’s 7Nm more
torque at 2000rpm, where a humungous 224Nm
is on tap. The era of the great American muscle
bikes may be ending, but they won’t be forgotten.
My chance to become the first person outside
Confederate (other than a customer) to ride the
new Bomber came at the factory in downtown
Birmingham. I collected the keys of the seventh of
the final 13 Confederates ever to be built, before it
headed to its new owner the following day nicely
run in and with a new set of tyres.
So no pressure then, to keep it upright whileFA-13 COMBAT BOMBER
Top: The Combat Bomber
in all its nonconformist
glory. Or C-Bomb for short
Below: The Bomber’s
fuselage doubles as the
airbox as well as its 16-litre
fuel tank