Tale Of Two Bobbers | Swift Motorcycles Road Test

Take a cruise down just about any highway across the United States and odds are you're going to pass a Swift Trucking Company big rig. If the gargantuan transportation corporation's two-wheeled offering, Swift Motorcycle Company, had its druthers, you'd see just as many of its motorcycles on the road. Maybe with its Lucky Strike Softail and LSR, it might be on its way to accomplishing that very feat.

Swift Motorcycle Company was founded in 2001 and launched the Punisher model for the first go-around, which is a pro-street style bike with beefy 2-inch diameter frame tubing, large-displacement engine, and wide rear tire. And while the company still manufactures the Punisher today, Swift's targeted another market thanks to Chris Moyes, son of Swift Trucking founder, Jerry Moyes.

Chris joined the Swift Motorcycle team in 2001 as a marketing associate, but moved into the R&D department in 2004. He then spearheaded a new development of bobber style bikes in 2005, and is currently the company's CEO. As for his vision of what's in store for the future, "You will see more lightweight, nimble, rideable, affordable motorcycles, which is basically where we are right now and where we're going, and I think that's the best move for the industry right now, and the consumer," Chris expressed. So far we're impressed with the direction he's taken the company and looking forward to what will be available in the future. And with the bobber line along with the pro-streets and choppers, Chris feels there is something for everyone. The LSR and the Lucky Strike Softail are a great representation of what the company has to offer, and we rather enjoyed our time together with these bikes.

2009 LSR
The LSR is a sporty little rigid that stands out immediately because of the front and rear 21-inch wheels. The Performance Machine Contrast Cut wheel combo is definitely an eye-catcher. Then, the silver flake paint (an upgrade for this model) captures your attention as it brilliantly shines on the tank and very minimal rear fender. Atop the rear fender sits a web-themed fender support that sticks up right behind the sprung solo saddle. While it may be a unique accent piece, this needs to go because anyone who likes to launch quickly off the line, might end up in the emergency room with a surgeon trying to sew his/her bunghole back to its original size. This is a simple fix that could be alleviated with the removal/relocation of the support, or a redesign of the seatpan to arch upward in the rear, cupping you in place more taking the fender support out of the equation.

Between the 1-inch diameter frame tubing sits a carbureted Harley 80ci Evo. The Evo gets the job done for this little bobber and we think it was a good choice to use the Motor Company's power plant because of its tried-and-true reputation. Plus with the overall weight being close to 500 pounds, the Evo is all that's needed to power the LSR. Bringing power to the rear wheel is an Accessories Unlimited six-speed transmission. When cruising at 70 mph on the freeway, Sixth gear left little acceleration, almost to the point of lugging, so we spent most of our time in Fifth gear, which accelerated nicely and didn't whine out at freeway speed. The LSR comes with a PM hydraulic clutch setup which made clutch pull nice and easy. We did have one unfortunate incident, while riding, the belt on the Brute 3 Extreme Belt Drive completely shredded inside the primary case, which put us out for about three hours as we made our way toward the peak of Angeles Crest National Forrest. While we'd be pretty upset if this happened to our brand new bike, Swift does offer a two-year, unlimited mile, tire-to-tire warranty, which would cover this repair.

However, rewind one hour prior to the mishap, and the bike handled almost like a sport bike in the twisties, very nimble. Because of the dual 21-inch wheels, we could really get into the tight corners at high speeds with nary an issue of scraping the billet forward controls or 2-into-1 SuperTrapp exhaust. Stopping the LSR are Performance Machine four-piston calipers and floating rotors. Harley's 39mm front fork tubes (housed in Swift's billet triple clamps) soaked up the bumps nicely without being too squishy and the apes on the bike, an upgrade on this model, were a nice touch since this model usually comes standard with drag-style bars. Swift's apes worked well in the ergos department and kept us upright, which helped reduce fatigue on the rigid. And speaking of fatigue-we've ridden a lot of rigids-vibration was minimal. The pins and needles effect, which is sometimes apparent after a few miles on hardtail bikes, never seemed present, even after a few hours of seat time. For being a rigid with a crate motor, the bike performed very well, and was actually pretty comfortable. The springs under the seatpan were wound just right. The LSR very much appealed to onlookers as well; we lost count how many times we were questioned about the bike and where one might buy this model.

While we did have the one mishap with the primary, we'd chalk it up to just bad luck and wouldn't count the LSR out, especially since we didn't have any breakdown issues with the Softail. Overall, we really enjoyed this bike. It handled great and it's definitely unique in appearance amongst production bikes with its dual 21 inch wheels. And the brillant silver metalflake paint with the contrast of black and chrome got a lot of attention. The looks and performance of the LSR is like a sporty version of a modern bobber.

2009 Lucky Strike Softail
While there are many similarities between the Lucky Strike Softail and the LSR, where the LSR is a more agreesive bobber stlye bike, the Lucky Strike fits more along the lines of the traditional bobber. The Lucky Strike Softail features Swift's own Softail-style frame (Lucky Strike is also available with hardtail frame), and it too utilizes a sprung solo seat. The rear suspension handles the bumps pretty well, but mated with the sprung seat, there's yet again a feeling of instability or possibly a lack of confidence that the seat is going to hold you in place. We understand the overall design of the bike, but propping the back of the seat up a bit would definitely help. The iconic peanut tank is always a hit in our book, and the silver base coat with red hot rod style flames works well. The decision to use Forge-Tec 16x3.5-inch Nomad wheels was a good choice and the wide whitewalls look good with the nostalgic look Swift was going for. Even with the wider, shorter wheels, the bike still handled well in the switchbacks of Angeles Crest.

The Lucky Strike houses the same Harley 80ci crate motor with Accessories Unlimited six-speed transmission and Primo Brute 3 Extreme belt drive as the LSR. The drivetrain package works, but again, the Sixth gear of the Accessories Unlimited transmission was not utilized frequently. Stopping the bike without a hitch are Performance Machine rotors and calipers. You can't go wrong with PM brake components, which is why Chris chose them. Gas stops were pretty common since the tank only holds 2.4 gallons, which is great for around town bar hopping, and plenty good to get you from one cool watering hole to the next, but if it's a weekend trip you're after, be prepared to stop. Frequently.

As for the ergonomics of the bike, they're relatively the same as found on the LSR because of the apehangers. Not much is different as far as seating position is concerned but the way the seat is positioned on the Softail, it felt as if we were slipping a tad bit more off the back when getting on the throttle than with the LSR.

All in all, the Lucky Strike Softail is a good-looking bike with a fair price point. For the coin, you're getting a well-built motorcycle with quality components and a cool design and paint scheme.

Sources

Swift Motorcycle Company
(602) 248-2836
www.swiftmotorcycle.com