Concept Bikes

​We enjoyed this pair of retro customs BMW decided to air out at this year's Wheels and Waves festival in Biarritz, France. One's a modern desert scrambler built from an R NineT, the other … would be totally unique if not for its sister bike.

​KTM is thrusting forth in the realm of motorcycle rider assist technology, with a demonstration of adaptive cruise control and blind spot warnings, two cherries on top of the already enormous electronics suite on the standard 1290 Super Adventure S.

Swiss watch retailer Bucherer has decided to demonstrate just how much money it makes by commissioning the world's most expensive motorcycle. The Harley-Davidson Blue Edition is a US$1.9 million cruiser that comes with two free watches, so some might consider it a bargain.​

This funky custom motorcycle is built on the crazy foundation of Yamaha's 1993 GTS1000, with its hub-steered front wheel on a single-sided swingarm. The GTS was a beefy, overweight tourer, but JSK Moto has transformed it into a svelte roadster with a crouching robot puma stance.

​This nifty neo-futuristic cafe racer, with its bullet fairing and custom bodywork, is part of Yamaha's global push to promote the customizable nature of its XSR900 cafe racer. The "Type 11 Prototype 2" by the UK's Auto Fabrica will go on sale in limited numbers this weekend in London.

Young American motorcycle company Vanguard has struck out into electric territory with the announcement of an electric city commuter and a funky looking ebike concept. The VanguardSpark team also has a familiar name on board: famous sportsbike innovator Erik Buell.

If the goal of building a custom motorcycle is to create something unique, then “Jack Watkins” (not his real name), of Poland, can tick that box. A hub-steered head-scratcher with a Beemer Boxer motor and laser-cut sheet steel frame, the Watkins M001 is an epic engineering curiosity.

Husqvarna teased fans with a concept road bike called the Vitpilen 701 in late 2015. The production model was recently unveiled at EICMA 2017, along with a flat-tracker styled Svartpilen 701 concept that we'd like to see make the same leap to production.

Indian's Scout FTR750 has been a huge hit with flat-track racers, and now it seems the company's gauging interest in a street-legal production version. Gauge no more, Indian, we want this, badly. The FTR1200 Custom might be the best looking motorcycle I've ever seen.

Honda's European design studio is back with another super-sexy concept bike based on the CB400. The CB4 Interceptor takes the retro cafe racer style and flings it into the future with a faux-frameless design and some very cool touches.

There's so much to be excited about with this Aero bike: massive electric performance with a 5-speed transmission. Light weight. Some of the sexiest looks in e-motodom. But its range, and the astronomic pricetag we expect, will keep it out of serious contention. Pity, we kinda want one.

Old Empire Motorcycles, a custom builder from Norfolk, UK, spared no time or expense on this piece. Starting life as a Ducati 900SS, the Typhoon is a rolling monument to British craftsmanship, with a distinct retro-futuristic steampunk twist.