Michael Tseng's Mopah.

The Mopah: It all looks so simple: and that's the beauty of it...

The Mopah was created in response to a visiting professional who scrutinized the amount of "blue sky" design amongst students. As David Sedaris pointed out in "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim," the danger in viewing romance movies is that we can all relate to falling in love. The experience is universal and the viewer is lead to a number of unhealthy comparisons, ultimately raising the question "Why can't our lives be like that?" The Mopah is an attempt to design an experience "like that." A reminder that industrial design can be about more than a tangible product, It can be about infusing our lives with something entirely personal: my journey, my music, my moment at the end of the movie when I drive away into the sunset with the perfect song playing in the background. Of course, in order to really prove this point, I needed to create a working prototype. The photos online display the functioning prototype and human reaction.

The typical scooter is designed for efficient transportation. The Mopah is about taking the scenic route. I wanted to alter the interaction of travel, with a soundtrack life isn't so mundane. I chose the Apple Ipod as the soul of Mopah, because of what the device stands for. Apple is turning product interactions upside down, making small improvements on existing devices that create massive change. The Ipod has become a cultural artifact... an expression of personality and ease of use, the flagship for interaction design as product innovator.

An interesting discussion I had with a fellow designer, prior to the Mopah project, was on how to prove that an interaction is a successful one. When building a sketch model or just creating a beautiful rendering the aesthetic feel is conveyed but not the interaction. I believe that until a design is created in vivid detail, the way we think a user will react to its use is purely speculation. The only way to experience Mopah is to hop onboard and take her for a spin. For this reason I decided to make a fully working prototype. My senior thesis was right around the corner so I made plans to go from ideation to final prototype in just 10 weeks (the length of the course). I knew I had to focus on specific parts if I were to get finished so I decided to push the aesthetics off to the side and make the interaction as real as possible.Mopah isn't about creating a beauty queen, it's more of a personal exploration in what it takes to make an idea real. That's not to say that I feel the aesthetics are lacking. I went with a much more personal simplistic style. I was influenced heavily by the furniture designers at my school, I always admired their use of detail as a source of style, the placement of a screw can make all the world's difference. Material selection was very important to me, which is why I went with bamboo and aluminum, two materials that may be considered luxurious in the grand scheme of mass production. The built in speakers and the boxy back pay homage to the beautiful wood speaker boxes of the 90's.

The essence of the scooter is that it's not just a motorized bike with speakers, instead its a mobile boom-box. It's an outlet to freedom beyond mere transportation, a way of unlocking the limitless possibilities we have in life. And in conclusion it's a scooter powered by an Ipod, a detail which enhances the playfulness of the design.

Mopah doesn't like being taken seriously.

Daryl Tearne's concept bike.

"23 year old Industrial Design student Daryl Tearne chose to design a Concept Motorcycle as his third year thesis at Humber College - an amazing adventure that took him to Amsterdam to work with the designer of the Yamaha MT-03 concept bike."

The industrial designs of Machineart.

"The eCycle Hybrid concept is a gas electric bike series with an innovative assymetrical chassis and swingarm front suspension. Machineart's three designs demonstrate the beauty of the core platform and its flexibility for building multiple variations. Concept ec3 is a commuter that adds wind protection and an integrated tail rack and side cases to the core platform. The upper assembly is cantilevered off of the monocoque structure containing the electronics and motors"

"The MK9 sport GT concept is built to showcase how design can transform a standard model into one that is exciting, desirable, and brand distinguishing. Winner of an IDEA Gold Award from the Industrial Designers Society of America, it combines style and performance with comforts like a roomy seat and a relaxed riding position. The MK9 is a running prototype built in-house."

"The Machineart mF3 body is designed to transform the appearance of a 1994~96 Honda CBR600 F3 at less than half the cost of stock replacement body parts. The belly pan and rear fender connect visually and a space revealing more of the engine separates it from the upper half of the body. Manufactured by Airtech in fiberglass, the design gives new life to these older models. The body bolts on utilizing the stock seat, tank, windshield, mirrors, and lights."

"Ducati has been placing its high per- formance motorcycles in films for years - nothing sounds or looks better in a high speed chase. For the premier of Blade II, starring Wesley Snipes, Machineart painted black and applied a wind streaked blood paint"

When is Motorcycle not a Motorcycle? The Ergo Trans Concept.

Via: Consultaglobal

"This concept vehicle was conceived by Albert Vicien and myself. A small model was first displayed by Derbi at Barcelona’s automotive show in 1991.

Originally, our intent was to explore the potential of a next-generation urban vehicle thinking of Barcelona’s transportation needs and trends. We were also interested in studying the benefits of designing a bike with a low center of gravity and a dynamic equilibrium system (e.g. maneuvering, stability, comfort, energy consumption) . This had to do with the biker’s laid-back posture as well as with the rebalancing the vehicle when taking turns, instead of turning the wheels only, coupled with what we called “computer aided safety and navigation.

This single-seater was an electrical vehicle. The concept also called for light but robust and recyclable plastic materials. It’s small volume was meant to help improve commuting in Mediterranean cities such as Barcelona."

High Concept: Hiro Nikaido.

Via: Coroflot

Hiro Nikaido is a current Motorcycle Styling Designer for the Suzuki Motor Corporation and a graduate of Art Center College of Design.

Marcus Moto Design's Husqvarna V1000 Gran Turismo Concept.

We found this stunning Husqvarna V1000 Gran Turismo concept by Marcus Moto designs in the newest issue of P.B. magazine. Marcus's Inspiration came from from the 1935 Husqvarna 500cc road racer. If there is enough interest in the bike Marcus may put the concept out in kit-form..let us hope.

Daniel Simons Detonator concept.

Via the Simple Motorcycle Blog:

"Daniel Simons is behind the design of this fantasy Concept motorcyle the Detonator V4 6.0. He has clearly mentioned in his site that this bike is a pure sculpture with no intention of being a functional motor bike. The initial idea was to shape a radical bike using simple shapes such as cubes and cylinders, a heavy & brutal look, with a mix of retro style and modern simplicity.

The Detonator comes without a visible frame. Instead, there is simple block housing the giant 6 liter 4 cylinder engine. All additional parts i.e seat, steering, suspension and exhaust are geometrically linked to the V shaped engine.

The front suspension is a complex lever system. The steering is achieved by an electromagnetic sled located directly behind the front wheel. The pilot controls that digital impulse with the 2 independent handle bars. These control bars also include the front lights..

The conceptual designs of Heikki Naulapää.

Heikki Naulapääa, a Finnish student who graduated from Vehicle Design department of Royal College of Art, in 2004. Before his studies in began London, he graduated as a Industrial Designer from Lahti, Finland.

The Ducati Demon

"Starting point for me was to play with the iconic Monster and maintain it's classical appearance. But I wanted to do more; I wanted to create multifunctional bike with two different characters in one setup.

This is achieved with removable fairing -with fairing attached the bike has a bit more wind protection, but without it the bike transforms to a very aggressive streetfighter. With exhaust on the bottom of the bike together with classic, clean and very light rear end, I wanted to make my concept Monster look even bit more monsterous than today."

Aprilia RAM1000

"This project was my one of the most difficult tasks while studying in Lahti; to design complete motorbike without hardly any experience from 3D modeling. When starting this project, I hadn't got any experience of designing vehicles either, which made the task pretty challenging."

You can take it with you-the Cargobike.

Via: Gizmag

"December 10, 2007 While they offer huge advantages in getting through traffic, fuel economy, convenience and pure smiles-per-mile, it's no secret that onboard storage on motorcycles is generally absolute rubbish. You might fit a wallet, phone and a spare pair of gloves under the seat, but anything bigger than a helmet, and even a maxi-scooter's stumped.

Which is why we were fascinated to discover Cargobike, a two-wheeled conveyance designed with one goal in mind: proper carrying capacity. And that it delivers - 150 whole liters of waterproof, lockable storage capacity, and a maximum load of a whopping 80 kilos in the cargo compartment which is nicely balanced where the tank and engine would be on a normal motorcycle.

How about a Bugatti Motorcycle?

Obiboi's brilliant Bugatti concept drawing.

From Russia we have these two concepts: Konstantin Pepelyaev's above innovative design- This project was evaluated by professional designers, and was awarded with a Diploma at St.Petersburg exhibition- contest "The Best Design of 1997".

Alexander Sekirash's bold design study takes its clues from the 30s. The composition is based on a curved ascending line which stretches from the radiator to the back mud-guard. The bike body is divided in two colors - black and yellow, as it was usual in some BUGATTI models.

Casey Stoner unveils Tim Cameron designed Motorcycle of the Future concept.

Via: Gizamag:

August 15, 2007 Outstanding 3D designer Tim Cameron (of V-Rex fame) is behind the concept dubbed “Motorcycle of the Future” that seeks to outline the ideal design criteria needed for making bikes safer, cheaper to repair and harder to steal. The concept - which includes automatic brake drying, traction control, an accidental tip-over warning device and lots of sensible, clever ideas in between – was unveiled earlier this month by MotoGP championship leader Casey Stoner at a launch in Sydney.
Aimed at motorcycle designers and engineers, the Swann Insurance Motorcycle of the Future concept has been developed by the IAG Research Centre in conjunction with Motorcycle design consultant Tim Cameron.

These features designed to reduce damage are based on Tim Cameron’s “Ablative Design” concept. This is built on the principle of protecting expensive or essential components on a motorcycle with ones that can be sacrificed in a low-speed tip-over without too much cost and inconvenience. Motorcycle tip-over crash tests conducted at the Swann Insurance Research Centre in Sydney have revealed that design features which prevent damage to expensive or essential components can reduce the total cost of repairs by as much as 40% compared to an unprotected motorcycle. Good design can also ensure that a motorcycle is still rideable after a low-speed tipover, which is not the case with many motorcycles at the moment.

Key features of the concept include -

1)Dynamic control technology and data management features:
2) low tyre pressure indicators compare the front and rear tyre rotation speeds and detect any change which could be attributed to loss of air
3) Rider-controlled speed limiter function enables the rider to temporarily preset a speed which cannot be exceeded inadvertently (controlled via engine rpms). The limiter can be overridden in any emergency by twisting the throttle grip to its maximum opening to restore normal engine control
4) Blind spot warning sensors indicate to the rider whether there is likely to be unsighted nearby traffic, by using side-looking proximity sensors linked to warning lights adjacent to each of the rider’s rear view mirrors
5)Traction control ensures that power can be applied without tyre slip, particularly on wet or greasy surfaces
6) Anti-lock braking compares wheel rotation speeds and regulates braking pressure
emergency brake assistance is able to sense the rate at which the brakes are applied and then increase the brake line pressure if emergency stopping is required
7) Electronic brake force distribution reduces stopping distances by directing brake line pressure to the tyre which has the most traction
8) Automatic brake drying picks up input from a rainfall sensor and occasionally applies gentle pressure to the brake pads to keep the discs dry and ready for an emergency
9) Self-cancelling turn signal indicators measure distance traveled and time elapsed

Robert McDonald, Head of Industry Research at the Swann Insurance Research Centre, said Swann was committed to playing an integral role in reducing risk in the community.
“Motorcycles are often designed with little consideration given to the frequency of accidents, the cost of repairs and the chance of theft. This latest research shows that smarter designs and the adoption of readily available technology can make them safer to ride, cheaper to repair and easier to secure,” Mr McDonald said. “Our concepts show that you can design exciting and dynamic motorcycles which incorporate state-of-the-art safety features and are less vulnerable to damage,” he said."

High Concept: Giles McWilliam's Radial engine bike concept.

Via: Gadget Road

"Of course, this is not the first or the last motorcycle equipped with a radial engine, but i liked the looks of it. It’s just a sketch on the drawing board, but it worth mentioning. Giles McWilliam is the guy behind this design, that combines futuristic elements and materials with a spartan and simple architecture.

First of all, the look of the bike is different. I think it’s not at all aerodynamic, as it lacks many body parts, like front and back wings or windshield. But the short back part is really the one that caught my eye. And it’s also the radial engine. If you’re not familiar with the concept, this kind of engine is particularized by the fact that the cylinders point outward from a central crankshaft, like you can see in the picture. They were used mostly to propel aircrafts, due to their massive power and trust, before jet engines were invented.

the technology has already been implemented on motorcycles, mostly on custom made choppers like the JRL Cycles’ Radial Chopper or this Jesse James creation."