Project M85 - Freeride Motorcycle Mountain Bike
December 4th, 2007 by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider"
Two very motivated college students, working on a degree in Industrial Design, had to decide on their thesis project and the end result is one superb piece. The M85 Freeride Motorcycle is a combination of a small motorcycle engine, from the Kawasaki KX85, and handbuilt everything else that comes out somewhere between a KTM 450sxf and a Yeti 303 mountain bike in geometry. It’s an extremely lightweight but powerful little motorcycle.
The entire process, from initial design studies to fabrication and finally the complete bike, is detailed over at the Aprilia Forum. If you are at all interested in how someone comes up with an idea like this and then follows through, it is well worth the time to check it out.
The finished motorcycle has about $8500 in it plus thousands of hours, but can you imagine a better start to a career in the motorcycle industry? If some engineers from one or more of the major manufacturers aren’t talking to these guys, they may be missing out on some great talent. Very nicely done!
Thanks to both Eric and Mark for the tip.
Another photo and link below:
Link: Aprilia Forum
Posted in Motorcycle Builders, Motorcycle Design
| Top Of Page
17 Responses to “Project M85 - Freeride Motorcycle Mountain Bike”
Please read before commenting ...
This is a public forum, NO PROFANITY OR PERSONAL ATTACKS WILL BE TOLERATED! STAY ON TOPIC! All comments are filtered, if yours does not appear, do not resubmit, it has been held for review. Comments may be edited or removed by the moderator. Above all, keep the conversation civil! Thanks.
December 4th, 2007 at 10:16 am
I like it. These small bikes look fun. I have had my eye on the electric bikes for a while.
K
December 4th, 2007 at 11:49 am
That is just awesome! Congratulations on your project. Very exciting concept.
“ride or be ridden”
December 4th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
OK, I looked at it, and read the forum.
What exactly does this bike address? It doesn’t solve either of the two biggest problems facing off-road riding today: noise and footprint.
So, what can I do with this bike, that I cannot do with a (much cheaper) stock KX100 with big (17/19″) wheels?
The M85 is about 25 lbs. lighter, I will acknowledge that, but the stock KX100 has a larger fuel capacity (it seems), heavier duty running gear, and is supported by a wide array of OEM and aftermarket parts and service.
Om my local craigslist, there’s a nice KX100 for $1500. Hmmm.
December 4th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
The $8500 number cited above is what they have in it, not a selling price, they have no production plans yet so comparing any other prices to it is a bit premature. How much does Kawasaki have in the design and prototype of a new model before it hits the sales floor?
They were addressing the same issues as the FXBikes from New Zealand, very light weight in a mountain bike sized motorcycle. Less footprint? Perhaps. Was the result a fun, entry level trail bike? I think so.
What other issues did they address? How about a senior thesis that puts their training in Industrial Design to work in a practical application? How about putting their skills to the test and on display for potential future employers in the motorcycle industry? How about testing some ideas before starting a business of their own?
Too many graduates have paper degrees that say they know something only to find out later nothing really “took” after all of the classroom hours. These guys did something to see what they knew and to show others, too, not to mention, how much more they learned while doing it.
December 4th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Try http://www.electricmoto.com and check the BladeXT.
December 4th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
Fantastic. Small, lightweight, and fun. We need more of these.
December 4th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Outstanding craftsmanship.
A quick inventory here reveals a Diamond Back that hasn’t been ridden in months and a YZ 80 engine that has zero time on a rebuild. The video sure looked like fun, food for thought.
December 4th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
As an industrial design graduate (and practitioner), I am impressed with the level of work. The styling is cool and those two students would certainly be on my watch for list were I working in the motorcycle/powersports industry.
That said, I’ve got to agree with PeteP. What ground does it break? I could take plenty of ideas to bosses or clients that do nothing more than look cooler than comparable products. Most wouldn’t move beyond a sketch. As a student project, I’m highly impressed. As a potential product I’m less excited.
December 4th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
I always admire people who can make things work.
I’m guessing that the value of lessons learned in this project is the most important aspect.
That being said …. I’ve rented a downhill mountain bike at Whistler resort in BC and had a pretty good time running on gravity … just for interest I’d like to see what adding power to the equation would be like.
Bet it would be fun ……
December 5th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
While I appreciate the design and cool factor of this build, I don’t want these bikes on my local trails anymore than I want lamos on electric bikes riding up my trails either.
It is a neat project but I don’t see it fitting in with bikers or cyclists.
December 5th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
I’m an industrial designer and I know that a project like this won’t garner much interest from potential employers. Basically they changed the color and wheel size of the Kawasaki. To top it off, I doubt mountain bike wheels and spokes are as strong as the ones found on a dirt bike nor would the bicycle rated brakes be much up to the task.
Sure it’s cool, and I bet it was a fun project. What an employer will be looking for is a market validation study, a comparitive analysis, a manufacturing feasibility study, cost and ammortization estimates for tooling and manufacturing resources, a marketing plan, and a distribution plan. These things go along with at least a few hundred concept and engineering sketches, a couple prototypes, and a focus group presentation. Sure they won’t expect you to be a master at each one of those disciplines but they do want to see that you know what it takes to be an industrial designer.
-todd
December 6th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
“I’m an industrial designer and I know that a project like this won’t garner much interest from potential employers.”
Todd, I wish we would have spoken with you before we started the project, it would have saved us from a lot of hard, unnecessary work. Thank you for informing us on how short we have fallen.
December 7th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Superlight bikes are great. There are some electric bike manufacturers doing this kind of thing in the off road world already as mentioned earlier.The vibration levels are lower in an electric motor so the chassis parts do not need the same tolorances, but unfortunately battery wieght can be a big issue with these if the rider wants to actually go any significant distance.
This kind of design brief could be great fun in a sporty on road commuter with a more environmentally friendly powerplant. Something more cool and fun than a scooter.
December 10th, 2007 at 12:41 am
Also see http://www.fxbikes.com/
February 16th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
TODD SHUT THE HELL UP. they did all that work to back the project up. your just not seeing all the work just the finished piece. i can vouch for the work i was there the whole time they did the work. and have you checked any of their other postings they show a lot of what it took to to this.
February 16th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Wow. I’m amazed by the response. Both B*A*M*F and I are in the design field. We both responded in the same manner. Why such harsh words directed only to me? I just know what I’m looking for when I’m interviewing a prospective designer.
I like the bike a lot. I think it would be great fun to ride and I’m sure it was great fun to build. To top it off, both design students learned a lot about rebuilding and modifying motorcycles and mountain bikes. Good for them. I’m glad to hear they also learned about industrial design.
-todd
April 11th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Saw this bike over at performance and got interested. Really cool design. All the people who say it is not practical or important are just small minded. That’s why motorcycle shops are overstocked with harley wanna-be’s and and you can’t buy many of the best selling dual sport motorcycles from europe even though adventure bikes are increasing in sales faster than all other markets.
I would like to see a 4 stroke water cooled version. Would add weight but reduce pollution and could be modified for street use. Would be a great around town bike that would turn heads. Keep up the good work fellas and if you need help email me!