The Wolverine XS800 Massive Rear Tire Will Make The Bat Pod Jealous

The Wolverine XS800 has one of the widest tires we've ever seen on a motorcycle outside of the Bat Pod.

It's probably impossible to find a motorcycle that has wheels as big as the Bat Pod, Batman's crazy motorcycle in The Dark Knight movie. Hanyang, a Chinese motorcycle company, took that statement as a challenge with their new Wolverine XS800. This Chinese cruiser has some of the fattest tires we've ever seen on a motorcycle.

This results in one of the coolest bikes you could ever see rolling down the road. Just because it's cool doesn't mean it's a good bike, though. Let's take a look at the Wolverine XS800's massive rear tire and the other things that keep it rolling and decide if it's worth cruising on.

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The Bat Pod is undoubtedly one of the coolest motorcycles ever designed, even if it is just a fictional creation for Christopher Nolan's Batman: The Dark Knight Trilogy. It has tires that look like they come off of a military vehicle. And the dimensions are insane, at a whopping 31 inches in diameter and 20 inches wide. That is astronomical for a motorcycle.

The designers over at Hanyang had to work in the real world, not a fictional one. So, a 20-inch wheel wasn't exactly possible for them, but they still slapped on massive 14-inch diameter tires on the rear of the Wolverine XS800. The tire is also 18 inches in diameter, the biggest among any production motorcycles. That is bigger than the tires on a lot of cars.

Is having a big rear tire actually good for a motorcycle, though? Yes and no. Motorcycles are rear-wheel-drive, obviously, so having a bigger rear tire means you can handle higher horsepower and won't burn rubber as quickly. A wider tire also means a bigger contact patch on the road, resulting in more traction and better balance.

It isn't all benefits, though. Wider tires are heavier, meaning brakes and suspension have to work harder to carry the load. Handling also becomes harder with a wider tire. Also, if you don't increase your power with an increase in tire size, the bike will actually get slower. Wide motorcycle tires are also very expensive.

Basically, the more power you have, the bigger your tire can be. If you're packing big horsepower, go ahead and rep those fat tires.

If you thought having a massive wheel also meant the Wolverine XS800 has massive power, then you are mistaken. The performance figures for the bike are incredibly tame, so much so that a 50-year-old bike could probably outrun it. It comes with an 800cc liquid-cooled V-twin motor, nothing too out of the ordinary.

The issue with this engine, however, is that it only puts out 49 horsepower at 7,000 RPM and 43 ft-lb of torque. All of that combines for a top speed that won't even break 100 mph. At 634 pounds, you're not going to get anywhere fast on the Wolverine XS800, but you'll surely look cool doing it.

Riding down the road in your Wolverine XS800, here are a few bikes that would easily pass by you. A 1970 Honda CB750 has a 736cc motor making 67 horsepower at 8,000 rpm. That 50-year-old bike can reach 123 mph fully stock. A 1982 Suzuki Katana has a 747cc motor making 82 horsepower at 9,500 rpm. That 40-year-old bike can get close to 150 mph. What we're trying to say is the Wolverine XS800 was made entirely to look cool, not to go fast.

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It's hard to make a proper assessment of the Wolverine XS800 as pricing has not been announced yet. What we do know is that it is a unique bike that is reminiscent of the Bat Pod. It is the only production bike in the world with a rear tire this huge. Does that mean it's a good bike?

That is up for personal interpretation. If you don't care about going fast or being able to weave sharply, the Wolverine XS800 might be a great bike for you. If you care more about styling and cruising than anything else in your motorcycle, then the Wolverine XS800 is certainly the bike for you. If you want to go really fast and be able to race around, the Wolverine XS800 is definitely not for you.

A motorcycle is all about personality, and every rider is going to want something different in their machine. The Wolverine XS800 isn't the best bike in the world, but it definitely will be the one that catches someone's eye because it truly is a super cool bike. If you want to cruise down the road looking like Batman on the Bat Pod, you should consider the Wolverine XS800.

David has been a part of the HotCars team since January 2023. He worked for the New York Post as a sports writer before joining the site. A writer with a taste for American Muscle and JDM projects.