This motorcycle is one engineer’s dream to build a wild and fully functional electric machine with plenty of power and speed, selling for around $7,700

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    2 months ago

    I’ve mentioned before that I’m keen to see what makers and manufacturers will build with electric motors. But this whole frame just looks incredibly inefficient, with regards to mechanical engineering. There is a reason that bicycle and motorbike frames tended toward using tubular members rather than solid box structures. The double-diamond of bicycles comes to mind.

    Visually striking, this is. But efficient on its use of metal, likely not. And that’s not just an environmental or engineering concern, but also one of performance. Whatever insane specs this motorbike can achieve could have been even more insane, if efficiency were prioritized higher.

    “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

    When comparing the motorbike and automobile worlds, most concept cars will garner splashy headlines and then likely never come to market, whereas concept motorbikes tend to make it to production, however small-batch. But credit where it’s due, concept cars don’t reach production because the practicalities have won out, where even in the wasteful world of cars someone will have said “maybe this isn’t a good idea” and stopped there.

    As a garage project, this is pretty awesome. But just because it’s road-legal and for sale does not mean it should be used as the guidestar for the future of all electric motorbikes.