3D printed electric motorcycle by DAB motors takes after shotaro kaneda’s bike in akira

DAB motors and VVT develop a one-off two-wheeler

DAB Motors and Vita Veloce Team (VVT) create a one-off electric motorcycle with 3D printed bodywork, designed like Shotaro Kaneda’s bike in the anime, Akira. The two-wheeler first appears at J Balvin’s birthday. He’s the Colombian singer who’s also the co-founder of VVT with designer Mattias Gollin. The studio teams up with Simon Dabadie, founder of DAB Motors, to co-create the anime-inspired electric motorcycle with 3D printed bodywork.

The design teams co-create the two-wheeler using AI tools to refine the shapes and details of the ride. The overbuilt, monolithic bodywork fully encloses the large tires, and there’s also a windscreen installed for fast rides. For the entire frame, DAB Motors and VVT apply a deep matte red, which they’ve patinated by hand. On a closer look, there are scratches and scuffs visible. That’s okay. The goal isn’t to make a ‘perfect’ electric motorcycle with 3D printed bodywork, but to show that it has already lived before it has even arrived. 

all images courtesy of DAB Motors and Vita Veloce Team

Electric motorcycle with 3D printed bodywork

The design teams don’t explicitly state that their electric motorcycle with 3D printed bodywork draws from Shotaro Kaneda’s bike in Akira, but almost its entirety reflects that style, from the shade of the matte red applied around the vehicle to the look of the wheels. To capture the anime-inspired design, DAB Motors and VVT use 3D modeling and early sketches at the beginning of the process. Then, they turn to 3D printing for the bodywork as well as sanding, painting, and hand assembly for the rest of the parts. In their words, every detail of the two-wheeler is shaped both by high-tech tools and human hands. It’s a meeting, then, of technology and manual labor.

They go the extra mile with the other design features. For example, they install a sound-absorbing foam between the wheel covers and rims. It produces a low-frequency tone. Because of it, the hum of the electric engine subtly reverberates in the rider’s body. The electric motorcycle with 3D printed bodywork also glows in the dark. It’s because of the wheels and their atmospheric lighting. The LED strips are hidden inside the red shell, emitting a glow from under the motorbike. At night, when it speeds away, the purplish-blue lights join the rider’s escape. While the very first electric motorcycle with 3D printed bodywork is for J Balvin, the design teams say there is a limited production run available. It’s their way to restate that what they’ve created ins’t a concept, but fully rideable.

DAB Motors and VVT create an electric motorcycle with 3D printed bodywork

the design resembles Shotaro Kaneda’s bike in the anime, Akira

detailed view of the glow-in-the-dark wheels

the design teams co-create the two-wheeler using AI tools

the overbuilt, monolithic bodywork fully encloses the large tires

there’s also a windscreen installed

view of the two-wheeler at night with the atmospheric lighting on

project info:

design: DAB Motors, Vita Veloce Team | @dabmotors, @vitaveloceteam, @jbalvin