Yamaha’s MOTOROiD2 Concept Wins Red Dot Design Award
Futuristic Yamaha concept scoops prestigious design prize
Yamaha has added another Red Dot Design Award to its trophy cabinet, with the MOTOROiD2 concept bike taking home the Design Concept 2025 prize.
It’s the fifth time the Japanese manufacturer has received the Red Dot in this category, with previous winners including the original MOTOROiD in 2018, the &Y01 in 2017, the YNF-01 in 2019, and the “e-plegona” in 2024. This year’s win is Yamaha’s first in the category since 2019 and comes as the Iwata brand celebrates its 70th anniversary.
Unveiled to the public in 2023, the MOTOROiD2 builds on the original 2017 concept, continuing Yamaha’s exploration of emotional, interactive design. The updated model pushes further into the idea of a motorcycle as a “lifetime companion,” incorporating a two-way communication concept between rider and machine.
The bike features a semi-transparent, organic body design that Yamaha says creates a lifelike presence. The entire chassis becomes the user interface, utilising light, movement and touch to convey feedback. At the heart of this is a central “LEAF” haptic unit, which aims to enhance non-verbal communication through visual and tactile interaction.
Unlike conventional motorcycles, MOTOROiD2 is less about performance figures and more about building an emotional bond between rider and machine, a concept that clearly struck a chord with the Red Dot judges. Will we ever see one on the road? Probably not in my lifetime. But as we’ve seen from Yamaha with its other crazy concepts, it’s got one eye on the distant future of motorcycling, and it looks wild!
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
