We know 3D printing is becoming an important element in motorcycle design and manufacture. For example BMW’s prototype S1000RR chassis was printed entirely from metal. But this is the most extreme 3D printed bike yet.
Made by large-scale German 3D printer firm BigRep, which makes industrial-sized printers, the one-off electric bike is entirely 3D printed with the exception of its motor and electronics. The chassis, bodywork, suspension, wheels and even the tyres are printed.
Of course, it’s very much a demonstration of printing technology rather than a viable bike, but it’s a runner nonetheless, even though there are no details of its powertrain.
The world is already seeing a quiet revolution in one-off manufacturing thanks to 3D printers, allowing people to turn their own ideas into solid reality without the need for industrial-scale prototyping or manufacturing facilities. And just as digital music and video has led to a transformation in the way people consume – and pirate – media that was once purely physical, 3D printing could one day challenge the traditional ideas of mass manufactured goods. Even ones as large and complicated as motorcycles.
By Ben Purvis
