Racers
A perfect example of simple-done-right is Satya Kraus’ Snatch. bike. It may not strike you as an outrageous design until you look over any, yes any, part or piece of this bike and realize absolutely nothing is superfluous, every beautiful piece has a purpose, and everything combines to make a fun-to-ride motorcycle. “That’s a big thing to us, that’s pretty much our whole philosophy that they’re to be ridden, they’re motorcycles,” said Satya. “I’m not a sculptor by trade, I don’t paint, I build motorcycles. My motorcycles are to be ridden hard, fast, and aggressively. I like coming into corners sideways.”
Snatch’s frame has Satya’s touch running through every inch of its DOM tubing. “The lug parts like the rear end and the neck are all machined parts. They’re designed to look like castings, but are manually machined,” said Satya. “All the joints are structural joints. Like the piece on the neck on the downtubes. The downtubes are welded to the neck and those pieces are slid over the welds and re-welded again. The mounts for the rear suspension are one-inch tubes slid into inch-and-a–half tubes and they’re welded around the front surface. I tried to have a lugged look because I wanted to do a bronze finish and to bring that out like a casting has a large variation when you have two pieces.” The “kink” in the downtubes came about after three different designs. “I wondered what was going to give it that extra little edge, so I tilted the motor and transmission seven –degrees forward and that’s where the kink comes in,” he said. “The 3/8” plate under the motor, I liked that from the old 45 frames and gives it an open look instead of straight tubes back, like the motor is just sitting out there.”
The rear suspension is an ingenious rocker setup with 3” of travel from the multi-adjustable Fox shocks while keeping things mechanically clean. For the front, Satya said, “I really like leading-link front ends, I like floating brakes. I like the idea you can come into a corner, jump on that front brake and the front end doesn’t drop.” The legs are 1.5” in the center and taper to 1.25” top and bottom. “We welded expanding mandrels into the tubes then the top tree slips over the mandrels and where the bars are mounted, you slide an Allen wrench in and tighten the mandrels. It’s a pinch system, but from the inside out,” said Satya.
You could run a marathon in work boots or running shoes, but it doesn’t take a genius to understand light makes right when performance is important. “The wheels are Alpina and they’re tubeless spoked wheels from a Moto Guzzi V11 which is a shaft-drive bike. I love the rear hub so we flipped it around and made a spider for the sprocket out of stainless steel,” said Satya. To get the flat-track look he wanted with a 17” front wheel, Satya put a 130mm rear tire on the front. Nothing but Brembo would do for brakes and the master for the rear is beautifully built into the footpeg while the front is controlled by Satya’s way-cool internal throttle/brake setup.
The 91” Evo/Shovel engine features lots of Satya-shaping to the cases and cylinders. “I turned the fins on a lathe for a round look, that drag-race feel, and took a lot of the fins off right behind the pushrods. It makes them jump right off the motor,” said Satya. “The S&S cast-iron cylinders are coated in aluminum and give it a taller, newer look.” The stainless exhaust is perfectly gorgeous and “It’s not very loud, “ Satya said laughing. Check out the whittled-down BAKER Synchronous primary, the stainless-rod foot controls, and, well, just keep looking. The drivetrain’s a trip.
The Satya-made fuel and oil tanks are raw-metal perfection, but the aft section is possibly the best version of a flat tracker/sportbike tail I’ve seen with that lovely stainless rod running around the seat. Aluminum elegance.
As far as the end result of all his time and effort, Satya said, “It’s a pretty fun little bike, it rides great. It’s amazing to get on that thing ‘cause it’s really light, you can throw it around and the controls are positioned comfortably.” Sounds like a real motorcycle to me. To see Snatch in action, punch up YouTube and type “Satya Kraus” in the search box and be sure to check out his Dyna burnout video too.
Up Close: Kraus Motor Co. Twist Brake and Clutch
Cleaning up your handlebars doesn’t get much easier than getting out your credit card and giving Satya a call. Kraus Motor Co. offers both right and left internal controls that take care of operating your throttle, clutch, and front brake in a cleverly designed system that’s easy to install. The Twist Brake setup has everything you need (including a beautifully machined master) to twist your wrist back for gas or forward to brake. “Everybody who’s bought ‘em and used ‘em have all picked it up really quick. Within a block it becomes natural,” said Satya. “It’s really easy to install. You cut four-inches off your bar, drill one hole in the top of your bar, and drill holes in the bottom for your throttle cable and hydraulic lines, plumb it, and slide the thing in and clamp the reservoir on it. We’ve put a lot of time and energy designing it so it would be easy to install with home tools.”
The Twist Clutch is available in hydraulic or cable configuration and has a similar simple installation. “The Twist Clutch is really similar to levers because when you reach for that lever, you grab a handful and pull it back to you and on this you grab a handfull and rotate it back to you,” said Satya. “It’s actually a natural feel rather than having to reach for a lever.” If you opt for the hydraulic clutch version, the small master is a duplicate of the brake master. . And, you might as well finish up your new clean look by adding a pair of Satya’s Billet Grips. Find out more about Kraus Motor Co.’s Twist Controls at www.krausmotorco.com or call 707-632-6252.
Builder: Satya Kraus Kraus Motor Co.
It’s not surprising that Kraus Motor Co. is located off the beaten track in the little northern California town of Cazadero as Satya Kraus is as unique and unassuming as the area is. Perhaps this somewhat-remote location is why he’s building bikes that are not cookie-cutter stuff following the latest whacky trends, but are rideable bikes with a Satya-look infused by the need to handle the twisty and fun back roads of Sonoma County. Function becomes art. “I do this because I love it, I like the machines and I do what I want to do,” said Satya. “I’m not trying to follow trends. I’d probably make a hell of a lot more money if I did, but that’s not what it is about really. I hope people realize we are here and we’re here for the right reasons.”
Actually, I think they do know he’s there as he described how business in a tough time for the custom industry overall has been, “It’s good, we’re busy pushing through different projects and just trying to catch up with things. We’re on the road so much in the summer, wintertime’s always slammed. We’re a small shop, but we take on a couple of projects at a time and just have a lot of focus on them.”
How do I say this without sounding like some sort of motorcycle fanboy, but Satya’s an intelligent, thoughtful, and super talented designer with an eye for beauty that puts him in his own category. Space limitations didn’t allow Barnett’s to even begin to cover all the details of Snatch, so study those pics carefully. The details have details that have details. He very humbly told me, “I’m not trying to fit in too much, if you know what I mean.” Hey Satya, I do and I’m happy you aren’t. Your work speaks for itself.
Check out Satya’s website at www.krausmotorco.com.
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