3D printers are definitely making life much more fun, with the new opportunities they open. Both riding and non-riding fellows seem to enjoy exploring new directions, some of them providing technical solutions in the engineering field, while others take things further into the art territory.
Jonathan Brand is an artist with two bases of operations, New York and New Haven, CT, and who has dreamed of owning a motorcycle for quite a long time. For reasons outside his power of influence, this did not happen… until now, even if the way things evolved is far from what you and me would maybe think of as usual.
Brand decided he should build his own motorcycle, but as he believed he was a bit too prone to accidents, he went for a plastic, 3D printed one. Two Ultimaker 3D printers have helped him create a full-size replica of a Honda CB500 from the ‘70s era, and believe it or not, the bike can be even pushed around the room and steered.
Small parts make up a huge project
Now, because of the dimensions of an actual motorcycle, printing the Honda in one piece was obviously impossible, so Brad had to design the whole project as a huge lego-like structure. After creating a virtual model of the bike, he literally had to print slices from it one by one, finishing them by hand and then gluing them together, in an 18-kg (40 lb) finished product, according to motorbiker.
A resin-based printer was an endeavor too expensive for the moment, so he decided to use plastic for his Honda. He also had to be careful and keep the thickness of each part around the 1mm value, so that the whole structure would be translucent.
Truth be told, this amazing 3D printed bike is a sweet mixture of art and engineering, even though at times it looks a bit freaky. Honestly it reminds us of the shed remains of a molting insect…
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