You may know Keanu Reeves as the star of ‘The Matrix”, and other hit movies, but he also happens to be a hard core motorcycle enthusiast. He is also the co-founder of Arch Motorcycles, where the video below was shot.
Take a look at the video where Reeves discusses motorcycling and the bikes he has collected over the years, including the Ducati 998 that appeared in “The Matrix Reloaded”.
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Arch is the bike he wanted so he made it for himself and others who can afford a fast Harley.I would ride his bike but it’s not very comfortable.
Arch is a bike he wanted so he made it for his friends and those that can afford the perfect bike. I would ride his bike but not for long, may not be comfortable.
Neo? Check.
Surfing with Swayze? Check.
Constantine? Check.
John Wick? Check.
Honeymoon with Winona? Check.
Motorcycle company and collection? Check.
God, what I wouldn’t give to be Keanu for an afternoon or ten thousand.
Wish Keanu all goods. But AS AND AS
Think a about
Wish Keanu all goods. But AS AND A
I can appreciate just about anything on two wheels and I think Reeves has made more than a few good movies. The bikes he is involved in producing are probably a personal hobby and not meant to make a profit. I’m sure a modern 800-1000cc bike made by a Japanese or european company will/could/should outperform anything his company could put together for 50K. Stuffing an underpowered overweight engine in a frame with Ohlins and good tires isn’t worth 1/3 of what they will charge their “Hollywood” friends. I’m sure there are some buyers who would like to stuff a diesel engine in a 911 chassis and charge 100K because it is unique, just like the Wyld Stallyonz. Different strokes for different folks, indeed.
I’ve never watched a Keanu Reeves movie to my knowledge, but from his appearance(s) on Jay Leno’s Garage and in this video, he seems like a genuine motorcyclist and a decent guy. It’s unlikely that one of his bikes will ever wind up in my garage, but I wish him and the bikes all the best.
Hey, Anonymous. Weren’t we just talking about “MISTER. BUELL.”?
https://www.thedrive.com/motorcycles/27668/legendary-biker-erik-buell-returns-with-all-electric-fuell-motorcycle-and-bicycle
@TimC. Be careful. We don’t know if Anonymous has taken his blood pressure meds today.
Glad to see Erik is alive and kicking, but that eMotorcycle is coyote ugly. Not sure why manufacturers feel an eMotorcycle has to look like a mashup between Tron and the Lego Movie.
“Not sure why manufacturers feel an eMotorcycle has to look like a mashup between Tron and the Lego Movie.”
They’re trying to differentiate. The “conventional” motorcycle look isn’t winning any new customers, so it’s not enough to electrify what isn’t working in the first place..
Meh. Not sure I agree with that argument. Look at the success of retro and industrial style in other markets. I believe the problem lies in execution more than anything else.
I think those opportunities still exist. Look at the reaction people had to Harley’s live-wire before they knew how much it’d cost. I’d agree on the execution comment. I don’t think this thing is the answer, either. I really think Honda is onto something with their “neo-sports” look.
You buy it. đ “Legendary”…LOL! I shall now teach you a lesson:
Buell me once, shame on you. Buell me twice, shame on me.
It’s called “writing”. Typist. đ
Eric Buell – BWAAAHHAAAHHAAA. I believe P.T. Barnum made a quote that would relate to Buell…..
I’m not clear if Reeves is mostly interested in blowing a lot of his money on one-off motorcycles or if he wants to come up with a saleable product. Either goal is fine with me, but I hope he’s just trying to blow money because what he is doing is not going to produce a saleable product.
What he and Buell and Polaris Victory should have done, in my opinion, is to have produced alternative competition to BMWs rather than to Ducati or Kawasaki or Harley-Davidson.
Didn’t Motus try that?
No.
I like Keanu in “Much Ado About Nothing” by Shakespeare.
It was not his typical role.
Anyhow, Brough and Vincent were british marks.
Guys I thought the vid was great. Reeves is a down to earth guy and loves bikes. He is also lucky enough to part own a motorcycle company. Kind of puts his money where his mouth is.
Why people have to bag the Arch and Buell motorcycles is unfair to the creators of those bikes. Eric Buell and others have done a fantastic job of turning their dreams into bikes that other people bought into.
I guess one of Eric Buell’s dreams was about a cube.
Yea I must say taking a Blast, saying it wasn’t worth buying, and crushing it into a cube, was not the best of customer relations. Some people put their faith and hard earned money, maybe borrowing money to buy one, and then having the CEO of the company, the man whose name is on the tank, saying it wasnt worth buying is a slap in the face. I felt sorry for those that bought them. A true bone headed move on Buell’s part.
It’s ancient history, but turning the Blast into a garbage cube was when I stopped caring about Buell motorcycles. I always had thought they were cool, as I tend to like quirky products, but as you say, that was a bone-headed move.
Add Motus to that list of designers that dreamed of making a great bike, but just couldn’t spin the right combination of features, performance and price.
Wish i had $30k for one of them!
If you’re a millionaire and you haven’t ridden or own a Vincent Black Shadow, you aren’t a “hard core motorcycle enthusiast”.
Absolutely disagree. Your preferences do not establish reality.
Hey, he’s a big name actor who promotes motorcycling. I give him props for that.
Reeves has come a long way since Bill & Ted and he seems like a good dude. Anyone with his money is an easy target to be called a douche. He is doing quite well I’d say. I’m not particularly in love with the Arch stuff but that’s just personal taste and I can’t afford it anyway.
Buell, on the other hand, did well with what he had to work with and let function win over form. Noble intentions but form sells more bikes than function. He needed a few more years and he would have struck the right balance I think. Damn you, Hardly!
Saw his movie Destination Wedding a few months ago.
Funny, dark comedy. He was really good in it. Worth a watch.
It’s not anywhere near my type of motorcycles, but they seems well built and with nice materials.
Well, I watched the video and I thought Keanu came off as a serious motorcycle enthusiast. Yeah, he plugged Arch bikes a bit. They’re not really my bag, but as (S&S) big twin engined bikes go, they look pretty cool to me. OK, he’s not a serious Norton history buff. OTOH, he’s got one and rides it. Yeah, I don’t think much of his acting either, but then again like him or not he’s been very successful at it.
All seriously ugly bikes. Problem is that lump of an engine plonked in the middle…..makes the wheelbase similar to a school bus. Amusing that all of ARCH personnel do NOT use ARCH’s own products for track days, rather opting for R1, ZX10-R, Aprilia etc. KR certainly doesn’t know the history of the Norton Featherbed frame (debuted in 1950 on 350 and 500 Manx models)…..nothing to do with rubber engine mounts, that was the 1967 Isolastic frame. Hmmm….maybe best stick to Hollywood.
I was disappointed when I watched the video a few days ago when it was posted. It says collection in the title. But it has one of the guy’s bikes. The rest is a strait up infomercial for yet another motorcycle with a knockoff Harley engine.
Cannot unsee.
Keanuâs personal passion for the sport really shines through in this presentation. I really enjoyed watching it. I find it really cool that he is custodian of the actual Matrix 998.
Mr Reeves I am sure there are fans out there with Broughs and Vincents who would be quite happy to lend you a ride of their beloved machines!
I enjoyed this as well. He might not be 100% on some of the details but he doesn’t present himself to be an expert, only a guy that loves riding motorcycles. I’m not a huge fan of their current lineup but the bike with the mid controls looks good to me. He digs air cooled v-twins. Big deal. Plenty of other choices for those who don’t.
Keanu talks about his background. My recollection is that Yorkville was dynamic and fast changing place and bike gangs hanging out in Yorkville were more of a 60s thing. But , maybe they were still hanging around in 1974 when Keanu was 10 years old. Why trust my memory?
Nice interview. I’m sure he will sell a bunch of his Arch bikes, they look pretty cool. One of the few riders I’ve heard mention he loves the smell of motorcycles. I loved the smell of my dealership especially the service area. The tires, residual exhaust, all those smells blend together. I get it every now and then when I park my bike in the garage after a ride. If I could only bottle it up.
I’ve always maintained that if women wore perfume for men, it’d smell like bacon.
LOL
Keanu is a likable guy. He seems well adjusted and sensible. His Arch motorcycles aren’t for everyone but I can see why someone who can afford them would want them. Good luck to Arch motorcycles.
Doesnât seem much different from the character he played in âBill and Tedâs Excellent Adventure.â Just older.
Before you get too excited and lay down your retirement funds for an Arch…..take a look at the Avinton. Another HD-style (S&S) motor in a sporting chassis. But it is waaay cooler looking than the Arch IMO. Sort of a Shelby Cobra on two wheels.
I looked at Avinton, you’re right, they’re beautiful.
I looked at them also. A better looking Buell. Good looking machines. I like these Arch motorcycles too.
Waiting for him to say he “likes to Wick it up.”
Sorry.
lol good one
It’s a pity he doesn’t know the history of his favourite marque, Norton. The ‘featherbed frame’ term had nothing at all to do with rubber mounts for the motor as found on the Commando since it predated that model by many years.
Otherwise, an enjoyable video.
Don’t really understand why you would want a cruiser motor in a sport bike. How did that work out for Buell?
Nothing has worked out for Buell, regardless of motor.
How has anything worked out for Buell regardless of motor?
Buell is an idiot. Present tense. Is an idiot. Even when he had the 1125 his creations were without buyers. It’s one thing to be unique for a viable reason and quite another to be weird because you think that’ll bring the buyers to you.
Mr. Reeves motorbikes look good. Mr. Buell’s did not. Mr. Reeves is the backer. Mr. Buell is the quintessential boll weevil, i.e., “lookin’ for a home”.
Mr. Reeves is quite obviously an enthusiast. Mr. Buell is quite obviously an eccentric boll weevil.
Mr. Reeves motorbikes are built for those with the means to afford them and they are also built primarily for the real world, not the track. Mr. Buell’s bikes were built for his ego, which is considerable. They were overpriced for the real world and the intended customer base.
Whether or not Arch will prosper is entirely up to the intended buyers. Mr. Reeves is again, an enthusiast. He just happens to be a wealthy one and I say good for him. He looks to be having fun. Motorcycles are about having fun.
A little angry at Mr Buell are we. Keanu Reeves seems like a complete douche bag.
Wow – you seem so upset with Eric Buell, and the 1125R… Everything you have stated is simply a negative opinion. Why you so mad?
Ahem. Mr. Buell is Mr. Buell while you are Anonymous. Case closed.
As if “TimC” reveals all.
As for the rest of the “commentary”, the Buell apologists are hilarious. The bikes were not worthy the money. If they had been they would have sold in far greater numbers and Buell would still be more than a zombie company.
Buell is no genius when it comes to what matters and the bottom line here is that what matters is what sells. Regardless of the powerplant stuffed in there, Buells did not sell well enough to remain in business. Again and again and…Again.
Buells were indeed worth the money. They didnât sell enough because they didnât have enough customers, simple as that. The Yamaha Vino is also worth the money, doesnât mean everyone is going to go buy one. Buell went out of business purely because of internal politics at H-D and their share holders. Buell was a âright-sizeâ operation and only made as many bikes as they thought they would sell. Harley didnât like Buell and they felt it detracted from their pirate image they wanted to portray. Ever since, Buell has been a boutique brand with very limited resources. Considering that market, they have typically been priced accordingly (unlike Harleyâs Livewire and such) but not everyone wants a boutique bike from a brand that might be gone tomorrow.
Dude, what’s with you and Buell? Have you ever even spent any appreciable time on one? The S2 wasn’t so bad. The Ulysses was pretty good as well. Many motojournalist consider Mr. Buell to be a wizard when it came to frames.
I like his Arch bikes. Out of my price range but very nice. He is right on about his Bikes I really want to try. At least the first two. I have no desire to contort myself onto a GP bike.