White Motorcycle Concepts (WMC), a UK-based firm dreaming up the future of motorcycles, is teaming up with Italian design house Pininfarina to explore ideas for more naked bikes with big holes in them – and it's got sketches to show off.
Pininfarina assists manufacturers big and small with design chops, whether they're looking for help with weight reduction, styling, or airflow efficiency by means of wind tunnel testing. That includes the likes of Aptera, which is looking for aerodynamic efficiency gains in its solar vehicle. It's also the design shop behind iconic vehicles like the 1984 Ferrari Testarossa, and the BMW R 100 S motorcycle from 1976.
Pininfarina has been operating its wind tunnel since 1972, and has been updating it to further support two-wheeler manufacturers more recently. To that end, the facility can now help evaluate a bike's drag and lift, as well as cooling efficiency.
WMC, meanwhile, has been working to crack land speed records for the last few years with its WMC250EV – a radical machine with a massive Venturi tunnel shaping the majority of the faired body. It also partnered with Zero Motorcycles last November to poke a big hole in one of its electric bikes to improve aerodynamic efficiency by 10% and extend its range.
The collaboration between WMC and Pininfarina has resulted in early sketches for a street-biased roadster with two fairing designs. They both share a frame that incorporates WMC's aerodynamic duct through the length of the frame, allowing air to pass from the front of the bike right through to a vent above the rear wheel.
The idea is to create a naked that offers a comfortable riding position, with a lot less aerodynamic drag than usual.
WMC notes that the duct plays a major role in the bike's structure. "Its tubular shape is inherently rigid and creates a strong connection between the steering head area at the front and the seat and rear suspension pick-ups at the back, as well as providing a mounting element to hang the powertrain from."
You can watch WMC's CEO Robert White talk about his company's work and the collaboration with Pininfarina's event from last week in a video posted to Pininfarina's YouTube channel.
The company believes this concept will benefit most from a compact hybrid powertrain with a small forced-induction mill, rather than a big burly high-displacement engine. There aren't a lot of those around: Kawasaki sells the most well-known one out there that's been available since late 2023, and Yamaha is currently working on a design of its own.
WMC hopes the duct and small engine will help keep weight down to a minimum, and allow for efficiency and performance wins on bikes that it could help design for other brands down the line. “The duct concept has always been about improving efficiency no matter the fuel source, but this collaboration has taken this to the next level showing how the duct can provide functional performance as well as be an aesthetic feature for future motorcycles,” White said.
Source: WMC
