You needn’t go far on the internet – or rather, Instagram – to find a plucky designer seeking coverage for a motorcycle render they curated, but there is more than one reason why this KTM mock-up from an Indian design master’s student has caught our eye.
For one it is a modern reimagining of the shortlived but increasingly cult-adored KTM RC8 sportbike, but also because it’s perhaps one of the more convincing integration of an electric powertrain that has us hoping the Austrian firm catches sight of this and ponders what’s possible.
Brought to our attention by IndianAutosBlog.com, this fresh take on the KTM RC8 is the product of Mohit Solanki, a Mobility and Vehicle Designer student from IIT Bombay, who says the reason he went beyond the standard sportbike trope of bombastic conventional power is because he believes ‘sales of petrol motorcycles will dip, and buyers will start shifting towards electric bikes’.
Whether you agree with him is up to you, but at the very least this RC8 is a very striking rendition of the original even if the signature Kiska-style traits – the trellis frame – are pared back to sitting below a hump that while rakish, doesn’t look terribly comfortable. Then again, this is a render, why not let the imagination go for form over function.
The familiar scalpel-styling, however, is evident in the front-screen which slices down towards the front-wheel.
“My objective was to look for the aggressive design that seems natural cutting through the air, increasing downforce when needed and it can reduce drag by incorporation of spoilers. So, aerodynamics will play key element in the concept.”
The finer points of the EV powertrain are a question for engineers rather than designers, so there is nothing like power or range to go on here, but even for just a little bit of eye-candy and our longing for KTM to cash in on their growing motorsport success it hits the spot.
After all, KTM is promising its forthcoming EV range will be performance-based, so it ‘could’ happen. Maybe. One day.
