Aussie Rob’s Boss Hoss Monster

THIS IS a 2001 Boss Hoss III. It’s got a 355 Chevy motor in it. They haven’t changed much since 2001. There have been a few refinements in the gauges and the engine in the base model. I’d seen the Boss Hoss on the internet; three years later I was able to swing a deal. I bought it sight-unseen from Western Australia. I did a trip across the Nullarbor with a U-Haul trailer and brought it back.

This was the only one with the two-speed automatic and the reverse gear. First gear goes up to 120 mph but you wouldn’t go any faster than that because it’s unstable. It’s not designed for high speeds like that.

I tested the NOS at 60 kays, 80 kays and 140 kays, and it just lit up every time. So at 140 km/h, I hit the Nitrous and it went into wheel-spin. It really needs a Nitrous controller but that’s extra money. Actually, I really don’t wanna go that fast. I just wanna have it there and know that I’ve done it; you know, to appreciate the beauty of the engineering.

I got a new Mickey Thompson street/drag tyre on the back. Hopefully, it’ll make it grip better. With the 230 Avon they come with stock, they just have no traction; I was able to drift out of corners. This tyre will be okay without the NOS. With the NOS, nothing’s gonna grip.

It’s 500 kilograms. The answer to ‘dropping the bike’ is to ‘be smart’. Or get a crane, or get a new one! Ha ha! The bars have good leverage and people do drop them up and pick them up. There’s some story that you pick it up like you right a boat; you know, you stand on the opposite side and pull with your weight. But I don’t believe that, unless you’re a huge American!

I don’t do enough riding to be honest. My work and my family is my life, and this is my one-and-a-half hours on a Sunday of freedom. The rest of the week it’s there and I’m looking at it, thinking about it. I’m a construction planner and work in the city, so I ride it to my office occasionally and that’s easy. I could ride it one-handed with the automatic.

There’s only about 4000 of these ever made. Probably 3500 of those are in the States. I’m often communicating overseas with my riding brothers. Once a year I go for a week to a rally in Tennessee.

Last year I went to Germany. The Germans are nuts over these big bikes. That was a party-and-a-half. We hired a couple of bikes and rode the Autobahn.

I would really like to see more people riding them in Australia. I just don’t get why they’re not more popular. There’s really only about a dozen of them on the roads. I know they’re intimidating to look at at first, but after you get used to handling them, they’re as easy as any bike. I’d like to talk to anyone who’s a potential purchaser because it’s a way of life for me and I love it. Plus I’d like some riding buddies!

There’s nothing like doing a rolling burnout at 120 km/h—it’s the ultimate freedom!

pics by Walter Wall; words by Aussie Rob