When I walked by the BST booth at the EICMA show, I wasn’t that surprised to see an electric motorcycle concept parked in the carbon fiber parts maker’s stall – it seemed like every booth at the Milan show had one, in some sort of attempt for attention.
With a small crowd around what I would learn was called the BST HyperTEK, I wasn’t that astonished that this particular concept was gaining attention. The bike was…lurid.
Built with crazy shapes, an impossibly small battery pack, and eye-catching colors, you would have had to been blind not to be struck by the electric concept.
“Mission Accomplished” I thought to myself, as the South African brand had clearly achieved its objective of bringing passersby (including myself) into their booth, though the carbon wheels on display would have done the trick just as easily.
It wasn’t until later that night though that I would learn that the BST HyperTEK was the work of renowned motorcycle designer Pierre Terblanche, which is of course when everything started to make sense.
Like those attending EICMA, you are either going to love or hate the BST HyperTEK, which seems to be the case with many of Terblanche’s designs.
Known best for his work at Ducati, Terblanche penned the designs for original Sport Classic, Multistrada, and Hypermotard (not to mention the MH900E), though it is his work on the Ducati 999 Superbike that earned him infamy in Italian circles.
Terblanche’s work has a way of being ahead of its time though, with the Multistrada now a huge part of Ducati’s lineup, the air-cooled Hypermotards becoming more sought after with each passing year, the Sport Classic is at the tail end of a huge collector boom, and the 999 is looking now more like a masterpiece than the disaster it was labeled.
I suspect the case will be the same with the BST HyperTEK, which seems almost not a motorcycle…but then that’s the point, as Terblanche was given full latitude to think about what can be designed on two wheels when an engine is not involved.
Of note, BST plans on bringing the HyperTEK to market in a limited number. The specifications are certainly eyebrow raising, with a claimed 107hp (80 kW) peak power figure and 452 lbs (205 kg) curb weight.
There must be some fuzzy math going on though, because BST is claiming a 186-mile range (300 km) from the 4.75 kWh battery pack, which is a stretch of claim unless you’re using the slide rules from Zero Motorcycles.
Don’t let that detract you too much though from the monocoque carbon fiber frame, adjustable seat height linkage, and what can only be a hairdryer jet turbine cooler for the electronics.
We are not certain how much of the BST HyperTEK’s farkles are actually functional, but there are certainly no shortage of details to pore over.
And perhaps most important of all, we are here talking about it, which is the purpose of any EICMA booth concept, after all.
Photo: © 2019 Barry White / BST – All Rights Reserved
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