What weighs 631 pounds, is 107 inches long, costs $24,900, and puts a 24-hour-a-day smile on your face? The '04 Big Dog Ridgeback. We heard rumors about the big rigid bike a year before it was released to the press late last year, and we knew it was going to be hard to ride any of the other bikes at the intro. From the minute we saw it, we knew we were hooked, it was the beginning of a long-term relationship between STREET CHOPPER and a Ridgeback.
Nothing gets attention like a chopper - especially one with 8 inches of downtube stretch. The tall profile of a big bike swivels heads as fast as a bikini-clad blonde roller skater passing by. On top of those long downtubes is a backbone stretched 4 inches, and a steering neck raked to 37 degrees. Four additional degrees of rake are found in the billet triple-trees that carry 12-inch-over 41mm tubes in billet lower legs, shaped to accent the Ridgebacks aggressive profile. Yes, the dimensions are as exaggerated as the bike, which is just what you want in a bike designed for attention.
The Ridgeback wears a signature of today's popular styling: a 250/40-18 Avon out back, and a narrow Avon MH90-21 up front. Both tires roll on Big Dog billet wheels with PM calipers clamping down on the matching rotors at both ends.
Power comes standard in the form of 107 ci of an S&S motor equipped with electronic compression releases. Performance junkies can order an upgrade to a 117, which is probably a lot of fun, but then your cubic inches won't match your wheelbase. The G carb hidden behind the new Big Dog air cleaner cover delivers fuel smoothly and combined with the close-ratio Baker six-speed, makes getting around town very pleasant. Big Dog invested a lot of engineering time in new design hand controls, which offer a mechanical advantage at the clutch lever to make the standard wet clutch feel more like a hydraulic unit - smooth and progressive, with no engagement peaks.
Our Ridgeback's sleek sheetmetal - a 4.25-gallon gas tank, a faux oil bag, and polycarbonite fenders - wears upgraded paint that adds $2,500 to the price tag. Switching from black powdercoating on the frame to a colormatched hue is another 400 bucks, but it's worth it when you look at how close our frame matched the Agent Orange paint on this bike. If the earlier mention of a faux oil bag has you wondering, the real oil tank is found under the transmission in a very cool 2.5-quart unit that almost disappears when an untrained eye searches for it.
New for 2004 are a number of signature pieces that help Big Dog distinguish its product line. First, and most noticeably, would be the air cleaner and coil covers that add a swoopy style to the motor area. Next, billet hand controls with light-touch micro-switches and Big Dog handlebars are found holding a new speedometer with an LED tach that surrounds the display. Down below, Big Dog forward controls and a pipe built specially for the bike continue to fill up the proprietary column. One last touch we really appreciate is the passenger pegs that double as an alternate leg position when you take long solo rides.
So now that you have an idea as to what makes a Ridgeback a Big Dog, let's talk about why you want to ride one. First, it is flat-out cool. No one can cruise the Dog around and deny how absolutely great you feel on it. Secondly, it is a surprisingly nimble bike for an experienced rider to navigate. We clearly do not suggest those that have a desire to own a chopper buy a Ridgeback as a first bike - the physical stance and stature of the bike, as well as the reach to the bars on full lock, are just not the right combination as you learn to ride.