The WWII Fighter Plane-Inspired Curtiss Warhawk Is a Savage 165-MPH Superbike

Just don’t get blown off.

Curtiss Motorcycles

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk achieved everlasting fame as the shark-mouthed fighter plane used by the American Volunteer Group, better know as “The Flying Tigers,” in China during World War II.

Curtiss Motorcycles

Curtiss Motorcycles pays tribute to that beast of plane with the new Warhawk power cruiser motorcycle, powered by a monstrous 2,163cc, 150-horsepower, 160 lb.-ft. air-and-oil-cooled V-twin.

The company claims a top speed exceeding 165 mph, though riding that fast on an unfaired motorcycle might prove to be a test of grip strength to avoid being blown off!

Curtiss Motorcycles

If the Warhawk reminds you of the similarly designed Confederate Combat Bomber or P51 Combat Fighter, it is with good reason: Curtiss is Confederate, freed of its original now-toxic name.

While the name has changed to honor aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss, the incredible industrial design remains, complete with touches like the aluminum backbone frame, parallelogram fork and Racetech double-adjustable rear shock absorber.

Curtiss Motorcycles

And those are carbon fiber wheels that have the fat Michelin tires mounted to them.

So fortunately all the style has made the transition from the old name to the new. Curtiss says it will build just 35 of these beauties, with a list price of $105,000.

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