Off-road Equuleus Motorcycle Concept Takes the Mountain Ranger Game to New Level

This was the essence of what Ethan Hsu had in mind when he set out to create the Equuleus electric motorcycle. Designed specifically for overcoming rugged mountain terrains, this motorcycle is meant to do so much more than just ride around the woods.

As an aid to mountain rangers and the situations they face, the Equuleus is filled with technological and design features aimed at surviving unforgiving lands and being an indispensable asset to rangers. Now that you know what you’re looking at, let’s get to exploring.

Because this motorcycle is meant to ride through virgin lands, one way to make sure woods and mountains stay that way is to create a fully electric vehicle; eco-friendly. This is the case with the Equuleus and its drivetrain.

Hidden dead center on the bike, right underneath the rear suspension spring, you can see a round and chrome-like component. This is the motor that will be driving that massive rear wheel with enough torque to climb well beyond 20-degree hills.

How much power this motor will be putting out is, surprisingly, known; 40 hp. Anything else remains unknown because this design has only seen the rendering and model stages of production, in the process winning one design award and nominated for a second. I wonder if future years will be changing mountain landscapes with this sort of vehicle.

Right in front of the motor, but hidden in the frame, Ethan introduces a battery back. You can’t see it, but it’s there. Overall, the designer declares a range of up to 300 km (186 mi), more than enough for an emergency trip to the top of a local peak and back again. If juice runs out, the Equuleus can recharge via wireless transmission, a piece of technology already being used in some EVs currently on the streets.

One other main feature that Ethan included in the design is countless storage compartments. Not only is the bike covered with up to five storage units for everything from tools to supplies and health kits, but these storage boxes can be removed in case you encounter unpassable terrains. These toolkits also come in varying shapes and sizes and are designed to be completely water and dust proof.

Now, mountains are the sort of place that people can get lost in, after all, that’s one reason why mountain rangers exist at all. So, to keep you safe, a user interface showing directions, terrains, battery level, and distance-to-target is also part of the design.

As I mentioned earlier, this concept made it into a scale model, and I must say, it looks pretty darn good. The designer even included a leather seat and hand stitching into the design. Everything else is in place as well, although, not too sure about functionality. From that odd-looking front fork, that better be hiding some sort of suspension, to the removable storage units, the model has it all.

One aspect that really helps complete the overall design of the bike is the wheels. But again, I'm not too sure of how effective they may be on mountain terrains. Who knows, I'm just a writer, not an engineer.

However, one reason this design has won awards is because it brings new life into a world that seems to be long forgotten to most of us city-goers. And it does so with clean emissions; perfect for keeping the wild things just the way they are.