Ronin Motorworks has found its name in these pages a few times, most recently in May 2015 when the Ronin 47 was featured in Jay Leno’s Garage. Today, the Colorado-based company is back in the news for a slightly different reason. And no, the words “recall” and “bankruptcy” aren’t involved here, Gods be good.

So why is Ronin in the news, you ask? Well, as it turns out, the company is planning to compete at the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb->ke1001 and now we can see the bike that it’s going to compete in. According to A&R, the bike is called the Ronin #1, or more specifically, Oishi Yoshio, a name derived from the leader of the 47 Ronin legend in Japanese lore.

Ronin Motorworks didn’t actually build the bike from the ground-up, instead relying on an EBR 1190RX as the platform for which it based Oishi Yoshio. It’s also a departure from the bike Ronin used - the Buell 1125R - to create the 46 other Ronin models in its lineup, including the one Leno used in the aforementioned episode of Jay Leno’s Garage.

The overall mechanical workings of the bike have yet to be revealed, but as far as aesthetics go, Oishi Yoshio looks like what you’d expect to come out from Ronin Motorworks: dramatically restyled to fit the unconventional design methods of the company.

Veteran rider Travis Newbold will be riding Oishi Yoshio in the Race to the Clouds and while there shouldn’t be high expectations of the bike being the fastest up the mountain, it still has the makings of a bike that will leave a lasting impression on fans and competitors alike.

Continue reading to read more about Ronin Motorworks’ Ronin #1, aka Oishi Yoshio.

Why it matters

Like most people who are interested in the developments of the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Im pretty intrigued about the prospects of seeing Ronin Motorworks and Ronin #1 (aka the Oishi Yoshio) compete against more established sports bikes in the Race to the Clouds.

It’s not because I think that Ronin’s going to get its lunch handed to it by the competition; it’s because of the air of mystery surrounding the company and this particular machine as it begins preparations ahead of the event.

Here’s the thing: I don’t know a whole lot about Ronin’s chances in the race because there’s very little information we have of the technical aspects of the Ronin #1.

We’re basically watching the team with one eye on the race itself and another on team behind it. I have no doubt that Ronin will be competitive in the race. The amount of preparation it’s put in almost certainly means that we’ll see it set some pretty fast laps.

How fast those laps will be is the question, which is why the amount of intrigue surrounding Ronin Motorworks’ is probably the best thing it has going for it ahead of the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.