Motorcycle company seemingly makes a bike just for me...

[Horse]

Quite small yes. The electric powertrain and combined engine/battery/frame monocoque would mean you can make it small and centralised.

Just because you can, etc. They could make it the size of a Grom, but that doesn't mean it would be a great sportsbike

For comparison, I looked at a head-on view of a 'Blade. No knees spread out in the breeze.

[Taipan]

Look s like a 80s Katana that something heavy fell on...

[Mr. Dazzle]

A blade has no choice but to be wide though. You could fit sportsbike sized bodywork on this and have the best of both worlds, if you so desired. You'd still reap the benefit of bringing all the mass into the middle.

It looks like it has the same wheelbase etc as big bike, its just not big

[Horse]

A blade has no choice but to be wide though. You could fit sportsbike sized bodywork on this and have the best of both worlds, if you so desired. You'd still reap the benefit of bringing all the mass into the middle.

Ok, so the Blade's width is defined by the engine, so let's choose a narrow engined bike:



The point being that they didn't have anything such as engine or fuel tank setting the minimum width, they were clean sheet.

There's no point centralising the bike's mass if bits of rider are flapping out wide. Especially if the rider wants to stabilise their body, for example under braking.

[Mr. Dazzle]

There's no point centralising the bike's mass if bits of rider are flapping out wide. Especially if the rider wants to stabilise their body, for example under braking.

I don't think the rider is though - the rider is where they always are, there's just less motorcycle "around" them. If you wanted to fit a wider seat, bigger fairing etc you could...or you could not, if that took your fancy, as it evidentially has here.

The mass of the rider is still in the same place as it always is, give or take, you've just moved all the rest of the mass of the bike in. So there's the same amount of flappyness as there always was from the rider.

[Horse]

Take it back to 'basics': is it:
a. A motorcycle, to be ridden, or
b. A mobile engineering sculpture to sit on?

If 'a', start from contact points / spacing for the intended range of rider shapes and sizes. That then defines where the rest has to fit into the space.

If 'b' the you seemingly arrive at something where the rider can't brace themself under braking.

[Taipan]

Hideous!

[DefTrap]

Hideous!

Late to the party TP? The photos are terrible, and in the dark as usual. Why do they do this? It's great and moody (I wish all photos taken of me were done in the half-light ffs) but it's dreadful frustrating. I wouldn't even go to the showroom based upon those.

But, like I said on this fred a few years back, in the metal it's completely stunning.

[Buckaroo]

To paraphrase Jeremy Clarkson, whoever made this has a picture of me on their desk and said "I'm going to make that bloke a bike!"



If I were to build a 'custom', I'd build that ^^^. Mass centralised, funny front end with carbon structure, electric powered....guess I don't need to build it myself now I didn't even realise it, but that's pretty much the bike I pictured in my head if I were ever to build a bike.

https://www.arcvehicle.com

I never thought of you as a Judge Dread type of person but can see some of the merits of this build.

[Taipan]

Hideous!

Late to the party TP? The photos are terrible, and in the dark as usual. Why do they do this? It's great and moody (I wish all photos taken of me were done in the half-light ffs) but it's dreadful frustrating. I wouldn't even go to the showroom based upon those.

But, like I said on this fred a few years back, in the metal it's completely stunning.

It probably is to a lot of people, but it ain't my thing at all. I don't even like the look of most sports bikes, so this is never going to do it for me. Its no more than a Britten milkfloat!

[Skub]

Hideous!

You didn't like it two years ago either when the thread was first posted.

[Taipan]

Hideous!

You didn't like it two years ago either when the thread was first posted.

I'm getting so old i'm not even changing my mind for the hell of it now!

[The Spin Doctor]

Thank god for walnut veneer... absolutely essential on a modern motorcycle.

[DefTrap]

Thank god for walnut veneer... absolutely essential on a modern motorcycle.

It makes a change from anodising, carbon fibre, or even faux carbon fibre though.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Unnecessary walnut veneer is at least as pointless as unnecessary carbon fibre

[Count Steer]

Unnecessary walnut veneer is at least as pointless as unnecessary carbon fibre

Particularly when the expensive, after-market, weight-saving carbon fibre costs 100s times more than the pies that the rider has eaten.