A Munich-based industrial designer who goes by the name Christian Zanzotti has come out with his latest motorcycle creation using a newfangled piece of technology, virtual reality.

What Zanzotti has done is, take a brand new BMW R1200R and dismantle it back to its iconic boxer engine and parts of the frame. Using Virtual Reality-prototyping and state-of-the-art production methods, he, along with his project partners GRAYDEV. and Wunderlich, the world’s largest BMW premium motorcycle outfitter, has assembled a futuristic motorcycle that manifests as a fused element of both man and machine.

Zanzotti’s approach to design is a highly emotional one and at the same time characterized by reduced forms. His striking designs lead to outstanding results by exploring technological boundaries which have also won him the German Design Award as “Best Newcomer of the Year” in 2014. His designs include products that range far and wide, from whiskey bottles and time-trackers to tables and chairs.

But now, he’s tried his hand at designing a breath-taking motorcycle; a machine that lurked his interests ever since his childhood. And he decided to use Virtual Reality to concoct his favorite design. Yes, you read that right. Virtual reality. Google defines it as ‘the computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside’.

He did that by mounting sensors and cameras all around the Beemer that records all information relevant to the rider and pushes this directly onto the rider’s helmet visor. Zanzotti describes this display element as ‘superfluous allowing for drastic streamlining’.

The motorcycle itself carries a minimalistic design philosophy that boasts the highest level of functionality. Chiseled lines follow everywhere around the bike, and it is pretty sharp. Sharp enough to cut your vision. The hand-built aluminum tank is the only bodywork that your eyes can fall on and is met with individual components that are manufactured with modern techniques like 3D printing and laser cutting, thus closing the gap between futurism and traditional builds.

The entire frame of the original motorcycle is modified to suit Zanzotti’s unconventional design form and the individual parts that are rendered inculcating digital Virtual Reality concept. The headlamp unit is actually not a headlamp primarily. It houses a sensor panel that relays the generated data to the rider’s visor, hence eliminating the concept of a dashboard. You sit on laser cut rubber pad that is not really a plush saddle, so to speak. At the rear, you don’t see anything but a thin strip of Makrolon brake light that looks out of this world.

All the above-mentioned elements were scrutinized individually in VR and 3d scans before moving onto production. This method has allowed Christian to build an incredibly ergonomic, highly functional, and specialized motorcycle that will have very less or nothing to complain about in terms of riding stance.

All that said, the motorcycle will carry the same 1170 cc BMW Boxer Engine along with brake and suspension units. A set of telescopic upside-down forks with a stanchion diameter of 45mm at the front and a cast aluminum single-sided swing arm with BMW Motorrad Paralever at the rear does the job here too. The braking duties are taken care of by dual 320mm disc brakes at the front and a single 276mm disc brake at the rear. What has changed though is the exhaust header unit which has a free flow exhaust sporting an aluminum tip. The wheels also get an upgrade with them carrying aluminum milled rims and racing spec tires.

With this, he is trying to bring a fresh lease of momentum in the motorcycle industry, just like what company’s like Google, Apple, or Tesla are foraying into. These kinds of studies present a vision for the motorcycle industry that is radical and is an unhackneyed way to revolutionize how motorcycles are built.

If you want to buy this, hard luck because Digimoto says that it is only a “ design concept study of the future bike experience. We wanted to prove a Zeitgeist way of designing and developing products.” It is not for sale, and moreover, it isn’t even street legal. However, if you are doing a Hollywood movie though, it is a different story altogether.

Reference

BMW R1200R