‘the only thing that stands between fact and fiction is time,’ says daryl villanueva, founder and chief of design at bandit9, as he unveils the brand’s latest motorcycle, the ‘L concept’. much like the wonder that surrounded the launches of the inspirational USS enterprise or even their ‘EDEN‘ model, this bike is a sci-fi masterpiece in its own right. it disregards the ordinary, where it is instead shaped from a minimalist form and suspended turbine to define a fully functional work of art.
all images courtesy of bandit9
appearing as a space-odyssey statue sculpted from stainless steel, the bandit 9 ‘L concept’ is characterzied by its unibody and suspended engine. this, which meets the bike’s promise of bringing all your science fiction fantasies to life, was modeled after the USS enterprise reactor from star trek. the handcrafted piece alone takes over 60 hours to finish, where its exhaust rests underneath.
as a testament to the motorcycle’s unconventional and exploratory design, the maneuver controls question why bike handles always seem so similar. these sculpted grips and levers are chiseled from one piece of solid aluminum, before being beautifully polished to perfection. from the front profile, these rest as reigns above the five high-powered, crystal white LEDs, which are said to be ‘fit for the darkness of space’. likewise, the rear brake light and turn signals complete the minimal bike in a grid format.
in spite of all this, the museum-worthy motorcycle is actually road-ready. the ‘L concept’ is fitted with flat dual shocks, an entirely new suspension system that has been engineered to keep the rear tidy and thus minimal. as well, its engine delivers a displacement of 125cc, and together with a 4-speed manual transmission, the bike can race to a top speed of 68.3 mph (110 km/h).
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Crafty – I’ll give you that. Beyond that… naah.
And points come off when the builder says; “masterpiece” .. “beautifully polished to perfection” … ” chiseled from one piece..” (when was the last time you used a chisel on metal?)
No cigar.
Jim
Jim
The L-Concept is indeed museum-worthy; the Petersen Museum in LA has just added one to their permanent collection, and it will be on display at the ‘Custom Revolution’ exhibition starting April 14th.
Absolutely stunning. Probably one of the best motorcycles I´ve seen this year. I´m tired how “custom” bikes are just cleaned engine, powder painted frame and some “vintage” colors on the body parts/gas tank.
This is true customization.
Really a masterpiece, well done!
Mike