bandit9 EVE MK II motorcycle exclusively for the M.A.D. gallery

the M.A.D. gallery is exhibiting ‘EVE MK II’, a very unconventional motorcycle created by bandit9 exclusively for the swiss gallery. an evolution of the sought-after limited edition ‘EVE’, the ‘EVE MK II’ once again merges art with machine. this custom creation is designed and handcrafted by bandit9, a saigon-based workshop known for breaking the mould and building bespoke bikes with a futuristic form.

EVE MK II was originally a honda ‘supersport’ from 1967

bandit9 takes the joy of riding a motorcycle to a level beyond imagination. starting life as a 1967 honda ‘supersport’, the process begins when the bike is stripped–after which it obtains a complete facelift. the modernized and audacious ‘EVE MK II’ now boasts bold, clean lines with shiny chrome finishes.

‘while everyone tends to go old-school on their custom designs with a few tweaks to make it look current, we tend to ignore the past and just make leaps forward,’ says the workshops founder, daryl villanueva.

bold, clean lines decorated with reflections adorn the motorbike

the mechanical and visual transformations take place in bandit9’s garage at the hands of a team of experts with keen eyes for design, and an obsession for bikes. a standout design feature of the ‘MK II’ is its handcrafted unibody tank in a sleek bullet shape built from a single piece of hand-polished steel. while visually appealing, the form also combines the tank, seat, and the rear cowl into one–not an easy feat. one wrong move and the metal must be scrapped and the process restarted from the beginning. it continues its form with handcrafted details. a cowhide leather seat is worked into the elongated unibody tank while a custom exhaust, exposed suspension, and an electric starter complete the technical details of the innovative design.

unibody tank is handcrafted in a bullet shape built from the single piece of hand-polished steel

influenced by the jet age, a period of 1940’s and 1950’s aviation history during which creations such as the jet engine brought about social change. bandit9 aims to propel design forward and push motorcycle art towards unseen territories. in an effort to continue the spirit of those optimistic times, the ‘EVE MK II’ drives the art form forward with its futuristic, sleek lines.

bandit9 was influenced by the forms found in aviation during the jet age

the name bandit9 is in fact a nod to outlaws as they rebel against the ‘normal’ and push to create imaginative bikes that are mechanical pieces of art. each bike developed is kept to a limited production of nine–hence the ‘9’ in the name–which allows the workshop to produce rare objects while also forging a stream of continuous innovations in motorbikes.

‘I actually blame bureaucracy and stringent road rules for killing imagination and possibility. that is why I named the company after outlaws. because we’re not playing by those rules,’ villanueva explains.

the workshop firmly believe that they create mechanical pieces of art

in just a short five years, bandit9 has reached a well-deserved degree of success. the M.A.D. gallery is now honored to be a temporary residence for its imaginative motorbikes.