What you see above is the work of one Ian McElroy. It’s a render, done in SolidWorks, of a concept motorcycle that has a Subaru WRX motor at its core. With twin-intercoolers, underseat turbocharger, and a hub-steering chassis, the KickBoxer, as McElroy calls it, is an impressive looking machine, but what’s most impressive is that Ian didn’t know a lick of SolidWorks before he set out to make this design. Photos and spec’s after the jump.
Appalachian State University graduate Tom Miceli put together the ultimate resume when he built his all-electric Ion Sportbike for his Industrial Design graduate project. There are many folks putting together electric motorcycles, but many seem to overlook an important detail of the package. Good looks sell and we enthusiasts demand them. And if you can make it look unique at the same time even better.
Taking cues from the Ducati Monster, Olivier Henrichot has put his photoshop skills towards creating a Ducati & Fila branded athletic shoe that takes the Monster’s frame and fuel tank visuals, and incorporated them into the shoe’s design elements.
While the internet as a whole was resistant to the idea of an Italian bred street chopper, Italian firm Cafe Racers & Superbikes has picked up where Ducati may have left off.
After spending the last two years sprinkling Italian styling in the cruiser segment, the CR&S DUU (we think the name needs some work still) is finally taking a more clear shape, and will use a traditional chopper-esque American born 2.0L v-twin motor, surrounded by modern styling that takes its inspiration from the sportbike scense.
Motor manufacturer and tuner, Ilmor Engineering, has branched out from its Indy Car, Formula One, NASCAR, and MotoGP duties, and produced what they call a five-stroke motor. With dual camshafts and an asymetrical three-cylinder configuration, the Ilmor is more than intriguing with its design, and promises to bring real benefits both to the race track, and to road-use. Most notably is a 10% increased fuel efficiency, and 20% weight reduction in power-plant weight.
It is a well established fact that all bad things either come from German or Florida. In an effort to fix this rule of thumb, German design agency Zoom has invisioned a “hobby racer” that the firm hopes to build after securing financing. Called the Rih (arabic for wind), the concept bike will incorporate a few very interesting technologies (like lungs), while at its core, there is an Aprilia RSV4 motor.
News surrounding the new VFR have been swirling around the internet, with various concept drawing and CG renders making the course. Fueling the fire, Honda has been keeping their cards close to their chest when it comes to the new VFR, which is rumored to come out in 2010.
Now we have the latest image to hit the net, done by Vanjey Design. The render looks clean, and influenced with Honda’s current design progression with the 1000cc CBR. There is speculation that the new VFR will see a bump in displacement to 1000cc, up from its current 782cc. However, there has been no indication so far from Honda that this might be true. As always, time will tell.
Source: Visordown
Ducati has released the second part of a multipart documentary on the design and development of the Desmosedici RR. While the first video was a little content light, this next installment should delight the engineering inclined. Those with a social sciences degree we suggest noding, as if you understand what the hell is going on. We sure did. Watch the video (broken into 3 smaller parts) after the jump.
Norwegian site has gotten its hands on some of the sketches used in the process of designing the Ducati Streetfighter. While the drawings show a glimpse into the process of what it takes to bring a motorcycle to fruition, you can also see the evolution of the design itself. From rough polygons and shapes, to the detailed and shaded sketches, and finally the CAD drawing of the finished design, one can see the refinement and process that must be going on in the artists heard.
Ducati has released the first part of a multipart documentary on the design and development of the Desmosedici RR. This first episode is light on content, but heavy on quick edits, and video effects. The start of this video series seems to be timed well with Aprilia’s release of further information on the RSV4. Coincidence? Perhaps. The less than usual spit and polish on the series so far would seem to suggest time, not quality, was the issue at stake here. Watch the video after the jump.
On December 31st, Massimo Tamburini will be retiring from his position of design chief at MV Agusta. With this news it will be interesting to see who at MV (or should we speculate Harley-Davidson?) will step in to fill possibly the most important role to MV’s future.
Massimo Tamburini has been the hand behind some of the most cosmetically important motorcycles in the industry’s history, those are some big shoes to fill, and it will be the first test of Harley-Davidson’s management of their new brand. Read more for MV Agusta’s official press release.