Saxon strikes a blow
New kids on the chopper block contend for cool
by “Lodown” Dan Parker
From Thunder Press December 2005

PHOENIX, ARIZONA, SEPT. 21—Wailing down the 202 where it runs south from Chandler, Arizona, a not-so-small town just below Phoenix, I couldn’t believe my good luck. I was aboard the Saxon Motorcycle Company’s way too “old skool kool” Black Crown, a softailed chopper-style bike complete with a bobbed rear fender, four-inch-over flat black springer front end, 96-inch S&S engine, six-speed tranny, pinstriping, red rims and 240mm rear tire, a “Frisco King” gas tank, upswept heat-wrapped fishtail pipes, drag bars and all the attitude any rider could ever want.

Saxon’s signature model, the Black Crown, was designed by veteran builder Gard Hollinger of LA County Choprods (several of the bike’s unique features, like the gas tank and hand-tooled leather seat, are LACC proprietary items). With a firm nod to a hot rod biking past but created with the latest technology, you can sum up the style of the whole package as vintage/modern and not blink a peeper at the contradiction. And, dig this daddy-o, the MSRP is just under $27,000.

Riding the Black Crown, I was getting what’s known in the business as “a lotta looks” from others on the highway. That is, however, a bit of an understatement. The fact is this is one of those scoots that makes jaws drop and everybody from granny to the kids in back of the minivan break out in wild spasms of hand waving. Problem was this was in direct violation of my orders from headquarters.

Secret agent, man

Back home a few weeks ago editor Terry Roorda had gotten me on the horn. He asked, a bit reluctantly it seemed, if I could go to Phoenix for the rollout of Saxon Motorcycle’s 2006 models. Always eager to look a gift horse in the mouth, I wanted to know why me; what about T.Ro and the other big fish in the THUNDER PRESS pond?

“Nobody else can do it,” he sighed, “we’re down to you, so please, don’t make a big scene and don’t, unless someone asks you directly, tell them where you’re from.”

I suspected that the Vegas incident—the one with room service for 10 and the ladies in town for the rodeo—was still fresh in his mind (the vet bill alone had caused shock and awe back at corporate headquarters).

“So I’ll be kind of a secret agent at this Saxon deal?” I queried. “Roll in under cover of darkness, get the microfilm and slink out? Cool.”

“Yes,” T.Ro sighed in a tone of voice usually reserved for very small children, “You’ll be a secret agent.” The line went dead.

Now, here I was in broad daylight, booking it down a busy Arizona highway on a chopper that turned about every head it passed; and I was passing a bunch of them. Not only that, but up ahead the Saxon chase truck had photographer Curt in the back and he was snapping away. My cover, it seemed, was blown completely and it was all on film.

Giving my best rodeo “Ye-haw,” I just twisted the Saxon throttle a little harder, making the Black Crown literally jump into the next picture frame. Bite me, Mr. Bond.

Roll ’em if ya got ’em

So it was on a hot Southwestern afternoon that Saxon Motorcycle Company met here to roll out its 2006 lineup. Saxon is a relatively new kid on a block already fairly crowded with builders and manufacturers of semi-custom choppers and production bikes, but as the fledgling company unveiled six sharp motorcycle models—including the new, right-hand drive, 300mm rear-tire shod Griffin—they delivered a message to both consumers and the so-called “American Other” bike makers alike: “We’re going to rock the industry a bit,” declared Jerry Petty, one of Saxon’s co-founders and its chief operating officer.

His comment paraphrased the company’s official slogan for the upcoming year: “We’re dealing a powerful blow for 2006.” If any in the assembled throng of motojournalists, dealer representatives and assorted bike industry types thought that was a bold statement for a company that has yet to celebrate 24 months in the motorcycle making game, none said so. After all, Saxon had already built and delivered a year’s worth of products in what must be, outside of perhaps manufacturing explosives in one’s garage, one of the most volatile business undertakings in the country. That Saxon had come back for 2006 with five revamped models and a bold new offering seemed enough to stifle any naysayer.

Besides, everyone wanted to get a peek at and a test ride on the new bikes. Like proper Victorian ladies, those machines stood in the background well hidden under black velvet wraps. But with sexy names like Black Crown, Warlord, Firestorm, and Scepter, these ladies were apparently a little naughty too. They showed a little chrome leg here and a well-turned powder-coated rim there. The assembled throng waited with all the patience of a dog anticipating a juicy bone.

Sexy stuff, not

But first on the menu was a big dose of Saxon history (the bike makers, not the guys who invaded England from across the North Sea). The company makes its bikes at a facility on nine acres in Casa Grande, a few miles away from where we had gathered, and they wanted us writer types to know their corporate hopes, plans and dreams.

“OK,” admitted David Schwam, Saxon’s vice president of sales and marketing, “this is not the sexy stuff, but we think it’s important for potential buyers to know about our commitment, reliability, performance, and value.”

In turn, each of Saxon’s four co-founders spoke to the group. Steven Seymoure, Mike Gaber, Mike O’Brien, and Jerry Petty, as it turns out, all come from strong manufacturing, finance, production and consumer product backgrounds and all are reported to be motorcycle enthusiasts. The whole presentation was relaxed and casual, but their collective commitment to providing quality semi-custom bikes at a fairly reasonable price came through loud and clear.

Schwam and others from the Saxon barn talked about the standard two-year warranty (an extended plan is also available as an option), a network of 30 elite dealers who carry the Saxon line nationwide, and the 2,000 service centers across the country. They were frank, too, about some of the unavoidable missteps and glitches that dog any first-year company, but said each error gets corrected—corrected for good. For example, the Broadsword, a beach cruiser offered last year, has been dropped from the ’06 line and a spiffy new key/ignition unit goes into this year’s models. The company, Schwam said, will have produced some 400 bikes by the end of this year and is aiming to reach the 2,100 mark by the end of 2009.

Steve Seymoure probably summed up the Saxon corporate outlook best, saying they are in business for the long run and are “building a company, not just a motorcycle.”

Putting da rubber down

Then, sans flashing lights, loud music, smoke effects or even (regrettably) bikini-clad models, the Saxon clan whipped the covers off the 2006 lineup. Light bulbs popped (OK, digital camera built-in flash units winked) and there were the appropriate oohs and ahhs. In addition to the new-for-2006 phat-tired (right-hand drive optional) Griffin ($25,995) and the sexy Black Crown ($26,995), Saxon dealers will be showing the entry-level Scepter ($22,595), the Firestorm ($24,095), and the Warlord ($24,595), which is the company’s most popular chopper, having accounted for half the line’s sales to date.

All of Saxon’s bikes come standard with a 96-inch S&S power plant and all have softail frames. Four-piston caliper brakes, front and rear, come on all models. The Firestorm sports a 5.5 gallon tank, otherwise 4.5 is standard. All have an S&S Super E carb. There are nine basic color schemes from which to choose. Of course, they don’t call them semi-customs for nothing and Saxon offers a full range of options including graphic packages, fancier wheels, black or polished engines, right-side belt drive (the Black Crown is left-side chain drive only), even two-up seats, and more get up and go with a 111-inch S&S engine. As thrilling as all this was, the natives were getting restless and one wag bleated from the back of the room, “Yeah, but when do we get to ride ’em?” It turned out that the seat time on the new Saxon scoots would come after lunch.

Donning a sombrero I found among the lunch table decorations, I pulled the big hat low over my eyes and hurriedly scooped up some chicken, rice and tortillas. I hoped no one saw me. Too late: I saw David Schwam pointing in my direction. What I thought were two security guards intent on tossing me out on my ear, turned out to be just nice guys from Saxon who wanted me to know I was going out on the first flight of test rides. The jig, apparently, was up. They knew who I was and now they were going to make me ride for my supper.
The scene at the ride staging area was a little like feeding time at the zoo as a multitude of “testers” vied for a limited number of seats. With very little pushing and only a little shoving, I clambered aboard an available Scepter, the bike with Saxon’s lowest MSRP. I’m just over six feet in my boots, so the Scepter was a little crowded for my legs, but the bike’s low profile and balance felt good on the road. Mounted on the nicely set up bars, the distinctive Saxon digital speedo (standard on all models) was easy to read. On the road, a little too much vibration transferred through to the grips, but the bike handled pretty well on the freeway and two-lane roads alike.

It was at the turn-around point near Wild Horse Canyon that I caught my ride on the Black Crown. This bike is just flat-out fun to ride. The springer front end handled great, with none of the expected pogo effects. Cornering came easy and it moved out smartly on the straightaways. The Black Crown comes standard in two paint schemes, both start with flat black—natch—with a bitchin’ red or a sparkling silver metalflake overlay.

Special touches on the Black Crown, like the silver crown gas cap and old-timey “Stop Here” brake light (mounted low on the left side), are hella cool. And, if the cap on the oil bag got a little hot on the back of the leg or one’s butt tends to slide a little south under speed, these are niggling things. Any quibbles were easily balanced by the fact that anyone and everyone just looked cooler on the Crown. It was, hands down, the most popular ride among those testing the Saxon line that day.

Later, however, a ride on the Warlord made clear why this is Saxon’s best-seller. The one we tested had upgraded graphics, billet wheels, the optional black package (pipes, wheels, trees and lower legs), and a black tranny and engine. Long with an 81-inch wheelbase, low and lean, the Warlord has six inches of stretch in the downtube and two inches in the spine and a total rake of 45 degrees. It was, with the added features, one handsome bike. And it fit my frame perfectly. Out on the road, there was minimal vibration and anyone who doesn’t need a windshield for longer jaunts could easily take this bike a ways down the road. Of course, profiling on the boulevard is an option too.

What with so many riders and a day that was only so long, not everyone got to test every bike available from Saxon that day. But chatting with the others it was clear that both the Black Crown and the Warlord got nearly universal thumbs up. Those who got a turn on the Saxon Firestorm equipped with the 111-inch S&S motor came back with that glazed look I imagine test pilots who’ve broken the sound barrier might wear.

Somewhere along the way I just plain forgot the “secret” part of my mission at the Saxon 2006 rollout; I was having too much fun.

Nevertheless, later in the evening, after the ride, when approached with a rather hefty bar bill, I did have the presence of mind to sign, “Maxwell Smart.” It seemed like a good idea.

For a complete list of Saxon dealers, a complete spec sheet on all the new models and a gander at the clothing line in the Saxon Armory go to www.saxonmotorcycles.com.