Photo: mbandf.com
In case you're asking whether we've made a mistake or your eyes have gone wacko, the answer is “no”. Japanese motorcycle builder and artist Chicara Nagata is showing three of his breathtaking creations in the Mechanical Art Devices (M.A.D) Gallery of the exquisite Maximilian Büsser & Friends (MB&F) in Geneva, Switzerland.
The event is even more fantastic as it is only the second time these amazing machines have something else than Japanese soil under their wheels. They can be admired until late February 2013 in Geneva, Switzerland. And if you plan to get one for yourself, you should buy it in Switzerland, as the 8% VAT is a bargain, compared to other countries.
The exhibit consists of three bikes: Chicara Art One, Art Three, and Art Four. The One and Three are priced at CHF 370,000+VAT, which translates to $410,000 / 330,000 €, VAT included. The Chicara Art Four is the cheapest of the lot, as its creator would let it go for CHF 78,000+VAT, or $89,600 / 64,400 €.
Leaving the price tags behind, the bikes are well worth admiring as they are unique and Chicara Nagata has put up a huge amount of work to see them roll. For example, the Art One is based on a 1939 Harley Davidson flathead engine, and brings together around 500 different pieces of handcrafted steel, copper, aluminium, brass and nickel. This 1200 cc beast weighs around 260 kg and it required more than 7,500 hours of work (more than two years). The Art One won the AMD Championship in 2006 with flying colors.
Chicara Art Three sports a 550cc Meguro engine dating from 1950, weighs in 220 kg and was completed in 6,000 hours of work. The Chicara Art Four moped was built in 2008 around a 50cc 1966 Honda engine delivering 1.5 bhp. More than 3,500 hours of work were needed for its completion, and beside the artistic statement it represents, the Art Four boasts a most interesting suspension with dual shocks and a design which screams style. We're delving deep to learn what has come of the Chicara Art Two and will come with the news as things clear up.
If you're in Switzerland and are close to Geneva, you definitely should not miss the Chicara Nagata motorcycles, as this is a most rare and illuminating opportunity.
Thanks Eleonor at the MAD Gallery for this exclusive material.
The exhibit consists of three bikes: Chicara Art One, Art Three, and Art Four. The One and Three are priced at CHF 370,000+VAT, which translates to $410,000 / 330,000 €, VAT included. The Chicara Art Four is the cheapest of the lot, as its creator would let it go for CHF 78,000+VAT, or $89,600 / 64,400 €.
Leaving the price tags behind, the bikes are well worth admiring as they are unique and Chicara Nagata has put up a huge amount of work to see them roll. For example, the Art One is based on a 1939 Harley Davidson flathead engine, and brings together around 500 different pieces of handcrafted steel, copper, aluminium, brass and nickel. This 1200 cc beast weighs around 260 kg and it required more than 7,500 hours of work (more than two years). The Art One won the AMD Championship in 2006 with flying colors.
Chicara Art Three sports a 550cc Meguro engine dating from 1950, weighs in 220 kg and was completed in 6,000 hours of work. The Chicara Art Four moped was built in 2008 around a 50cc 1966 Honda engine delivering 1.5 bhp. More than 3,500 hours of work were needed for its completion, and beside the artistic statement it represents, the Art Four boasts a most interesting suspension with dual shocks and a design which screams style. We're delving deep to learn what has come of the Chicara Art Two and will come with the news as things clear up.
If you're in Switzerland and are close to Geneva, you definitely should not miss the Chicara Nagata motorcycles, as this is a most rare and illuminating opportunity.
Thanks Eleonor at the MAD Gallery for this exclusive material.
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