Even if most of it is just manipulating pixels, we are big fans of the work being done by the guys at Holographic Hammer, as they are bringing something fresh and unique to the industry, which is always a good thing.
That being said, we wanted to take a minute to talk about one of HH’s recent pieces: a café racer design based off of the Yamaha R1M superbike. The idea is sort of out there, but yet also makes a reasonable amount of sense.
What you are looking at it is perhaps the most unique Honda RC-51 we have ever seen. For those who know their Hondas, and are paying close attention, this particular bike used to be a Honda VTR1000SP1 – though it has gotten more than a once-over by the crafty hands at French upstart Praëm.
If you are familiar with the work of Holographic Hammer, then the Praëm SP3 should look stylistically familiar, as its the product of Sylvain & Florent Berneron – Sylvain being a former BMW Motorrad designer, while Florent has a background in aeronautics and mechanics.
Tasty bits on the Praëm SP3 includes Öhlins suspension, Rotobox carbon fiber wheels, Brembo brakes and carbon discs, and other pieces from Rizoma.
We think the item that most people will be interested by though is the Praëm SP3’s fairings, which aren’t made of metal sheets, but instead a countless number of wires that have been pulled taught over a backing and frame. The effect is certainly an interesting one.
Taking a superbike off-road isn’t the dumbest thing we’ve ever done, but too many it certainly is sacrilegious. The truth is, the Venn diagram of motorcycles and their capabilities for different uses has a lot more overlap than riders are willing to admit.
That’s why when we see our friends at Holographic Hammer working on a scrambler model based off a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R we get a little excited. With enough suspension travel, bash plates, and right-handed traction control, there’s no reason that a ZX-10R can’t be the basis for a fun dual-sport.
And naturally, the talents at HH are going to make the project look amazing, so what’s the rub? Think differently, and have a brappy day – we say!
We’ve been big fans of the work done by Holographic Hammer for a long, though we have only curious featured their work once before — and that’s a shame, since the French outfit is making some interesting concepts, both digitally and physically.
We’re therefore happy to share with you their latest work, the Ducati Scrambler “Hero 01”.
Holographic Hammer tells us that they wanted to keep the purpose of the Scrambler at the Hero 01’s core, namely a bike that you actually used on a day-to-day basis. It would get dirty, it would get scratched, it would tip over…therefore a bunch of intricate and expensive kit wouldn’t do.
The changes therefore are practical and affordable, sans maybe the $3,000 carbon fiber Rotobox wheels…after all though, one has to live. Right?
It’s funny that we should come across Holographic Hammer’s concept renderings of a reworked Buell Firebolt XB12R at the end of the year, because the work is perhaps the most intriguing we have seen in 2013.
More of cult classic than big hit, the Buell Firebolt XB12R was never honestly considered an appealing machine in terms of design and function, though the two-wheeler has found a special place in the hearts of Buellisti around the world.
Featuring the typical gimmicks innovations of Erik Buell’s tenure at Harley-Davidson, things like the Firebolt’s in-frame fuel tank and underslung exhaust create some interesting freedoms for designers to work with visually.
While many Buell customs have come across our desk, we think the work done by Holographic Hammer, the work of love by BMW Motorrad designer Sylvain Berneron, is the only one to really embrace the opportunity that Buell’s create.