Tag Archives: racing bike

This hyperbike concept challenges the one unsaid rule of high-end race bike design…

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Imagine driving a Lamborghini to work or on a grocery run. Well, if you can afford a Lamborghini, you probably have someone doing your grocery shopping for you, but the point I’m really getting at is that the Lamborghini is like caviar… good for special occasions, not for regular consumption. The same logic applies to hyperbikes, which fall within the luxury Veblen good category, but designer Rostyslav Matiukhin asked himself… what if the hyperbike’s essence was modified or dialed down, so it could be easily used as an everyday bike?

At its core, the ROS.M electric hyperbike concept breaks the one unsaid rule of luxury automotive design – even though it falls well within the hyperbike category, it’s still meant to be a daily driver. Taking on an approach that mirrors products like the iPhone that’s ‘designed to be high-end, but is built for being good at everyday tasks’, the ROS.M hopes to be, and these aren’t words you’ll hear too often in the automotive industry – a luxury hyperbike that regular consumers will love to drive too… and that required Rostyslav to first start by asking some pretty important questions.

“We have a lot of hyperbikes that are too fast and heavy for everyday use, on the one hand, and many tinybikes that cannot meet all needs,” says Rostyslav. “Which characteristics are attributable to modern urban transport?” Should it be environmentally friendly? Economical? Lightweight, maneuverable, safe, powerful, modern, and still stylish? How do these attributes affect the ‘image’ of a hyperbike?

The ROS.M electric motorcycle was designed with all that requirements in mind. Guided by the principle of balance, the designer was able to achieve the best balance between characteristics and parameters that provide a superior user experience, and still allow the bike to sit within its high-end hyperbike territory.

For starters, the bike prioritizes a balance between a racing aesthetic and actual day-to-day use. Its silhouette definitely compares to hyperbikes and superbikes, with their sinewy, crouching-tiger aesthetic that’s synonymous with power, agility, and a predator spirit… but the ROS.M still considers aspects like overall rider comfort, adjustability, storage, safety, etc.

Rostyslav was quick to point out how the ROS.M’s design breaks ‘racing bike’ stereotypes by actually being ‘useful’. Prioritizing safety, the hyperbike actually repositions the headlight, placing it on the wheel instead of in front of the driver. This stabilizes the headlight’s beam in relation to the road, which means the wheels, which are always making contact with the ground, inform where the light shines… unlike the default position right in front of the rider, which is susceptible to movement because of the bike’s suspension. This means acceleration and braking, which would normally cause the headlight’s beam to move up or down, now doesn’t affect the headlight.

The e-bike comes with a charging port located where you’d traditionally have the inlet for a motorcycle’s fuel tank, although right behind it lies a pretty important feature that you’ll almost never on even traditional motorcycles, leave alone hyperbikes – storage. The ROS.M has 15 liters worth of storage space right underneath the seat, big enough for stashing a backpack for daily driving to work and back, or even an additional reserve battery, for long road trips.

Other features of the ROS.M include design details like protective elements along the extreme sides of the bike (like guards near the handlebars and behind the seat) that protect the bike and rider from damage during a sideways fall. The bike also comes with a pretty modern dashboard that provides much more actionable information and even doubles up as a GPS to help with navigation. The dashboard and windscreen are both independently height-adjustable, giving the rider a fair amount of flexibility and comfort during use. The ROS.M also comes with a rear-wheel electric drivetrain, which cuts down on constant servicing, taking the hassle out of maintaining and replacing parts like the spark plug, air filter, coolant fluid, etc. Boiling the bike’s serviceable parts down to simply a motor, brake pads, and brake fluid, the ROS.M requires much less upkeep than fuel-guzzling hyperbikes.

All in all, whether you’re driving the ROS.M in a crouched racing position, or sitting upright as you would on a regular bike while driving through the streets, the ROS.M’s approach to bike design ensures a balance between the practicality of everyday use, and the sheer madness of racing down an empty road and leaving a trail of dust behind. It sounds like a rather novel approach, as it hopes to fulfill the best of both worlds, offering a bike that’s a speed demon when you want it, and a rather stunning-looking commute bike when you need it.

Designer: Rostyslav Matiukhin

The post This hyperbike concept challenges the one unsaid rule of high-end race bike design… first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Tron-inspired Tesla electric bike’s hubless wheels radiate a drag racing character

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What do you get when a Tron bike mates with a Tesla electric bike? It has to be this stunner designed for straight-line speed.

While my analog might not go well with a few, let’s stay put with the design aspect of the Dust Tesla concept electric motorcycle designed by Nazar Eisa. Draped in a completely metallic finish, the bike is destined to have time-traveled from the dystopian future. The clear geometric lines and the definitive aerodynamic build will put most of the other Tesla bike concepts to shame. It is that sexy!

The long wheelbase of the Dust Tesla defies the structural stability, but hey, it has arrived from the future, where technologies are definitely beyond our comprehension. Those hubless wheels and the swingarm on the electric bike evoke a sense of dynamism which is hard to give a miss. The sharp lines flowing from the front of the bike to the rear bring a profound sense of superhero’s favored accomplice-like feel at first glance.

The designer models the electric bike in two variants – one in a complete black hue and the other in contrasting one with silver finish and matte black inserts to lend overall depth to the design. I still can’t get over the long-wheelbase which hints at the bike’s drag racing character. The ground clearance is quite low, in fact so low you will struggle to slip through a rim of paper under it. So, don’t expect it to take on the twisty tracks of the Moto GP calendar.

Just imagine the Dust Tesla parked by your Cybertruck’s side in the mansion’s garage. When the night hits, you take it out for a stint on the freeway, as the wind cuts through your hair. It goes without saying, this Tesla concept bike is going to be every automotive enthusiast’s dream come true. Now if you’ll pinch me, I want to get back to reality and stop daydreaming about riding this beautiful monster on the outskirts of my city limits!

Designer: Nazar Eisa

This fastest triathlon bike by design comes with a built-in hydration system and adjustable parts!

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The Plasma 6 is the latest triathlon bike from Scott Sports was designed to be the fastest triathlon bike ever built. Equipped with a built-in hydration system, optimized aerodynamics, adjustable parts, and integrated storage compartments, the Plasma 6 just needs to bring you over the finish line.

Different bikes call for different designs. While an electric city bike might boast hubless wheels and smart control panels, off-road bikes lean into an ergonomic build and keep a tight focus on horsepower. Triathlon bikes are all about aerodynamics and a lightweight frame, prioritizing function over aesthetics. The Scott Plasma 6, the next-generation triathlon bike from Scott Sports, was built for one reason and one reason alone: to be the fastest triathlon bike ever built.

Following the Plasma 5’s debut, Scott Sports started work on its successor, the Plasma 6. Four years later, the newest triathlon bike from Scott Sports touts a versatile and optimal shape for aerodynamics and a fully integrated design complete with hidden storage compartments and a built-in hydration system.

The designers behind Plasma 6 mention how they took into account the aerodynamics of the moving rider from day one, designing and fine-tuning the bike in a wind tunnel to ensure practical improvements are made in real conditions.

Constructing the Plasma 6 to perform at top speeds required a lot of conceptual planning on the design team’s end. Recognizing that the down tube’s prime position is just behind the front tire, the Scott Sports designers also confirmed that when the wheel is that close to the down tube, turbulence is much more frequent.

Adjusting the positioning only slightly to avoid that close of contact between the down tube and front wheel, Scott Sports left a wide gap between the two parts, giving the bike enough room to make turns without prompting any turbulence.

Since the closer the rear wheel is to the seat tube, the more aerodynamic Plasma 6 is, the designers at Scott Sports designed the rear wheel so that it could be adjusted to six different positions before the rider reaches the ideal distance between their seat tube and rear wheel.

Then, riders can rest assured the Plasma 6 doesn’t hold out on any of the integrated storage compartments the Plasma 5 was known for. In fact, the built-in storage system is even more advanced on the Plasma 6. Describing the new storage system, Scott Sports notes,

“It allows all spare parts, drinks, and nutritious snacks to be integrated into the frame. The new hydration system allows you to quench your thirst and have a snack while staying in an aerodynamic position, and even refuel without getting off the bike.”

In building the Plasma 6, Scott Sports hoped to build a fast bike for any type of rider, even outside of racing. From the rear wheel adjustment system to the integrated storage compartments, it seems the designers have thought of everything to ensure a smooth ride. Taking it a notch further, the pedals also run on an adjusting track that riders can change as they see fit. The cockpit and forearm skates are also adjustable for riders to find their most comfortable position.

Designer: Scott Sports

Easy to remove and attach to the bike, the gel canister can hold 400ml and is made from antibacterial polypropylene.

When tucked away, the gel canister is out of sight. 

The Plasma 6’s adjustable seat comes with an attached holder for water bottles. 

The simple frame reveals integrated storage compartments and adjustable features that give Plasma 6 an aerodynamic performance.

This vintage-inspired racing bike reincarnates as a fully electric, modern day two-wheeler

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Board track racing was hugely popular in the early 1900s (1910s and 1920s) – as bikes with pedal-powered assistance raced on tracks hitting triple-digit speeds. Yes, the sport was utterly risky, and the crowd loved it for that reason. Eventually, as sanity prevailed, the high-risk racing culture faded out, but it has left a deep mark on the sands of time. One can deem it an integral part of two-wheeler history that will be etched in motorheads’ consciousness for a long time.

Commemorating the golden era of two-wheel motorsports from the yesteryears, Italian custom moto builder GDesign has put together a nostalgic take on the adrenaline arousing era’s racers of board track racing. Called the Elettracker, the all-electric bike evokes a century ago period – so much has changed since then, hasn’t it? The bike infuses an element of modern to the retro aesthetics in the form of a pack of electric batteries shaped like the air-cooled V-Twin engines symbolic of the track racing of that time.

The custom build doesn’t end there as the racer gets a nostalgic number plate, a tank sandwiched between the bike frame’s dual top tubes and a braced tractor-like seating embellished in brown leather. Elettracker also gets bronze inverted bar-end levers having hand-wrapped leather grips. For the wheels, GDesign managed to emulate the retro white tire look with the thin spoke wheels. To complement the retro custom build, the custom builder got the faux-painted race livery done by Arinna Crippa of Lake Design. The custom bike, in a way, traverses one to the time when anything racing on wheels was purely magical – both for the racers and the fans.

Designer: GDesign

Max Hazan designs a racing bike that embraces a fighter jet aesthetic

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Social Distancing at home, our days have blended together and because we are saving the world, we cannot take off into the sunset. But we can definitely daydream about it from our couch and this insane bike can be the protagonist of our weekend thoughts. Max Hazan, one of the world’s most famous custom bike designers, has created the Motus MST ‘Salt Shaker’ and it will take your imagination on a ride! To me, this bike looks like something we will see on the streets of Mars when we move there and I mean that in a good way.

The bespoke Salt Shaker is the latest land racing bike from the Los Angeles-based designer in collaboration with Hazan Haas Racing: Hazan, and Bobby Haas of Dallas’ Haas Moto Museum. The creators call it the ‘Salt Shaker’ because it was envisioned to be raced on the Bonneville salt flats and I can only imagine how cinematic that would look because of its otherwordly form! It weighs 635 lbs but 150 lbs in that were intentionally added for better traction and stability. It almost looks like a mini fighter jet with its sleek curves and white aesthetic.

Salt Shaker showcases Hazan’s typical style in its build – it is constructed around a fully-custom frame which is enveloped in one-of-its-kind bodywork featuring a partial streamliner. The engine was picked from Motus Motorcycles’ MST model and it is a 1,650cc pushrod V4 mill. Hazan also added a Garrett GT28R turbocharger to up the performance of the bike so it can go between 250-270hp smoothly. The bike looks like it is ready to be cast in a sci-fi adventure movie, I can imagine it speeding across the salt flats and the salt flying everywhere in slow motion. If you are a bike collector (even just a Pinterest one) then this should go on your list of rare bikes to have.

Designer: Max Hazan and Bobby Haas