At the start of 2021, did you think it would end up being a year longer than 2020? Bikes are almost a trend – they represent a daring passion that we always wish we could tap into. From exaggerated daredevil designs to sleek eco-friendly solutions, Yanko Design is here to brighten your spirits by showcasing the best of the designs we featured this year – the bike designs that we curated and you love. Take a walk through memory lane and save this post – this list is sure to keep you inspired for a long time!
1. Husqvarna Devil S
Imagining how the dimension of mobility will evolve in the next few years, designer Haochen (Wenson) Wei gives his imagination wings in the shape of this firefly-inspired Husqvarna Devil S Concept bike. The rider sits inside the Husqvarna branded bike as one would typically do in a car, and the doors open to resemble the shape of a firefly. These classy doors, in a way, hug the rider in a safety cocoon which is reassuring at high speeds. While doing this, the bike maintains its edgy looks – perfect for a futuristic ride that young people will find irresistible.
2. Nebula
Nebula by Oneobject draws inspiration from this very notion to provide the user with freedom, speed, and agility to ride with no strings attached – literally. The Hong Kong-based design studio aims to revolutionize the urban transport scene, becoming too cluttered for the current roads. Having over a decade of experience in transportation, smart IoT, and electronics – Oneobject has created Alpha and Beta rides – one an electric motorbike for mid or long distances. The other is an electric kickboard scooter for last-mile travel or short commutes. Sustainability is at the forefront of the design since Oneobject has used hard and soft materials like polypropylene for the outer shell of both vehicles. This provides hard-shell protection to all the internal machinery.
3. Akira Bike
The flashy red Kaneda’s superbike from the sci-fi flick Akira released in 1988 imprinted a lasting impression for the pop universe in the 80s, and the legend is still alive. After all, who can forget the wide and low body jet-like bike speeding the Tokyo highway? This handsome-looking bike has a few real-life, street-legal avatars – but nothing that you and us can lay our hands-on and park in the garage. This Akira bike concept by Shanghai-based artist James Qui gives me hope though. Someday the Akira’s futuristic-looking motorbike will speed on the freeways, only to become a cult favorite decades down the line.
4. Tatamel Bike
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Urban spaces are getting constricted by the day for vehicles and people are gradually shifting to compact bikes or other compactly designed means of transport. Electric vehicles are the obvious choice for the eco-conscious lot and eventually we’ll live in a world that’s going to have 100 percent non-polluting vehicles on the roads. The Tatamel Bike designed by Japanese company ICOMA is good on both fronts with its ultra-foldable design and electric motor drivetrain which promises irresistible likeability for the urban commuters. The one-of-a-kind bike is very compact and can be further squeezed by folding into a form factor no bigger than the CPU cabinet under a desk. In the riding position (when fully unfolded) it measures 1230mm long, 1000mm tall, and 650mm wide while in the folded configuration it is just 700mm long, 680mm tall, and 260mm wide. Now that’s quite compact for a personal commuter. While the makers tout it as a bike, I would like to refer it more towards the “moped” terminology, since it is small and looks like one.
5. BMW D-05T
Neeraj Jawale from Pune, India has thought of the BMW D-05T bike concept that brings the fun of riding and the deep-rooted emotional connection between man and the machine to the forefront. Leveraging the advancements in technology, the bike will have the capability to make the detailed plan of the next adventure trip based on the experience of the explorers who’ve treaded the terrain before. The service hubs located in remote locations provide the swappable batteries or other travel essentials so that rider has to carry less. The bike has a watchdog in the form of a drone that keeps updating people who care about your current location status and also boosts the signal for you to have one thing less to worry about.
6. Honda Motocompo XL
Remember the cult favorite Honda Motocompo scooter from the early 1980s? The two-wheeler that could fit in the boot of a car? The box-shaped rectangular plastic body with handlebars, seat, and foot-pegs folded perfectly into the frame for a clean look. After selling fifty-three thousand-odd units, Honda discontinued the compact scooter in 1983, but couldn’t wash away its memory with concept vehicles like the 2001 e-Dax, e-NSR, and the 2011 Motor Compo electric scooter. This metaphoric vision is soulfully represented in the Honda Motocompo XL bike mustered up by 3D artist Allan Williams. It inherits the DNA of the original Motocompo scooter in more ways than not – the boxy shape being one. Just imagine it being an XL version of the compact scooter – loaded with the mean machine racing character, the Motocompo XL is a cafe racer right out of the pop culture handbook.
7. Bugatti Vitesse
According to designer Patrick Pieper, it all began when he took up the #bugatticonceptbikechallenge on Facebook for a motorbike challenge done by Bugatti enthusiasts around the globe. At that time, he made a 2D side view of the concept bike. Then after a very long lull, he decided to update it as a 3D Model with a vision to set the story on the salt flats of the Bonneville Speedway. According to Patrick, the core idea for this unique creation is to fuse the modern aesthetics of Bugatti with the nostalgic elements of the 1930’s race cars and bikes. Inspiration for the Bugatti Vitesse design comes from the 2015 Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo Concept as the c-shaped rear of the car now takes the form of the bike’s front cover. Patrick also emphasized the inspiration of the contoured aesthetics from the Mallard steam locomotive which apparently holds the speed record for steam locomotives to date. By looking at the design, it brings to mind a whale, or a large aquatic creature, worthy of the ruler of the seas!
8. Lazzarini Design Hypercycle
This one by Lazzarini Design dubbed the Hypercycle is nothing that you would normally associate with a bicycle, rather, a superbike destined for an expressway skirmish with other fellow bikers. The streamlined shape of the motorbike and the big chunky tires are a tell-tale sign of its racing character. Just as I’m about to label it a cool superbike for the racing tracks (glancing over at the pointy front section), the side profile with the extendable rear wheel section having an independent horizontally aligned wishbone suspension, makes me believe it is a drag racer. Also, I can’t help but give it the café racer tag for obvious reasons. So, this one is your race track bike, drag racer and café racer, all-in-one; thanks to the movable rear wishbone!
9. Dust Tesla
Draped in a completely metallic finish, the bike by Nazar Eisa is destined to have time-traveled from the dystopian future. The clear geometric lines and the definitive aerodynamic build will put most of the other Tesla bike concepts to shame. It is that sexy! The long wheelbase of the Dust Tesla defies the structural stability, but hey, it has arrived from the future, where technologies are definitely beyond our comprehension. Those hubless wheels and the swingarm on the electric bike evoke a sense of dynamism which is hard to give a miss. The sharp lines flowing from the front of the bike to the rear bring a profound sense of superhero’s favored accomplice-like feel at first glance.
10. The Sokudo
A Tesla-branded electric bike concept designed to shape-shift the frame according to the rider’s position and the riding condition – ideal for the future of comfortable bike riding. This concept Tesla bike by San Diego-based renowned automotive designer Ash Thorp in close collaboration with Carlos “colorsponge” is pure dope. Ash calls this attention-grabbing set of wheels “THE SOKUDO” (meaning measuring in Japanese), and it is a part of the ongoing M.H.C. Collection by the duo. This is the 14th project in the collection.
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