The Vanguard Roadster, revealed at the New York International Motorcycle Show, is powered by a 1917cc engine – based on S&S’s X-Wedge V-twin – and forms the bike’s main structure. On top of which, a large aluminium element is bolted on top to mount the steering head, airbox, fuel tank and seat.
Unusually for an American-built V-twin, there’s a shaft drive transmission, with the shaft hidden inside a massive single-sided swingarm that exposes the spun aluminium disc wheel at the back. Up front there’s an Öhlins fork and Brembo radial brakes, while the whole thing is topped with a 21-litre carbon fibre fuel tank and a flat-screen display that incorporates images from a rear-view camera as well as the usual instruments
Clear plastic covers let you see into the engine’s timing cases, the shaft drive transmission and the rear shock enclosure, which is mounted in the top of the swingarm. Similar perspex parts also cover the headlights, which are incorporated into the massive aluminium fork clamps.
The V-twin makes a claimed 149Nm of torque, and while no power figure is quoted, the X-Wedge it’s based on makes around 75kW. It drives though a 240-section rear tyre and the firm is targeting a weight of 250kg.
Vanguard plans to sell the bike in America and Europe – it says the engine will meet Euro 4 regulations. The firm is planning a run of 200 bikes, and prices are set to start at US$30,000 when it goes on sale in 2018. Pre-orders are being taken now.
