Thunder Roads Magazine of Oklahoma/Arkansas August TRMOK _FINAL | Page 23

FEATURES
a curtailment on the financed
balance. The curtailment is a
percentage of the outstanding
balance that must be paid
annually regardless of any sales
or lack thereof. With payments
needed and the industry not
turning motorcycle sales, many
of the Big Dog dealers closed
their locations. Unfortunately,
their contracts were written as
such, that Big Dog Motorcycles
Corporation had to buy back any
bikes that the closed dealerships
hadn’t sold. It didn’t take long
for Big Dog Motorcycles to be
forced to close down production
in 2012. The bank foreclosed
on the company and that’s
where Matt stepped in to do all
he could to keep the Big Dog
legacy moving forward. Matt had
worked with Big Dog as their
sales director for several years,
he believed in the product and
its solid reputation. He felt that it
needed life breathed back into it.
Once the corporation went back
to the bank, Matt was able to
purchase the rights to Big Dog
Motorcycles creating Kansas
Motorcycle Works. With that
purchase, he was able to acquire
the intellectual property, tooling,
research and development.
While another interested party,
Derrick and Donna, bought all
of the parts from the warehouse
allowing Matt to work hand and
hand with them in carrying Big
Dog forward. From the moment
they purchased these rights,
business has picked back up.
Parts are selling daily at a rate
that was even unimaginable to
them. Today, both companies
are going strong.
With production up and
running again, Matt explained
that for the three years that the
front door has been closed, the
back door has been open with
much research and development
behind the scenes. With such,
the crew has been able to fine
tune products that go into the
making of a Big Dog Motorcycle.
Some of the changes have come
from changes in the industry
such as S&S Motors going to all
fuel injected motors taking away
the carburetor of the past S&S
117. Now the bikes are loaded,
ready to rocket with a S&S
124 fuel injected power house
motor. On the day I interviewed
Matt, I was able to climb aboard
the 2017 K-9 model, pictured
in this article. I have owned a
2007 Big Dog Chopper since
2007. I have over 35,000 miles
on it now. I find these bikes to
be amazingly smooth riding and
quick as can be. Many people
have commented that they are
bar hoppers. Perhaps they’re
right. I once hopped from my
hometown in Stillwater, OK over
600 miles to the R.O.T. Rally in
Austin TX in one long hot day.
While the cruisers, loaded down
with luggage and bags toiled in
the mid-day heat, the Chopper
rolled smoothly along carrying
here freight and happy owner.
Riding the 2017 K-9 was a
tremendous experience. While
I didn’t get the chance to roll
600 miles that day, I did get to
charge down the highways of
Kansas as fast and steady as I’d
like. The suspension still delivers
the same softail feel with a hint
of custom chopper brawn. I was
very surprised at how smooth the
new design was on the road. This
smooth ride includes upgraded
computer, changes in the clutch,
speedos, EHC and primary.
There are protectors built in for
break-ins, rev limit, retards to
the timing etc. A focus has been
put on the proprietary parts and
keeping the serviceability simple
for anyone working on them
nationwide.
Currently, there are five
dealerships open once more
with more in process. They have
gotten the shop up and running
so that they can, once again,
build a bike in 24 hours. As of
press time, they were behind by
six weeks of backorders. Things
are looking up for Big Dog again.
However, Matt wants to keep
the building controlled and not
to exceed 100 per year keeping
the volume down, but the quality
high. On the sales floor presently
are the K-9, Boxer, Coyote and
the Mastiff. Each one owns its
own style and ride. If you’d like to
know more about the company,
the history and how to purchase
your Big Dog Motorcycle, go
to www.bigdogisback.com.
I
may be partial, but the Big Dog
Motorcycle is Back and Better
than ever! Congratulations Matt
and Paige Moore, for carrying on
a solid product in the motorcycle
industry!
Thunder Roads Magazine of OK/AR
23