Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger talk ARCH Motorcycle with AR’s Kevin Duke

The Editor-in-Chief of American Rider recently chatted with Reeves and Hollinger about developing motorcycles and their bold gambit for the future.

If you’re selling high-end motorcycles with big, air-cooled V-Twin engines, there could be no better figurehead than globally recognized actor Keanu Reeves. It was Reeves who enlisted Gard Hollinger to modify his Harley more than a decade ago, a relationship that eventually blossomed into ARCH Motorcycle.

“I said no a lot of times to the idea,” Hollinger explains about Keanu’s desire to start the company. “I tried to talk him out of it. In retrospect, 12 years later, I’m glad he was persistent.”

The partnership bore its first fruit with the KRGT-1, a performance cruiser that featured scads of billet aluminum and carbon fiber. A lusty S&S crate motor was employed to meet emissions regulations necessary for official production. It arrived in 2015 with much fanfare and a princely price tag of $78,000.

“As soon as we had a production KRGT-1, we started playing with it,” Hollinger tells us. “You know, what could the next version be, one that was more sport-oriented? We started to do some sketches on what it would look like. Then, in 2017, we really went all-in.’”

Hollinger took his napkin sketches and drawings to Thomas Flueret, an experienced automotive designer from Vintech, who helped get all the digital design work done.

“And we went to EICMA in November (2017) with an updated KRGT-1, a 1s prototype, and a Method 143 prototype,” Hollinger says with a sense of pain and achievement. “It was a kooky time.”

“Of course it was great!” Reeves roars with delight, recalling the trip to EICMA. “It was super creative and inventive and ambitious. It took all of our resources to make it happen. And for me, it was like making the dream real – us planting the flag of ARCH Motorcycle.”

Hollinger most often plays the pragmatist in the duo, coming across as a finicky guy who demands perfection. He credits Reeves for enthusiastic inspiration.

“I am one of the dreamers,” the John Wick star admits. “It’s like, ‘Let’s go! Let’s do it! Why can’t we do that? Yeah, let’s go to EICMA, and let’s have three f–ing models there!’”

Hollinger describes their relationship as symbiotic and complementary.

“Even when he says things and my initial reaction is ‘No, we can’t do that,’ then as we talk about it, I start to go, ‘Okay, maybe we can do that,’” Hollinger says. “I think of myself as the ‘no’ guy. That’s my favorite word. And it’s not because I don’t want to do it; it’s because I want to be convinced that we can do it.”

The ARCHers have their sights set on long-term sustainability but not large-volume production. They are content serving an elite group of well-heeled customers who demand fabulous handmade machines with an interesting backstory.

A significant part of ARCH’s charm is the ability to tailor bikes for their owner’s specific tastes and sizes. “Bespoke,” as they say. Seating options are nearly unlimited, as are the positions of foot and hand controls. The sky’s the limit for paint. No two bikes are alike.

“They’re a part of that process from the very beginning,” Hollinger says of his clients, “which is kind of unique – having that relationship with the customer to create this thing that’s theirs.”

Reeves pipes in, “We’ve had clients say, ‘I wish we had one of those things where I could plug my phone in.’ Okay, let’s design that. Now we have the ‘Daniel’ package where we have this one owner that’s like, ‘I want the thing with my phone, and I want it to open my garage.’ Okay!”

Another perk of ARCH ownership is the chance to rub shoulders with an A-list movie star.

“We try to have ARCH owner events every year, where we bring in new owners,” Reeves enthuses. “The opportunity to all come and spend two to three days together and ride and hang out and eat. To be part of a lineup riding down the road and seeing 20 ARCHs in front of you … Woooo!”

Thus far, ARCH has sold about 85 bikes, and the new 1s has expanded the brand’s appeal to new customers. All ARCHs are still powered by a massaged S&S crate motor but with unique downdraft induction.

Hollinger describes it as “a wonderful engine” but admits an off-the-shelf powerplant constrains the parameters of future designs.

Read the full story over on American Rider’s website.