In the grand scheme of things, motorcycle concepts don't come around very often. Unlike their car counterparts that seem to issue a concept vehicle to coincide with each sunrise, bike manufacturers tend to leave - warning marketing speak - blue sky thinking to other people.
Although hover cars and shizz that Philip K Dick and Tomorrow's World presenters absolutely believed would be with us by the end of the 1990s haven't as yet rocked up, fivthreefuturistic designs have caught the eye of Visordown staff over the last weeks.
Alpha Machina 1 from Barbara Custom Motorcycles
This is an all-electric number and is ready to go into production. It has been designed by the firm's founder, known only as Penninghen (very mysterious), and the details of its construction are highly-classified. The design is very minimal and looks highly uncomfortable.
“Electric vehicles are the future, but do they all need to be in the spirit of those we have today?” said Penninghen, possibly speaking from his hideout in a dormant volcano. “Why not put engines in wheels and use the full body for battery space?”
And there is, apparently, nothing getting in the way of its production. Apart from money, we suspect.
Three glimpses into your riding future - page two
Porsche 618 from Miguel Angel Bahri
This Porsche-branded guppy-alike has absolutely nothing to do with Porsche at all. Rather, it's from the pen of Barcelona transportation designer Miguel Angel Bahri.
Again, it's an electric affair which draws inspiration from the 911 Turbo, 918 Spyder hybrid sports car, and 919 hybrid racecar.
It also features a carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer chassis, a magnesium mainframe, and a 160bhp interior permanent magnet motor mated to a continuously variable transmission. A 20 kWh battery pack keeps the two-wheel titan charging.
“Porsche was my principal source of motivation in career choice,” explains Bahri. “The way its team constantly evolves without losing themselves captivates me.”
Three glimpses into your riding future - page three
Samurai from Artem Smirnov and Vladimir Panchenko
This cruiser has got Rick Deckard written all over it. Almost a reality, the Samurai is very Asian in its minimalist design and again fails to feature anything to do with petrol.
“My vision was very influenced by the Japanese approach to industrial design,” says Smirnov. “Nothing superfluous.”
For Smirnov, the all-electric example is also a personal expression of freedom. “Before becoming a freelancer, I worked at a studio and had to listen to the opinion of authorities who were distant from design,” says the Belarus-based creative. “This whole project was made in my spare time and for myself.”
