This week, we envisions a new small displacement electric motorcycle from a Colorado-based startup. But first, three gas-powered bicycles; a Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 cafe racera KTM 640 Duke street tracker, and a new BMW R18 Roctane.
Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 by Earth Motorcycles Sometimes, customers don’t know what they want—sometimes, the brief is detailed and tight. And every once in a while, a customer provides a 3D build of their bike, so there’s no more chance.
That’s exactly what the owner of this thing Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 cafe racer did. He had a very specific vision for a custom bike, so he enlisted the help of his brother, who designed the entire machine using CAD software. He then sent a resume to the team at Earth Motorcycles in Slovakia, along with a brand new donor bike—even though their workshop isn’t near where he lives.
The Earth Motorcycles team loved the design and figured that, with such a detailed blueprint to work with, building it would be a walk in the park. But the project was not without problems. The task of cutting out the old one and soldering the new mounting clips alone had to be repeated twice.
On the other hand, having a genuine CAD drawing to work with also has its advantages.
Take the one-piece gas tank and tail unit as an example. These people used the file to 3D print a mock-up of it, which they then gave to a friend to reproduce in metal. The friend built a housing, which Earth Motorcycles then welded to the bottom of the OEM fuel tank, eliminating the need to reassemble the fuel pump.
The rear end is built separately, then paired with the fuel tank, creating a seamless body. It’s topped with a faux leather seat and a monochrome paint job.
Finishes include custom headlight housings, custom yoke and LED taillights that are attached to the frame rails via aluminum inserts. Cognito Moto supplied the rear foot controller, air filter from K&N, and numerous electronic upgrades from Motogadget. New adjustable shock absorbers support the rear, while cross-cut exhausts with hidden baffles handle the sound. [Via]
KTM 640 Duke by Dubstyle Designs Three years ago, Garett Wilson at Dubstyle Designs wowed us with a custom KTM 640 Duke street tracking. He just did another one, and it was even better than his first attempt.
Although the 640 Duke didn’t receive as much love as its successor, the 690 Duke, it was still a popular bike at the time. A lightweight, 55-horsepower clutch bike with a timeless look, it’s a real thug’s bike. It’s the perfect bike for Garett, who loves street-tracking bikes and has a background in motorcycling.
As soon as the second his first custom Duke street-tracking car showed up, Garett received a request to build another one. So he finally decided, bought a 2001 donor bike and started customizing it on the tightest possible budget, while refining some of his ideas from the bike. Firstly. “Then, as always, I went too far,” he quips, “and my ‘budget building’ turned into ‘let’s get more titan for it’.”
The Duke now wears a repurposed Honda CB400 fuel tank, modified accordingly. Garett reconstructed the subframe of the KTM, then placed a Goon Glass tail section on top of it. Then he made his own taillights by cutting a slit in the back of the tail piece, fitting the LEDs in, and pouring turpentine in.
Up front is a fork from a Yamaha R6, set up for Garett by Durelle Racing and held in place by a Weiss Racing fork. The wheels are 19-inch Sun rims on OEM axles, the number plate is a piece of carbon fiber with twin LED headlights and the radiator is a new, thinner unit than the original.
The carburetor is Lectron type and the exhaust system features stainless steel two-in-one tips with titanium silencers. A series of parts were completed with Cerakote by NeCo Navy, while Whitey’s Paint Shop treated the paintwork in 1979 World Championship style.
It’s a gorgeous machine that’s supposed to work as well as it looks. “This Duke weighs in at 289 lbs, compared to its 320 lbs when it was in stock,” said Garett. “The number of wheels is sky high… get it, sky high?” [Via]
BMW R18 Roctane Despite the warm reception that BMW R18 had so far, the German brand continues to release new variants of it. Borrowing various details from the four existing models in the R18 line-up, the new BMW R18 Roctane (coming in 2024) equips the giant boxer like a bibless bagger.
With a glossy finish and black engine, the R18 Roctane seems to have caught the eye of the Harley-Davidson Road King Special. It features 21F/18R wheels and monkey hangers, giving it the laid-back look of a cruiser. Behind are two 27-liter storage bins and a pair of silencers, with glossy black chrome on the exhaust system.
The wheels and bars appear to have been borrowed from the R18’s existing accessories portfolio, while the tailpipes and tailpipes can be carried over from the R18’s touring variants. The R18 Roctane also has step-up seats, floorboards instead of latches, and toe and heel paddle shifters. And, if you look closely, you’ll notice that the speedometer is attached to the headlight housing; a neat touch.
But that’s where the difference from the base model R18 ends. Under the hood, it uses the same chassis and 1,802 cc boxer engine, same electronics package. Plus, it comes with the R18’s optional reverse transmission as standard.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Roctane (like ‘octane’, but with an ‘R’, got it?), is that its configuration is arguably better suited to the R18 platform than any stable competitor its. BMW’s greatest strengths are powerful engines and visual presence – what better way to emphasize those than with big wheels, high bars and barrels? [Images supplied by BMW Motorrad]
Terra Prime Tram Despite the push from many countries for electric vehicle manufacturers, the number of full-size vehicles is still very low. electric motorcycle on the road. Where the e-bike market is really booming is with smaller bikes from independent manufacturers. If you don’t need to go too fast or too far, there are plenty of options available to you.
Terra Bikes was once such a company. Based in Colorado, their new $12,000 Terra Prime is a short-range, go-anywhere electric vehicle disturbance person with tons of custom bike styles. You’re looking at a prototype, but the final version is about to go into production.
Terra Bikes was founded by Dylan Brown. Dylan has been riding two-wheelers since he was two years old and has experience as a motorcycle mechanic, mountain biker and running a motoring magazine.
He also grew up watching his father screw around with old Hondas and Kawasakis, which explains a lot of the decision making on this project. Billed as a “bicycle for older children,” the Terra Prime follows a design language from a time when bicycles were simple, easy to operate, and easy to find parts. The fake frame, battery box, and fuel tank are all handmade, bike-styled parts that often appear on these sites.
Prime rolls on 19-inch SM Pro rims, with thick multi-purpose tyres. There’s 8-inch suspension at the front, 6-inches at the rear, and 11-inches of ground clearance. Other details include wide levers, LED lighting and an LCD display. There is also a USB charging port and a storage compartment inside the ‘fuel tank’.
Prime’s numbers are modest, but enough to have fun. It reaches a top speed of 55 mph, can run for up to 60 miles on a single charge, and recharges in less than two hours. That’s enough for a short commute—even with some off-road detours.
What we really learn about Prime, however, is that it’s built to be modified. Terra is planning optional saddlebags for it, but it’s also put together using off-the-shes parts, with a very traditional motocross layout—so DIY customization really is. a viable option. [Terra Bikes]
