Big Dog Motorcycles is an American manufacturer of semi-custom, mid-priced motorcycles, based in Wichita, Kansas

Wichita, Kansas

Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...

. The company was founded in 1994. In 2006, Big Dog manufactured its 20,000th motorcycle. Financial problems forced the company to close in 2011.

History

Big Dog produced a single motorcycle in its first year, affectionately known as "Old Smokey"; its over-sized fenders and classic cruiser style would point the way for all of the company's later products. By 1997, the company had reached $2 million in sales, and in 2000, the company had expanded so much that a move to a new, 110000 square feet (10,219.3 m²) factory and world headquarters (since expanded to 175,000 square feet) was required. As of 2007, the company had over 100 associated dealers, and employed over 300.

Products

Big Dog currently produces seven models; the K-9, the Ridgeback, the Mastiff, the Pitbull, the "Coyote", the "Wolf" and their most recent addition, the BullDog. The Pitbull model received V-Twin Expo's 2007 "Excellence In Motorcycling Award" for a production motorcycle. All of their current motorcycles utilize S&S V-twin

V-twin

A V-twin engine is a two-cylinder internal combustion engine where the cylinders are arranged in a V configuration.- Crankshaft configuration :Most V-twin engines have a single crankpin, which is shared by both connecting rods...

 engines , 6-speed transmission

Transmission (mechanics)

A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...

, one-piece fuel tank, wide rear tires, and extensive use of chromed components. All of these models could be described as cruiser

Cruiser (motorcycle)

Cruiser is the term for motorcycles that mimic the design style of American machines from the 1930s to the early 1960s, including those made by Harley-Davidson, Indian, Excelsior and Henderson. The market for models evocative of the early cruisers has grown to embrace 60 percent of the U.S...

 or chopper

Chopper (motorcycle)

A chopper is a type of motorcycle that was either modified from an original motorcycle design or built from scratch to have a hand-crafted appearance. The main features of a chopper that make it stand out are its longer frame design accompanied by a stretch front end...

 style motorcycles. Major differences between the models include rear tire width (250mm versus 300mm), front tube length, and rear suspension.

Big Dog Motorcycles are particularly well known for their wide assortment of customizing options for their otherwise stock motorcycles. These include at least 69 paint and graphic options, and a wide selection of accessories, including custom seats, exhausts, grips, storage bags, sissy bar

Sissy bar

A sissy bar, also called a "sister bar" or "passenger backrest" is an addition to the rear of a motorcycle that allows the rider or passenger to recline against it while riding...

s and windshield

Windshield

The windshield or windscreen of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike or tram is the front window. Modern windshields are generally made of laminated safety glass, a type of treated glass, which consists of two curved sheets of glass with a plastic layer laminated between them for safety, and are glued...

s.

External links

• Official Big Dog Motorcycles Website