Concept Or Reality? 10 Wild, Outlandish Motorcycle Designs

Concept Or Reality? 10 Wild, Outlandish Motorcycle Designs

Originally, we thought it’d be cool to put together a list of some of the wildest, funkiest concept choppers that we’ve seen over the past year or so. Then we realized that some of the top contenders were actually production bikes. So we opened up the gates to concepts, customs and production bikes and found what we feel are the meanest, craziest two-wheeled machines this side of Hollywood.

The Alfa Beast



You know a chopper called “Beast” is bound to pack some sort of punch, but if you glance quickly at the top of this one, you might miss it. The frame is just a Kraft Tech hard tail. Then, you see that massive engine just seeping out from under every bolt and realize this thing is quite unique. And that’s because it’s packing a 2.5-liter V6 engine from Alfa Romeo. Crafted by Chris Barber of Crossbreed cycles, this custom one-off packs all kinds of tricks to make it functional: six big exhaust pipes, a Harley four-speed transmission and Weber carburetors. And those tricks pay off in a beautiful, unique bike with 156 horses worth of classic Aston power at the throttle.

Cosmos 4WRF



A limited-edition bike from the Brazilian manufacturer, the 4WRF almost missed this list because it has four wheels. Then we looked good and hard at that mean monoblock chassis and realized this bike was made for this list. Plus, its wheels are close enough together that it still looks like a motorcycle. Underneath that post-apocalyptic hunk of industrial metal is a 350-hp V8 engine. So it packs as much power as it emanates. And, if you’re really a stickler for two wheels, Cosmos also offers the 2WRF with dual 17-inch wheels instead of four. But that one just doesn’t look quite so angry.

Hyundai Aebulle Concept



Our first concept bike of the list. Note that this one isn’t actually designed by Hyundai, but its designer Shane Baxley must have thought that Hyundai would be the likeliest company to bring an enclosed motorcycle urban commuter to market. This all-electric is so full of nonsensical tech like e-ink instrument panel built into the glass cocoon and in-wheel motors that it clearly won’t ever be seen in the real world. The two tiny wheels in front (okay, okay it’s a trike) feature independent swingarms, helping the vehicle to lean into turns with more agility.

MotoCzysz E1PC



Electric bikes don’t usually make us look twice, but that’s because they don’t usually look (or act) like the MotoCzysz E1PC. I mean, just look at the 10 cells worth of lithium-polymer power crammed into the chassis. According to a Popular Science article this past summer, the E1PC boasts 10 x the battery power of a Toyota Prius. With a top speed of 140 mph it’s significantly faster, too. The bike’s oil-cooled 100-hp motor pushed it to first place in the Isle of Man TT Zero race this past June where it topped out at 135 mph–almost 30 mph faster than the next fastest clocked electric bike. There’s hope yet for EBs.

Concept Custom



Two-wheeled muscle car? Count us in. Those are the words that designer Jean Baptiste Robilliard uses to describe what he refers to simply as the “Custom Bike Concept.” Clearly he exhausted all creativity on the design of this thing, which combines the pure testosterone-loaded burliness of the Cosmos 4WRF with the electric aspirations of the E1PC, all rolled up into the unapologetic, stretched-out demeanor of a full-on chopper. Robilliard imagines an electric drivetrain powering this puppy with a KERS system boosting efficiency. All that is pretty easy to say when you’re only going so far as a drawing, but the machine is one nasty-looking SOB, no matter how unlikely a real-world alter ego is.

M-Org



I’m not sure that vegans ride motorcycles. I’d think small electric scooters would be more their speed. But if they’re craving a truly organic motorcycle experience, they had better hope the M-Org crosses the threshold between concept and production. This bike designed by Michael Smolyano features 100 percent organic materials in addition to its ultra-green-and-yellow paint scheme. Don’t get too excited; that 100 percent is probably just because paper is made from trees. There wasn’t much detail on this one when it showed up earlier this year, but I reckon it won’t really matter that much since it won’t go much farther than this list.

Confederate B120 Wraith



We got a chance to catch up with Confederate Motorcycles at the New York Auto Show this past spring and were pretty impressed with what we saw in terms of bad-ass machines. We’d take the P120 for pure gnarliness, but this one fit in better here thanks to its hulking carbon fiber fork. That definitely makes a first impression. The B120 Wraith is a 250-run model that seats a 125-hp radial twin under a carbon fiber monocoque chassis.

Magpul Ronin



I’ll never forget when Robert De Niro casually pulls out a rocket launcher and takes a shot at will in the movie Ronin. It was epic De Niro. If I could roll that character up into two wheels, a chassis and an engine it would look much like the Magpul Ronin. Coincidence? I think not. After all, the bike does come from a Colorado-based gun company, so it’s bound to look like an assault weapon. Based on the Buell 1125R, Magpul adds a big, muscular frame with the distinctive, matte fork. The bike is powered by the 1125R’s 1126cc 146-hp Rotax v-twin. The Ronin was introduced as a prototype earlier this year, and Magpul is still deciding on its future.

Subaru KickBoxer



This student designer managed to cram a 265-hp turbocharged inline four from the Subaru WRX into a motorcycle chassis. The engine has done pretty well for the car, so why not cut out a lot of weight plus two wheels and see what happens? What happens is a bike that looks like two wheels and a seat strapped to an engine. The KickBoxer name is a pretty sweet bonus too.

Brammo Empulse



The Brammo Empulse isn’t quite as powerful as the Motozcyz, but considering its due to be carried by Best Buy next year, it’s sure to prove a lot easier to get your hands on. Plus it combines 100 mph of speed capabilities with 100 miles of zero-emissions range. Like the ‘zcyz, the Empulse packs plenty of visible cell power into its frame, coming in 6 kWh, 8 kWh and 10 kWh litium-ion flavors. Those cells juice up a 55-hp liquid-cooled motor. The price range of $10,000 to $14,000 (minus tax breaks) makes this one the most attainable on the list.

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Source: Motorcave