Many of the smaller builders were looking for a way to incorporate full suspension without designing their own.  The Softride beam allowed them to build a distinctive looking frame and use the beam for the suspension duties.  The front suspension was usually handled by a Softride stem to pair up with the beam.  This bike features a very distinctive side-to side paint fade from burgundy to gray.

Added some photos from the BIKE magazine 20 anniversary photo shoot (by Anthony Smith)