As we left Daytona's '05 Biketoberfest, we made a detour on our way home, stopping in Wichita, KA, the home of the Big Dog Motorcycle Company. Our reason for the stop was to check out Big Dog's manufacturing facility to see just how they manage to manufacture somewhere in the vicinity of 5,000 motorcycles a year. We also timed our trip to coincide with Big Dog's annual Tech Summit, which gave us a good opportunity to sit down and talk with quite a few of Big Dog's authorized service-center personnel, as well as many folks on the sales and management team.
In our April issue, we ran an article where we followed a motorcycle through Big Dog's assembly line. The bike you see here is the end result of that article.
The Mastiff is one of five models offered by Big Dog for the '06 model year. While the Mastiff has been around since 2001, '06 proved to be the year that redefined the motorcycle from previous models. In an effort to stay on the cutting edge of motorcycle styling, the new Mastiff has been geared more toward the long and low Pro-Street style of bikes (as has the Pitbull), while the remainder of the models are more in line with chopper styling.
The Mastiff's frame has been totally redesigned from previous models. The in-house manufactured frame boasts a 6-inch backbone stretch and stock-length downtubes. Also manufactured in-house is the A-frame swingarm designed to cradle the Avon 250/40-18 rear tire. This is no doubt in response to customers looking for more and more rubber out back. Of the four other models Big Dog produces, only the Chopper shares the 250mm rear tire, while all the others wear a 300mm tire. Both the frame and swingarm are coated with a heavy protective layer of powdercoat. Leveling out the front of the bike is a 41mm frontend comprised of 2-inch-over tubes and a set of 3-degree raked triple-trees, which hang from a 39-degree raked neck. Providing a good contact patch with the asphalt is an MH120/70/21 Avon tire, designed to work well with the 250 out back. Providing cushioning at the rear of the bike is a pair of manually adjustable shocks.
Powering the Mastiff is an S&S 117-inch, overhead-valve, air-cooled, 45-degree V-Twin engine. Big Dog has worked closely with S&S over the years. This relationship has culminated in an engine design that includes a proprietary cam design, Super G carburetor, electronic compression releases, and a specially designed fin on the heads and cylinders that not only aids in cooling but also results in less high-frequency noise emanating from the engine. All of the S&S powerplants for '06 are assembled at Big Dog's Wichita plant.
Located just behind the engine is what Big Dog calls its balanced drive system (BDS), which consists of a wet-chain primary and clutch setup that relocates the starter from its traditional position and places it down and farther back. In addition to the primary, another major component of the BDS is a Baker six-speed right-side-drive transmission. The result of all these components working in conjunction with one another is a narrower, more centered and balanced drivetrain. Final drive consists of a 1-1/8-inch carbon-fiber belt running on a pair of hard-anodized, Teflon-coated pulleys.
Sheetmetal for the Mastiff consists of a pair of steel fenders and a long, flowing, one-piece gas tank complete with a single filler and a nice touch in the way of a paint-saver screwed into the tank's bung. What appears to be an oil tank is actually an enclosure for the bike's battery and electronics. So where's the oil stored, you ask? It resides in a 3-quart curved reservoir sitting just in front of the rear tire. This relocation aids in cooling the oil as well as keeping heat away from the electronics package.
Big Dog equips the Mastiff-as well as all of its '06 models-with numerous features such as a rear-mounted kickstand for better cornering clearance, billet hand controls with internal brake master cylinder, one-touch switching wired through Big Dog's ground-trigger switching system, integrated speedo/tach, floating rotors, Performance Machine brake calipers, and a disabling starter button that prevents unwanted starter engagement. The electronic harness controller provides for easier servicing and diagnostic checks of the electrical system. Also new is a high-output charging system designed to charge the battery even at idle. Shifting is designed to be smooth and positive due to Big Dog's clutch setup. The standard rear suspension can be upgraded to an air suspension for an additional $1,500. The Mastiff has a base MSRP of $28,500 and is backed by a two-year unlimited-mile warranty with around 100 dealers located across the country. Big Dog offers a line of accessories designed to let customers tailor the look and functionality of their bikes to suit their needs. In addition, there are multiple levels of custom paint to choose from, ranging in price from $625 to $3,125. If you can't find something you like, the factory will quote you a price on the artwork of your choice. Our test bike was outfitted with an orange powdercoated frame ($400), Swiss Flame graphics ($2,800), and electrical-cover graphics ($250).