Carroll Shelby tries his hand at building a motorcycle

Carroll Shelby International and Rucker Performance unveiled a limited production Shelby motorcycle at the Cincinnati V-Twin Expo last week. The high performance motorcycle was developed in partnership between the two companies and will be built by Rucker Performance. Sticking to his tried and true formula of brute horsepower in a lightweight frame, the powerhouse is a new S&S X-Wedge 128 c.i.d. engine with closed loop VFI fuel injection that churns out a healthy 150 bhp. Each Shelby motorcycle can be custom painted according to the owner’s personal tastes and includes a special edition logo. In addition, a complete line of Shelby merchandise including apparel, accessories and limited edition collector’s items will be available. Initial production of the Shelby will be a very limited edition run of 25 motorcycles that will be available for purchase by the third quarter of this year. Production of a second round of bikes will begin in the fall of 2007.

Shelby Automobiles manufactures high performance Shelby vehicles, including the new 2007 Ford Shelby GT, under the guidance of the legendary Carroll Shelby.

“It’s no secret that stuffing a powerful American motor into a lightweight chassis has been my formula for success,” noted Carroll Shelby, CEO of Shelby Automobiles. “Working with Bill Rucker and his team, we’ve taken this same approach on the new Shelby motorcycle. My team at Shelby Automobiles has worked closely with Rucker Performance to create a motorcycle that offers the same thrill as driving my Cobra.”

The specs of this pro-stock style bike make any enthusiast’s heart beat faster. Racing-style front forks and a high performance braking system with ceramic brake rotors make it nimble, while the Pingel 1-6 electric shifting system and air ride suspension make it comfortable. To keep the bike svelte, the upper body and wheels were built of carbon fiber while Superform create the aluminum body panels.

“While Porsche has designed bicycles and BMW snowboards, Carroll’s been looking for an opportunity to apply our 40 years of experience to a world class motorcycle program,” added Shelby Automobiles President Amy Boylan,. “He’s ridden motorcycles most of his life, so we created a partnership with a manufacturer that meets the high performance standards associated with the Shelby name. This project demonstrates the potential for design and engineering innovation available at Shelby Automobiles. We’re excited to launch this motorcycle and watch yet another Shelby product move to the front of the pack.”