2006 American Performance Cycle, Evil Spirit 300

Motorcycle Test Drive
AZ Thunder Cycles
2006 APC
Evil Spirit 300
by Kirk Johnson
Jan . 2006
by Kirk Johnson

Price as tested $27,900.00

In late 1996, a new company was formed in Las Vegas that eventually became American Performance Cycle Motor Company. Since then, APC’s new management has grown the company’s revenues in excess of 50% per year and continues expansion at its facility located at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Currently, APC’s facility not only includes its “cell” production facility but also has expanded operation to include an assembly line operation for its new entry-level motorcycle the “Spirit S.” In addition, this expanded facility includes a state of the art “Machine Shop” with CNC capabilities thus allowing APC to build many more of the parts it requires, while lowering cost.

The APC Evil Spirit 300 standard equipment includes a 96 cu. in. S & S Eng, S & S Carb., 6-speed tranny, Santee 50 CAL exhaust and a 300 X 35 X 18 Avon rear tire with right side drive. Seat height is 25 inches on a 71-inch wheelbase with a carbon steel frame and a 4-inch stretch/37 degree rake and weighs in at 635 pounds.

Test ride

I have never ridden a motorcycle from APC before and was excited to get a chance to do this. After a brief introduction to the chopper from Torrence, GM at AZ Thunder Cycles, I headed out of the parking lot for a great ride. The first turn on to Scottsdale Road was a quick reminder that this is a chopper—with its extended front fork and limited turning ration that is inherent on all choppers. The real big plus for choppers is the nice seat 25 inches off the ground. You’ve got to love that. But for the turning ratio, you just have to pay attention to the inside or sharp turns. If you tend to lean too much you can’t correct by turning sharper. You just have to throttle up or put your foot down if you are going real slow.

Just riding down Scottsdale Road on this Chopper is a gas. The bike behaves great in traffic. The Evil Spirit had very little vibration and had a nice crisp sound from the exhaust. Seat was comfortable and a little wide for my little butt. This is because of that nice big 300-rear tire.

After a short ride through town I found myself on the on-ramp to the 101. Uncorked the 96-inch S & S woke up and motored down the ramp a very nice clip. Vibration was moderate while laboring with full throttle. After entering the 101 traffic I was able to sit back and enjoy the great ride.

I found the suspension to be very solid and reassuring. It was not hard, but firm. The bike gave you a feeling of confidence and rode down the concrete path straight as an arrow with ease. Throttle response and braking was pretty standard. The only thing that I noticed was after hard acceleration the turn signals were all blinking rapidly. Not sure what that was all about. I pushed the right turn signal on and they stopped blinking.

The wide 300-rear tire does act a little different on pavement than the standard 180 or 200 rear tire on most rides. When you ride over uneven pavement or wavy asphalt you can tell the rear tire is influenced by the angle. Although you are aware of the distraction, it does not produce any real concern. Turning the bike around in two lanes is a bit tricky. With the extended front fork you have to be a little more concerned about the space that you need to turn sharp. But this is the case with any chopper.

Summary

The Evil Spirit 300 was not too evil. Great ride, solid S & S engine with good suspension. Of course, it has that great low, seat that’s 25 inches off the ground. Plus, it has all of the indicators that I like, such as tack and speed gauges.

Ride safe

Kirk