Major motorcycle manufacturers have their own in house design studios but smaller builders often hire out much, if not all, of their design work to specialized firms. Even the large companies occasionally go outside for a portion of their work and, whether for large firms or small, that’s where studios like Xenophya Design come in, they are one of a very few consultancies devoted solely to motorcycle design.
They’ve just opened a new studio in the U.K. and Mark Wells, one of the firm’s partners, thought we might like a peek inside so he sent along a few photos of their new space as well as a sample of some of the work they’ve done. Unfortunately, the design world can be quite secretive since much of the work is done long before production begins and a designer’s best work may not see the light of day for months or years, perhaps never, if requirements change along the way, but that’s how the business works.
Marks says their studio is located on a generic industrial estate surrounded by the Northumberland countryside in the North East of England, the building that holds Xenophya Design is relatively inconspicuous. The unit encompasses a design office, a conference room, a clay-modeling studio and a workshop with painting facilities. At full capacity the studio can accommodate a team of 15 designers/model makers. He explains “We had to look long and hard to find new premises and create an interior layout that would reflect Xenophya’s design process and values. We spend a lot of time in our studio so it has to be a nice working environment where we can do creative things. Our goal was to create an open well-lit working environment”
Despite not being able to use much of their portfolio for self-promotion, Xenophya Design has built up working relationships with some major players in both European and Indian motorcycle manufacture. The impact of Chinese motorcycle brands on both the global export and domestic markets (the Chinese buy over 16 million bikes a year) has recently led the consultancy to set up an office in Hong Kong. Philip Heung, Xenophya Design’s Hong Kong representative, explains “For us and our clients the Hong Kong office acts as a conduit easing communication with both factories and suppliers in the Far East”.
Xenophya’s aim is to be one of the premier firms in the European design world. They’ve already done some very nice work for companies like Aprilia, Derbi, Royal Enfield and many others. Their new facilities appear to be one more step toward increasing their design capabilities. If you are considering outsourcing some or all of your motorcycle design work, they are certainly worth a look.
Link: Xenophya Design
tim says
Where can I buy that single cylinder sportsbike? WANT!
Mark says
I’ll take that single-cylinder flat tracker! (A cafe racer would be even better…)
coho says
I’ll take one of each, please.
Phoebe says
That streettracker and the little sportsbike are seriously hot. I would love to have a modern streettracker like that.
JR says
bring on the single-cylinder street bikes!
Tin Man 2 says
Clay mock ups might be fun to look at but the serious work is in the enginering, Flashy plastic is the easy part. Its hard to imagine that a motor company that can design a decent drivetrain would not be able to come up with body panels to impress the buying public.
B*A*M*F says
I’d also love one of each.
Tin Man 2, you’re right in part. However, I see a number of mechanically impressive motorcycles that are not very attractive. Your average sport bike from any of the Big 4 Japanese manufacturers tend to be boring and awkward to look at.
Design and engineering are two very distinct disciplines, though some of the most brilliant minds of each discipline have excelled at both.
Tin Man 2 says
B*A*M*F*, You bring up a good point ! IMO the Kawasaki Versauios (spell ck is beyond me) is a good example of your point. I thought they made it akward to stand out in the market, maybe Im wrong and its the best they can do. Im an older guy so my taste is a bit Questionable but good looks are timeless and Aztec type styling still looks forced.To Me!
QrazyQat says
Where can I buy that single cylinder sportsbike? WANT!
SE Asia. Seriously, the Japanese companies all make very nice, and nice looking, small sportbikes and dirttracker-style bikes, along with a bunch of bikes which locals mod to do whatever, in SE Asia. Thailand especially has a lot of them.
Den says
Love that tracker, I would love to see what they have come up for Royal Enfield as well. B*A*M*F* can not agree more although, I think the new Honda CBRs look great without the decals all over them. Aesthetic design and structural and mechanical design go hand in hand, they can all influence each other for better or worse.Tin Man 2, large companies can also outsource a lot of their engineering as well, I believe Porsche and Lotus make more money from consulting than from their product. Porsche has done a lot of work for H-D as an example.
ashwin says
bring on the single-cylinder street bikes!
Tony says
Does no one appreciate the resemblance of the Aerox’s rear plastics and rear light with that of the aprilia rs 125?