Boss Hoss
Encyclopedia
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
company, founded by Monte Warne in 1990 and based in Dyersburg, Tennessee
Dyersburg, Tennessee
Dyersburg is a city in and the county seat of Dyer County, Tennessee, United States, north-northeast of Memphis on the Forked Deer River. The population was 17,145 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Dyersburg is located at...
. The company manufactures motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s and trikes
Three wheeler
A three wheeler is a vehicle with three wheels, either "human or people-powered vehicles" or motorized vehicles in the form of a motorcycle, All terrain vehicle or automobile. Other names for three-wheelers include Trikes, Tricars and Cyclecars...
equipped with V8 engine
V8 engine
A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....
s, produced by General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, and semi-automatic transmission
Semi-automatic transmission
A semi-automatic transmission is an automobile transmission that does not change gears automatically, but rather facilitates manual gear changes by dispensing with the need to press...
s. By the mid-1990s, Boss Hoss was selling 300 vehicles per year. , Boss Hoss has sold over 4,000 vehicles.
Boss Hoss bikes and trikes are noted not only for their power and size, but for their low vibration, especially when compared to that of V-twin or single-cylinder
Single cylinder engine
A single-cylinder engine is a basic piston engine configuration of an internal combustion engine. It is often seen on motorcycles, auto rickshaws, motor scooters, mopeds, dirt bikes, go-karts, radio-controlled models and has many uses in portable tools and garden machinery...
motorcycles. The damping
Damping
In physics, damping is any effect that tends to reduce the amplitude of oscillations in an oscillatory system, particularly the harmonic oscillator.In mechanics, friction is one such damping effect...
effect of the unusually great mass and relatively high number of engine cylinders combines with the very tall gears of the semi-automatic transmission to provide what is often described as "vibration free acceleration". This has led some dealers and riders to affectionately describe the Boss Hoss as a "big scooter
Scooter (motorcycle)
A scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator's feet. Elements of scooter design have been present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier...
".
Products
Boss Hoss offered motorcycles and trikes equipped with either a small block or big block V8 engine up to 2007. In 2007 the last big block V8 motorcycle and trike was built. Both were equipped with a semi-automatic transmission with reverse. They also offer a number of accessories for their bikes and trikes.Despite a car-sized 8.5 gallons (32.2 l) fuel tank, the bikes only get motorcycle-like distance on a single tank, due to 25 mpgU.S. (10.6 km/L) maximum fuel economy for the small block and 18 mpgU.S. (7.7 km/L) maximum fuel economy for the big block. The trikes have an additional 3.5 gallons (13.2 l) of reserve.
Engines
From the creation in 1990, the Boss Hoss bikes were all "kit" bikes meaning a frame and other equipment were shipped to the consumer from Boss Hoss. The consumer was then responsible for adding their own engine and additional touches that allowed them to customize the bike. In 1996 Boss Hoss started to manufacture the bikes from their own factory and headquarters located in Dyersburg, TN. From that point no more "kit" bikes were sold. The "kit bikes" were titled as BHC-2 bikes while the factory built bikes were titled as BHC-3 bikes. The titling difference made a large difference with insurance companies due to liability concerns.In 1996, the Chevrolet ZZ4
ZZ4
The ZZ4 is a type of engine produced by General Motors used in cars with the Chevrolet Corvette brand....
350 cubic inch block was the standard issue engine in the bikes. The ZZ4 block is a crate motor designed and built by Chevrolet that creates 355 hp standard power to the crank at approximately 6,000 rpm. The standard block is primarily made of cast iron while the heads are aluminum. A factory option for the bike also includes a GM "hot cam" which replaces the camshaft, pushrods, rocker arms, and springs in the heads for a new total power of 385 hp. In 2000, Boss Hoss added the "Stud Hoss" to their line-up which was a 502 cubic inch Chevrolet big block with 502 hp standard power. The "Stud Hoss" 502 was removed from the Boss Hoss line-up in 2007.
In 1997 and 1998 models years, Boss Hoss offered a 4.0 L Chevrolet V6 engine
V6 engine
A V6 engine is a V engine with six cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of three cylinders, usually set at either a right angle or an acute angle to each other, with all six pistons driving a common crankshaft...
in the bikes. They narrowed and shortened the frame for the conversion but sold very few bikes due to the popularity of the larger power engines.
The engines have always been mounted longitudinally
Longitudinal engine
In automotive engineering, a longitudinal engine is an internal combustion engine in which the crankshaft is oriented along the long axis of the vehicle, front to back....
, with the crank pointed to the back of the bike.
Transmissions
The first Boss Hosses offered included a one-speed manual transmission with a standard motorcycle hand clutch. The bikes used a standard 10 spline 12 inches (30.5 cm) disc ceramic clutch plate all hooked to a worm gear drive box that had an attached sprocket. The first bikes were chain driven but changed to 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) wide Dayton belts in the early 1990s. The ratio of the gear box used was 1:1.5. In 1999 a one-speed semi-automatic transmission was available for the motorcycles that utilized a torque converter. In 2001, a one-speed semi-automatic transmission with overdrive became standard with a heel-toe shifter and a reverse gear. Boss Hoss trikes have always offered a three-speed semi-automatic transmission with a real reverse gear.Motorcycles
Early Boss Hoss releases were considered cumbersome and unfinished. The bikes were difficult to ride, and were largely considered an expensive novelty. Since they were fitting a high-end automotive motor onto a motorcycle frame, they found themselves stuck between using parts from the Harley Davidson aftermarketAftermarket (automotive)
The automotive aftermarket is the secondary market of the automotive industry, concerned with the manufacturing, remanufacturing, distribution, retailing, and installation of all vehicle parts, chemicals, tools, equipment and accessories for light and heavy vehicles, after the sale of the...
and the muscle car
Muscle car
Muscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high-performance automobiles. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines muscle cars as "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." Usually, a large V8 engine is fitted in a...
aftermarket. They were stuck somewhere between Küryakyn and Edelbrock
Edelbrock
Edelbrock, LLC is a specialty performance automotive and motorcycle aftermarket parts manufacturer based in Torrance, California. The company has five locations, including four in Torrance: its headquarters, a distribution center and museum, the Russell division , and the exhaust plant...
and this left the bikes with an unbalanced appearance as well as unbalanced hardware capabilities.
Early models were almost as notable for their jury rig
Jury rig
Jury rigging refers to makeshift repairs or temporary contrivances, made with only the tools and materials that happen to be on hand. Originally a nautical term, on sailing ships a jury rig is a replacement mast and yards improvised in case of damage or loss of the original mast.-Etymology:The...
ged appearance as they were for their impressive girth and conspicuous V8 engine. They often had substantial amounts of thermal tape around the manifold and upper exhaust as well as ad hoc heat shields that appeared to be reused from other applications. The distributor was cumbersomely situated directly in front of the seat and there were numerous other finish flaws. Also, the large radiator was conspicuous for its boxiness and lack of ornamentation on such an otherwise curvy and stylish machine.
In the late 1990s, a new custom 4130 chromoly frame helped address a lot of the visual balance issues and accommodated solutions to a lot of the mechanical balance issues. The heat shielding issues were solved and the large radiator was dressed up with chrome screens and frames. The radiator is still the Boss Hoss's weakest aesthetic feature, but there has been vast improvement. The 2006 models dress up the enormous radiator as well as or better than the much smaller radiators of other high-volume manufacturers.
Current models have all the details of high end custom bikes, like braided lines, hidden wiring, and a chrome swingarm
Swingarm
A swingarm, or "swinging arm" is the main component of the rear suspension of most modern motorcycles and ATVs...
. They also have custom appearance parts that only Boss Hoss bikes use, like chrome heat shields for V8 manifolds, as well as Boss Hoss labeled gauges.
They have also lengthened the bike over the years, going up to a 78 inches (1,981.2 mm) wheelbase in the late 1990s to an 82 inches (2,082.8 mm) wheelbase for the 502 model in the mid-2000s. This allows for a lower seat height, since the seat is more forward of the rear wheel. The lower seat height helps stabilize the bike for smaller riders.
At 1300 lb (589.7 kg) they are easily the heaviest bikes in production, fully three times the weight of nearly all sport bike
Sport bike
A sport bike, also written as sportbike, is a motorcycle optimized for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering on paved roads, typically at the expense of comfort and fuel economy in comparison to less specialized motorcycles...
s, and almost four times the weight of the 341 lb (154.7 kg) 2007 Honda CBR600RR
Honda CBR600RR
The Honda CBR600RR is a sport motorcycle that was introduced by Honda in 2003 as a race replica version of Honda's CBRFx series motorcycles. It won every Supersport World Championship title from 2002 to 2008.- Racing roots :...
. However, they are also about four times as powerful, and unlikely to wheelie under hard acceleration.
Trikes
From fairly early in their history, Boss Hoss has sold trikes with rear ends designed to look like smaller facsimiles of Chevrolet CorvetteChevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
s, 57 Chevy
57 Chevy
The 1957 Chevrolet is an automobile which was introduced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors in September, 1956. It was available in three series models: the upscale Bel Air, the mid-range "two-ten", and the "one-fifty". A two-door station wagon, the Nomad was produced as a Bel Air model....
s, 32 Low-boy hot rod
Hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed. The origin of the term "hot rod" is unclear. One explanation is that the term is a contraction of "hot roadster," meaning a roadster that was modified for speed. Another possible origin includes modifications to or...
s, or other distinctive cars. At some point, the Corvette rear end was discontinued and replaced with a 2000 Sierra truck rear end. As of 2006, the trikes have a new three-speed transmission that takes advantage of the extra stability and rear axle of a trike configuration.