Despite what Futurists say the future of fully electric motorcycles is still a long way off. For motorcyclists to adopt electric transportation en masse, battery-powered bikes will have to achieve the balance of price, performance, and range that gasoline-powered bikes can easily achieve—and that will take time.
Until then, adoption from loyal motorcyclists will remain slow. Here’s why electric motorbike The industry’s most promising niche is small, accessible vehicles designed for city use and aimed at novice riders, rather than conservatives—bikes as quirky vehicles. BMWCE 02.
Sitting between a motorbike and a scooter, the CE 02 offers 11 kW of power, 55 Nm of torque, and a top speed of 95 km/h. [59 mph]and the minimum claimed range is 90 km [56 miles] in its top spec. At $7,599 for the base model in the United States, it’s not cheap. But if you look beyond the exorbitant price tag, those are respectable numbers for a compact city car.
According to friends in Austria, this is also a great canvas to customize. Moto thug. Paul Brauchart and Philipp Rabl are best known here for their pioneering custom bicycles, but they are more likely to call themselves designers than custom bike builders. They have experimented with a number of product designs and have a growing portfolio of custom cars that includes Land Rovers, Ladas, and multiple Porsches.
To apply its distinctively edgy style to the BMW CE 02, Vagabund first disassembled the bike and 3D scanned it. Key components like the drivetrain, suspension, wheels, and controls remained intact, but the rest of the CE 02 was reworked using a mix of aluminum and 3D printed parts. (Vagabund used polyamide 12 for the 3D printing, ensuring OEM-level durability.)
The changes start at the front, where the guys designed a new headlight housing and headlight housing, with two LED lights illuminating the way. If we had to guess, we’d say modern mountain bikes and Futurama’s Bender were both on Vagabund’s inspiration board when they penned the new headlight design.
The new headlights are surrounded by small 3D printed LED turn signals, mounted in place of the original turn signals; on each side of the handlebars are enclosed. Below, 3D printed fenders and fork guards replace the original plastic.
Moving to the heart of the CE 02, Vagabund blacked out the main drivetrain covers, helping them visually disappear into the chassis. They also reupholstered the seats and repainted the wheels—removing any trace of the original graphics in the process and bringing the CE 02 in line with the stark monochrome style the studio is known for.
Next, the guys fabricated a pair of perforated aluminum covers to replace the CE 02’s plastic side panels. There’s more aluminum detail down below, where a hand-formed base plate doubles as a small luggage rack and footrest. It’s trimmed with skateboard tape and has a custom strap for securing small items.
The perforated pattern is repeated at the rear, where a custom-designed storage tube playfully mimics an exhaust pipe. (This tube can now hold a small umbrella.)
A retro-futuristic Bluetooth speaker from Swedish electronics company Teenage Engineering hangs from the other side of the bike. It’s mounted to a custom mount and secured with a custom strap. Given how quiet an e-bike is, it’s probably pretty effective, too.
Moving on to the smaller details, the swingarm-mounted license plate holder has been stripped of its light and replaced with a slim 3D-printed taillight and turn signal strip. The rear shock cover has also been trashed, giving the rear suspension area a slightly cleaner look.
True to Vagabund style, the ultimate accessory for the BMW CE 02 comes in the form of a life-sized toy package. Designed as a complete display case, the entire thing can be disassembled and transported, and is equipped with LED lighting worthy of an art gallery.
If you didn’t like the original BMW CE 02, Vagabund’s vision of it probably won’t please you. But if you thought the CE 02 was cool, their version makes it that much cooler.
Moto thug | Instagram | Image of Stefan Leitner
