Despite what Futurists say the future of all-electric motorcycles is still a long way off. For riders to embrace electric mobility en masse, battery-powered bikes must strike the same balance between price, performance and range that gas-powered bikes so effortlessly achieve – and that will take time.
Until then, acceptance by the most die-hard motorcyclists will remain slow. That's why, Electric motorcycle The most promising niche in the industry is small, affordable machines designed for urban use and aimed at new riders, rather than the old guard: bikes like the quirky BMW CE 02.
Halfway between a motorcycle and a scooter, the CE 02 offers 11 kW of power, 55 Nm of torque and a top speed of 95 km/h. [59 mph]and a declared minimum range of 90 km. [56 miles] In its most powerful version, the basic model costs $7,599 in the United States, so it is not cheap at all. But if you look beyond the exorbitant price, these are respectable figures for a compact city car.
It's also a great canvas for customization, according to the guys from Austria. Vagabond MotorcyclePaul Brauchart and Philipp Rabl are best known around here for their cutting-edge custom bikes, but they're more likely to consider themselves designers than custom bike builders. They've dabbled in a number of product designs and have an ever-expanding catalogue of custom cars that includes a Land Rover, a Lada and several Porsches.
To apply its distinctive, elegant styling to the BMW CE 02, Vagabund first stripped down the bike and 3D-scanned it. Key components such as the drivetrain, suspension, wheels, and control area were left intact, but the rest of the CE 02 was clad in a combination of aluminum and 3D-printed parts. (Vagabund used polyamide 12 for its 3D printing, to ensure OEM levels of durability.)
The changes start at the front, where the guys designed a new nacelle and headlight housing, with two LED projectors lighting up the road. If we had to guess, we'd say modern motocross bikes and Bender from Futurama were on Vagabund's inspiration board when they designed the new headlight design.
The new headlight is flanked by small 3D-printed LED indicators, mounted where the original indicators were, on either side of the closed handlebars. Further down, a 3D-printed fender and fork guards replace the stock plastics.
Moving to the core of the CE 02, Vagabund painted the main drivetrain covers black, allowing them to visually disappear into the chassis. They also reupholstered the seat and repainted the wheels, removing any trace of the original graphics in the process and bringing the CE 02 into line with the austere monochromatic style the studio is known for.
Next, the guys fabricated a pair of perforated aluminum shells to replace the CE 02’s plastic side panels. There’s more aluminum work further down, where a hand-molded baseplate does double duty as a small luggage rack and running boards. It’s adorned with skateboard grip tape and features a custom strap for holding small items.
The perforated motif is repeated further back, where a custom-made storage tube cheekily mimics an exhaust silencer (it currently contains a small umbrella).
On the other side of the bike hangs a retro-futuristic Bluetooth speaker from Swedish electronics company Teenage Engineering. It’s attached to a custom mounting bracket and secured with a custom strap. Considering how quiet e-bikes are, it’s probably pretty effective, too.
As for the smaller details, the swingarm-mounted license plate bracket lighting was removed and a thin 3D-printed taillight and turn signal strip was added. The rear shock cover was also discarded, leaving the rear suspension area looking a little tidier.
In true Vagabund style, the latest accessory for the BMW CE 02 came in the form of a full-size toy box. Designed as a complete display case, the whole set can be disassembled and transported, and features built-in LED lighting worthy of an art gallery.
If the stock BMW CE 02 doesn't appeal to you, Vagabund's vision is unlikely to appeal to you. But if you think the CE 02 is cool, its version has made it even cooler.
Vagabond Motorcycle | Instagram | Images of Stefan Leitner
