Who Makes Boss Hoss Motorcycles And Where Are They Built?

Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle each have legacies that reach back more than 100 years, but they're far from the only American companies that make motorcycles these days. Janus Motorcycle of Goshen, Indiana makes handcrafted retro-style motorcycles, and California-based Zero Motorcycles makes sleek, fast electric two-wheelers. One American brand that's not at all concerned about the carbon footprint of its riders is Boss Hoss, which uses Chevrolet-built V8 engines to power its motorcycles.

Boss Hoss makes its bikes and trikes at a 22,000 square foot facility in Dyersburg, Tennessee, where Monte Warne founded the company in 1990. Warne had aviation industry experience as a pilot and technician and originally paired a Chevy V8 with a one-speed right-angle drive transmission. Boss Hoss now uses a two-speed semi-automatic gearbox on its two-wheeled machines, and GM's 4L70E four-speed overdrive automatic for its three-wheelers. For curious potential customers, Boss Hoss offers factory tours, either in person at its facility just north of Memphis or online at the company's website.

Boss Hoss currently lists four motorcycle models on its website: the Classic Cruiser, the Classic Bagger, the Super Sport, and the Limited Super Sport Big Block. They each come with an 8.5 gallon gas tank, which you will drain at the rate of between 16 and 30 mpg on the first four bikes (Boss Hoss doesn't provide fuel consumption numbers for the 600 horsepower, 496 cubic inch Big Block model). The trike offerings from Boss Hoss number at least a half-dozen and include the '57 Chevy model shown above. The bike's body is modeled after the iconic Bel Air, which was one of the coolest cars with tail fins, so it has that and the period-appropriate badging. 

In front is a 376 cubic inch LS V8 that produces 445 horsepower and 445 pound-feet of torque, which is sent to the single 21-inch front and dual 20-inch rear wheels via the aforementioned 4l70E automatic gearbox. If you want one of these unique rides, it won't come cheaply. As of this writing, Boss Hoss has one available on its website for a little over $81,000. That's more than $15,000 beyond the average price paid for the 131 four-wheeled '57 Bel Airs that have changed hands over the past year.