Swiss designer Yacouba Galle is trying to launch an ambitious motorcycle project for 2016. The Feline One is an 801cc, 3-cylinder, 170 horsepower bespoke streetfighter that uses exotic materials and a very strange looking twin-shock anti-dive front end suspension setup. At US$280,000, though, it had better be a lot more than the sum of its parts!
Eagle-eyed streetfighter lovers might remember the name Yacouba Galle from the KTM-inspired MV Bestiale he built some years ago. If not, here's your man:
Hello… Is it Yacouba you're looking for? Feel the intensity of this man's gaze. Just bask in its demanding assertiveness for a moment. The Swiss designer is back for 2016 with a new machine that follows similar styling lines, but rather than building on another MV platform, he's starting from scratch this time.
The FELINE is conceived as a bespoke, high-tech streetfighter. Only 50 will be built, with the first slated to roll off the production line in early 2016 – mind you, this would require Galle to find 50 people with $280,000 to spend on a motorbike. And that's the starting price.
So what do you get for your 280 grand? Well, let's start with the engine. Scant detail is available, but it's an 801cc inline triple that is said to produce 170 hp (127 kW). That's a decent 22 horses more than MV Agusta gets from its F3 800 engine, but well within the realms of possibility given the budget. Actually, 400 horsepower would be possible given the budget.
The frame is primarily titanium, while the swingarm and front fork unit are carbon fiber, as are the wheel rims. The front suspension is a very strange levered anti-dive arrangement with twin shocks. It looks like it might be more form than function, but the shocks will be "electronically controlled". Exotic materials keep the dry weight down to a very impressive 155 kg (342 lb) – the FELINE would surely be a rocketship to ride.
Aesthetics are Galle's strong point, and in this regard I think the bike looks great, from the hooked-under taillight to the intricate watch-like headlight details and the futuristic dash, complete with tire temperature gauges and lean angle readouts.
But it goes without saying $280,000 is a ton of money, and without seeing the bike in the flesh, these CAD renders don't give us a sense of where all that money's going. So while it's certainly a nice looking design, and the bespoke element might appeal to some, Feline is gonna be a tough sell.
Source: Feline Motorcycles
