Snowmobile and bike combinations come in all different shapes and sizes, but few are as dramatic as Joey Ruiter's new Snoped (pronounced "snow-ped"). Created as a "mash-up between art, design, fashion and lifestyle," what it may lack in conventionality, it makes up for in style.
Ruiter has form for designing the outlandish. We featured a curious aircraft-cum-boat concept of his all the way back in 2007 and, like that, his latest project is aimed at asking questions rather than providing answers. He describes the Snoped as a concept for generating discussions about design.
One look at the vehicle is enough to show this. There's no sculpted aerodynamic chassis or wide base for stability, as you'd find on a production snowmobile. Instead, the concept has a rectangular slab of a body, 6 inches (15 cm) wide, with a dramatic full-height LED headlight behind a vertical grille. The rest of the minimalist design features a perfunctory cut-out seat, handlebars protruding from the body, an exposed engine and a Chrysler Sno Runner track at the rear to propel it, with a ski for steering at the front.
The Snoped can be characterized as an upright single-track snow-bike. It's inspired by stripped-down café racer bikes that were designed for speed, and mimics their upright seating position. Ruiter tells Gizmag this makes it better for leaning into corners. He also says that it's a little more difficult to ride than a snowmobile, but more than anything that it simply feels "different." A 76-in (193-cm) long aluminium chassis helps to keep the weight down, and the Snoped is powered by a 90 cc engine.
Ruiter started work on the Snoped in January and completed it early last month. He says he has no plans to commercialize it, but that he is open to selling his creations on a one-off basis.
The video below shows the Snoped in action.
Source: Joey Ruiter