Darwin Motorcycle: Brawler Road Test
FXR Cafe Style by the Builders of Brass Balls Bobbers
By Chris Callen, Supreme Magnificent Editor in Chief of Cycle Source, Prince Najar, and Bikernet Staffers
7/20/2010
In the motorcycle world, there is a common bond among us. We need to stick together. It’s dangerous out there. The two-wheeled passion runs deep and is thick as 60-weight.
When a brother needs help with a project, we step up. Here’s a perfect example of two-wheeled zeal. Motorcycle rights effort in the U.S. is one of the strongest grass roots movements in the country. The brothers and sister aren’t paid, but they fight daily to maintain our freedoms. This bike build is another example of the crazed monks from the motorcycle mountain worshiping together to form a world class motorcycle.
All it takes for a brother to seek out inspirational notions from motorcycle mentors, is to pick up a phone, or drop an e-mail to another prophet. We always stop and take the time to share concepts, notions and resources. Bikers stick together or projects like the Brawler wouldn’t become a reality.
Dar Holdsworth of Darwin Motorcycles, a.k.a. Brass Balls Bobbers and Choppers, was looking down the road and thinking of possibly adding a bagger to his lineup of bikes. He brought his idea to our own Chris Callen. Chris was quick to add his opinion that the lifetime of the bagger products, although in high swing right now, was somewhat short, had already been satisfied by many companies in the aftermarket world and that baggers are also like a last stop in the natural evolution of a motorcyclist. He explained to Dar that with that in mind, it might be cooler to build something more in the middle of the road; a bike that handles well and can also be ridden in comfort on long trips, something like an old FXR. Dar agreed that this was a possibility and told Chris that he always aspired to build a sport bike platform and that the FXR may fit that category.
“As the design process began, sketches were passed back and forth and a few other people got involved. Keith R Ball, or Bandit, of www.bikernet.com, and Roadside Marty were also consulted on the design concepts.
“FXRs were probably the best bikes H-D every made,” Bandit said, “That’s why their touring bikes continue to use that tight configuration. We just need to give it attitude.”
All having different visions, Bandit would draw up tight stretched versions for today’s rider, and say it had to be more ergononmic. Roadside threw his sketches into the mix and Chris came back with the need for a steep rake with mid controls. Dar’s ten-year-old son, Will, even put his two cents in with a drawing of his own. Before long there was an impressive body of work sitting right before him. Dar used all of these ideas and designed a steep rake of 27 degrees but added an extended swingarm to give it a little length as well.
He used sport bike inverted forks and an FXR style 2-shock design. Mids and tracker style bars were thrown in and the rider position became a natural fit for any cafe cycle nut. In spite of all the progress with the design, the bike needed a name and his son Will finally came up with it: The Brawler. It was perfect for a bike that was fought over by design ideas from different generations and geographic locations; it had an instant sense of aggression and was sure to be a favorite of angry young men everywhere.
This bike looks great on the kickstand and has a real classic nature. The combination of Raptor handlebars with motocross grips along with the mid controls mentioned above, gives it a racy look. The gas tank is inverted, in the Bonneville tradition, so your knees can tuck in behind the fat tank for sport bike type wind resistance and added comfort. The solo seat has a slight rise in the back to match the camel hump fender which again enhances rider comfort and also adds support when you twist it up, in keeping with the ’50s café style. The inverted forks and extended swingarm give the bike a long stance like a dragger sport bike custom and also lends itself to the beneficial handling characteristics.
The Brawler fits me well, but there is still plenty of room between the handlebars and controls for a much taller rider. With a twist of the ignition switch, tucked neatly under the left side panel, the 96-inch rubber mounted S&S engine fired up and sounded great with a custom 2-into-1 D&D exhaust. There was very little engine vibration at idle which is not common with a rubber mount and struck me as odd. When you pick the bike up off the stand, it almost balanced itself. The geometry of this frame had me excited from that moment on. I found I was able to handle slow maneuvers and easy to do figure eights.
I was completely amazed with the control of this Chopper guys frame and tire combination. Slow speed maneuverability was a breeze. It felt light, agile and was best balanced motorcycle I’ve ever ridden.
Needless to say, in town it’s a dream to ride. The extended swingarm maked it easy to launch the bike from light to light; it was also quick to stop.There was no vibration on the highway which is the essential design of rubber mounted chassis, so it didn’t expect any. I seemed to sense even less vibration on the Brawler compared to other rubber-isolated models I’ve ridden. I’m still not sure how Dar accomplished this but it was a comfortable surprise.
Technology continues to improve touring bike handling and Dar was taking advantage of the latest developments. You can cut lines on the highway at high speeds and maintain complete control. The bike stayed stable and didn’t dive into the hardest corners, which by the way are hard to find in Oklahoma City.
Brass Balls’ Brawler in the Pit for Suspension Modifications
Dar, riding the Brawler, went out to Suspension Technologies ( http://www.suspensiontechnologies.com ) and ran the VIR’s Patriot Course to evaluate the handling characteristics of the motorcycle. Mike Alex, President of Suspension Technologies, adjusts the Brawler for mid-speed corner compliance. Each shock from Suspension Technologies comes with a dyno sheet so the enthusiast is assured that each shock is compliant in its damping characteristics.
I did manage to find some outside Dar’s shop and we set upon putting it through its paces. The foot pegs were ground at about a 45 degree angle and can be used as feelers. They fold up so you can push the lean angle even further.
I really enjoyed the Brawler by Darwin Motorcycles, the builders of Brass Balls Bobbers. The price starts around $24,000 and you can use the “Build-A-Bike” tab available on the Darwin Motorcycle Web site to add options and make your Brawler unique.
Dar is proud to say he goes out of his way to use only the finest American made parts available on each build, plus he makes a point to use hometown businesses for powder coating,frames, and local machine shops for manufacturing components they can’t make in-house. Every motorcycle is hand-built from start to finish in his Darwin Motorcycle Oklahoma City facility.
Dar is the boss, yet he works on many of his motorcycle personally and inspects every motorcycle build in the Darwin shop, and his high standards of quality are what make his line of motorcycles world class award winners and show stoppers.
Stay tuned to Cycle Source and Bikernet as we are already scheduled to ride the upgrade of this model with a much larger engine during Sturgis.
Hang on for the next hot rod chapter.
Tags: Brawler Road Test