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Here Is the Curtiss Zeus, An Electric Cruiser

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We will have a full account of the 10th Annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering posted soon, but I wanted to highlight one of the more notable events at the California motorcycle show – the debut of the Curtiss Zeus, an electric cruiser with tech from Zero Motorcycles and styling from the now defunct Confederate brand.

The first all-new machine from the Curtiss brand (we are not counting the Curtiss Warhawk, which looks remarkably like something from Confederate’s previous offerings), the Curtiss Zeus features two electric motors from Zero, which share a common shaft, and help produce a claimed 290 lbs•ft of torque and 170hp.

That bonkers feature is matched to an equally divergent style, which builds upon the design ethos that Confederate established previously. For instance, note the front-end setup, which is a carryover from the Fighter line of bikes from Confederate.

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News

Confederates’ New Plan as Curtiss Motorcycle Co.

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Confederate Motorcycles is to become the Curtiss Motorcycle Company. We reported on this story back in August already, so loyal Asphalt & Rubber readers should know that the news comes with the twist that the new company will focus on motorcycles that have electric drivetrains, provided by Zero Motorcycles.

Not much beyond those details was available at the time, and admittedly we don’t have a plethora of new information about this boutique American brand at this point in time as well, but we’ll share with you what we do know.

First of all, Curtiss Motorcycle will ultimately have a bike for a wide range of pocketbooks, not just the uber-rich that were serviced by Confederate. Curtiss’ first bike will be called the Hercules, and it is scheduled to drop on May 5, 2018.

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News

Confederate Motors Changes Names, Goes Electric

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We are in the final days of Confederate Motors, as the Alabama-based company just debuted its last motorcycle: the FA-13 Combat Bomber. Once the uniquely styled cruiser is sold out though, a new company will be formed: Curtiss Motorcycles.

The name Curtiss is a nod to aviator Glenn Curtiss, who before he battled with the Wright Brothers for control of the sky, was an avid motorcycle builder and motorcycle racer.

Like its namesake, Curtiss Motorcycles will be looking to the future, and thus its first model will be an all-electric motorcycle.

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Bikes

Vanguard Roadster Set to Debut IMS New York

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Say “hello” to the very attractive Vanguard Roadster, which is hitting the interwebs ahead of its official debut at the IMS New York show. Based out of the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City, Vanguard Motorcycles was founded by Edward Jacobs and Francois-Xavier Terny.

If the Vanguard Roadster design reminds you of something from Confederate Motorcycles, that’s no accident. The two machines share the S&S X-Wedge v-twin engine platform, but more importantly Jacobs was a former designer for Confederate, while Terny brings his business acumen to the startup.

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News

Confederate Motors Makes $1 Million Stock Offer

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If you’ve ever wanted to own part of a boutique motorcycle brand, this might be your chance, as Confederate Motors is looking to raise $1 million via a private stock offering. In total, 5 million shares of Confederate stock will be made available for purchase, which means each unit of stock will be priced at $0.20 a pop.

Before you start emptying out your wallet though, the offering is made under Rule 506 of Regulation D, which means there are several restrictions on the purchase, including the fact that you will have to be an accredited investor – i.e. a financial institution or a person of wealth.

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Bikes

Confederate P51 Combat Fighter, Second Generation

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Confederate Motors is making some of the most intriguing and evocative custom motorcycles on the market right now, and the company’s second-generation Confederate P51 Combat Fighter is no different.

Taking some cues from the first-generation Fighter, as well as a couple nods from the Confederate X132 Hellcat, the Confederate G2 P51 Combat Fighter not only encapsulates everything good about the Confederate Motors brand, but it’s also Pierre Terblanche’s last work at the Southern company, before heading to Royal Enfield.

Confederate says that the G2 P51 Combat Fighter draws inspiration from the “1960’s rebel, anti-hero and the stripped, raw, chopper he rode.” The custom certainly is sinister in its look, especially in the blacked-out version. Oh, did we mention is boasts over 200hp at the rear wheel?

Like all Confederate machines, these P51 Combat Fighters will be bespoke to each owner, of which there will be only 61 units made. MSRP for the blonde model is is $113,900 (30 units in total), while the brunette will cost you $119,500 (31 units to be produced). More photos and details after the jump.

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News

Pierre Terblanche Leaves Confederate for Royal Enfield

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It’s been 18 months since we reported Pierre Terblanche moving from Norton to Confederate Motorcycles, and now the South African is on the move again. Terblanche’s travels take him this time to India, where he has landed a position at Royal Enfield.

The Indian company is in the middle of a growth spurt, having recently acquired 50 acres of land to host their factory expansion. It’s not clear what sort of projects Terblanche will be working on while at Royal Enfield, but we can get an idea from the designer’s latest work, the Confederate X132 Hellcat Speedster.

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Bikes

Confederate X132 Hellcat Speedster – By Pierre Terblanche

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The Confederate X132 Hellcat Speedster is the newest motorcycle from the venerable “Southern” brand, and that’s enough of a pedigree for the machine to grace the pages of Asphalt & Rubber, but this latest incarnation of the Hellcat line also happens to be the first work by a certain Pierre Terblanche, who became Head of Design at Confederate not too long ago.

Based around the same 132 cubic inch (2,163cc) v-twin engine as the previous Hellcat models, the Speedster is good for 121hp and 140 lbs•ft of torque. The styling is true to the Confederate canon, though Terblanche’s touches can certainly be seen in the details of the machine.

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Bikes

Confederate C2 P-51 Fighter — Pierre Terblanche’s Latest Motorcycling Creation

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It has been over two years since we saw a new motorcycle from Confederate Motors, but you would be wrong to think that the boutique Southern brand has been sitting idly by all this time.

Earlier this year, Confederate added esteemed motorcycle designer Pierre Terblanche to its ranks, and now we get to see the first fruition of the South African’s influence on the American motorcycle company.

Announcing today the Confederate C2 P-51 Fighter, Terblanche has created Confederate’s second-generation model of the Fighter line — no easy feat to build upon, as Terblanche calls the original fighter one of his all-time favorite motorcycle designs.

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News

Pierre Terblanche Joins Confederate Motorcycles

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When we last caught up with Pierre Terblanche, the he had left a frustrating position with the Piaggio Group, that saw the South-African creating several intriguing concepts for the Moto Guzzi brand that never saw the light of day, and he was thus headed to work for Norton.

With work there being a non-starter, rumors pegged Terblanche coming stateside to work for Confederate Motorcycless, but with those rumors over a year old now, we assumed the thought to collaborate with the Southern marques had passed. However, our inbox today tells us that seems not to be the case, as Confederate Motorcycles has announced that Pierre Terblanche is the company’s new head of product development.

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Racing

Confederate X132 Hellcat Hits 172.211 MPH at Bonneville

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It is fall, which means it is also land speed record season up at Bonneville. While our own plans for salt flat were thwarted by some empty promises from an OEM, it seems plenty of teams and manufacturers made it up to Bonneville to test their mettle against the stopwatch.

One such company was Confederate Motorcycles, which took its recently debuted Confederate X132 Hellcat Combat up to the BUB Speed Trials in August, and subsequently set a 171.211 mph land speed record in the A-PF 3000 class (special construction chassis (unfaired), push-rod motor, fuel, & up to 3,000cc in cylinder displacement).

Racing his own bike on the salt flats, we are having a hard time imagining how Confederate customer James Hoegh managed to hold onto his unfaired machine at 171+ mph — it must be all about the tuck. Check the video out after the jump, and if you are anything like us, keep on dreaming about your day racing at the Bonneville.

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