No Reserve Auction: V8-Powered Boss Hoss Motorcycle
Boss Hoss 502 takes the ‘no replacement for displacement theory’ to gluttonous extremes.
Everyone has been there. You’re riding your beloved bike, and you think, “this is great, but it could probably use a little more power.” For motorcyclists of all stripes, that’s a natural itch, and performance mills like the Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight are meant to scratch it. With 131 lb-ft of torque on tap, this is a monster of a mill, and will provide plenty of motivation for your touring bike. The MoCo’s official page even describes this V-twin as being “made for riders seeking maximum displacement.” But like many marketing statements, there’s some bombast a play there.
Now, let’s back up a second. Say you’re riding your beloved bike, and you think, “this is great, but it could probably use more power — and I am also completely insane.”
In that case, you might want to opt for something nearly four times the size of Harley’s largest engine, like this Chevy V8-powered machine from boutique bike builder Boss Hoss. The Boss Hoss 502 is designed around a massive 502 cubic-inch Chevy racing engine which pumps out 502 horsepower and 565 lb-ft of torque. To put that crazy number in some kind of perspective? It’s virtually double what a MotoGP race bike has.
Boss Hoss began production of the 502 in 2000, and this is a 2002 model. While there’s nothing exactly like it listed on the company’s current inventory page, prices for V8 bikes start at around $45,000, and closest approximation of the 502 comes in at over $65,000. On the official auction listing, there’s not a ton of information, other than the fact that this bike is coming out of a museum, and will likely “require essential basic service prior to driving on the road.”
That said, this is a no reserve auction, and since you can still get Boss Hoss to build you a V8 bike, I don’t really see this baby sparking any kind of bidding wars. So while the rubber bits and the fuel system will need some attention, anyone familiar with Chevy’s famous small block should be able to get that done with some parts from the local Auto Zone, and I bet it will go for a song. Seriously, I’ll be surprised it this thing cracks the $15k mark.
Because this bike is a complete novelty for people who want to brag about having the bike with the biggest engine, the old “more-is-more” type. But on the street, it’s tough to even take advantage of a sports car with 500 horsepower. And with a bike? Forget about it. It makes loads of poke, for sure, but you might be able to use a quarter of it, and since the engine was designed for a car, I can’t imagine this machine moves with any kind of grace below highway speeds — it has to weigh a ton!
Of course I realize that everybody likes different things, and this looks to be a well-executed take on the bike-with-a-car-engine theme. Personally, if I was going to opt for anything from that questionable area of the motorcycle world, I’d build a Dodge Tomahawk replica. Because I don’t think anybody will ever top what Ma Mopar came up with…
Photos: Mecum Auctions
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