Milestone Motorcycle
by: Paul Garson
September 2007 - V-Twin:
Rucker Performance’s Shelby X-Wedge
The names of car companies stand out as milestones in the landscape of American technical achievement, icons recognized around the world, many named after the people who started them.
Examples include Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford, but none stands out in the minds and hearts of sports car/performance enthusiasts more than the name Shelby. Carroll Shelby is a national treasure that has smoked tires across the psyche of anyone growing up in the 1960’s He has made a lasting impression on anyone who saw, heard and felt one of his 289- or 427-cubic inch Ford powered Cobra open two-seater, his Daytona coupe, or the Shelby Mustang GT-all dream cars of several generations of car enthusiasts.
Now there’s a motorcycle with Shelby’s name on it, and one that lives up to the legend thanks in great part to Bill Rucker of Rucker Performance who helped pull it all together. It all started when Bill was mulling over an idea for a motorcycle and was approached around the same time by the Shelby people about building a bike. Visiting the Shelby headquarters in Las Vegas, Bill showed them his sketches and right then and there deal was struck to produce the bike. “I think the reason Shelby went with us, was that we designed a motorcycle that was like a clean sheet of paper,” Bill told us. “This bike has a new-to-the-market motor by S&S called the X-Wedge and looks unlike anything that anyone has ever shown or built. Carroll’s also a motorcycle enthusiast and very aware of what’s going on in the industry.”
Bill had a jumpstart on the project since he had previously contacted S&S about an X-Wedge motor project, then he and Carroll began collaborating on what the bike would look like as well as the engine set-up and horsepower. Says Bill, “Basically it all came together with a handshake. It’s a true collaboration between Carroll and us to build a motorcycle that speaks well of his intentions for this project.”
Those intentions include 160 hp, a 2-inch diameter Chrome-moly frame to handle the power and a JIMS racing transmission matched to a Pingel electronic shifter. Looking for a bike that would fit into the Pro Stock arena, and thus aiming for a low center of gravity, the frame was designed to incorporate the oil tank into the swingarm. It also served to place more weight on the rear tire while the fuel tank is actually the inner fender well for the back tire.
A Ceriani front end tracks true, while carbon brake rotors and pads benefit from ceramic coating for cooling and additional braking. For additional weight reduction, BST in South Africa designed the special carbon wheels. The bike tips the scale at around 550 pounds. Ergonomics was a factor as well, the 23-inch high seat designed for comfortable riding. As Bill sums it up, “While this is a beast of a bike, it’s a marvel of the latest technology, truly state-of-the-art.”
Twenty-four of these Shelby X-Wedge bikes are going into production and several have already been spoken for. The starting price is about $75,000 plus upgrade options such as a Procharger supercharger. One of the special editions goes to Carroll Shelby, another to Rucker Performance while the last will be auctioned off for Carroll’s children’s charity. Currently, the prototype bike can be seen at various bike shows across the country as part of the S&S X-Wedge tour.
