Like a few other custom bike builders, American IronHorse had a short, but sweet, run. Its start-up in 1995 brought a well thought-out, perfectly constructed group of choppers to the bike build-off game. All the tin and leather were designed and fabricated in-house. The engines were modified in the factory S&S and the transmissions were made by Baker. The custom bikes were all hand-built in a state-of-the-art, 224,000 square foot factory in Fort Worth, Texas. Sadly, even building one of the best custom choppers out there, it became one of those businesses that just got hit hard by the turn of the economy. By spring of 2008, production ceased and its assets were sold at auction. There are still lots of these custom choppers on the market if you're willing to do some searching.
All IronHorse bikes include the S&S 110 ci, 117 ci, and 124 ci, carbureted power plant. The Outlaw pro-street has the 111 ci, however, since we're talking used, expect any one of the factory option upgraded engines. All of their engines come chromed or polished and feature diamond-cut, powder-coated barrels to match the paint. Pair any engine up with the Baker six-speed transmission and the package is impressive.
The powder-coated frame was specially designed by Daytec for the American IronHorse line-up. An A-frame softail-style swing-arm, with a pair of Progressive manually adjustable shock absorbers, provides a much gentler ride than appearances would indicate. As with all the AIH bikes, the front suspension is telescoping front forks raked at an impressive 42° (38° frame plus 4° raked triple trees). Top that with AIH's patented Super Stretch, five-gallon tank and you've got great pro-street look with a fair amount of mileage to cover before re-fueling. Instrumentation is simple but efficient, with a speedometer, odometer, trip meter, a tachometer, hi/low beam lights, turn signals, and Neutral-light all housed together and easy to read, with the exception of the digital information center, which can be tough to decipher in the sun.
With 4.5 inches ground clearance and weighing in at 610 pounds dry, the 100 inch long bike is just a little bit shorter than several of AIH models, making its turning radius slightly easier. The solo leather seat puts the driver 26 inches off the ground, and the forward controls combined with the rake is more comfortable than expected for a variety of rider sizes. You no longer have the IronHorse factory at your fingertips, but choose your bike wisely and you won't need to.