The Kneeslider

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Motorcycle Design Competitions part 2

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Design by Tim PrenticeA couple days ago I said we need more design competitions and cited a few examples of auto oriented competitions from the likes of the SAE and Ferrari. Some might wonder why I didn’t mention the Motorcycle Design Association, after all, we previously noted the design win by the Ducati Hypermotard as Design of the Year for 2005 awarded by the MDA along with a number of other class winners. Isn’t that the place to look for this type of thing? Well, yes and no.

The Motorcycle Design Association recently redesigned their web site so it’s much easier to get around and see what they offer. There are lots of designers referenced with some very nice samples of their work, they have a list of associated colleges and schools plus there are company sponsors from the motorcycle industry. Overall, the MDA seems to be where all of the motorcycle designers hang out, but, when you look at the many and various awards, it’s all after the fact. Companies design motorcycles, the motorcycles appear at international shows and the MDA sorts through what they see and names the winners.

Design by Sungeun YoonMissing from the above is the open design competition, soliciting designs from anywhere and everywhere, not just the companies able to exhibit at the shows, setting the rules and guidelines and then seeing what happens. There is a wealth of talent outside the industry and many of these budding designers would willingly submit their work for a chance at recognition. Make it tough, set the target market or segment, require as many views as necessary to show the designer has really thought the idea through, then see what comes in.

Today, the technical barriers to being able to turn out first rate designs are pretty low, the factor that makes one design better than another is the designer. You don’t have to work in the design department of a major company to have access to the tools, you just need good ideas and the knowledge of how to put it together on a computer using one or more of the various CAD packages. A good knowledge of materials and the production process helps, too.

This is one more area where barriers to entry are low and a little competition might stimulate some great ideas. Are there any designers out there who want to get in on this? We had a suggestion the other day that The Kneeslider should have an online competition, is there enough interest among our readers? I’m not sure, but if there is, we might try this. Thoughts?

Motorcycle Design Association

Designs by Tim Prentice and Sungeun Yoon

The Kneeslider: Motorcycle Design Competitions

Posted on Filed Under: Motorcycle Design

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Comments

  1. as the person that asked about the Kneeslider conducting the online competition, I’m interested.

    Depending on the time it takes place, I might only be able to submit a side profile from Photoshop as I’m working on getting CAD purchased and learning the application…

    would multiple views be required or would this be open to anything from scanned pencil sketches, photoshop renditions, 3-D CAD views, to actual photos of a protoype?

  2. I am very interested in an open competition and would submit an entry.
    This type of design is where so many good ideas come from.

  4. hoyt, you just made me laugh! I’m suprised (amazed) that in the anonymous world of the internet I have projected a psuedo-personality well rounded enough that another commentator on a blog would connect a statement from daily entry with me, and call me out (by name!) based on his memory of comments I’ve left on past posts!

    I’m very much in, with a catch. I may be short on time, depending on what my homework looks like during the contest. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, and if I can only come up with a half assed side view line drawing that fails to do anything for me, I might just wimp out at the last second. Even if I find the time and I create a well presented embarrasing lump, the same may apply. having said that, I may dive into my treasure trove of bike images and send in some cool pictures by way of apology if I come out with nothing of my own. (bmw v12, mv agusta dustbin 6, goldwing streetfighter anyone? you may see cooler bikes if I DO fail!) Still, put me in. It’s likely I can come up with something I’m happy to put my (first) name on.

    how about we lay the judging criteria out in detail beforehand? I don’t want to waste too much time looking at my bike’s physics, ergonomics, or ease of production if a pretty picture will do.

    now – how about making it interesting?

  5. aah…I knew we could count on you. Seriously, I think this is well worth it for many reasons.

    How about everyone else? Let The Kneeslider hear from you so he could formulate more discussion around the details….

    we have a blank canvass

    thanks

  6. I have neither the time nor the drafting skills to compete in the First Annual Kneeslider Motorcycle Design Contest, but I cannot wait to see what comes of it.

    Gentlemen, start your mechanical pencils…

  7. This is what the internet should be about! Free exchange of ideas and a level(ish) playing field. I think some criteria need to be set. Stock/ production motor? Tyre profiles/ sizes? Does it actually have to go round corners? Once a few ground rules are in place, I’ll give it a shot.

  8. My suggestions for guidelines –

    *a production feasible motor (as in, if it’s not made, it could be – given the direction the bike will be taking. a high volume commuter/standard could make use of, say, a purpose built midual style flat twin, but a limited run bike would not justify a bespoke motor unless you could sell the bike for $50,000 more due to the interesting layout – and your design has to look a million times better at those prices! (see the morbedelli v8 for details…)

    *it will have to be able to deliver what the target market expects. as this competition is (hopefully) for real world bikes, this means you’ll need suspension front and rear, as well as decent brakes and an ability to corner well enough for your buyer to stay happy. a commuter or tourer needs less outright performance than a sportbike. a 40 hp sportbike using a 500cc single, on the other hand, had better handle better than an average sportbike because this is the main appeal behind building a 250lb bike.

    * an average (5 foot 8ish) human must fit on it. the controls have to be within reach, and points may be removed for unreasonable discomfort that cannot be justified. bonus points for well thought out ergos.

    *reasonable tire sizes for the intended purpose. on a limited budget, (and all but the top 10 or 15 manufacturers are) you can’t be requiring one-off custom made tires.

    the drawing must be roughly to scale. a few base measurements should be known, to examine the bike as a whole. (wheel/tire size, wheelbase, seat height, etc.)

    uh-oh–>one other thing just popped into my head.
    *all designs must be original and will remain the property of the designer. the right to reproduce images on http://www.thekneeslider.com will be granted upon entry to the contest, but any future commercial rights will stay with the original artist.
    **no professional entries, or graduates of transportation design school. current students must identify themselves as such.

    ok – who has the next suggestion?

  9. A variety of design segments seems appropriate as design forums are intended to progress in the short term and distant, right?

    So, what about design categories across the spectrum? Current designs that are near production-ready (whether whole bikes, parts, or components) to other classes that push the envenlope.

    coho, this sounds almost has good as a tuned Guzzi: “First Annual Kneeslider Motorcycle Design Contest”

  10. Sounds fun might have to put some thought into this. What good is school for anyways other then to doodle.

    Count me in.

  12. check out the original “motorcycle design competition” thread. somehow we’ve got the attention of a big dog in the motorcycle design world.

  13. Aaron,
    Looks like you’ll have to break out the colored pencils, too. 😉

    Everyone else,
    As Aaron mentions, we’ve come to the attention of some other folks, notably the Motorcycle Design Association who will cover our competition. If you have any desire to get a little more exposure for your designs, this would be well worth the effort.

    I’m very pleased to see the interest starting to build and I’ll be putting together a better outline of how this will be run, design criteria, how it will be judged and some type of prize. Stay tuned, and make sure to sharpen all of your pencils!

  14. Paul,

    We have some interesting designs, but alas, I cannot share them with your readers right now, as we’re under contract with a large manufacturer at the moment. I would be interested to see how this thing works, we’ll work on something just for this..

    dave (fomerly with Confederate)

  15. Hello,

    If you’re looking for a free, open-to-all design competition, consider taking a look at http://www.MotorcycleDesignContest.com. Although the website is not completely finished, and the contest is not scheduled to open for a few more months, it’s a good example of what can be done by a private individual with a limited amount of industry connections. It’s also a great example of stepping away from the limitations of existing motorcycle layouts and developing new technologies at a garage-level basis. Your new favorite website may only be a few clicks away.

    -Ace-