This Akira Motorcycle Concept by James Qiu Is Fire

I am, and forever will be, a complete sucker for a good rendition of Kaneda’s motorcycle from the cult Japanese anime movie Akira. Growing up as a kid (versus growing up as an adult, which is my current state), Akira‘s portrayal of motorcycles was one of the few things that got me interested in two-wheels.

I was a “car kid” growing up, with pictures of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche automobiles hanging on my walls. But, Kaneda’s bike was an influence too, and judging from the comments section when we post about this bike, it was a transformative machine for many others as well.

With that in mind, we bring you today’s installment, which is an intriguing concept from Chinese designer James Qiu (三维动画).

What is unique about this proposal is that it incorporates an internal combustion engine to power the rear wheel, while the front wheel is juiced by two electric motors.

Maybe it is the trellis frame, or the dual-pipe Termignoni exhausts that shoot out from the sides, but we get a distinct Ducati XDiavel vibe from Qiu’s work. It almost makes you think that this bike is the missing link between now and Neo Tokyo.

Whatever it is, it works. The design in the sketches below is certainly going to grab attention, but it was the video above that really made our jaws drop. We think you will enjoy it too. Tetsuo!