There is a certain frame of mind you have to put yourself in before heading out of the garage on a STREET CHOPPER chopper test. You have to remind yourself to acknowledge the people who notice the bike you are riding, pay attention to their reactions, and still pay attention to what the bike does while you are riding it. It can be a lot of work if you are not mentally prepared for it.
Testing the Swift Punisher RF added a new dimension to the complexity of the test procedure because it is a very visual motorcycle. With a 2-inch-diameter frame coated in pearl white and the striking lines of the bike, it grabs attention instantly. No more could our test riders act cool at stop lights and just stare straight ahead; we had to look around and see what people thought.
To help you understand what we are talking about, let's look at what you get when you slide a Swift Punisher RF into your garage. It starts with the most noticeable part of the bike: the frame. It is huge, commanding your eyes to look it over, thanks to a 2-inch-diameter thick tubing. Our test bike was painted pearl white, which made it even more visually appealing. The massive-diameter tubes are stretched 3 inches and join the steering neck at a 36-degree rake. In the rear it drops down for a low seat height and convenes around a stylish set of caps that hides the axle.
Moving from the frame to the bodywork, the Punisher represents itself with minimalism. A one-piece gas tank, a small front fender, a very short strutless rear fender, and a standard-sized oil tank are all you will find. The rear fender is internally supported, but probably wouldn't be a good place to put a passenger. But then again, there are no footpeg provisions anyway. Our pearl-white bike had silver tribal graphics outlined in a fine-line green pinstripe.
To help the RF stand out, it is equipped with a polished solid rear wheel wrapped up in a 240x18-inch Metzeler in the rear and a 21-inch spoke wheel with a matching Metzeler up front. The only suspension to be found are 41mm fork tubes in ball-milled sliders. The fork assembly is mounted in a set of Swift triple trees that are nothing like you have ever seen before. Concealed in the top tree is a mini speedometer and tachometer - perfect for keeping track of things yet still completely out of the way.
The rest of the goodies found on the Swift come in the form of serious hardware. A well-tuned S&S 113ci motor is fed by an S&S carb and gets rid of exhaust with a stainless steel Supertrapp two-into-one system. A Baker five-speed shifts so smoothly, you hardly notice you are changing gears. And a Rivera Brute III primary and clutch engage the chaindrive rear wheel. Our test bike had optional GMA brakes and floating rotors to slow it down after you power up the big motor.
Ergonomics on our test bike were a split decision. Those of us shorter than 5 feet, 10 inches were stretched out as far as we could to reach the extended Swift billet forward controls and the mild pull-back drag bars. Testers taller than 6 feet found the bike perfect. The solo seat is comfortable with thick padding; the general riding position (if you fit the bike) is conducive to spending quite a bit of time on the bike.
But the Punisher is not really a distance bike. It is a see-and-be-seen machine. During our around-town investigative rides, we found the steering to be easy, and tight turns took minimal input. However, the kickstand is mounted directly below the offset primary and was prone to touching down on even the slightest left turns. Racing from light to light was quite a bit of fun, and the RF rewarded its rider with smooth power from idle to about 5,000 rpm. Out on the freeway, the Swift was comfortable cruising along at 75 mph with no fuss or muss. But the rigid rearend does react to uneven freeways with a constant bounce.
We had no real problems with the Swift during our test. Typical of a big motor, solid mount bike, we spent a decent amount of time tightening things and replacing our share of bulbs. The only other thing to mention was the chaindrive.
We have been so spoiled by beltdrives for so long, we were overly sensitive to the driveline lash the chain produced as well as the mess that the chain lube made on the white frame. Sure, it is nitpicking, but we still felt we should mention it.
The Swift is priced at an affordable range: $22,900 for the base model and $23,800 for an RF set up like ours. It's not cheap and it's not outrageous, but the Swift Punisher RF will surely get you noticed.