Motorcycles For the Millennium
MOTORCYCLES FOR THE MILLENNIUM
MOST MOTORCYCLE ENthusiasts have fantasized about building their own personal dream machines. Three students from the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, have done just that.
After being challenged by American Honda to create a “two-wheel, on-road motorcycle to attract the next generation of motorcyclists,” Mark Micelli, Christian Dotson and Gabriel Rose designed and built the scale models pictured here.
Sound simple? Not really. The students weren't free to act on their every whim. Project parameters included ensuring a comfortable riding position, choosing a suitable engine configuration and adhering to realistic dimensions, clearances and components Though Micelli’s motorcycle (top) bears a strong resemblance to 1980s ELF endurance racers-witness the swingarm front suspension and center-hub steering-he insists it isn’t intended for competition. “Younger people’s motorcycle interests are more about having a good time and less about racing,” says Micelli, from Royal Oak, Michigan.
The engine? Totally conceptual: “I would put a combination rotary and piston-pump engine in this design,” he says. “The rotary would give it better power in the upper end, and the piston would be more for torque in the lower end. This combination would give the motorcycle instant, constant power.”
Dotson, from Corsicana, Texas, was less concerned with function than form. “The concept of my motorcycle design (below) was to utilize as much of the engine case into the structure of the motorcycle as possible,” he explained. “I chose the frame because of the recent popularity of Ducati and Buell.”
No coincidence, then, that his design incorporates a 90degree V-Twin engine, a trellis frame, upswept pipes and a tail section that look to have been borrowed from a 916.
Rose, from Grosse lie, Michigan, took the inspiration for his inline-Four-powered creation (above) from the customized sportbikes that are all the rage in Europe. “I wanted to give it a sportbike feel with the option of it being a musclebike,” he says. “I think the European themes will translate well into the American market.” Considering that a Honda spokesperson claimed his company was “favorably impressed” with the students’ designs, you may have just gotten a sneak peek at Honda’s year 2000 lineup.
-Wendy F. Black
